Hotel Brands at Sea 2026: Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Aman and Orient Express Compared
Four of the world's luxury hotel companies now own ships. Their fares, inclusions and sizes differ far more than their marketing does. Here is what each actually sells, what it costs, and which one fits which traveller.
In this guide
The four brands, side by side
Every figure below comes from the operator or from a named trade source and was checked on 14 September 2026. Each brand name links to its own site. Fares are the lowest we could find published for a normal voyage, which is not the same as the cheapest week of the year.
| Brand | Ships | Suites · guests | Size | Published fares | Where it sails |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ritz-Carlton Yacht CollectionMarriott · ritzcarltonyachtcollection.com | Evrima (first sailings 2022) · Ilma (2024) · Luminara (2025) | 149 suites / 298 guests · 224 / 448 · 226 / 452 | 190 m (Evrima) · 241 m (Ilma, Luminara) | Roughly US$650 to $1,960 per person per night, cruise-only; most dining, drinks, gratuities and Wi-Fi included | Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska and Asia across the three yachts |
| Four Seasons YachtsFour Seasons · fourseasonsyachts.com | Four Seasons I (maiden voyage 20 March 2026, Malaga to Valletta) · Four Seasons II due 2027 | 95 suites | 207 m, 34,044 gt, built by Fincantieri | About US$3,000 per suite per night at entry level; seven-night Mediterranean from about $23,500 per suite. Breakfast and gratuities included; other meals and drinks extra | Mediterranean March to November 2026; Caribbean and Bahamas winter 2026–27 |
| Aman at SeaAman · amanatsea.com | Amangati (spring 2027) | 47 suites / 94 guests | About 183 m (600 ft), nine decks, built by T. Mariotti in Genoa | Five nights from US$38,500 per suite; seven nights up to $54,600. Priced per suite, not per person | Mediterranean 7 May to 10 October 2027; Atlantic crossing 8 to 21 November 2027; Caribbean winter 2027–28 |
| Orient Express Sailing YachtsAccor · orient-express.com | Corinthian (delivered April 2026; public sailings from 19 July 2026) · Olympian due 2027 | 54 suites / 110 guests | 220 m, 26,600 gt, three SolidSail masts, built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique | Per suite: €16,500 for three nights, €36,400 for seven, €60,200 for fourteen. All-inclusive, including alcohol, laundry and shore experiences | Mediterranean and Adriatic to October 2026; Caribbean winter 2026–27 from Bridgetown |
No brand on this page has paid to appear. Placement on this publication's comparison pages is labelled where it applies.
Three things separate them once you look past the names. Ritz-Carlton is the only one with a fleet and a price per person; it is, in effect, a small luxury cruise line with a hotel badge. Four Seasons and Aman price per suite, which flatters the headline and doubles the bill for a couple. Orient Express is the only sailing vessel, with three SolidSail masts, and the only one that includes alcohol and laundry outright.
How big they are, and why that is the whole argument
Aman's 47 suites and Orient Express's 54 put those ships in superyacht territory: a marina rather than a port, a tender rather than a gangway. Four Seasons I, at 95 suites and 207 metres, sits in the middle. Ritz-Carlton's two newer yachts, at 224 and 226 suites, are the size of a Seabourn ship. If small is the point, the table tells you where to look; if value is the point, Explora III, delivered in July 2026 with 461 suites from about US$3,660 per person, undercuts every hotel brand here by a wide margin. We compare the established luxury and expedition lines in Lindblad vs Silversea vs Seabourn vs Scenic Eclipse.
Brand by brand
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Launched with Evrima in 2022 and joined by Ilma in 2024 and Luminara in 2025, this is the mature product of the four. One Mile at a Time's guide puts 2026 fares between roughly US$650 and $1,960 per person per night: a fifteen-night transpacific from $9,700 per person at one end, a five-night peak-summer Iceland run from $9,800 at the other. Dining and most drinks, gratuities, Starlink Wi-Fi and the marina platform are in; specialty dining, spa and excursions are not. Expect the service culture we describe in Ritz-Carlton's Gold Standards, transplanted to sea. Itineraries and deck plans are on CruiseMapper.
Four Seasons Yachts
Four Seasons I was delivered by Fincantieri on 25 February 2026 and sailed her maiden voyage from Malaga to Valletta on 20 March. Ninety-five suites on 207 metres is an unusually generous ratio, and the Funnel Suite, the largest at sea, is the piece the press covers. The fare structure is the thing to understand: prices are per suite, roughly US$3,000 a night at entry, and only breakfast and gratuities are included. A seven-night Mediterranean voyage from about $23,500 per suite therefore costs a couple less than it first appears and more than an all-inclusive rival once dinner and wine are added. Summer 2026 is the Mediterranean, winter the Caribbean and Bahamas; Four Seasons II, with 79 suites, is expected in 2027. The company's approach to service is the subject of our Four Seasons piece.
