Four brands now put hotel-grade service at sea. Ritz-Carlton is the largest and most all-inclusive, Four Seasons the most residential, Orient Express the only true sailing yacht, and Aman the smallest and most private, with its 47-suite Amangati still to come in 2027.
These four are not competing versions of the same holiday. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection runs three yachts carrying 298 to 452 guests on genuinely all-inclusive fares. Four Seasons Yachts sails one 95-suite vessel built around residential suites and a near one-to-one staff ratio. Orient Express Sailing Yachts operates the Corinthian, a 220-metre, 54-suite sailing yacht under three rigid carbon sails and the most distinctive silhouette at sea. Aman at Sea is the smallest and most private of all: the five-cabin Phinisi Amandira sails Indonesia now, while the 47-suite Amangati arrives in 2027. Choosing between them comes down to scale, service style and how much you want included. This guide compares them on all three, then matches each to the traveller it suits. You can see all four side by side in the comparison chart below
How Do the Four Yacht Brands Compare at a Glance?
Scale is the first and largest difference, and it drives nearly everything else: how many people share the pool, how small a harbour the yacht can enter, and how personal the service feels. The table sets out the fleets as they stand today, with fares as published starting points rather than quotes, and the exclusive perks each line carries when reserved through WhataHotel!
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| Brand | Vessels & size | Guests | Fares from | Status | Exclusive perks via WhataHotel! |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection | Evrima 624 ft · Ilma 791 ft · Luminara 790 ft | 298 / 448 / 452 | ~US$12,500 per guest, all-inclusive | All three sailing | US$500 onboard credit per stateroom, plus a suite upgrade rate 30 days before sailing, Starlink Premium Wi-Fi, 5× Marriott Bonvoy points per US$1 of fare and a bridge tour at the captain's discretion See full perks → |
| Four Seasons Yachts | Four Seasons I, 679 ft, 95 suites | Intimate, near 1:1 staff ratio | From US$31,600 per suite, 7 nights | Sailing since March 2026 | On-board food & beverage credit of up to US$2,000 on any sailing, plus Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits and early access to inaugural-season suites; confirmed per sailing by your advisor See full perks → |
| Orient Express Sailing Yachts | Corinthian, 220 m / 721 ft, 54 suites | 110 | From €15,900 per suite, 3 nights | Entered service 2026 | US$750 onboard credit per suite (US$375 per guest), plus Accor HERA privileges including reserved Alléno dining, Le Cellier tastings, spa and trip arrangements and waitlist clearance See full perks → |
| Aman at Sea | Amandira (Phinisi, 5 cabins) · Amangati 47 suites | Amandira intimate · Amangati 94 | Enquiry-only | Amandira sailing · Amangati 2027 | US$750 onboard credit on every 2027 Amangati sailing, plus Preferred Partner privileges; Amandira by private charter See full perks → |
Read the status column carefully. Six vessels are in the water today: Evrima, Ilma, Luminara, Four Seasons I, the Orient Express Corinthian and Amandira. Two are still to come, Amangati in 2027 and Four Seasons II in 2028. If you want to sail this season, four of the brands can take you; if you are willing to wait, the two newest propositions are the most distinctive.
Which Yacht Has the Service Style You Want?
Each brand has carried its land identity to sea, and the differences are real rather than cosmetic. The Ritz-Carlton brings its hotel service model aboard with almost as many staff members as guests, and wraps it in an all-inclusive fare: fine wines and spirits, all dining, gratuities, Starlink Wi-Fi and a personal concierge are built into the price. Ilma became the first yacht in history to earn a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating. Four Seasons leans residential rather than hotel-like: floor-to-ceiling windows, ocean-facing terraces, suites that connect into custom family configurations, and a near one-to-one guest-to-staff ratio that makes anticipatory service possible.
