I’ve grown accustomed to all-inclusive packages that include food and drinks when I’m cruising, especially on luxury lines. It’s practically a rule that luxury cruise ships are all-inclusive.
But while reporting on Four Seasons Yachts ahead of its 2026 expected debut, I discovered that the hotel and resort brand plans to break that rule.
Lunch and dinner will not be included on the Four Seasons Yachts. Nor will alcoholic drinks or shore excursions. What is included is breakfast, nonalcoholic drinks, WiFi, watersports activities, the use of marina toys, gratuities, taxes and port fees.
The brand also plans to charge per suite instead of per person. That’s another rule broken, as cruise lines normally charge per person.
These pricing strategies are part of the line’s attempt to stay true to the luxury hotel and resort experience rather than morph into what people have come to expect from cruise lines.
I called Carlos Edery, CEO and cofounder of travel agency Luxury Cruise Connections, who has kept in close touch with the Four Seasons Yachts brand since shortly after its inception. He is also involved in two other high-end, travel-related ventures focusing on hotels and private jet charters. I wanted to know: Could a line that is charging a minimum of almost $3,000 to nearly $45,000 a night for a cabin not include lunch, dinner and wine — and still appeal to your luxury clientele?
Yes, he said.
High-end hotel guests are used to eating breakfast at their hotel and dining out for lunch and dinner, he said. And it appears the Four Seasons brand aims to replicate this land experience on a ship while encouraging guests to explore and dine in their destinations.
While the 95-suite ship will be built to impress, it won’t have the seemingly countless restaurants other ships have, Edery said. A look at the deck plans shows several bar and lounge areas but only three restaurant spaces.
A Q&A with Four Sesons Yachts’ vice president of business development and sales excellence about its CEO search and advisor relationships.
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The thing to know about Four Seasons Yachts is that it may not appeal to the traditional sector of luxury cruisers interested in value, he said. In fact, Four Seasons Yachts may not really source from the cruise sector at all. The only group he thinks this product will bite share from is that of cruisers booking the owner’s suites or megasuites on established luxury cruise lines.
“The client that travels on Four Seasons Yachts is going to be the client that normally spends $2,000 to $3,000 a night on our luxury hotels,” he said. “And it’s typically very similar to the guy that charters or owns their own jet.”
He suggested the line will attract ultra-high-end clients who are apt to rent villas. The Four Seasons Yachts’ nearly 10,000 square-foot Funnel Suite may attract guests who own might own their own yacht but want to vacation with their whole family instead of scheduling multiple family members to on their smaller yacht throughout the season. He also thinks the brand will attract a younger demographic; that seems to be in line with Four Seasons Yacht’s plan to focus on shorter seven-day sailings, which tend to appeal to younger people with less free time.
“There’s definitely an incredibly growing market for people willing to spend $10,000 to $15,000 a night and even more so for the suites. We see it all the time in our hotel business and people renting huge villas for $30,000 a night,” he said. “I definitely foresee them having a market for it. I just don’t foresee a lot of transition from the luxury cruise industry for those types of high-level suites.”