This $12,000+ yacht trip could change how you see cruising

Travelers aboard Four Seasons Yachts describe ultra-personalized service and a luxury hotel vibe on the water.

• The Four Seasons I yacht offers highly personalized service with a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratio.
• The vessel is ideal for travelers seeking a high-end yacht experience before chartering a private one.
• Unlike many all-inclusive cruises, the pricing structure is similar to a hotel, with some meals purchased a la carte.

Joi Gibbs’ shore excursion through Four Seasons Yachts in France began with a knock at her suite door.

Most cruise excursions have a designated meeting place on the ship or pier, but on Four Seasons I a crew member escorted the Georgia resident and her best friend off the vessel for a helicopter ride to a Michelin-starred restaurant in Provence. That was just one way the first vessel in the luxury hotel brand’s new seagoing fleet differed from traditional cruises.

“When people kept saying to me, ‘You’re on a ship,’ (I said) ‘No, I’m on a yacht,'” Gibbs, who sailed on Four Seasons I’s March 20 maiden voyage, told USA TODAY. “I was quick to correct it because I’ve been on a cruise ship, and this felt nothing of the sort.”

We spoke with some of the first passengers to board the 95-suite vessel. Here are their first impressions.

What it’s like aboard Four Seasons Yachts

Gibbs said the personalized service onboard struck her right away, starting with a handshake from a crew member as she boarded in Málaga, Spain. The staff knew her name around the yacht during the nine-night Mediterranean voyage, even if she hadn’t met them yet.

“I mean, I could walk to go get something to eat, and it was, ‘Hello, Ms. Gibbs, how was your day?’ And it’s just like, first of all, I’ve never seen you before. How do you even know me?” she recalled. The vessel has a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratio.

Gibbs, who creates travel content on social media, has stayed at many Four Seasons hotels on land, which are known for their high service standard. “This was basically a floating Four Seasons hotel … but the service was even better,” she said.

That was especially evident to her when it came to special requests. One night, her friend had a craving for gelato from the onboard cafe Pistachio, but it had already closed for the day. When she asked the crew if she could order some after-hours, they brought two bowls topped with fudge for the pair.

“The word ‘no’ was not in their vocabulary,” Gibbs said.

Alex Barnes, a luxury travel advisor and founder of the travel agency AlexTravels, said her overall impression of the vessel on its second sailing from Malta to Greece “was just how beautiful it is and how high quality everything on the yacht actually was.”

She spends more than 100 nights a year in luxury hotels and has sailed with most luxury cruise lines, and was still struck by the attention to detail on Four Seasons I.

That included the steamers, which she said matched the yacht’s color palette, and the high-end crystalware. On a more practical note, the stabilizers – which help reduce side-to-side movement – were the best she’s experienced on any ship, including smaller private yachts.

While the vessel is small, the accommodations are spacious. Barnes noted that the suites are well-appointed and designed. “But where I think it stands out even more to me is the size, as you get higher up in the Four Seasons, can’t be matched on any of the other lines,” she said.

Gibbs’ Superior Seaview Suite measured just over 700 square feet, excluding the terrace. Even the smallest rooms have a square footage of 473, while the three-bedroom Funnel Suite – the vessel’s largest – boasts more than 5,000 square feet (with nearly 5,000 more of terrace space).

Ralph Bias, a luxury cruise specialist and president of Amazing Cruises, previously told USA TODAY that the minimum square footage on most luxury lines “for a lead-in suite is what they would call them, is about 365 square feet.”

Hotels at sea: Land-based hospitality brands bring guests with them to cruises

What type of traveler would enjoy Four Seasons Yachts?

“I think this is for people who want the highest-end yacht experience … prior to chartering your own very expensive private yacht,” Barnes said. She also noted that the cruise model offers an easy way to visit multiple destinations and a more communal experience than land-based resorts, where guests come and go.

The line is also welcoming to families with kids – the yacht has both kids and teens clubs – which is not always the case on luxury brands.

Four Seasons Yachts may not be for all travelers, though. Gibbs felt that compared to a typical cruise, there were fewer activities. Chilly weather during her sailing kept her away from the pool, and she spent much of her time relaxing in the room, trying onboard eateries – there are a total of 11 restaurants and lounges – or hanging out in the Salon, where guests could play board games and enjoy live music.

The ship has an onboard spa, fitness center and transverse marina offering direct sea access for swimming, water sports and more, as well.

Gibbs said she found the food selection somewhat limited, noticing similar menu items at lunch and dinner. Four Seasons Yachts declined to comment on guest experiences.

Even so, Gibbs felt it was worth the price tag. Prices vary by itinerary, suite category and other factors, but the shortest available voyage – a three-night cruise from Philipsburg, Sint Maarten to St. John’s in Antigua – currently starts at $12,200 per suite, according to Four Seasons Yachts’ website.

The brand’s pricing structure is more akin to that of a land-based hotel than to a typical cruise. Breakfast is complimentary, for example, while lunch and dinner are purchased a la carte (a full list of inclusions is available online). Barnes noted, however, that more inclusive models don’t always offer the value they may appear to.

“If you have an all-inclusive price, you have to assume everyone’s going to eat and drink vastly more than they will to offset for the people who do consume a lot,” she said. “And so you end up actually overpaying, largely, if you’re not somebody who’s trying to drink a lot or eat a ton.”

For Gibbs, the trip may have spoiled other kinds of vacations at sea. 

“It was a wonderful experience,” she said. “I don’t know if I can go back (to a regular cruise ship).”

This story was updated to refresh headlines.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.