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Add Texture to GoogleOn November 21, 2027, in Saint John’s, on the island of Antigua, no more than ninety-four people will board a 180-meter ship. The relationship between these two numbers alone sums up the project. The Amangati, Aman at Sea’s first ship, was not conceived as a scaled-down cruise ship. It is an Aman resort that has been given a hull, a bow, and a captain. After its first season in the Mediterranean, it will spend the winter of 2027–2028 in the Caribbean, with nineteen cruises scheduled between late November and late March.
A hospitality brand reinventing itself
The financial structure speaks as volumes as the ship’s blueprints. Aman at Sea is a joint venture, led by Neptune Co., between the Swiss hotel group Aman Group—chaired by Vladislav Doronin—and Cruise Saudi, a wholly owned subsidiary of the PIF, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. Jonathan Wilson heads the new division. In October 2026, the helm was entrusted to Captain Ertan Vasvi, who previously served as captain at Seabourn and as a senior officer at Silversea. He is responsible for overseeing the final phase of construction before taking command.
The ship was long known by its code name, Project Sama, and its hull number, MAR221. Its final name comes from Sanskrit and means “peaceful movement.” It is being built in Genoa by the T. Mariotti shipyard and designed, both inside and out, by the Dutch firm Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design. The construction schedule has been met so far: the keel was laid in July 2024, the hull was launched in late July 2026 in the port of Genoa, and delivery and commissioning are scheduled for May 2027 in the Mediterranean. It will fly the Maltese flag, with Valletta as its home port.
Nineteen departures, announced in two phases
The Caribbean itinerary has not been revealed all at once. In June 2026, Aman at Sea announced seven cruises between November 21, 2027, and January 2, 2028—the holiday season, the busiest time of year in the islands. In October 2026, the company officially announced an extension: twelve additional departures from January through March 2028. The season will end on March 20. Between the Mediterranean—operated from May through October 2027—and the Caribbean, the ship will make an Atlantic crossing.
The itinerary is designed as a vacation rather than a long-distance crossing. Trips last from five to eight nights and can be booked back-to-back. This means you can embark for a long weekend or combine several itineraries and spend part of the winter on board.
A map of secluded anchorages
The list of ports of call confirms the appeal of a vessel that, despite its length, remains modest in capacity. Major cruise ports are rare on this route. There are numerous small anchorages. North of the Caribbean arc, the ship will pass through Gustavia on Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Barbuda, Jost Van Dyke, and Virgin Gorda in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Philipsburg on Saint Martin, Saba, Little Bay on Montserrat, and Prickly Pear Cay, off the coast of Anguilla.
Further south, the itinerary connects Saint John’s to Bridgetown, Barbados, passing through the Îles des Saintes in Guadeloupe, Portsmouth in Dominica, Anses-d’Arlet in Martinique, Soufrière in Saint Lucia, Canouan in the Grenadines, and St. George’s in Grenada. French-speaking readers will note the prominence given to the French West Indies, with Les Saintes and Les Anses-d’Arlet—two stops where passengers disembark via a tender rather than at the dock.
The itinerary also extends to the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, including Oranjestad, Bonaire, and Curaçao). The 2028 winter extension adds a visit to the Greater Antilles, in the Dominican Republic, with stops in Samaná, Cap Cana, and La Romana.
180 meters for forty-seven suites
The press and the shipbuilder readily refer to a 600-foot ship. The figure is rounded: the official 180 meters of the hull corresponds to approximately 590.5 feet. The tonnage, estimated at around 23,000 metric tons in technical circles, is not included in Aman’s public communications. The rest of the specifications are precise: nine decks and a dual-fuel LNG propulsion system, supported by a 5 MW battery.
On board, passenger capacity is capped at 94, accommodated in 47 suites, all of which feature a private terrace facing the sea. Five additional suites, known as “Host Suites,” are reserved for staff accompanying certain guests. The entry-level suite, the Deluxe, measures 49.2 m² indoors and approximately 60.7 m² including its terrace. At the other end of the spectrum, the Aman Suite totals 354 m², including 183.1 m² of interior space and a 170.8 m² circular terrace. It features a private elevator, a sauna, a massage room, and a dedicated kitchen. Each suite has its own “Suite Host,” a dedicated butler.
The total number of crew members, however, remains uncertain. The documents circulating among distributors are inconsistent: some list 137 crew members, while others list up to 207. The ratio therefore ranges from approximately 1.5 to 2.2 crew members per passenger. The company has not made a public statement on the matter.
There are four dining options. Alira serves Mediterranean cuisine al fresco. Akari offers sushi and omakase, Hiori serves teppanyaki, and the Aman Grill rounds out the selection. Private lounges and several bars (Jazz Club, Sake Bar, Cigar Lounge) provide evening entertainment. The spa spans two levels, featuring eight sea-facing treatment rooms equipped with a terrace and a hot tub, a Russian banya, a hammam, a medi-spa, and a deck dedicated to yoga and meditation, lined with shallow pools. At the stern, the Selora Marina opens directly onto the water for paddleboarding, kayaking, and snorkeling. Tenders outfitted like limousines handle disembarkations, which is especially important at anchorages like Jost Van Dyke or Prickly Pear Cay.
You pay by the night, not by the cruise
The most notable change concerns pricing. Aman at Sea does not sell individual packages, as cruise lines do. The company charges for the suite, based on double occupancy, and per night, just as it does at its resorts. Rates recorded in October 2026 provide a rough estimate: starting at approximately $7,000 to $8,000 per night for Deluxe, Grand, and Signature suites (approximately 6,400 to 7,400 euros). A five-night stay starts at around $38,000 to $38,500 (approximately 35,000 to 35,500 euros). For six to eight nights, expect to pay between $48,000 and $75,600 (approximately 44,000 to 70,000 euros), depending on the dates and room category. For the Aman Suite, Jonathan Wilson cited a range of $25,000 to $30,000 per night, or approximately 23,000 to 27,600 euros.
This rate includes all meals at Alira, in-suite breakfast, refreshments, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, access to the marina and its light water sports equipment, gratuities, standard dry cleaning, and Starlink Wi-Fi. Dinners at Akari, Hiori, and the Aman Grill are billed as additional charges, as are fine wines, champagnes, premium spirits, and spa treatments.
The official 2027–2028 itinerary is limited to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Itineraries in the Red Sea had been mentioned at the time of the partnership with Cruise Saudi, but none have been published. The booking terms, however, are set: a 25% deposit upon confirmation, with the balance due 150 days before departure. For the maiden voyage from Saint John’s on November 21, 2027, the balance is therefore due at the end of June 2027, a few weeks after the ship’s delivery in Genoa.