:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Why-High-End-Hospitality-Smartest-Brands-Are-Taking-Luxury-to-Sea-FT-DGTL0626-Four-Seasons-01-94a7aa19578845fd8887625e696ea3d0.jpg "How Hotel-Branded Yachts Are Changing Luxury Travel at Sea")
The sixth tasting menu course at Seta su Ilma arrives as a single oversized raviolo, its green-and-white striped dough wrapped around a rich filling of egg yolk and truffle-laced ricotta, set in an umami-rich wild mushroom and truffle jus. A generous shaving of Italian black truffle finishes the dish, which wouldn’t look out of place in any number of refined dining rooms in northern Italy.
But this restaurant isn’t in Milan or Turin: it’s aboard Ilma, one of the newest yachts from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. For decades, this is not what cruise dining looked —or tasted — like. But that’s the point.
Cruising has long been a business of scale: massive ships transporting thousands of passengers at once, offering all-inclusive vacations at relatively accessible price points designed for broad appeal. But as guest preferences shift, the model is being inverted. Fueled by the rise of experiential travel and amplified by social media, these days many affluent travelers are prioritizing customization through immersive, tailored experiences and high-touch service. Luxury hotel brands are responding by entering the cruise market.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
In fall 2022, The Ritz-Carlton became the first major luxury hotel group to enter the cruising market with Evrima, a comparatively diminutive 624-foot vessel spanning 10 decks. Built entirely around suites — 149 in total for just 298 guests — the rooms range from roughly 300 to over 1,000 square feet, each with a private terrace, floor-to-ceiling glass doors, and cream-and-black interiors accented with marble finishes. (By contrast, a conventional cruise ship carries several thousand passengers.) While pricing varies by itinerary, voyages begin at around $6,800 per person, for itineraries such as a four-night Barcelona-to-Rome trip.
The cruise line was “designed to address a clear gap in the luxury travel market,” says Gaby Aiguesvives, the company’s chief marketing officer, one shaped by a broader shift toward more “intentional” travel. Unlike even the most luxurious hotel stay, which is rooted in a single place, the yacht model expands the experience across multiple destinations, layering in bespoke, destination-specific programming, from helicopter rides in Mallorca to an afternoon at acclaimed winery Château Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux, France.
The onboard experience leans heavily on the brand’s hotel DNA, with Frette linens and Diptyque bath amenities, plus personal butlers or “suite ambassadors” on call 24/7. Dining is central: there are five main restaurants offering a mix of cuisines from Southeast Asian to Mediterranean, plus a fine dining tasting menu concept from three-Michelin-starred German chef Sven Elverfeld.
Since launch, the fleet has expanded with the 224-suite Ilma in 2024 for 448 guests, and the recently debuted Luminara. Across the ships, which have the benefit of accessing smaller, harder-to-reach ports, the approach to luxury is consistent: highly personalized service, and restaurant-driven programming paired with high-end add-ons, from triple-digit glasses of wine to trophy bottles like Château Pétrus. Beyond dining, there are personal training sessions, spa treatments, and for anyone who’s seen those Instagram-perfect shots of travelers aboard private yachts diving into turquoise water, the Ritz recreates that aesthetic with floating marinas that open directly onto the sea.
Four Seasons Yachts
Courtesy of Four Seasons Yachts
After years of planning, Four Seasons entered the cruise category in March 2026 with its inaugural Caribbean and Mediterranean-bound vessel, Four Seasons I. Voyages typically start in the five figures per suite forseven nights. The move reflects what CEO Ben Trodd calls “how luxury travelers want to explore today,” with demand shifting toward private yachting and vessels that prioritize privacy, personalization, and more immersive multi-destination journeys.
The first ship is more compact than its Ritz counterparts, with just 95 suites — some measuring up to 10,000 square feet, spanning multiple levels. Cabins come dressed in white with blond wood paneling; bathrooms are finished in green quartzite marble, some with terraces and plunge pools. The goal, Trodd says, was to deliver a residential-style experience at sea.
This has pushed the brand toward smaller ships, where that level of precision is more achievable, supported by a near one-to-one guest-to-staff ratio. The ship layers in design-led amenities, from a moody cigar lounge with crimson velvet chaises and shell-shaped lighting to common spaces by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio — his first yacht project — with creative direction from the art-driven French book publisher, Prosper Assouline.
Despite its size, the yacht is built around food, offering 11 dining venues, from a caviar and Champagne lounge to an eight-seat omakase sushi counter. Some trips also feature a Chef-in-Residence program, with limited-run tasting menus written by acclaimed Four Seasons hotel chefs, such as Guillaume Galliot of Four Seasons Hong Kong’s three Michelin-starred Caprice.
Orient Express
Courtesy of Orient Express Corinthian
In May 2026, Orient Express debuted the Riviera-bound Orient Express Corinthian, the world’s largest sailing yacht, with 54 suites ranging from 484 to 2,475 square feet. Like the brand’s legendary luxe trains, the ship leans into old-world Art Deco glamour with ubiquitous marble and decorative woodwork. The ship’s five restaurants are overseen by three-Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno, and include a raw bar plus eight cocktail bars.
Aman at Sea
Courtesy of Aman
Aman’s introductory vessel Amangati, is the most intimate: just 47 suites — from 739 to 3,811-square-feet, each with a private terrace — for 94 guests. Set to sail the Mediterranean, and with trips starting at $10,500 per suite, per night, it prioritizes space and wellness. The restrained aesthetic draws on Japanese ryokan minimalism, and its two-story spa features ocean-facing treatment suites, open-air whirlpool baths, and a hammam. Dining spans multiple restaurants, from Mediterranean and Japanese to a grill and a jazz club. The ship even sports two helipads.
Whether the luxe cruise model proves successful remains to be seen. What’s clear is that luxury travelers are no longer comparing cruises to other cruises — they’re measuring them against the best travel experiences, whether hotels, resorts, private villas, or yachts. For brands like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Orient Express, and Aman, the challenge isn’t just to meet that standard, but to exceed it — at sea.
To uncover the best food and drink experiences for travelers, Food & Wine polled over 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine pros from across the globe for their top culinary travel experiences. We then turned the results over to our Global Advisory Board, who ranked the top nominees in each category. For the full list of winners, visit foodandwine.com/globaltastemakers2026.
