Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Orient Express or Aman: which hotel-brand yacht should you book?
By Aspen Travel Advisors · Last verified · Counts drawn live from the Virtuoso-sourced atlas
Book Ritz-Carlton if you want the most proven product and the widest choice of dates, across three ships of 149 to 226 suites. Book Four Seasons for a 95-suite yacht run to its hotel standard. Choose Orient Express for a sail-assisted, design-led 54-suite ship, and Aman for the smallest, quietest option, accepting that you are sailing with a brand still finding its feet at sea.
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You'll hear back within 24 hours.The four brands are selling the same idea, a hotel you already trust put on a small ship, but at very different scales and stages. Ritz-Carlton went to sea first and now runs three yachts: Evrima at 149 suites, and Ilma and Luminara at 224 and 226. Four Seasons I carries 95 suites. Orient Express's Corinthian and Olympian are 54 suites each and carry sails alongside their engines. Aman's Amangati is the smallest, at about 50 suites. The Olympian and Amangati figures are from pre-launch brand materials, so treat them as intentions rather than facts until the ships are sailing.
Suite count is the most useful single number here, because it decides how many people share the pool deck, the restaurants and the tender queue. By that measure the line runs from Aman and Orient Express at the intimate end, through Four Seasons, to Ritz-Carlton's two larger ships, which are small cruise ships by any honest definition. What Ritz-Carlton has that the others do not yet is depth: our atlas holds 131 Ritz-Carlton itineraries against 117 for Four Seasons, 87 for Orient Express and 45 for Aman at Sea, out of 517 yacht itineraries in total.
The four brands, side by side
| Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection | Four Seasons Yachts | Orient Express Sailing Yachts | Aman at Sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ships in the atlas | Evrima, Ilma, Luminara | Four Seasons I, Four Seasons II | Orient Express Corinthian, Orient Express Olympian | Amangati |
| Suites per ship | Evrima 149, Ilma 224, Luminara 226 | Four Seasons I: 95 | 54 each (Olympian pre-launch) | About 50 (pre-launch) |
| Itineraries in the atlas | 131 | 117 | 87 | 45 |
| Sailings by ship | Evrima 52, Ilma 49, Luminara 38 | Four Seasons I 83, Four Seasons II 34 | Corinthian 65, Olympian 23 | Amangati 45 |
| Propulsion | Conventional | Conventional | Sail-assisted | Conventional |
| Track record at sea | The longest of the four, across three ships | Newer, one ship established | Newest, ships entering service | Newest, one ship |
| Where to check seasons | Widest calendar, multiple regions | Calendar in the atlas | Calendar still settling | Calendar still settling |
| Best for | First yacht cruise, most date choice | Four Seasons loyalists, fewer guests | Design, romance, the feel of sail | Aman devotees, quiet above all |
Specs are from each brand's published materials as of July 2026. Itinerary counts come from the live yacht atlas. A true space-per-guest ratio needs each ship's gross tonnage, which you should confirm per ship before treating any comparison as exact; suite count is the figure that compares cleanly across all four.
Dining is where the marketing differs most and the experience differs least. All four run several restaurants and lean on their hotel kitchens' reputations. The practical questions are what the fare includes, how many venues need a reservation, and whether the signature restaurant carries a supplement. Ask for the fare sheets side by side rather than reading the menus.
Ritz-Carlton's head start, and what the newer brands are betting on
Ritz-Carlton's advantage is not glamour, it is repetition. Three ships and the largest sailing calendar in the category mean more date choice, more port combinations, and crews that have worked through the problems every new ship has. Evrima, the smallest of the three, is the one to choose if intimacy matters; Ilma and Luminara trade some of that for more venues and a busier atmosphere.
The newer brands are each betting on a single difference. Four Seasons is betting that fewer guests and its hotel service culture beat Ritz-Carlton's scale. Orient Express is betting on design and the experience of a ship that can use the wind, though sail-assisted means sails help when conditions and schedule allow, not on every leg. Aman is betting that its guests want the smallest ship and the least company, which is entirely consistent with how its hotels work.
The cost of being early is real. A new ship's first season is the one most likely to see sailings rescheduled or itineraries changed, and service takes time to settle. If your dates are fixed, for a wedding anniversary or a family gathering, the established ships are the safer bet. If you are flexible and want to be among the first aboard, the newer brands are where the interest lies.
Who each one suits
If the question is really whether to cruise at all or charter your own boat, the charter-versus-cruise answer linked below covers that decision; this page assumes you have chosen a branded yacht cruise.
- Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection: a first yacht cruise, travellers who need specific dates or ports, and anyone who values a proven product over novelty. Choose Evrima for the smaller feel.
- Four Seasons Yachts: travellers who already know and like Four Seasons hotels, and who want noticeably fewer fellow guests than Ritz-Carlton's larger ships.
- Orient Express Sailing Yachts: couples drawn to design and atmosphere, and anyone who likes the idea of a ship with masts, provided they accept the sails are an assist rather than the whole voyage.
- Aman at Sea: Aman regulars for whom quiet and a very small guest count matter more than date choice or a long operating record.
Frequently asked
Are these really yachts, or small cruise ships?
Small luxury cruise ships with hotel branding. At 224 and 226 suites, Ilma and Luminara are small cruise ships by any measure; Amangati and the two Orient Express ships, at around 50 suites, come closest to the yacht feeling. If you want a boat that is yours alone, with your own route, that is a charter, which is a different product.
Should I book a new ship's first season?
Only if your dates can move. First seasons are when itineraries are most likely to change and service is still settling, and the suite counts for Olympian and Amangati are pre-launch figures. If you do book early, book through someone who will hear about schedule changes before you do and can move you quickly; that is one place an advisor genuinely changes the outcome.
Which is best for a first yacht cruise?
Ritz-Carlton, and Evrima in particular. It has the longest record, the most dates to choose from, and the smallest of the three Ritz-Carlton ships, so you learn whether small-ship cruising suits you without betting on a brand's first season.