Four Seasons is known for its luxury hotels, though the brand is now getting into the cruising industry, with the introduction of Four Seasons Yachts. While I’ve covered this in the past, there’s now a major update, as the first voyage has set sail, so this is now actually a real thing.
Continue reading: Four Seasons Yachts Sets Sail: Prices, Suites, Dining, Itineraries, How To Book
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Oh yeah ... $ 3,000 per night , without lunch or dinner . Sure will attract many customers .
Maybe not you, definitely not me, but there are enough people out there with money to burn.
At this price tag for 7 nights, it makes more sense to just charter your own small yacht. At 7 nights when you include meals, drinks and spa, your costs will be well over 30k. Idk what genius on the Four Seasons team thought that not including meals in pricing was a smart idea.
"Pricing is actually more attractive than most people had assumed."
Completely disagree, especially in speaking with travel advisors who regularly sell high-end cruises. I'm not sure what kind of pricing hotel-brand devotees expected, but fares being charged by Four Seasons Yachts are way, way above what "luxury" cruises typically cost.
First off, with the exception of a couple Caribbean departures I don't find any Four Seasons cabins in the coming year priced as low as $3,000/night. (A couple trans-Atlantic crossings are priced lower as they involve a substantial number of sea days and few or no ports.) Looking at Four Seasons' August 2027 Med departures, the entry-level Seaview Suite starts at $3,322/night for one sailing, but for all others they are above $4,000/night. As you mention, that does not include lunch, dinner or most drinks, however, the entry-level cabin size (473 sq ft) is about 50% larger than the competition.
When you look at Silversea, Seabourn and Explora, all of which include all dining and drinks, the entry-level cabins (about 300 sq ft) for Med sailings start at between $600 and $900 per night, per person (so, $1,200-$1,800 per cabin night based on double occupancy). The exception to this is Silversea's tricked-out expedition ship Endeavour (these cabins start at $3,000/night). In the Caribbean, those same ships in January average $500-$700/night, per person.
I love many of the Four Seasons hotels and I'm sure they will offer a cruise product at or above the other luxury brands, with a substantially larger entry-level cabin. The ship looks lovely, and I'll be interested to see actual images, instead of renderings.
For those who can afford this kind of pricing, especially groups of four or more, why aren't they chartering a luxury yacht?
Like Ritz-Carlton, they are selling this ship based on the expectations of what their hotel guests will pay, not based on what typical cruisers will pay. Maybe they'll get it, and if so I'll be curious to see how the new pricing model plays out.
There are far cheaper ways to get norovirus, Covid, and Legionnaire's Disease.
To comment on the "length of the ship". When you take out the extended lower deck for the salt water pool, this ship isn't as long as it appears. Yes, it's true that the guest space ratio is high, but given how large many of these rooms are, that doesn't necessarily translate into significantly more space per guest in the common areas. Re: pricing, if you're comparing it to other luxury cruise companies, these room sizes are quite a bit bigger, but having the entry level suite with no tub is crazy. It seems to me that the target demographic is families or groups of friends renting a multi-bedroom suite and using this as their "floating villa" -- almost like a Bora Bora vacation where you have lots of private space and can then hang in common areas when you feel like it. The difference here is that you have to actually want to visit the places on their itineraries and be willing to deal with the aspects of being on a ship with a bunch of other people that you may not want to interact with.
This is most similar to the "FS Private Jet" experience but I'm skeptical they'll be able to maintain high occupancy year around with this model.
Cruising is for unambitious travelers who want to dabble with day trips in foreign places while retreating to their cocoon of western banality at the end of the day.
I don't get who this is for. Cruises are for the all inclusive social experience. Yacht charters are for privacy.
So now you have the cost of a yacht charter yet you don't get the social experience of a cruise. There will be like 4 people in a restaurant at a time, too small for shows, no casino, etc. And not all inclusive!
When I was looking at honeymoon options, one of the places I looked at was Bora Bora. For less than the cost of an overwater bungalo at any of the resorts, I could charter a very nice 40-50ft catamaran and just anchor around the island for the duration of the trip. That being said, that doesn't include crew or a cook or groceries. I didn't price those extras out. But from what I've seen from (admittedly, Below Deck) chartering a yacht with a similar level of space and furnishings with crew for your own party is definitely going to be more expensive, unless you're buying out the Funnel Suite.
Not sure if anyone else here wants to chime in with contrary experience, but when I did a Med cruise on Oceania a couple years ago one couple in our group upgraded to a suite on the front of the ship with massive and gorgeous looking outdoor space. They barely got to use it though, because when underway the furniture was all stacked and secured to the deck, and when at port they were... walking around in port. The indoor space for this FS suite is insane, but it seems like in reality much of that nice outdoor space is going to be wasted/good for marketing only.
