Four of the world's most famous luxury hotel brands have launched yachts. Here's how they actually compare, and how to know which one fits the trip you're dreaming about.

You've seen the headlines: Four Seasons has a yacht. So do Ritz-Carlton, Aman, and Orient Express. But these aren't four versions of the same thing. They're four completely different answers to the question of what yachting can be, and choosing between them has less to do with thread counts than with the kind of traveler you are.

As a luxury cruise designer, I track this new category closely, because the right yacht for you depends on details most booking sites never explain. Here's the honest side-by-side.