The design of the Captain's Yacht was, of course, dictated by the design of the Sovereign class heavy explorer and its subsequent Kirov class predecessor. The ship is stored in a recess at the very bottom of the saucer section, just below the primary quantum torpedo bay. The warp nacelles swing up and mate to recesses in the docking port, causing the whole ship to become flush with the sensor/torpedo assembly. When ready for flight, the warp nacelles drop down, and the yacht is released. Because it has warp capabilities of its own, the yacht can be launched at much higher warp speeds than could the Type VIII yachts of the Galaxy class.
The internal arrangement of the Type IX yacht is similar in amenities to its predecessor. It consists of a small bridge with a flight control console, ops console, and commander's chair. In combat situations, the person at ops will handle the weapons systems as well as monitor the engineering systems. Just aft of the bridge is a small conference room with a table large enough to accomodate the yacht's up to 12 passengers. Moving aft are a pair of staterooms, the transporter, and the main gangway hatch which docks with the mothership. From this section, the crew can access the lower deck, which contains the engineering access systems and the crew quarters, a pair of small rooms each with two bunks.