The Ultra-Luxury, Small-Ship Cruise Game Has a New Player: Orient Express
First there was Ritz-Carlton. Soon, Four Seasons. Now another iconic luxury brand is getting into ultra-small-ship cruising: Orient Express.
Beginning next year, Orient Express is launching what it’s calling the “world’s largest luxury sailing yacht” for a series of cruises that will include a season in the Caribbean.
Orient Express Corinthian, as the ship is called, will kick off its Caribbean itineraries with a two-week sailing from Lisbon to Barbados.
That will be followed by a range of sailings that cover short two-night jaunts and as many as nine days, with stops in hard-to-reach ports like St Barth and even Richard Branson’s Moskito Island.
There will be just 54 suites on the ship, from 485 square feet on the smaller end to sweeping rooms that have nearly 2,500 square feet.
Dining options will include five different eateries, with a culinary program led by Michelin-starred Chef Yannick Alleno, who also leads the culinary program for Orient Express trains.
Other amenities? A theater, a pair of pools and even a recording studio, according to the company.
Orient Express is now part of the Accor portfolio.
Alexander Britell is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caribbean Journal and one of the top experts on Caribbean travel worldwide, with decades of on-the-ground travel to the region and comprehensive knowledge of the entire Caribbean Basin.