Bit of a shameless plug no?. Good for also being able to write off 100% of the trips too….
I don’t get this at all.
What happens if ship can’t make port which happens in med. Now I’m on hook for lunch and dinner. And say you want to go ashore to a high end restaurant- does Four Seasons make reservation for you? Wouldn’t you be competing with folks on shore who probably have reservations? Unless you are coming out of a darkened suburban with a security escort no high end restaurant is going to care that you are on a Four Seasons ship.
I just can’t see this crowd waiting in line for a shawarma on a Greek island.
Breakfast included, but no lunch or dinner? What are they following the business model of a Holiday Inn Express? Best not to include any meals - than just the cheapest meal of the day. Very 3 star...
Ben:
With the amount of media that has been given to Explora Journeys, an MSC company venture, I am surprised that you have not given any notice to this gem on the high seas?
It is an extraordinary experience, having experienced first hand in December 2025 and February 2026, all paid out of my own pocket.
Everything, aside from top notch wine and spirits, is included.
No tipping in fact.
Explora I and Explora II are sailing just now, with Explora III sailing from Genoa in July 2026.
I have seen the Ritz Carlton at sea, several times, and it looks underwhelming. The Four Seasons just seems enshrined to those with bottomless wallets and clueless minds.
As this is an aviation blog, I respect your shift in behaviour for "personal" reasons, but I am not sure that readers on this blog care too much for "an Ocean perspective".
Best,
James
It's definitely not useful for those of us who are not interested in cruising, but it's entertaining to observe from an anthropology perspective. If there are people who'll spend €300+ a night on an unremarkable 4* business hotel in Madrid in late July (when there's basically no business travel because it's too hot and most people are on holiday) just because it's being sold by Hyatt (Accor etc equivalents are barely over €100), there may well be others who are happy to buy a fancy public transport ticket for a sum of money which would be enough to charter a private vessel for the same amount of time.
Steve, that’s because on a Greek island… it’d be a gyro… pronounced ‘yee-row’… (or a souvlaki; extra tzatziki, please.)
This has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Not including lunch and dinner. Totally defeats the purpose of the cruise. This will not sell well especially when you could just go on rotation carlton yatch instead. Lmao
Oh yeah ... $ 3,000 per night , without lunch or dinner . Sure will attract many customers .
Maybe not you, definitely not me, but there are enough people out there with money to burn.
This has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Not including lunch and dinner. Totally defeats the purpose of the cruise. This will not sell well especially when you could just go on rotation carlton yatch instead. Lmao
At this price tag for 7 nights, it makes more sense to just charter your own small yacht. At 7 nights when you include meals, drinks and spa, your costs will be well over 30k. Idk what genius on the Four Seasons team thought that not including meals in pricing was a smart idea.
When I was looking at honeymoon options, one of the places I looked at was Bora Bora. For less than the cost of an overwater bungalo at any of the resorts, I could charter a very nice 40-50ft catamaran and just anchor around the island for the duration of the trip. That being said, that doesn't include crew or a cook or groceries. I didn't price those extras out. But from what I've seen from (admittedly, Below Deck) chartering a yacht with a similar level of space and furnishings with crew for your own party is definitely going to be more expensive, unless you're buying out the Funnel Suite.
This would make a very nice honeymoon or anniversary gift !
$3000 or more per night without being all inclusive is insane.
"Pricing is actually more attractive than most people had assumed."
Completely disagree, especially in speaking with travel advisors who regularly sell high-end cruises. I'm not sure what kind of pricing hotel-brand devotees expected, but fares being charged by Four Seasons Yachts are way, way above what "luxury" cruises typically cost.
First off, with the exception of a couple Caribbean departures I don't find any Four Seasons cabins in the coming year priced as low as $3,000/night. (A couple trans-Atlantic crossings are priced lower as they involve a substantial number of sea days and few or no ports.) Looking at Four Seasons' August 2027 Med departures, the entry-level Seaview Suite starts at $3,322/night for one sailing, but for all others they are above $4,000/night. As you mention, that does not include lunch, dinner or most drinks, however, the entry-level cabin size (473 sq ft) is about 50% larger than the competition.
