The Orient Express Corinthian measures 220 meters from bow to stern. Its three 69-meter carbon-fibre masts reach an air draft of 100 meters above the waterline. It carries 4,500 square meters of rigid sail. And when it launches on June 6, 2026, it will be the largest sailing vessel ever built, by a margin that makes second place irrelevant.
The Orient Express Corinthian is a 220-meter sailing yacht launching June 6, 2026. It carries just 110 guests in 54 suites, features a Guerlain spa, dining by 18-Michelin-star chef Yannick Alleno, and SolidSail wind propulsion. Fares start around EUR 16,800 per suite. It is the world's largest sailing yacht and occupies a category entirely its own.
Source: GoCruiseTravel.com — Orient Express official specifications; Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard data
It also carries exactly 110 guests. For context, a mid-size Royal Caribbean ship carries about 5,000. The Corinthian could fit comfortably inside one of those ship's atriums, which tells you something about priorites.
In 54 suites across 220 meters — roughly 2 meters of yacht per person
Source: GoCruiseTravel.com
This is not, strictly speaking, a cruise ship. Orient Express calls it a sailing yacht, and the distinction matters. There is no rock-climbing wall. No casino. No midnight buffet. What there is: three carbon-fibre masts, a 500-square-meter Guerlain spa, a Parisian cabaret, and a chef whose restaurants hold more Michelin stars than most countries have Michelin-starred restaurants.
The Corinthian's most consequential innovation has nothing to do with thread count. It is the first vessel to use SolidSail, a propulsion system developed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique that replaces traditional fabric sails with rigid panels made from carbon-fibre frames and glass-fibre surfaces.
The three masts rotate 360 degrees and tilt up to 70 degrees. During sea trials, the ship reached 12 knots under sail alone in 20-knot winds. Under optimal conditions, it can hit 17 knots without firing an engine, which is faster than many cruise ships travel under full power.
Faster than many cruise ships at full engine power, using zero fuel
Source: GoCruiseTravel.com
When the wind is uncooperative, a hybrid LNG engine takes over, cutting fuel consumption by roughly 40 percent compared to conventional marine propulsion. The environmental case is genuine, though Orient Express would probably prefer you focus on how the sails look at sunset.
A 220-meter yacht that can outrun cruise ships on wind alone. The engineers at Chantiers de l'Atlantique appear to have been paying attention in physics class.
The Orient Express name has been evoking images of velvet-curtained rail carriages since 1883. Under Accor's ownership (with a strategic boost from LVMH since 2024), the brand has expanded with the patient ambition of a luxury conglomerate that knows its audience.
First came the restoration of 17 original 1920s and 1930s rail carriages. Then Orient Express La Dolce Vita began offering Italian rail journeys in 2025. A hotel, Orient Express La Minerva, opened in a restored 17th-century Roman palazzo. And now, the sea.
The Corinthian is the first of two planned sailing yachts. A sister ship, the Orient Express Olympian, is scheduled for 2027. If the pattern holds, Orient Express will eventually offer submarines and space stations, each decorated in art deco.
The suites range from 45 square meters to 230 square meters. Every one of them features floor-to-ceiling windows, elevated ceilings, and the sort of restrained opulence that says money without needing to shout it. Even the entry-level suite is larger than most hotel rooms in Paris, which seems appropriate given the brand.
The world's first Guerlain spa at sea — four treatment suites, sauna, lap pool, beauty salon
Source: GoCruiseTravel.com
The Guerlain spa spans 500 square meters and includes four treatment suites (one a VIP double for couples), a sauna, a relaxation lounge, a barber studio, a beauty salon, and a lap pool with open-sky views. Wellness retreats are built around four pillars: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and mindfulness. It is, in effect, a wellness resort that happens to be crossing the Mediterranean.
Beyond the spa, the ship carries two swimming pools, a fully equipped gym, a yoga studio, and a 17-meter lap pool on deck six.
The dining program is overseen by Yannick Alleno, who as of 2026 holds 18 Michelin stars across his global restaurant empire, making him the most decorated active chef in the Michelin guide. At Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris alone, he holds six stars across three restaurants under one roof.
The Corinthian features five restaurants and private dining spaces. This works out to roughly one restaurant for every 22 guests, a ratio that most Michelin-starred establishments on land would find logistically terrifying.
All dining on the Corinthian is included in the fare. Unlike most ultra-luxury cruise lines that include "most" dining, Orient Express makes no distinction between main and specialty restaurants. Every Alleno-directed meal is part of the experience.
