Four Seasons’ Gargantuan 679-Foot Cruise Ship Is Basically A Suites-Only Resort For The Water

Four Seasons is attempting to redefine yachting, at least the way most people understand the term. At a press conference at the Monaco Yacht Show, company officials gave an update from last year’s announcement about its new 679-foot vessel. It’s expected to cost more than $420 million to build and is scheduled to be launched in late 2025.

Larry Pimental, president and CEO of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings, which is overseeing the design and build, said the vessel is unlike any other superyacht in the world. It will hold 195 guests across 95 suites, with about 210 crew.

“We’re a hybrid, a new category of yacht,” said Pimental, when asked about whether this should be called a yacht rather than small cruise ship. “When you look at the space per person, it’s the highest space ratio in the passenger-shipping industry. We’re spending $4.3 million per cabin. There’s nothing that’s remotely close to that.”

The “Funnel” on the bow of the boat is a four-deck private residence with a huge glass cover. Four Seasons

Four Seasons’s chefs and staff, added Pimental, will be crewing the vessel. That will differentiate it from private superyachts.

The company revealed more details about the design, including its four-deck “Funnel” suite at the front of the boat, which measures more than 9,500 square feet, with the largest curved glass structure of any leisure vessel. The Funnel’s bottom floor is a full-deck apartment that has a private kitchen and access to the private deck outside. Sliding walls allow living spaces to be converted across the yacht.

The Four Seasons did not release renderings of the staterooms or other interior areas, but Four Seasons President and CEO Alejandro Reynal told Robb Report the interior designs are near completion. “We’re planning the final sign-off soon,” he said. The Four Seasons Yacht is attracting attention among the brand’s leading clients, added Reynal, and many will be the among the first guests to cruise on the vessel.

The designers used the pool of the iconic yacht Christina O as a template for its much larger 66-foot pool. Four Seasons

Tillberg Design is responsible for the boat’s design, which is much more yacht-like than any cruise ship. Besides the funnel, its other exterior feature that commands attention is the 66-foot-long swimming pool, inspired by superyacht Christina O, an iconic 1960s vessel that hosted many of the world’s leading politicians and Hollywood stars.

Italian shipyard Fincantieri will be building the vessel. Technical breakthroughs will include what the company calls the world’s first “variable-speed diesels,” advanced stabilization, and the ability to convert to green methane power when that technology advances. The yard has tested more than 1,000 hull shapes for optimal performance.

The yacht will also have two “marinas,” which fold out from opposite sides of the vessel so guests can access launches or engage in water sports.

The company hasn’t revealed any interior renderings, but this beach club retains a classic look. Four Seasons

The clientele won’t necessarily be yacht owners or other boat lovers, but Pimental said the target audience will be high-net-worth individuals who engage in luxury travel. “We’re really in a category of one,” he says. “The flexibility of the design, the type of luxury, the size of the staterooms set this apart.”

The first season will include winter and spring cruising in the Caribbean. The boat will then move to the Mediterranean, exploring the French and Italian Riviera, and then the Greek islands. The first year’s itinerary includes visits to 33 countries and 137 destinations. The first vessel will be joined by two other yachts in 2026 and 2027.

Source: https://robbreport.com/author/michael-verdon/