Malta hailed as ‘rising star of yachting universe’ in Four Seasons cruise brochure

Malta has been described as “the rising star of the yachting universe” in the new brochure for Four Seasons Yachting, set to launch in 2026.

Four Seasons Yachting is a joint-venture between the Canadian hotel company Four Seasons and Malta-based yacht sales and marketing company Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd, which is owned by entrepreneur Nadim Ashi.

The Maltese flag also features prominently in the new cruise operator’s marketing materials, with renders of the first of the company’s four vessels, modelled on Aristotle Onassis’ Christina O, showing it waving the eight-pointed cross.

Another render simply shows the Maltese national flag on the ship’s prow, even though it is not an official maritime flag.

Malta cachet as a jurisdiction of choice for the world’s superyacht fleet has grown in recent years, and since 2020 it has boasted the world’s largest register of vessels over 24m.

Long a presence at the Monaco Yacht Show, a Maltese delegation travelled to the Cannes Yachting Festival for the first time last year.

The itineraries prepared for Four Seasons Yachting’s first year also include stops in Malta. Four of the Mediterranean routes embark or debark at Valletta Cruise Harbour, one of which features a stop along “the mythical shores” of Gozo.

The cruise line says it will have more crew than passengers on board the 95-suite vessel. These suites can be combined and reconfigured, resulting in as few as 65 suites.

And with just 190 people in a 34,000GT vessel, the space ratio is multiples larger than anything else in cruising.

“Each aspect of the Four Seasons Yachts experience, from the onboard offerings to the curated itineraries, reflects a deep understanding of our guests and our ability to create memorable moments of personalised care and service,” Four Seasons President and CEO Alejandro Reynal said.

The experience does not come cheap though, with the prices for a seven-day cruise departing from Malta starting from $24,300 (€22,635) per suite.

Unlike most cruise packages, that price does not include lunch or dinner, cocktails, wines or excursions.