Aman at Sea
Amangati arrives in spring 2027 from the T. Mariotti yard in Genoa: 47 suites from 731 to 3,811 square feet, 94 guests, two helipads and six tenders. The first season, per Cruise Critic's itinerary report, runs the Mediterranean from 7 May to 10 October 2027, including Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix sailings and a departure down Venice's Grand Canal. Five nights from US$38,500 per suite makes it the dearest ship on this page by a distance, which is consistent with the Aman pricing logic on land. After the Mediterranean, Aman at Sea lists an Atlantic passage from Malaga to Antigua on 8 to 21 November 2027 and a Caribbean debut season that winter; fares for those are not yet published.
Orient Express Corinthian
The most interesting ship of the four and the only one under sail. Corinthian, 220 metres with three SolidSail rigs, was delivered by Chantiers de l'Atlantique and named at Saint-Nazaire on 29 April 2026. Early summer went to private charters; public voyages opened on 19 July. Fares are per suite and all-inclusive, alcohol, laundry and shore experiences included: €16,500 for three nights, €36,400 for seven, €60,200 for fourteen. The Mediterranean season runs to October, then a Lisbon to Bridgetown crossing and a Caribbean winter. A sister, Olympian, follows in 2027. Cruise Critic's first look is the fullest independent account so far; the parent brand's land and rail products are in our hotel-brand hierarchy.
Which one, for whom
- A first luxury cruise, priced per person: Ritz-Carlton. Three ships, four regions, an inclusive fare and the most sailings to choose from.
- The sailing-yacht romance, fully inclusive: Orient Express Corinthian. The only one where the published fare is close to the final bill.
- A brand loyalist with a Four Seasons habit: Four Seasons I, with the caveat that the à la carte model on board is a departure from the all-inclusive norm at sea.
- Smallest ship, highest price, 2027: Aman. Book it for the guest list and the tender access, not for value.
- Value with a luxury badge: none of the four. Explora, Silversea and Seabourn carry more people for far less, which our expedition-versus-luxury explainer covers.
The honest caveat: three of these four products have fewer than eighteen months of sailing history. Ritz-Carlton's Evrima had a difficult first year before settling. Treat the first season of any new ship as a soft launch, and read the cancellation terms in how to book an expedition cruise before paying a deposit on one that has not yet sailed.
Questions readers ask
Which hotel brands have their own ships in 2026?
Four are sailing or about to: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection (Evrima, Ilma and Luminara), Four Seasons Yachts (Four Seasons I, in service since March 2026), Orient Express (the sailing yacht Corinthian, public sailings from July 2026) and Aman at Sea (Amangati, arriving spring 2027). Waldorf Astoria runs a 29-suite Nile river vessel, which is a different product.
How much does a Ritz-Carlton yacht cruise cost?
Published 2026 voyages work out at roughly US$650 to $1,960 per person per night depending on route and season, with dining, most drinks, gratuities and Wi-Fi included. Specialty dining, spa treatments, premium spirits and shore excursions are extra.
How much is Four Seasons Yachts per night?
Entry-level suites are about US$3,000 per suite per night, with a seven-night Mediterranean voyage from around $23,500 per suite. Unlike Ritz-Carlton, fares are per suite rather than per person, and only breakfast and gratuities are included; lunch, dinner and alcohol are charged.
Is Aman at Sea bookable yet?
Yes. Amangati's first season is the Mediterranean from 7 May to 10 October 2027, sold in five- to eight-night voyages priced per suite from US$38,500 for five nights. The yacht has 47 suites and carries 94 guests.
When does the Orient Express Corinthian sail?
Corinthian was delivered and named at Saint-Nazaire in April 2026 and spent early summer on private charters. Public voyages began on 19 July 2026 in the Mediterranean; it repositions from Lisbon to Bridgetown in October for a Caribbean winter.
Are hotel-brand yachts better than luxury cruise lines?
They are smaller and dearer. Explora Journeys carries 922 guests in 461 suites from about US$3,000 per person; Aman carries 94 for around $7,000 to $8,000 per suite per night. What the hotel brands sell is scale, brand-standard service and a guest list that already knows the hotels, not a better ship per pound.
What is included on a hotel-brand yacht?
It varies more than the marketing suggests. Ritz-Carlton and Orient Express are broadly all-inclusive on food and drink; Four Seasons includes breakfast and gratuities only; Aman prices per suite with its own inclusions. Read the fare page before comparing headline numbers.
Fares and specifications were taken from operator sites and named trade sources on 14 September 2026 and will change; links in the table go to the source. Booking.com and GetTransfer links are affiliate links and are marked as such; no cruise or hotel brand on this page has paid for inclusion. See the disclosure page.