“Hey, coach!” somebody yelled, giving a shout-out to Jon Gruden, the former NFL coach and now football pundit, who was sailing through Greece aboard the Four Seasons yacht.

I had heard that there was at least one famous face on board, and suddenly there he was, shaking hands with a few of the guests after dinner.

I didn’t have a chance to say hello myself, but I did make a note about the moment, since I was on board the ship to answer the question: What kind of person would spend $40,000 for a weeklong cruise?

I’m Paul Brady, and I’m the news director at Travel + Leisure. A big part of my job is reporting on the cruise industry, a fascinating if at times bizarre corner of the overall travel industry. It’s taken me to Greece and Norway and the Caribbean, and even the ice-choked Saguenay River in Quebec in the depths of winter.

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And through a bit of moxie, I’d gotten myself aboard Four Seasons I, one of the most talked-about new ships in years, for one of its first-ever journeys. Even before seeing Coach Gruden greeting his admirers, I was vibing: champagne, caviar, an incredible suite with heated bathroom floors and an incredible oceanview shower. Pretty tough assignment.

Even beyond the luxuries—and the fact that it says “Four Seasons” on the side—this is no ordinary ship. Rumor has it that the cutting-edge vessel cost more than $400 million, a staggering price tag for a ship that can accommodate fewer than 200 passengers. (Consider that Brilliant Lady, a Virgin Voyages ship, cost about $800 million to build but accommodates more than 10 times the number of guests.)

And that money has been well spent, on all sorts of technical systems that dampen vibration, muffle sound, and generally make the ship feel less like something moving through the water and more like the chicest vacation villa you’ve ever seen. Then there’s the design, which I detailed in a recent “first look” story on T+L-dot-com:

“The fit and finish of the ship is exacting, with beautiful woodwork, gleaming marble, and decadent textiles just about everywhere. Bar O, the ship’s most-elevated cocktail venue, is filled with mother of pearl inlays, stunning furniture, and lovely window treatments, all selected under the direction of both Prosper Assouline and Martin Brudnizki.”

Still, a lot of people have been asking me: So what was it really like?

The short answer is: pretty impressive.

Which it should be, given the price tag, starting somewhere around $30,000 a week, depending on the itinerary. And that figure doesn’t include many meals, shore excursions, spa treatments, cocktails, or other extras you might dream up. As more than one travel advisor I’ve spoken with put it: Who would actually pay that?

As it turns out, plenty of people, including at least one former NFL coach. In fact, over the course of the week, as I got to know some of the passengers on board, I came to realize that there are several types who are willing to drop new-car money on a weeklong cruise.

Rather than spell out the specifics on them, I’m gonna take a page from one of my favorite Substackers, Max Read, who runs the always-interesting Read Max newsletter. As a sharp writer and observer of internet culture, he often talks about what “Type of Guy” certain people are, as a shorthand to understanding the worldview and motivations of notable (and often, unfortunately, darkly twisted) figures in the news.

Thankfully, we didn’t have any of those, nor did we have any Tanya McQuoid-Hunt or Victoria Ratliff types, as far as I could tell. (Though if we’re really honest with ourselves, we all have a little bit of that White Lotus snob within us, don’t we?)

Anyway, herewith, some of the Types of Guys you might encounter on the Four Seasons I…

The Private Types

One guest, I heard, had booked out the Loft Suite for a two-week trip, and invited several of her friends to come along for a trip. I never did get to meet her—she was having her friends over to her “home” onboard.

The Fun Lovers

There were a lot of couples on the ship, which is what you’d expect. I was surprised, though, by how many different ages of couples were represented. Many of them were quite social and happy to meet other couples and generally hang out and dine together.

The Indulgent Ones

One night, I overheard a couple discussing with the sommelier what kind of wine they’d like to have at the next night’s dinner, when they’d be celebrating an anniversary. They were saying that a classic Bordeaux would be nice, something better or bolder than the regular Cheval Blanc, they said. (Never mind that bottles of Cheval Blanc can easily top $1,000.) I failed to hear what they ultimately decided on, but my guess is it wasn’t the house red.

The Family Travelers

Another surprise for me: there were a ton of children on board, of all ages. Truth is, I shouldn’t have been, since Four Seasons has long been both a luxury brand and a family-friendly one. The dedicated kids’-club space on the ship got plenty of traffic (at least as far as I could tell), and I found it encouraging and even pleasant to see families and their kids enjoying the amenities of the ship, dining together, and getting quality time. (I can also imagine that there are some malcontents out there thinking, No chance I want to share my yacht with tweens. To each one’s own!)

So, yeah, those are the Types of Guys you’re likely to find on the ship—or at least that’s who was on while I was there. Almost everybody I spoke to was either so enamored with the yacht—or too polite to say otherwise—that it felt as though everybody was having a good time. I’ll admit to occasionally finding the ship a bit sedate for my personal taste, but the flip side is that plenty of people like feeling as though they’re the only one aboard.

And of all the fun moments—drinking champagne in the Caldera of Santorini, stargazing on the top deck, chatting with the charming crew—the morning that sticks with me is the one when we dropped anchor in a bay off the island of Folegandros. I’d been looking forward to this “marina day,” when a side door on the ship opens and the crew and guests alike can get directly into the sea. It was too windy for swimming, so nobody was cannonballing into the Aegean, but dozens of us took to kayaks and e-foil boards and funny floating-bicycle contraptions to enjoy a morning of play. It was a bit chaotic, in the best possible way—a reminder that the most luxurious experiences of all aren’t about fancy finishes or high-end service. They’re about the joy you feel—and the fellow travelers you share them with.

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