If you want to sail on the new Four Seasons I—the first superyacht from the well-known ultra-luxe hospitality brand Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts—be ready to spend.
Earlier in June, I joined a nine-night cruise from Greece to Croatia on the impressive new 95-suite yacht, and throughout the week wealth and extravagance were on full display.
Built at a cost of some $434 million, the 679-foot Four Seasons I boasts starting rates of around $28,000 per suite for a one-week sailing in the Mediterranean, and upwards of $330,000 (depending on the itinerary) to stay in its 10,000-square-foot Funnel Suite.
A certain conceit is involved in this hotel product going to sea, namely à la carte pricing, something Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts guests are used to, but experienced cruisers are not. Included in fares are Wi-Fi, gratuities, and a full breakfast buffet complete with eggs that are prepared to order—an extra $30 is charged if you want breakfast in your suite.
Four Seasons recommends setting aside $250 per person, per day, for food and drink. You could easily spend more. According to the ship’s general manager, Vladimir Savis, the company’s reasoning for the unusual pricing model (most cruises have more inclusive pricing) is two-fold: many people will choose to dine on shore when they are in port, and passengers don’t want to pay upfront for meals and booze they may not consume.
That said, a chilled bottle of Bollinger champagne is a welcome gift in each suite, and additional surprises included Dom Pérignon poured at a sail-away party the first day, and cocktail events hosted throughout the sailing, also with some complimentary pours.
One hack for getting “free” lunch is to go to the coffee shop before 11 a.m. when sandwiches are gratis. On one occasion, I spotted some passengers grabbing to-go baguettes to take to shore or eat in their suites.
The yacht’s design
The design of Four Seasons I is impressive. Space is the main luxury—the ship could easily hold 500 passengers. On our sold-out cruise, 204 passengers were served by a crew of 210.
The ship’s interior is the work of well-known cruise ship design firm Tillberg Design of Sweden, with creative input from luxury lifestyle brand Assouline and some spaces by Meyer Davis, the design firm behind the breathtaking, oceanfront Four Seasons Astir Palace in Athens. They took inspiration from, among other things, superyacht Christina O, once owned by Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis (now available for private charter).
The showpiece is the Christina O-inspired, canoe-shaped pool located in the middle of the ship aft, which at 66 feet is extraordinarily long for a yacht of this size. The bottom of the pool can, like its predecessor, be raised up to create a dance floor or event space. Surrounded by all manner of cushy seating, and with its own bar, the pool provides an inviting resort atmosphere. A second much smaller pool with a lounge area on the top deck feels like a secret hideaway.
The whole ship features a soundtrack of background music that gets livelier as the day goes on, which can be a bit distracting if you are trying to listen to the sea.
Relax on the pool deck in between port calls.
Courtesy of Four Seasons Yachts
Overall, the ambiance is contemporary and hotel-like with taller ceilings and wider corridors than you would expect to find on most cruise ships. Still, some of the décor left me a bit baffled. For instance, a public corridor done up with gorgeous yellow embroidered chairs is oddly accompanied by plastic, classically inspired busts on plinths (think, statuesque heads you might see at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas).
Some spaces, however, are outright gorgeous, my favorite being the high-design Cigar Lounge, a tiny spot with club chairs done up in deep red velvet, with shell-shaped yellow lights from floor to ceiling, and a filigree ceiling that seems inspired by an Art Deco Paris elevator, accompanied by piped in jazz. The large cigar menu also includes a selection of chocolates and extravagant drink pours.
Nearby, Bar O is an impressively posh retro-styled space, inspired by the glamour of the 1960s and ‘70s. Here, the snack menu includes items like duck-fat fries ($18) or marinated Spanish octopus ($22). Drinks range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Order a Tanqueray negroni for $26 or upgrade to a negroni made with vintage Gordon’s Dry Gin and Campari for $130.
Another favorite spot was the marina, with walls that unfold on two sides to create a launch pad for water toys including electric eFoils (like a small surfboard that lifts slightly above the water) and a sea-view lunch venue (with a lobster roll for $28, grilled prawns for $25, and a pastrami sandwich $24).
One night, the marina’s bar scene played host to a well-attended nighttime dance party, with the DJ spinning tunes by Prince and other retro beats and complimentary vodka lemon drop shots.