The ship also houses eight bars, including a 1930s-style speakeasy and Le Bar de la Bibliotheque, a cocktail lounge set within the onboard library. There is also a 115-seat Parisian cabaret with art deco interiors, a 24-seat cinema, and, for reasons that presumably made sense during the design phase, a recording studio where guests can lay down tracks while at sea.
2026 has become the year luxury hotel brands decided the ocean was underserved. The Corinthian enters a market alongside the Four Seasons I, Scenic Eclipse II, and Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot. Each aims at a slightly different species of wealthy traveler.
The Corinthian is the smallest by guest count and the most expensive per night. It is also the only one powered primarily by wind, the only one with a Guerlain spa, and the only one where the chef holds more Michelin stars than most restaurant groups. Whether those distinctions justify the premium depends entirely on what you believe luxury travel should feel like.
The Four Seasons I is the closest competitor in terms of pure opulence, but it is a fundamentally different experience: a large motor yacht with 95 suites, 11 dining venues, and the hospitality infrastructure of a Four Seasons hotel. It carries twice as many guests. If the Corinthian is a private sailing yacht, the Four Seasons I is a boutique hotel that floats.
Scenic Eclipse II and Ponant's Charcot occupy the expedition-luxury niche, with helicopters, submarines, and ice-breaking capabilities that the Corinthian wisely does not attempt. They go to Antarctica. The Corinthian goes to Saint-Tropez. Different vacations.
The maiden voyage departs Marseille on June 6, 2026, for a six-night journey along the French and Italian Riviera, calling at Cannes, Saint-Tropez, and points between. An exclusive Studio 54-inspired soiree at the Palais Bulles in Cannes is included, presumably for guests who find the yacht itself insufficiently glamorous.
The summer 2026 Mediterranean season includes:
In October, the Corinthian makes a 14-night transatlantic crossing from Lisbon to Barbados, beginning a Caribbean winter season that continues into early 2027.
Per suite, Lisbon to Barbados — all-inclusive dining, beverages, and Guerlain spa access
Source: GoCruiseTravel.com
Pricing starts at approximately EUR 16,800 per suite for shorter Mediterranean voyages and rises to EUR 43,000 for larger suites. The transatlantic crossing runs EUR 60,200 per suite. The inaugural Riviera voyage is priced at roughly GBP 52,870 per person. All fares are all-inclusive: dining, beverages, spa access, and most onboard experiences.
Back-to-back bookings are available across all Mediterranean itineraries, allowing you to combine shorter voyages into an extended journey of two to three weeks. Given the ship's intimate size, the best suites on inaugural-season sailings are likely to sell out quickly. If you're comparing ultra-luxury options for summer 2026, use GoCruiseTravel.com to track availability across lines including Ponant and Scenic.
The Orient Express Corinthian is not for everyone. It is not even for most people who can afford it. At 110 guests maximum, with fares that start where most luxury cruises peak, this is a vessel designed for travelers who have done the suite on the big ship, the villa in Tuscany, and the private island, and who want something that combines all three while moving at the speed of wind.
It is for people who care about provenance: a brand born in 1883, a chef with 18 Michelin stars, a spa house founded in 1828, sails designed by the same shipyard that builds aircraft carriers. Every element on board has a pedigree, and none of it is accidental.
If you are comparing ultra-luxury options for 2026, the Corinthian exists in a category that resists easy comparison. It is smaller than the Four Seasons I, less adventurous than the Scenic Eclipse II, and more expensive than both. What it offers instead is singularity: the world's largest sailing yacht, wind-powered crossings, a Guerlain spa, and an 18-Michelin-star culinary program, all for 110 guests. The question is not whether it is worth the fare. The question is whether this particular combination of quiet, elegance, and wind appeals to you more than the alternatives. If it does, book early. There are only 54 suites. Compare all ultra-luxury sailings at GoCruiseTravel.com.
Specifications sourced from Orient Express official materials and Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard data. Chef Yannick Alleno's Michelin star count (18) confirmed via the 2026 Michelin Guide. Guerlain spa details from Orient Express and Guerlain joint press releases. Pricing sourced from Orient Express booking pages and industry reporting by Mundy Cruising, CruiseMapper, and Adventure Chest. Four Seasons I specifications from Four Seasons Yachts. Scenic Eclipse II data from Scenic Cruises. Ponant Le Commandant Charcot details from Ponant and Cruise Critic. SolidSail sea trial performance data from CruiseNews.io and Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
