It wasn't "comped", they paid for it. Read the article.
"...but Ford is increasingly booking a lot of cruises for clients, so it was an investment worth making."
Serious question: Does that mean you wrote this off somehow?
"...but Ford is increasingly booking a lot of cruises for clients, so it was an investment worth making."
Serious question: Does that mean you wrote this off somehow?
You may safely assume that every penny associated with anything that Ben writes about is legitimately taken as a top line business expense. There's no hint of impropriety about this, it's the textbook definition of a business expense.
The only thing is that it does -- especially in a case like this -- change the math. At the undiscounted rate that would bring the all-things-considered cost down to $21,000 and on the discounted amount something like $14,400.
The only member of the crew who has ever stepped foot in a Four Seasons is the GM. In fact, it is possible that only a couple members of the crew have ever been in a luxury hotel or in the U.S. at all. They are all from second and third world countries. They were not trained by anyone associated with the Four Seasons.
Well going to the US isn't exactly a way to understand good service. More the opposite.
This is such an oddball review. Rich people spend a fortune for a ride on a pretty boat, food is extra, they don’t even know how to prepare the pizza that’s on the menu, service is middling and people go like ‘I’ll be back for more’, if Ben can be trusted. It’s definitely not about the product but the exclusivity. Probably the same people spending a million $ for a studio in a Ritz Carlton Residencies in Pompano Beach. Funny. All the power to them.
@ Udo -- I can't disagree with most of your conclusions, because the price point is high, and they need to get the details exactly right. I think people might be after "exclusivity" in the sense that they want a ship that doesn't feel crowded, and where they have a lot of space to themselves. But I don't think it's "exclusivity" in the traditional sense that they're after, like only wanting to be around a certain group of people. I say that because the passenger profile was truly all over the place.
It’s really not possible that the passenger profile was that diverse. I’m not saying everyone has the same background, but at $35k for a week, the amount of people who can afford this is a minuscule proportion of the population. Add in the fact they’re on a ship, and you really are just surrounded by the 0.1%.
"I say that because the passenger profile was truly all over the place".
THIS would have been great to hear more about in the review. Still, at $35k for an entry level room, I wonder how many people with much 'depth' when they are paying for superficiality?
@Udo: the same complaint can legitimately be lodged against pretty much everything that's reviewed on this blog. It's *about* luxury travel with very little consideration given to budget or value. While this cruise may have cost 5x what other fairly equivalent experiences might have cost the same is true if pretty much all the hotels Ben reviews.
i swear you morons will only be happy when ben exclusively reviews la quinta's or best westerns. like if you're broke maybe dont read a blog that focuses on premium travel? bunch of weirdos man
@Harold, I can't recall any of the Best Western hotels where I've stayed only offering shared toilets like the business/first class cabins I've experienced myself and/or seen reviewed on this blog.
I have had some involvement (including in a professional capacity) with people working on cruise ships as well as the tourist industry in the Mediterranean and my distinct impression is that the vast majority of people who are willing* to pay these sort of prices would generally expect to travel on their own terms by chartering planes/yachts as opposed to choosing upscale public transport. At the end of the day, I suspect that most people would rather sample the local cuisine of the places they visit than confine themselves to a small range of onboard restaurants.
*It goes without saying that this isn't purely a question of affluence - a large proportion of those who can afford to pay such prices will have no interest in that type of travel.
#totallynotsponsoredreview
@ TheBestBlackBrent -- Okay, so sponsored content is generally reviewed by the party sponsoring it. Can you point to any other case where sponsored content had a conclusion like this in the introduction section?
"Did the Four Seasons Yacht live up to my (very high) expectations? Not quite."
I'll be waiting...
Having cruised 75+ times in mainstream lines, the dining issues in particular are VERY surprising for an ultra luxury line.
I would consider those waits, lack of attention to detail & the pizza issue to be unexpected at the mainstream level, much less at the prices for Ritz.
Very odd to be sure.
The price point is insane, you could do five cruise on Ponant in a massive suite for this price.
With 12 persons it is also cheaper I assume to charter a boat?
@ Lepetitbelge -- Yeah, you definitely could charter a yacht for that cost (some are much cheaper, some are much more expensive). Ultimately this is a different kind of experience, though, and you'd choose this if you value the bigger shared spaces, more amenities, more flexible dining, etc.
Is also a suggestion to review Ponant 🙂
A bit quirky, very French but seems somewhat similar (less grand) at a much lower price point
Beautiful pics of the yacht, beautiful pics of the pool area, beautiful pics of the dining venues, beautiful pics of the spa area, then................the DREADED pic of the avacado toast. Can we EVER escape this - maybe just once????
That pizza somehow looks simultaneously soggy and rock hard. So good on them for that achievement.
I feel that FS does the standard elevated luxury experience super well. But when they try to go a little TOO bespoke, the cracks start to show in how they execute. Looking at the flights that they offer too and you see them getting out of their comfort zone, and are going on name more than anything else. And will probably do fine at this venture, but they will be outclassed by smaller rivals that can really tailor the experience for similar price points.
And I think this mini-review confirms it. The customer that wants a good enough experience that they can just call FS and book, and not try to string together a more exotic itinerary.
Owww, that doesn't seem right for us. This company should have it right from the start, not train while on duty.
The milk thing may be small, but that is not 4 Seasons.
Many years ago we stayed at the Fours Seasons Miami. We thought it would be really nice. There were problems aside from the dying floral display in the lobby, to the leaking room window causing a wet carpet and excess moisture in the room, to the chef making eggs benedict, getting it wrong, my wife telling the chef what he did wrong and then he admitted it, so no 4 or 5 stars there.
We decided to go with other brands after that. Back then if one stayed at St Regis it was on par and it was Starwood.
Not sure about the picture you put of the exterior. The hull looks like it has been repainted many times in different sections.
Do they buy old ships and renovate?
We had also tried Four Seasons NYC, Georgetown, London prior to Miami. They were supposed to be tops but were not.
Read your review, Ben, and many of the comments. This BradStPete (among others) was spot on. I've traveled a great deal, from budget to ultra lux (including 4S properties). The ship's fit a finish is about the only positive. Great service rarely, if ever, makes up for poor execution.
I think something like this puts you - and Ford, especially - in a pickle: he needs to vouch for selling a product to others that he can recommend. After reading your review, I don't know how he could recommend it to anybody, unless it was somebody who purely had money to burn.
I've sailed on yachts with fewer passengers. Your experience seemed to pale in comparison - both product and service - and I must be honest: I am grateful you took one for the team here because it solidified to me what a monumental waste 4S is for my money. I won't sail them unless someone pays my way and then I'll ask 'why?"
Frankly, all of the food images you presented were enormously underwhelming - not because of your photography skills. But, will trust your palate. Still, a yacht experience is when you go shopping with the chef at the next port of call to purchase the local ingredients for that night's meal.
All of that AND you still had to pay extra for food and drinks?! Unacceptable.
Im assuming at this price point the Carnival Cruise Line demographic is not prevalent on this ship?