At the expansive spa, you can get a very good massage for $270 and do a hot and cold circuit including a hammam and cold-plunge pool. The fitness center only has three treadmills, and a taller friend noted that the ceiling is so low he practically hit his head while using the TRX setup.
Families with kids are welcome and the yacht has a staffed kids club for those ages 4 to 12. The teen center (for ages 13-17) is one of the coolest spaces on the ship, complete with neon lights, real guitars and drums, and a designer foosball table. Youngsters have access to electronic games from many brands including Meta Quest VR. Activities for the little kids include crafts and LEGO building.
The suites
Four Seasons is making much of the large size of the suites, and the size of the accommodations is indeed a major selling point. The smallest are the 473-square-foot Seaview Suites with a sizable terrace. Popular, according to the company, is booking an adjacent studio room with bunk beds, for additional family members, or for a nanny or personal assistant.
My Seaview Suite had a bed facing the sea, a nice couch area, big walk-in closet, large bathroom with double sinks and a walk-in shower. The water closet is equipped with smart toilet controls. On the terrace was a couch big enough for reclining and a chair with an ottoman.
Suite amenities include a Dyson hairdryer, Lavazza coffeemaker, Frederic Malle beauty products, and plug-in steamer. You can keep the baseball caps in the closet, but must purchase the beach bag if you want to take it home.
The top seven suites on the ship come with expansive balconies, a private splash pool, and butler-type service. One is a two-story Loft Suite with two bedrooms that can be combined with other suites to sleep up to 20. The top, four-story, 10,000-square-foot Funnel Suite sleeps up to six, and has sweeping views, and its own gym and spa.
Cuisine
On my cruise, the 12th since the line started up in March, the quality of the cuisine was at times on point, at time a work in progress.
At the Mediterranean-focused Terrasse restaurant, I had some excellent raw oysters ($28) and an okay Caesar salad ($20) but my homemade pasta with tomato sauce ($28) was overcooked. Additional options that I didn’t taste included the fish of the day ($60) and a ribeye steak ($80).
The French-inspired restaurant, Sedna, came with fine-dining prices, such as an egg and truffle parfait for $66. I chose the white asparagus ($26) and was unhappy to find it was undercooked. Better was the Poulet de Bresse (chicken with Perigord truffle) for $58, though I could not taste the truffle. Tablemates who ordered the $76 sirloin were pleased.
Both restaurants have extensive wine lists and the option of outdoor dining with built-in space heaters for cool nights. Among other dining options is a 13-course Japanese omakase experience ($195 per person). I particularly liked the light Turkish cuisine with reasonable prices to match, served in a casual style outdoors at the upper deck pool.
A pool area in the new Four Season I is sleek with a nod to retro yacht style.
Courtesy of Four Season Yachts
Who it’s for
The main criteria for this new superyacht is you need to be the type that doesn’t worry about money. It helps if you are a Four Seasons fan, as most onboard were. Many were on their first cruise.
Come onboard if you want space to spread out. You’ll find it here in spades.
On my Mediterranean sailing (the ship will also do the Caribbean in winter), passengers were mostly couples, from the U.S., ages 40 and up. There was also a large multi-generational family with kids and teens. Four Seasons is expecting to host up to 20 youngsters on some of its summertime sailings, unusual for a high-end cruise line. But it’s a ship—and hospitality brand—that knows how to please families.
For adults, book the cruise if you are the type who can entertain yourself—daytime activities are limited when compared to other cruise offerings; some will find this blissful. The same goes for shore excursions. Best to be the independent sort in terms of exploration. Or book your own private catamaran if you want to head from the small, picturesque yachting ports you’ll visit (such as Fiskardo on the Greek island of Cephalonia) to even more hidden beaches and coves.
Who it’s not for
Don’t come onboard if you are used to all-inclusive cruise pricing and are going to worry about being nickel and dimed.
Same if you like to be constantly programmed.
Night owls should be aware that while there is some light entertainment, there’s not much happening after 10:30 p.m. Not putting up with that, one night on my cruise, one group commandeered the piano in the main lounge for karaoke, even raiding the teen center for its guitars and drums.
A second yacht, Four Seasons II, is in the works for debut in 2028, and will have only 79 suites, so that more can be added in the upper-tier, villa-sized category of suites.
