Redefining Cruise Food Aboard Four Seasons I
My dining companions and I are nestled in a cozy corner booth, but with only 16 seats—most of them along a Hinoki wood chef’s counter—the entire restaurant feels intimate. Three oysters, bathed in a brown butter soy mignonette and topped with microgreens, arrive at our table on a graphite-colored stone. The perfect bite: briny, bright, rich. It’s only when I put the glistening, now-empty shell back on the plate that I realize the liquids in our glasses are slowly teeter-tottering from side to side. We’re moving.
Four Seasons I, the first sailing vessel from the storied luxury hotel chain’s Four Seasons Yachts, has just raised anchor in Athens to set off for a 10-day voyage through the Greek isles. But the only sign this chic omakase restaurant, with its wood-paneled walls and hammered metal backsplash, isn’t firmly planted on land is the subtly shifting wine. According to Cruise Lines International Association, 32 million passengers are projected to cruise globally in 2026, an uptick of 7.5% from the prior year and 25% above pre-pandemic levels.
Intimate Omakase at Miuna
The standouts are sushi restaurant Miuna, which features an omakase-style menu that changes from port to port to feature the freshest seafood available. During my sailing, the menu showcased the best of the Mediterranean.
Fine Dining and Chef Residencies at Sedna
Sedna, the ship’s fine-dining concept, hosts the Chef in Residence program, which sees a rotating cast of decorated chefs from other Four Seasons properties set up shop to share their signature dishes. During my sailing, Luca Piscazzi of La Dolce Vita in Milan took over the tasting menu; later this year, passengers can enjoy the talents of Yoric Tièche (chef at Le Cap in the French Riviera) and Paolo Lavezzini (of Il Palagio at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze).
The Floating Five-Star Resort Experience
Truly a floating five-star resort, all the hallmarks of the Four Seasons experience are present on board. The ship has only 95 suites and boasts a 1:1 guest-to-staff ratio. Sleek, ultra-posh design is inspired by the superyacht Christina O, where former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis hosted her wedding reception to Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis. The interiors include artful flourishes from creative designer Prosper Assouline at every turn—including a centuries-old nautilus fossil sculpture.
Design and Service
Highly attentive and personalized service is key: Rather than pick from a menu of preset land excursions, vacationers are encouraged to meet with a concierge to tailor their itineraries. For me, a known foodie, Four Seasons curated a wonderful walking tour of Spetses that culminated in a delicious lunch on the veranda at the Veranda at Mythos restaurant. I still think about the unique soft, buttery cheese served with horta, or greens foraged on the island.
Tailored Excursions
World-class dining is absolutely present. The ship’s 11 dining and drinking establishments range from casual to fine dining, making it possible to enjoy breakfast (like I did multiple mornings); order a cocktail (also guilty of this); and dine in art-deco elegance (I maybe/definitely had more than one of these). In a move much-debated on travel message boards, Four Seasons decided to have the yacht not be an all-inclusive experience. All food and beverage besides breakfast is paid for a la carte.
Navigating Culinary Logistics at Sea
Four Seasons Yachts CEO Ben Trodd tells me that when deciding on the culinary array on Four Seasons I, the food and beverage team realized early on that guests were “looking for experiences that feel distinct and reflective of where they are and the type of journey they’re on.” So when touring the Mediterranean this spring and summer, the menus showcased fresh-pressed olive oil, handmade pasta, and seasonal produce. When sailings move to the Caribbean this fall, guests can expect more tropical flavors and cooking techniques popular in that part of the world.
Seasonal Menus and Local Sourcing
Thinking about the planning required to keep a ship of this size stocked with the high-quality ingredients necessary to bring the chefs’ visions to life is dizzying. “When you’re at sea, no two days are exactly alike,” says Trodd. “Unlike a traditional restaurant, the yacht is constantly moving between destinations, which means sourcing and logistics require an entirely different level of coordination and agility, with some days involving multiple ports of call.” Chefs must also be nimble with their menus, swapping out ingredients they can’t find or incorporating the best of what’s available each time the ship stops. “One of our bartenders even foraged wild berries on the island of Spetses, bringing them onboard to craft unique cocktails for guests,” says Trodd.
A Plenitude of Champagne and Caviar
Always available, however, is Champagne and caviar. A plenitude of both is needed to keep the bubbles flowing at the deck 6 terrace touting both in its name. It is only open in the evenings so you can watch the sun set over the cliffs of Santorini as you sip your Grand Cru. One of many delightful, off-menu touches: A small tin of Sevruga caviar, bite-sized blinis, and three types of sour cream were delivered to my door one night before dinner. Trodd wasn’t willing to divulge Four Seasons’ Champagne and caviar budget, but he shared that the ship offers more than 40 varieties of Champagne and an “extensive collection of rare and highly sought-after bottles,” including a 1989 Pétrus. A bottle on board will run you $21,000.
A Final Morning of Indulgence
My final morning on Four Seasons I, I sleep through breakfast hours at Terrasse, the ship’s main dining room. Instead, I take my leftover caviar from the fridge and head to the chaise on my suite’s private deck to enjoy the sunshine. The day-old blinis are getting stale, but no matter—a bag of truffle potato chips from the mini-bar would do very well. The vessel pulls into the port at Agios Nikólaos in Crete and I see that the streets are already bustling with people, tourists and workers in a hurry to get wherever they’re going. I eat another potato chip. This article was written by Abbey Stone, Senior Commerce Director at Bon Appétit and Epicurious.