After years in development, recent whispers of Ritz-Carlton’s inaugural 298-passenger yacht indicate it may finally come to fruition. In late September, fellow luxury hotel brand Four Seasons announced plans to unveil its own yacht product by 2025. Yachts with just over 200 passengers from Scenic and 100 passengers on Emerald Cruises have plied international waters in recent years to positive acclaim. And Bob Lepisto, president of SeaDream Yacht Club, launched in 2001, couldn’t be happier.
We caught up with Lepisto, a cruise industry veteran, about the recent spike in yacht offerings and the future of SeaDream, a brand which coined the phrase, “It’s yachting, not cruising.”
Lepisto chuckles when he tells us that the phrase rings even truer today than it did 21 years ago. “Customers have a real desire to be on a more boutique, exclusive experience,” he says, referencing the increased interest in small-ship cruising following the Covid-19 pandemic. “We’ve always been well positioned, but even better now.”
Lepisto believes that similar to what Viking did for the river cruising segment with its television ad campaigns, the entire yacht category benefits from household names entering the fray.
“To have big brands in the space enhances the interest in a tiny brand like SeaDream, who’s been around and doing this for a good period of time.”
Lepisto doesn’t view the new entrants as competition but instead a driver of interest, noting that the combined size of SeaDream’s two yachts equal that of some of the newer yachts (a capacity of 112 passengers each, for SeaDream I and SeaDream II).
There are 95 crew members staffed to each yacht, providing a nearly 1:1 crew-to-passenger ratio. Lepisto tells us that even with a diverse crew of about 22 nationalities, most of SeaDream’s staff returned to the company following the pandemic shutdown.
“Many in the luxury category [land or sea] are having a hard time performing in the way their brand has been known to, simply from a staffing standpoint. A blessing for us is that we have a really experienced crew, and loyal guests are thrilled to return to find their favorite, familiar crew members onboard.”
Popular itineraries for guests include the Caribbean — due to many of the small ports and islands visited — as well as the Mediterranean. “So many guests love the Caribbean because we call on out-of-the-way ports like Norman Island, Saba, Anguilla, Jost Van Dyke…we host a beach party on Prickly Pear [in Virgin Gorda] by the Bitter End Yacht Club; it’s truly a yachting experience, especially with the overnights.”
Lepisto is also fan of the 10-day, Rome-to-Venice sailing, which docks right in Bonifacio, Corsica, and anchors off the coast of glamorous ports in Amalfi as well as the stark beauty of Kotor, Montenegro and Hvar, Croatia.
North Americans make up most of the passengers on Caribbean sailings and about 65 percent in the Med; SeaDream Yacht Club also attracts guests hailing from Belgium; Norway and broader Scandinavia; the United Kingdom; and Australia.
Charters at one point made up about 30 percent of SeaDream’s business, but that number is closer to 20 percent these days, which still constitutes a fair amount of incentive cruises, milestone birthday celebrations, affinity group meetings, family reunions, and weddings.
After two decades, the brand isn’t simply resting on its laurels, instead investing $10 million in shipwide renovations across both vessels. The refurbishment, which took place in early 2022, added luxe amenities like new Balinese beds and couples’ Jacuzzi tubs, and touched every single stateroom including electrical upgrades to retrofit modern touches like USB/USBC charging ports, sensor lighting, 55-inch LED TVs, and even an “Instagram wall” that encourages image sharing to loved ones back home.
Connectivity for social media will certainly be easier as well; SeaDream became one of the first cruise brands to install SpaceX’s Starlink low-level satellite internet on both yachts, which Lepsito feels will be a “gamechanger for the maritime industry.”
Beyond improved internet connectivity, SeaDream’s president feels passionately about the human connections made onboard, which foster its loyal guests.
“There are plenty of comfy areas on the yachts for people to connect with each other in a casual and friendly way,” Lepisto tells us. “I’ve seen guests rebook onboard with couples that they met while on their cruise; it’s magic the way it happens.
Our best salesperson is the guest who got off last week and comes home to share their experience with their friends, their family, and their travel advisor.”
As for the future, Lepisto assures us that SeaDream founder and CEO, Atle Brynestad, remains passionate about cruising (he also founded Seabourn Cruise Line) and the SeaDream product.
“No order has been placed and no steel has been cut, but [Brynestad] loves our little yachts and I can tell you he’s planning what to do next. He loves what we do, our results are quite positive, and the future is bright.”
