Following the lead of competitor Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is getting into the ultra-luxury cruise business.

The company has announced the launch of Four Seasons Yachts, a new ultra-luxe “yacht” fleet that will kick off operations in 2025.

“Four Seasons Yachts brings our legendary service and innovation to the seas with the launch of our luxury yacht experiences,” the company said in a statement. “Revel in the splendour of modern sea voyaging – marked by bespoke craftsmanship, personalized service and a dedication to excellence – offering an unmatched luxury lifestyle experience at sea.”

The yachts will have what Four Seasons calls an “unmatched crew-to-guest ratio,” with itineraries created to offer back-to-back voyage opportunities for longer stays.

Four Seasons says the yacht voyages will also include extended port stays for “deeper explorations of local culture.”

And the company’s first destinations will include both the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, “centered around breathtaking destinations that offer highly bespoke shore experiences, as well as one-of-a-kind overland adventures.”

Four Seasons says it will also offer extensions to combine itineraries with stays at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

It’s a nod to the growing demand for ultra-luxe ocean voyages, one that largely kicked off with Ritz-Carlton’s launch back in 2019. (Ritz-Carlton is sailing its first voyages this year).

So what will the ships be like?

Each “yacht” will have just 95 suites, meaning an eminently boutique experience.

Each suite will have floor-to-ceiling windows, access to private terrace decks and, in the case of the ships’s signature four-level suite, a private spa and private wading pool.

Shipbuildier Fincantieri, known for building ships for most of the world’s top cruise lines, will be crafting the ships.

And, with the new focus on health and safety at sea, the company says it has “ensured that every aspect of the Four Seasons Yacht will incorporate the very latest in state-of-the-art safety systems and technologies.”

Reservations will launch in the second half of 2023.

For more, visit Four Seasons Yachts.