High seas hotels: inside the rise of yacht-style cruises

The swimming pool on Four Seasons I

Hot on the heels of The Ritz-Carlton is Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, which is investing a cool £1 billion to build three 190-passenger superyachts.

The first, Four Seasons I – complete with huge four-storey suites and a swimming pool that turns into a dance floor – began sailing in the Med this spring with Insta-famous captain Kate McCue at the helm.

It’s a trend that hasn’t escaped cruise retailers. Jack Bennett, Iglu Cruise’s luxury cruise commercial manager, says: “Over the past two years, we have focused on yachts and yacht-style cruising, and have seen serious interest.

“Our customers ask about the service and staff ratios, the easy access to smaller ports and the number of guests per ship. There is also significant curiosity about the watersports facilities.

“It’s a sector we predict will only grow – and profitably – over the coming years."

Explora I’s lobby

Next on the horizon is Accor. The hospitality giant is launching the world’s largest sailing yacht, the 220m Corinthian, in June.

The first of two on order, the 108-passenger vessel will feature 54 suites, food by French chef Yannick Alléno, eight bars including a 1930s-style speakeasy, a 115-seat cabaret theatre, recording studio, Guerlain spa and cinema.

Then in 2027, Aman Resorts takes its turn with the 183m yacht Amangati – meaning ‘peaceful motion’ in Sanskrit. Its 94 fortunate guests will enjoy a Japanese garden, 16m pool deck and two helipads.

Elsewhere, Explora Journeys – the ultra-luxury offshoot from MSC Cruises – has designed its fleet to look and feel more like intimate, luxurious private yachts rather than traditional cruise ships. The company even drafted in veteran British yacht designer Martin Francis to create the elegant, aquiline profile of Explora I and II, with ships III to VI set to follow by 2028.

The line is also challenging traditional cruise conventions through the choice of terminology it employs: Explora uses the word ‘guests’ rather than ‘passengers’, ‘hosts’ instead of ‘crew’ and ‘experiences’ rather than ‘excursions’. 

Windstar Cruises, Atlas Ocean Voyages, Scenic, Emerald and SeaDream are other outfits that have leaned in to this style of cruising by launching vessels they term ‘yachts’, owing to their emphasis on personalised service with plenty of space, fine dining and onboard watersports equipment.

Such experiences couldn’t be further from the reputation of mainstream ocean cruising as floating resorts replete with rollercoasters, water parks and vast buffets, which is good news for the industry, according to Andy Harmer, managing director at Clia UK & Ireland.

“Yachts and yacht-style cruising highlight the rich diversity of experiences available in the cruise sector today, from intimate small-ship voyages to traditional ocean cruising,” says Harmer. 

“What’s particularly exciting is the opportunity this creates for agents to engage a different type of customer and often those who may not have previously considered a cruise holiday. The smaller scale, flexibility and immersive nature of yacht-style experiences can help open the door to a new audience.”

Selling tips for yacht-style cruises

When selling this style of cruising, Harmer adds: “The key is to emphasise the different destinations, personalised service and the boutique feel on board, while positioning yacht-style cruising as part of a wider spectrum of holidays at sea.

“Last year, we [Clia] hosted our first dedicated event focused solely on small-ship and yacht-style cruising, and it continues to be a major feature across our training, webinars and online content, so I urge agents to take advantage of these.”

One caveat for travel professionals: the glossy hotel brands carefully avoid using the c-word so, whatever you do, don’t go calling Evrima, Amangati or Corinthian a cruise ship…