Orient Express is the most explicitly European of the four, trading on French art de vivre: dining led by multi-Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno, a private wine cellar, and a spa created with Guerlain whose "Ocean Rebirth" transatlantic wellness voyage is a signature. Aman is the quietest in every sense. Aboard Amandira, five air-conditioned cabins and a crew of fourteen turn the Flores Sea into a private world of diving, dining and stillness; Amangati will extend that philosophy across nine decks and 47 suites, each with a private terrace, for just 94 guests. If you find large public rooms tiring, Aman is the outlier worth waiting for.
Where Does Each Yacht Actually Sail?
Itineraries separate these brands more than the brochures suggest. The Ritz-Carlton has the broadest reach by far: the Mediterranean and Caribbean, Northern Europe and the fjords, Alaska on Luminara's inaugural season, plus Asia-Pacific and the South Pacific including Hawaii and French Polynesia. It is the only one of the four you could sail in most regions of the world. Four Seasons I splits its year between the Mediterranean in summer (the Greek Isles, the Rivieras, the Adriatic) and the Caribbean and Bahamas in winter, with seven-night voyages the standard length.
The Corinthian concentrates on the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the legendary transatlantic crossing by way of the Azores, and favours notably short voyages: three-night sailings such as Málaga to Lisbon, or Bridgetown to San Juan, suit travellers who want a yacht experience without committing a fortnight. Aman's Amandira operates in Indonesian waters, principally the remote Flores Sea, which is a diving and island-hopping proposition rather than a port-to-port one. Amangati's 2027 voyage schedule is published, and sailings are enquiry-only with no public online pricing.
Which Yacht Suits Which Traveller?
Matching the vessel to the trip matters more here than with hotels, because you cannot change your mind once you have sailed. Work through these in order:
- Want everything included and the widest choice of regions? The Ritz-Carlton. All-inclusive fares, three yachts, and itineraries from Alaska to French Polynesia.
- Travelling as a family or a group? Four Seasons. Suites connect into custom configurations, and Four Seasons II will add two-to-four-bedroom Yacht Residential Suites in 2028.
- Short on time, or new to yachting? Orient Express. Three-night Mediterranean and Caribbean voyages are the easiest entry point of the four.
- Want genuine seclusion above all? Aman. Amandira now for Indonesia; Amangati from 2027 for 94 guests across nine decks.
- Care most about design and engineering? The Corinthian: 220 metres, 16,000 tonnes, three carbon-fibre sails engineered by Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
- Collecting Marriott Bonvoy points? Only The Ritz-Carlton earns them, at 5 points per US$1 of cruise fare when booked through WhataHotel!
One honest caveat on scale. "Yacht" is doing different work across these four brands: Ilma and Luminara carry around 450 guests, which is small beside a cruise ship but far from private, while Amandira carries a handful. If your mental image is a private vessel, Aman and Orient Express are closest to it; if it is a small luxury hotel that moves, Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons are the accurate picture.
How Do You Book, and What Does WhataHotel! Add?
All four are reserved through WhataHotel!, operated by Lorraine Travel, a luxury advisory since 1948, and the added value differs by brand because each programme is distinct. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection carries a US$500 onboard credit per stateroom on qualifying bookings, an exclusive suite upgrade rate offered 30 days before sailing subject to availability, complimentary Starlink Premium Wi-Fi, 5× Marriott Bonvoy points per US$1 of fare, and a bridge tour at the captain's discretion, on top of fares that already include all meals, drinks and gratuities.
Orient Express Sailing Yachts carries a US$750 onboard credit per suite (US$375 per guest) plus Accor HERA privileges including reserved dining at the Alléno table, tastings in Le Cellier, spa and tepidarium treatments, stateroom preference and waitlist clearance on a yacht of only 54 suites, and a dedicated HERA advisor. Four Seasons Yachts carries an on-board food and beverage credit of up to US$2,000 on any sailing alongside Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, and Aman at Sea a US$750 onboard credit on every 2027 Amangati sailing plus Preferred Partner privileges; your advisor confirms the specifics for each sailing. Because suite inventory is small on every one of these vessels (54 aboard the Corinthian, 95 aboard Four Seasons I), the practical advice is the same across all four: enquire early, and let the advisor hold the category before it goes.