The Orient Express Corinthian, a 722-foot luxury yacht, sets sail on its inaugural Caribbean season in October 2026. You can think of it as the marriage of a private yacht and a vintage Art Deco train.
What’s the train connection? Well, the yacht is the brainchild of Orient Express, the company behind the recently launched La Dolce Vita Orient Express train, which I recently wrote about in Forbes. This is a train that has been thoughtfully designed to recall the splendor of 1960s Italian design as it takes well-heeled guests on jaunts around Italy. That same incredible attention to detail, albeit in a style that recalls the heyday of Art Deco, is also at work here.
French yachtmaker Chantiers de l’Atlantique was enlisted to build the Corinthian and its sister ship, Orient Express Olympian, with the latter expected to debut in 2027.
It’s not that unusual for a luxury company that creates trains and hotels to venture into the world of luxury cruising. After all, hotel companies such as Belmond, Four Seasons, and Aman have also dipped their toes into yachts.
A Ships that Recalls the Art Deo Style of the Normandie
This 54-suite sailing yacht will offer on board luxury and carefully crafted itineraries through some of the region’s most beautiful destinations. Architect Maxime d’Angeac, Artistic Director of Orient Express, conceived what the company describes in a press statement as “refined interiors that reinterpret the golden age of rail travel with a contemporary sensibility, echoing the grandeur of legendary ocean liners such as Normandie, calling upon the finest French artisans of art and craft.”
The Corinthian’s 54 suites range in size from 485 square feet to an astonishing 2,476 square feet. All of them feature expansive picture windows or terraces and elevated ceilings. The ship’s public areas include eight bars, a Parisian-themed cabaret, and five restaurants, the latter overseen by multi-Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno, who is also Executive Chef of both the L’Orient Express train and Orient Express Sailing Yachts.
There will be a recording studio, two swimming pools, and a marina as well.
Revolutionary Sailing Technology
The Corinthian will have three sails that were designed with ‘SolidSail’ technology, encompassing 16,000 square feet of rigid sails, with three masts reaching 328 feet high. The aim is for 100% propulsion based on weather conditions. As a backup, the ship’s engines will have an environmentally friendly propulsion system that uses liquefied natural gas (LNG).
On October 12th, 2026, the Corinthian will sail from Lisbon on its inaugural 14-night transatlantic voyage to Barbados. The journey will have a wellness theme, and this will commence the ship’s autumn and winter season. From October through March, Orient Express Corinthian will offer two to nine-night Caribbean escapes. With ports of call like Saint-Barth, Moskito Island, the Exumas, and Tobago Cays, the itineraries are mostly off-the-beaten-path stops in the Caribbean.
Orient Express is part of Accor Group’s collection of luxury brands and joined with LVMH in 2024. The company opened its first hotel, Orient Express La Minerva, in Rome this past April. I recently wrote about its second hotel, Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, which will debut in Venice in 2026, here in the pages of Forbes.
Go to Orient Express Corinthian for more details.