What a yacht actually means here

A few hundred guests, not a few thousand. All suites, all with a terrace. Enough crew that service is genuinely personal rather than nominally personal.

The scale changes the ports. These vessels go into small harbours in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean that a conventional cruise ship cannot enter, so you tie up in the middle of somewhere pretty rather than at a container terminal.

It also means no queues anywhere and no scheduled anything. There is no set dining time, no muster theatre beyond the legal minimum, no organised fun unless you want it.

The marina, which is the best feature

The back of the yacht opens into a watersports platform. Paddleboards, kayaks, swimming straight off the ship into open water, and on some itineraries jet skis and small boats.

On a warm-water sailing this is the thing your children will remember. Not the suite, not the restaurant. Jumping off the back of a yacht into the Mediterranean.

It only operates in suitable conditions, so it is not guaranteed on any given day, but on a Caribbean or Med itinerary you will get a good number of marina days.

The suites

Large by any standard at sea, all with a private terrace, and finished the way you would expect from the brand. Proper wardrobes, a real bathroom, storage that works.

Because everything is a suite, there is no cabin lottery. The difference between grades is size and position rather than one being a windowless box.

Some configurations work for families with a separate sleeping area, but there are not many of them and they go early. If you are travelling with children, this is a booking to make well ahead.

Food and inclusions

Multiple restaurants, all included, no cover charges. The food is a genuine strength and the sourcing is taken seriously.

Drinks are largely included, as are gratuities and wi-fi. Excursions are extra, as is the case at most of this end of the market.

Room service is full menu at any hour. On a family sailing across time zones this matters far more than it sounds.

Children, honestly

There is limited children’s provision and few children on board on most sailings. It is not a family product and does not pretend to be.

Where it works is a family with older children on a warm-water itinerary, precisely because of the marina and the informality. A fourteen year old who can swim and paddleboard and eat dinner with adults has an exceptional week here.

Where it does not work is young children who need structure and other children to play with. The money is far better spent elsewhere for that family, and I would say so plainly.

What I would watch out for

It is expensive, and unlike the fully inclusive lines the excursion spend is still ahead of you.

The onboard entertainment is minimal by design. If your family needs a show and a quiz and a comedian, this is not the product.

And it is a small ship, so sea conditions are more noticeable and the itinerary is more weather-dependent, particularly the marina days.

Who I would book on it

Couples, and families with confident older children, on a Mediterranean or Caribbean itinerary in good weather. Multigenerational groups celebrating something significant, where the whole group is adult or nearly so.

Anyone who wants luxury at sea without the cruise-ship apparatus around it. That is the specific thing this product does better than almost anybody.

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