Fincantieri Delivers First Ultra-Luxury Yacht Cruise Ship for Four Seasons
The delivery of the ultra-luxury Four Seasons I was completed at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard on February 25. The first of two cruise ships on order for the storied hotel and lifestyle brand, it is also seen as a pivotal moment in the already surging luxury segment of cruising.
The cruise ship is 35,040 gross tons with just 95 luxury suites and accommodations for 222 people. The ship measures 207 meters (679 feet) in length. The joint owner/operator Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings boasts that the ship “offers 50 percent more living space per guest than currently available” on other cruise ships.
The ship includes 11 dining options, a full spa, a transverse marina, and a stern pool, which is approximately 65 feet long and 18 feet wide, which the company says makes it one of the largest at sea. The passenger suites range in size between 2,981 and 9,975 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. Suites are laid out with modular walls, which allow for more than 100 different connection options. The signature accommodations include loft suites and the Funnel Suite, which spans four decks and has one of the largest glass walls at sea.
Tilberg Design of Sweden worked with the company to develop the designs, which are said to create a “residential-style product.” Fincantieri is referring to the ship as a “one-of-a-kind product that transcends the traditional concept of ultra-luxury yachting.”
Video posted by Captain Kate McCue who will be the first master of the cruise ship
“Today we deliver not just a ship, but a new paradigm for the hospitality industry,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri. “Four Seasons I is the first Navis Sapiens: a vessel with a digital intellect, capable of learning, adapting, and growing alongside its owner and guests.”
The company highlights that the ship was “built on an integrated and evolutive digital architecture that leverages artificial intelligence and real-time data to support safer, more efficient, and future-proof operations. Its open, scalable design also allows the vessel to integrate new functionalities and technologies as they emerge — all without weighing down the guest-facing experience.”
Assembly of the Four Seasons I began in July 2024 with the keel laying for the ship, and it was launched in January 2025. Fincantieri notes that more than 2,000 people have been working in recent weeks to complete the outfitting of the cruise ship, which sails on its maiden voyage on March 20 in the Mediterranean. The order for the ship was placed in July 2022, with Fincantieri setting the value of the ship at more than €400 million. The order had two options, with the second ship ordered in June 2023 and due for delivery in 2027. The third ship is expected by 2030.
Four Seasons I under construction with Viking's cruise ships in the background (Four Seasons video)
Four Seasons follows Ritz-Carlton, which launched its cruise product in October 2022 and later added two larger cruise ships. Orient Express enters cruising in June 2026 with its sailing yacht, the Orient Express Corinthian, and Aman at Seas launches in 2027.
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The hotel brands are expected to add to the growth of the ultra-luxury segment of cruising. Financial analyst Meredith Prichard Jensen of HSBC Global Investment Research said in a recent report that HSBC sees the hotel brands as an “outsized catalyst for sector expansion and evolution.” The report highlights that the hotel companies have strong loyalty bases to leverage, and Jansen sees them as “setting a new reference point for aspirational pricing.”
The cruise companies are also investing in the ultra-luxury segment, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings recently announcing that it had expanded its order to four ultra-luxury ships for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. MSC is also midway with the introduction of its brand Explora Journeys, with the third ship entering service in June and three more on order. In total, the industry currently has 30 ultra-luxury cruise ships on order, making up nearly half the 75 cruise ships on order for delivery by 2037.