When you look at Silversea, Seabourn and Explora, all of which include all dining and drinks, the entry-level cabins (about 300 sq ft) for Med sailings start at between $600 and $900 per night, per person (so, $1,200-$1,800 per cabin night based on double occupancy). The exception to this is Silversea's tricked-out expedition ship Endeavour (these cabins start at $3,000/night). In the Caribbean, those same ships in January average $500-$700/night, per person.
I love many of the Four Seasons hotels and I'm sure they will offer a cruise product at or above the other luxury brands, with a substantially larger entry-level cabin. The ship looks lovely, and I'll be interested to see actual images, instead of renderings.
For those who can afford this kind of pricing, especially groups of four or more, why aren't they chartering a luxury yacht?
Like Ritz-Carlton, they are selling this ship based on the expectations of what their hotel guests will pay, not based on what typical cruisers will pay. Maybe they'll get it, and if so I'll be curious to see how the new pricing model plays out.
There are far cheaper ways to get norovirus, Covid, and Legionnaire's Disease.
To comment on the "length of the ship". When you take out the extended lower deck for the salt water pool, this ship isn't as long as it appears. Yes, it's true that the guest space ratio is high, but given how large many of these rooms are, that doesn't necessarily translate into significantly more space per guest in the common areas. Re: pricing, if you're comparing it to other luxury cruise companies, these room sizes are quite a bit bigger, but having the entry level suite with no tub is crazy. It seems to me that the target demographic is families or groups of friends renting a multi-bedroom suite and using this as their "floating villa" -- almost like a Bora Bora vacation where you have lots of private space and can then hang in common areas when you feel like it. The difference here is that you have to actually want to visit the places on their itineraries and be willing to deal with the aspects of being on a ship with a bunch of other people that you may not want to interact with.
This is most similar to the "FS Private Jet" experience but I'm skeptical they'll be able to maintain high occupancy year around with this model.
Cruising is for unambitious travelers who want to dabble with day trips in foreign places while retreating to their cocoon of western banality at the end of the day.
I don't get who this is for. Cruises are for the all inclusive social experience. Yacht charters are for privacy.
So now you have the cost of a yacht charter yet you don't get the social experience of a cruise. There will be like 4 people in a restaurant at a time, too small for shows, no casino, etc. And not all inclusive!
Not sure if anyone else here wants to chime in with contrary experience, but when I did a Med cruise on Oceania a couple years ago one couple in our group upgraded to a suite on the front of the ship with massive and gorgeous looking outdoor space. They barely got to use it though, because when underway the furniture was all stacked and secured to the deck, and when at port they were... walking around in port. The indoor space for this FS suite is insane, but it seems like in reality much of that nice outdoor space is going to be wasted/good for marketing only.
Bit of a shameless plug no?. Good for also being able to write off 100% of the trips too….
I don’t get this at all.
What happens if ship can’t make port which happens in med. Now I’m on hook for lunch and dinner. And say you want to go ashore to a high end restaurant- does Four Seasons make reservation for you? Wouldn’t you be competing with folks on shore who probably have reservations? Unless you are coming out of a darkened suburban with a security escort no high end restaurant is going to care that you are on a Four Seasons ship.
I just can’t see this crowd waiting in line for a shawarma on a Greek island.
Steve, that’s because on a Greek island… it’d be a gyro… pronounced ‘yee-row’… (or a souvlaki; extra tzatziki, please.)
Breakfast included, but no lunch or dinner? What are they following the business model of a Holiday Inn Express? Best not to include any meals - than just the cheapest meal of the day. Very 3 star...
Ben:
With the amount of media that has been given to Explora Journeys, an MSC company venture, I am surprised that you have not given any notice to this gem on the high seas?
It is an extraordinary experience, having experienced first hand in December 2025 and February 2026, all paid out of my own pocket.
Everything, aside from top notch wine and spirits, is included.
No tipping in fact.
Explora I and Explora II are sailing just now, with Explora III sailing from Genoa in July 2026.
I have seen the Ritz Carlton at sea, several times, and it looks underwhelming. The Four Seasons just seems enshrined to those with bottomless wallets and clueless minds.
As this is an aviation blog, I respect your shift in behaviour for "personal" reasons, but I am not sure that readers on this blog care too much for "an Ocean perspective".
Best,
James
It's definitely not useful for those of us who are not interested in cruising, but it's entertaining to observe from an anthropology perspective. If there are people who'll spend €300+ a night on an unremarkable 4* business hotel in Madrid in late July (when there's basically no business travel because it's too hot and most people are on holiday) just because it's being sold by Hyatt (Accor etc equivalents are barely over €100), there may well be others who are happy to buy a fancy public transport ticket for a sum of money which would be enough to charter a private vessel for the same amount of time.