Four Seasons is getting into the cruising industry, with the first Four Seasons Yachts ship expected to set sail by early 2026. As I recently wrote about, Four Seasons Yachts journeys are now bookable, with itineraries in both the Caribbean and Mediterranean.
There’s a lot that makes Four Seasons Yachts unique, from the unparalleled amount of space dedicated to each passenger, to the plan to primarily tender guests into port (rather than using cruise terminals), to the pricing model for cruises.
In this post I wanted to take a look at Four Seasons’ pricing model for these cruises, which is raising some eyebrows. From the time that it was announced, it was pretty clear that the goal with Four Seasons Yachts was to essentially be a cruise line for those who wouldn’t ordinarily take a cruise, and I think the pricing model reflects that.
How Four Seasons prices its cruises
There are two unique things about Four Seasons Yachts’ pricing compared to other luxury cruise lines — pricing isn’t all-inclusive, and pricing also isn’t per guest. This is sure to be controversial among some, so let’s take a closer look.
Four Seasons Yachts doesn’t include meals & alcohol
Virtually every major cruise line includes all meals with a sailing. Furthermore, generally luxury cruise lines include alcohol, so you’ll spend very little money onboard. Four Seasons Yachts will be different:
- Four Seasons Yachts pricing includes your accommodation, breakfast, non-alcoholic drinks, light snacks, and gratuities
- Four Seasons Yachts charges extra for lunch, dinner, and alcoholic beverages

Four Seasons Yachts charges per suite
Perhaps this is more a technicality than something with major implications, but it’s still worth covering. Cruise line pricing is typically per person, based on double occupancy. Four Seasons Yachts takes a different approach, and you pay per suite, regardless of occupancy.
In other words, it’s very much like booking a hotel room, where the cost typically doesn’t vary, as long as you’re within the occupancy limits. This same policy applies whether you book the entry level Seaview Suite (which can accommodate two adults and one infant), or the the four story Funnel Suite (which can accommodate five adults and one child).

My take on Four Seasons’ cruise pricing
I’ve seen some people react negatively to Four Seasons’ a la carte pricing model for its cruises. Of course everyone is looking for a different experience, and the market will decide whether or not this model makes sense.
I’ll admit that I was surprised when I first heard that, but that’s mainly because we’re conditioned to think of cruise ships as essentially being big floating restaurants and bars. For many people, that’s the draw of cruising.
So I wanted to talk about this in a bit more detail, as I think there’s some nuance to this policy. To be clear, I don’t have a strong opinion here one way or another. I just think that just because something is different doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.
Some people seem to be framing this as “how cheap not to include meals and drinks,” rather than asking “would you rather the fare be $X amount higher and include meals and drinks?”
Four Seasons Yachts’ pricing isn’t unreasonable
The first thing to keep in mind that Four Seasons Yachts journeys are a lot more reasonably priced than most people were expecting. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still really expensive compared to other cruise lines, but Four Seasons is creating a really special experience here, offering a product that’s basically not otherwise available at sea.
When the concept of Four Seasons Yachts was first announced, I speculated in a blog post that journeys would start at $1,500-2,000 per person per day (I had no inside information, that was just a guess). In the comments section of that post, not a single person agreed with me — everyone thought it would be significantly more expensive than that.
In reality, pricing generally starts a little under $3,000 per suite per night, with some variance based on the voyage. Based on the current itineraries, the cheapest journey starts at ~$1,900 per suite per night (the transatlantic crossing itinerary), while the most expensive journey starts at ~$3,350 per night (some of the Greek itineraries).
Of course that’s not cheap, but Four Seasons Yachts is a unique product, as the ship just has 95 accommodations. Obviously that needs to be priced accordingly in order for it to make economic sense. This isn’t Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, with 2,800+ rooms.
Even on the high end, compare this to the existing Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection ship:
- Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s current ship is marginally smaller than the Four Seasons Yachts’ ship, but has 57% more rooms (149 keys vs. 95 keys)
- Four Seasons Yachts’ entry level suites are 58% larger than Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s suites (473 square feet vs. 300 square feet)
When Four Seasons Yachts was first announced, many media reports claimed that pricing would start at $2,500 per person per day. I’m not sure what the initial source was for that, but suffice it to say that the reality ended up being much more palatable.

Is all-inclusive inherently better than a la carte?
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a cruising expert. I used to love cruise ships when I was a kid, but I haven’t taken a cruise in around two decades, but am now finally planning my first one again.
But it raises a question for which I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer — would you rather Four Seasons Yachts charges an extra $X amount per night and includes food and drinks, or would you rather have more of an a la carte model?
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer, but here are a few thoughts as to why I think countering the industry trend isn’t necessarily a bad idea:
- Even luxury cruise ships are never truly all-inclusive; at a minimum, there’s always premium alcohol that you can buy, and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection (just to keep the comparison going) also has a fine dining restaurant onboard that you have to pay extra for, to the tune of hundred of dollars per person
- Given the price of some suites on Four Seasons Yachts — in some cases $200K+ per journey — I’m sure there are some people who would regularly be buying premium food and drinks anyway
- Four Seasons Yachts has a lot of legitimately great itineraries where you’re at a destination during lunch and dinner hours, and you probably want to eat at the destination; this is different than taking a cruise where you’re docking in the port of Nassau or Cozumel on a 6,000-person ship
- Four Seasons doesn’t have any all-inclusive resorts, and I think Four Seasons Yachts is going after a similar customer base, who are used to this; admittedly if you like the existing cruise industry or all-inclusives, this might appeal to you less
So I guess to summarize:
- Would I love if Four Seasons Yachts had the current pricing and included all food and drinks? I mean, of course I would… who doesn’t want more for less?
- Would I rather Four Seasons raise prices by $1,000 per night per stateroom and include meals? For me, definitely not, because I’m not taking a cruise to have 15 drinks per day and eat three huge meals per day
- Do I understand why people who specifically enjoy cruises for the all-inclusive aspect of it are put off by this? Of course I do, and I think that’s the beauty of any competitive industry, because there are options for everyone
If I took a Four Seasons Yachts journey, I’d of course have the included breakfast. I might have a drink or two at most in the evening, as that’s as much as I’m interested in drinking, and day drinking just makes me sleepy. And then I’d have at most one additional meal onboard a day.

Bottom line
Four Seasons is getting into the cruising industry, with the launch of Four Seasons Yachts by early 2026. I don’t think anyone would deny that the renderings of the first ship look amazing, so this should be a pretty special experience.
Four Seasons Yachts has some unique policies that people probably weren’t expecting, including that only breakfast and non-alcoholic drinks are included, while lunch, dinner, and alcoholic drinks, come at an extra cost. It’s not all bad news, though, as Four Seasons Yachts pricing is much more reasonable than most people had predicted (though still at the top of the market, given the product being offered).