Luxury hotel brands are launching cruise yachts with helipads, cigar lounges, and Michelin-starred chefs. Take a look at 5 coming offerings.

• Luxury hospitality companies have been expanding into the cruise industry.

• Four Seasons, Aman, and Orient Express have all announced plans to debut luxury ships.

• This article is part of "Well Charted," a series for travelers planning cruise adventures.

Luxury hotel brands are cashing in on the cruise boom and introducing wealthy travelers to their take on floating resorts — complete with helipads, 10,000-square-foot suites, and dinners crafted by Michelin-starred restaurant chefs.

Four Seasons, Aman, and Orient Express plan to launch cruise ships (or "yachts," as they prefer to call them) as early as 2026. By then, Ritz-Carlton is expected to have already debuted its third vessel.

Despite this nascent frenzy, the hotel-to-cruise pipeline is nothing new. Just look at Virgin, which has found success with its nine hotels and three (soon to be four) ships. Or Margaritaville, which launched its second vessel last year.

Unlike Richard Branson's and Jimmy Buffett's vacation-at-sea companies, these industry newcomers cater to travelers who are loyal to the brands' popular hotels and enjoy niceties such as high-touch service and butlers.

Take a look at new and coming yacht offerings from Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and other luxury hotel brands:

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Ritz-Carlton kicked off the craze for luxury-hotel-owned cruises with the launch of its 624-foot-long Evrima in 2022.

It was a triumphant test for the business model, with few availabilities during its first year in service.

It's easy to see why. Evrima offers a transverse marina that opens onto the water, an infinity pool, a cigar lounge, and an almost one-to-one guest-to-staff ratio. Its five eateries include a European-inspired tasting menu for a fee. The menu was designed by the chef of Aqua, a restaurant with three Michelin stars in Ritz-Carlton's Wolfsburg, Germany, hotel.

The smallest of its 149 cabins is 317 square feet, while the most spacious is over five times as large. All have terraces, a double-vanity bathroom, and a butler.

Following Evrima's success, the luxury cruise line debuted a second, larger ship, Ilma, last year. A third vessel, Luminara, is expected to sail in July.

Voyages start at $3,100 a person for three nights on Ilma.

Four Seasons I

Like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons hopes its loyal fan base will follow it to sea aboard Four Seasons I, scheduled to debut in January.

When it does, the 679-foot-long vessel could set sail as one of the cruise industry's most luxurious options.

Renderings show a sleek, modern interior with 11 restaurants and a transverse marina, or an outdoor lounge with water access and water toys for guests. It's set to have 95 suites, each with a walk-in closet, a terrace, and floor-to-ceiling windows, while the 9,975-square-foot Funnel Suite, the largest, is designed with three bedrooms, a private pool and elevator, and staff like au pairs and security personnel.

Cabins start at $17,300 for a five-night round-trip voyage starting in Miami.

Breakfast will be complimentary — lunch, dinner, and booze won't. The soon-to-be cruise line suggests setting aside about $250 a person per day for food and drinks.

Alejandro Reynal, Four Seasons' CEO, told Business Insider late last year that reservations had been "very successful," with about two-thirds coming from previous guests. "People were very favorable for us to pursue a Four Seasons experience at sea," he added.

The company tapped Fincantieri to build the 34,000-gross-ton vessel. The famed Italian shipbuilder has also been hired to construct Four Seasons' second ship, expected to debut in 2026.

Aman at Sea

"We are led by the demand of our guests, who often call for us to expand into certain categories," Ben Trodd, Aman's chief operating officer, told BI in an email in late 2024.

In this case, the category is cruising.

Aman, a buzzy ultraluxury hotel group, already offers vacations aboard Amandira, a five-cabin yacht. Its next floating resort, debuting in 2027, is set to operate more like a traditional 600-foot-long cruise with 10 times as many suites.

Its builder, Italy's T. Mariotti, says guests can expect a spa with a Japanese garden, two helipads, a lounge, and a transverse-marina-like "beach club." Planned dining options include international and informal eateries.

No word yet on the ship's name, pricing, or itineraries.

Orient Express

The historic Orient Express is planning a comeback with the springtime launch of its luxury train and hotel.

Come June 2026, the company also plans to expand into the vacation-at-sea industry with its first ship, the 721-foot-long Orient Express Corinthian.

Orient Express says the vessel will travel the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Caribbean seas with help from 48,437-square-foot sails. (The company says Corinthian will be the world's largest sailing yacht.)

Expect spacious accommodations — with 54 suites ranging from 505 to 10,255 square feet — and amenities like a movie theater, a recording studio, a transverse marina, and five restaurants. Plus, eight bars and lounges, one with a 1930s speakeasy flair and a 115-seat cabaret with a Parisian art deco theme.

The company's second ship, Orient Express Olympian, is set to debut a year later. The famed French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique plans to build both vessels.

VidantaWorld

Grupo Vidanta's high-end resorts and golf courses dot Mexico's warm coastline.

Soon, it could head offshore and out to sea with its first cruise ship, set to be adults only — but not without delays.

The Mexican hospitality company recently postponed the launch of its 500-foot-long VidantaWorld's Elegant by a year to 2026, a spokesperson told BI.

When it does set sail, VidantaWorld says its first vessel will welcome guests with three pools, 13 restaurants and bars, and an almost one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio. Cabins are set to start at 139 square feet, but only the suites (which start at about double the size) are planned to have balconies.

Norma Suarez, the ship's director of operations, told BI in an email in late 2024 that a seven-night voyage starts at $12,500 a person. The buffet, she added, will be the only complimentary food option.

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