Virginia Sherwood/BravoSummer might be (almost) over, but yachting season has just begun! At least, it has for Bravo with season three of Below Deck. This season documents Captain Lee Rosbach and his colorful crew working aboard the Eros —a 161-foot mega yacht with all the bells and whistles you can imagine —in the Bahamas. You just might recognize some of their more famous passengers: in one episode, we'll see Real Housewives of Atlanta cast members Cynthia Bailey and Claudia Jordan take a spin on high seas.
While reality stars may delight in fancy cruises, celebs with the really big bucks spring for their own multi-million dollar vessels. "At a certain point, champagne wishes and caviar dreams are mere child's play," Below Deck's Kate Chastain, the ship's chief stew, tells E! News. "There's only one thing that separates the rich from the uber-wealthy: The Super Yacht."
So whose wins top prize? Kate gives us her Top 5!
THE ECLIPSE
Owner: Billionaire Roman Abramovich
Estimated cost: $350 million
Celebrity guests: Princess Beatrice and her boyfriend, Dave Clark
Amenities: A cinema, two helipads, three submarines, 20 jet skis, a 70-person crew, two swimming pools (one converts into a dance floor) and 24 guest rooms.
Kate says: "It's the standard of excellence for all yacht owners. This boat has every amenity under the sun including a system that can detect and destroy paparazzi cameras by firing laser beams into unsuspecting lenses. I bet you can really dance like nobody's watching when you have Russian vodka and destructive lasers on your side!"
SEVEN SEAS
Owner: Steven Spielberg
Estimated cost: $200 million
Celebrity guests: Gwyneth Paltrow, Leonardo DiCaprio, Blake Lively
Fun fact: The director is reportedly selling it after having "outgrown" the 282-foot power vessel, which he's currently renting for a cool $1.2 million a week.
Kate says: "When you're the biggest name in the movie industry, one movie theater on your boat isn't going to cut it, which is probably why Steven Spielberg had his boat designed with a 15-foot panel of privacy glass that extends vertically from the infinity pool and transforms into a projection screen. That's in addition to his cinema room, by the way. I get it — sometimes you just want to watch a movie while you swim!"
MAIN
Owner: Giorgio Armani
Estimated cost: $60 million
Celebrity guests: Bar Refaeli
Fun fact: The designer had the vessel painted green as a way of camouflaging it, explaining that the ocean is "rarely what we call sea-blue; it is most often green or dark blue or turquoise."
Kate says: "In a sea of primarily white boats with shiny, stainless steel curves, Main's dark green hull is a one-of-a-kind vision. Thanks to its angular lines and trim physique, Main is like the Angelina Jolie of yachts: sexy yet tough. A lean, mean traveling machine with a defiantly dark exterior."
RC
Owner: Roberto Cavalli
Cost: $40 million
Celebrity guests: Alessandra Ambrosio, Irina Shayk, Heidi Klum
Fun fact: The exterior is decked out in a special color-changing paint that runs $500 per quart.
Kate says: "The interior of this boat is just as flamboyant, with a collection of leopard print pillows, mink rugs and snakeskin upholstery. It's the perfect for all Cavalli's star-studded parties in the South of France...although he probably won't be hosting any PETA events anytime soon!"
THE ARTIC P
Owner: James Packer
Estimated cost: $50 million
Celebrity guests: Mariah Carey, Miranda Kerr
Amenities: Teak deck with pool and Jacuzzi, sprawling suites, underground cinema, helipad
Kate says: "Its steel hull is ready to travel anywhere in the world making this ship as adventurous as its outback owner. This boat is like Katherine Hepburn: classic, adventurous, a true jungle queen."
Below Deck premieres Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)