Overview
Is Sea Cloud Cruises right for you?
Sea Cloud is unlike anything else afloat: the flagship Sea Cloud was built in 1931 as a private yacht for Marjorie Merriweather Post, and it still sails today as a working tall ship, with a crew that climbs the masts by hand to set real canvas sails rather than relying on engines alone. The fleet — Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II and the newer Sea Cloud Spirit — carries only around 60 to 136 guests, making it one of the most intimate ultra-luxury experiences at sea. Antique-furnished original cabins on the flagship (including the Presidential Suite in Post’s former quarters) sit alongside more modern accommodations on the newer ships, all wrapped in a genuinely elegant, understated European style.
Who it’s best for
- Sailing enthusiasts and tall-ship romantics
- Travelers wanting the smallest, most intimate ultra-luxury ships at sea
- Couples seeking a genuinely unique milestone trip
- Guests who want boutique ports over big-ship itineraries
Popular ships
Sea Cloud
The 1931-built flagship, once a private yacht — antique original cabins and real hand-set sails.
Sea Cloud II
A larger sailing yacht built in the same tradition with more modern suites.
Sea Cloud Spirit
The newest ship, adding a spa and more spacious cabins while keeping the fleet’s intimate scale.
Cabin recommendations
History lovers
On the original Sea Cloud, request one of the antique-furnished original cabins for the most authentic 1930s yacht experience.
More space
Sea Cloud Spirit’s newer suites offer more room and a private balcony on select categories — a good pick for a first Sea Cloud voyage.
Milestone trips
The Owner’s Suite on the flagship — Marjorie Merriweather Post’s original quarters — is a genuine bucket-list booking.
Dining
Refined, small-scale dining with a single open-seating restaurant serving European-leaning menus, complimentary wine with dinner, and a relaxed lounge for evening drinks. With so few guests aboard, the experience feels closer to a private yacht charter than a traditional cruise dining room.
Entertainment
Understated by design: watching (and often helping) the crew set sail by hand is the signature experience, alongside destination talks, a small library and lounge, and quiet evenings under real rigging. There’s no casino, no big theater and no production shows — the ship and the sailing are the entertainment.
What’s included
- Wine included with dinner
- Small-ship, high crew-to-guest ratio service
- Access to boutique harbors larger ships can’t enter
- Historic, antique-furnished cabins (flagship)
- Watersports and swim stops on calm-water sailings
Sea Cloud Cruises FAQs
Yes — unlike most “sailing” cruise ships that use computer-assisted sails as a backup to engines, Sea Cloud’s crew genuinely climbs the masts to set and trim canvas sails by hand whenever conditions allow, much as they would have in 1931.
Very — the fleet ranges from about 60 guests on the original flagship to around 136 on the newest ship, making it one of the most intimate ultra-luxury experiences available, closer to a private yacht charter than a typical cruise.
Primarily the Caribbean in winter and the Mediterranean in summer, calling at smaller harbors and anchorages that larger ships simply can’t reach. We’ll help you time a voyage to the region and season that suits you best.