Experience the ultra-luxury of superyacht cruising with SeaDream and beyond
The demand for uber-luxe mega motor cruisers is on the rise, fuelled by a desire among travellers for exclusivity and VIP treatment.
Any billionaire worth his or her salt has their own private superyacht. It will be at least 24m long (the world’s biggest, Azzam, is a gobsmacking 180m), worth anything up to $US650m ($1.04bn; Bill Gates’s futuristic Aqua) and accommodate a professional crew ready to set sail whenever and wherever the fancy takes the vessel’s owner.
Most superyachts (aka motor cruisers) don’t have actual sails – Jeff Bezos’s $US500m, three-masted Koru is an attention-grabbing exception, sporting a sail area of about 1860sq m – and they are renowned for their opulent interiors and must-have amenities such as helipads, cinemas, nightclubs, spas, beauty salons, hospitals, sports courts, pools and jacuzzis.
Tender boats are often housed in on-board garages when not in use, and some are as glamorous as their motherships. They are kitted out with dive equipment and the latest water toys – mini-submarines in some cases – and are used to ferry guests ashore or into shallow, secluded bays.
If you’ve been to Monte Carlo, you will have seen gazillions of dollars’ worth of magnificent superyachts bobbing about in beautiful Port Hercule, and quite possibly wished you could enjoy a taste of that rarefied lifestyle. And now you can. As big cruise ships become ever bigger, there’s a corresponding expansion in small ship cruising, or “yachting” – the type of waterborne escape where you feel as though you’re sailing on your own private superyacht with an intimate group of friends.
“It’s yachting not cruising” has been SeaDream Yacht Club’s trademarked mantra for more than 20 years. Founder, owner and chairman Atle Brynestad launched the two-ship line with twin “mega-yachts” SeaDream I and SeaDream II in 2001, with the aim of providing “a casual yachting experience that exceeds guests’ expectations as they explore the world’s most amazing destinations”.
These much-loved, 112-passenger vessels are a few decades older and much less lavishly appointed than the yachts deployed by companies such as Scenic, Ponant and, now, leading luxury hotel groups. However, the service, dining, excursions and barefoot-luxury atmosphere remain exemplary, which is why SeaDream continues to enjoy an impressive repeat business.
In 2016, Glen Moroney, chairman and founder of the Scenic Group, announced the launch of “the world’s first discovery yacht”, a project that had been planned for three years. At the time, Moroney said: “Our goal with Scenic Eclipse was to open up the private Discovery Yacht experience so that our guests could discover regions previously only visited by a fortunate few.”
After some frustrating delays, Scenic Eclipse I made its maiden voyage in August 2019 and in April 2023 it was joined by Scenic Eclipse II, a nearly identical sister yacht. Both have a polar ice class 6 rating, enabling them to cruise to Antarctica and the Arctic as well as traditional yachting playgrounds such as the Mediterranean, Seychelles and Caribbean.
Their luxe offerings include two sexy black helicopters, an eight-guest mini-submarine, zodiacs, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. Scenic Eclipse II also carries four SEABOBs, floating hammocks, an inflatable trampoline and snorkelling gear for adventures in warm weather destinations.
Emerald Cruises is part of the Scenic Group family and in March 2022 the company introduced the 100-guest yacht Emerald Azzurra. It is as stylish as its ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht sisters but not as big and fares aren’t as inclusive, making them cheaper. Emerald Azzurra was followed a year later by her identical sister Emerald Sakara; the slightly larger Emerald Kaia is being built in Vietnam and is due to set sail in April 2026.
French cruise line Ponant was founded by a group of professional sailors in 1988 and its first yacht, Le Ponant, entered service in 1991. The three-masted motor yacht is still in high demand, while Ponant has expanded its fleet considerably over the 15 years since it launched Le Boreal. The company has built three more sisterships, six explorers and the luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, all of which resemble super-sleek, super-chic private superyachts, built to sail to all corners of the globe.
The Ponant Explorations Group bought French Polynesia-based ship Le Paul Gauguin in 2019, a new Lagoon 77 catamaran called Spirit of Ponant last year and in January this year acquired a majority stake in Aqua Expeditions, another destination-focused line whose boutique, ocean-going ships offer a top-of-the-line, luxury yacht-like experience. Having the financial heft of the Artemis Group (which owns Ponant) behind it comes at an opportune time as Aqua Expeditions prepares to launch a new yacht to sail East Africa itineraries later this year.
Luxury hotel groups Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Orient Express and Aman have also been busy designing and building ultra-luxe superyachts for their well-heeled hotel clients. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima and Ilma launched in 2022 and 2024 respectively, and Luminara is due to make her debut in July this year. The three yachts are each different in size and guest capacity, but all offer enormous suites with terraces (superyacht speak for balconies), multiple restaurants, spas and a marina platform for kayaking, paddleboarding and snorkelling. The company says its superyachts offer one of the highest ratios of space per guest at sea; unusually, they are also set up for children.
According to various reports, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection plans to build eight to 10 ships for other Marriott International brands over the coming years; they are likely to be much larger than the various superyachts mentioned here, possibly accommodating up to 900 guests. Which sounds more like a small luxury cruise ship than a yacht, but indicates the strong demand for the yachting lifestyle from younger and new-to-cruise guests.
While the arrival of the Aman Group’s new Aman at Sea has been pushed back until 2027 (guests will just have to make do with the sublimely elegant five-suite motor-yacht Amandira it operates in Indonesia), Four Seasons Yachts and Orient Express are powering ahead with their new superyachts.
The sumptuous Four Seasons Yacht I, featuring the distinctive Funnel Suite, is due in January 2026, followed in June by Orient Express Corinthian, which at 220m long, will then claim the title of the world’s largest sailing yacht. Take that, Jeff Bezos – Corinthian trumps Koru by nearly 100m of sheer, unadulterated luxury.
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