Blog | How to Plan a Luxury Yacht Charter Vacation: a Step-by-Step Guide

Planning a luxury yacht charter dream vacation can be super exciting. Here you can learn more about a private yacht charter and how they operate, how to set up reservations, and what type of charter yacht you want for your yachting vacation. Quickly, you’ll discover that there are many yacht chartering options to choose from. Which would be best for your situation? You can choose between a motor yacht, a smaller yacht, a larger yacht, and a mega yacht. But what is the difference, and what would best suit you? Let’s review what it takes to plan a luxury holiday aboard a yacht.

Why Charter a Yacht?

When looking at ways to enjoy the beautiful waters, why not look at a charter yacht? While many of us quickly think of the hotels on the beach or bungalows overlooking beautiful blue waters, why not a luxury yacht vacation?

The rental of a yacht is a one-of-a-kind experience that combines the luxury amenities of a five-star hotel with the adrenaline-pumping adventure of a trip on the water into a single incredible memory.

When you charter a yacht, you can experience a new type of luxurious vacation. This is essentially like staying in a hotel that moves around. It can take you anywhere you want to go. Instead of remaining stationary in a single room or a resort villa, you can enjoy the same level of five-star service and luxury that comes with a high-end hotel room. Furthermore, you can move around on a yacht while it serves as a mode of transportation. Most luxury yacht charters are comparable to having an entire cruise ship to yourself. However, they are a lot more compelling.

Charter Yacht Broker

It is best to start with a charter broker such as 26 North. Yacht charter brokers have the experience and understanding needed to get in touch with the particular yacht owners to book the reservation. We have booked many chartered luxury yachts and know what to ask and look for. We understand the different levels of yachts available at different price points. Furthermore, yacht charter companies can help you negotiate things on your must-have and do list. After all, chartering yachts is what we do, day in and day out. Yacht rentals are more accessible than many people think.

First, we will start by asking you some questions. Or, perhaps, you come to us with some demands. Either way, we work with you and the yacht owners and crews to find exactly what will meet your needs and demands. The right yacht is out there, and we will do our magic to find it just for you and your private vacation. The booking process is easy for first-time charterers. Here we will go over everything you should expect.

Budget Yacht Charters

You can look at our website to find out that there are a variety of budgets for renting a yacht. These range from a few thousand to several million per week. However, the entry point is around $40K for a week on a large enough yacht to fit about six people. This can be made more affordable if you think about splitting this between friends or family. But, of course, you can have the yacht all to yourself. There aren’t any minimum passenger requirements on these luxury boats.

First-time yacht charterers often are surprised that this isn’t priced as an all-inclusive. The charter fee includes the luxury yacht, crew members, insurance, and anything part of the boat. This doesn’t include the cost of food and drinks. Also, you will want to set aside some of the budgets for fuel, docking, and mooring fees should you dock the boat somewhere.

This figure should be about 30% of the cost of the charter and is expected up front, which will go into a fund called the Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA). What the APA covers differs for each vessel on the charter agreement. If you have questions, be sure to ask so there aren’t any surprises at the end. Also, when you get aboard the yacht, if it’s not stationed where you plan to be picked up, you will need to cover the costs for it to move to where you are. Sometimes, it makes sense to rent a car or other mode of transportation to meet them. This can be easier and far less costly.

A Note About Tipping

The crew should be tipped at the end of the charter, which is usually 20% of the charter cost. This will be handed over to the captain at the end of the charter. They will then distribute it evenly to the other crew members.

Choose Your Destination

You can visit many places for a yacht charter vacation, such as the British Virgin Islands, the Adriatic Sea, or Western Mediterranean. For example, choosing your yachting destinations will further narrow the available yachts. Many charter yachts will travel a certain distance to pick you up and give you the vacation of your dreams. However, remember that you will pay them to travel to you. You should refer to your rental agreement to understand what that might cost. Fuel costs for this size boat aren’t inexpensive, so choose wisely.

If you are not sure, be sure to ask your broker about places they would recommend. As a yacht charter broker, we have experience with different charters and locations. Because of this, we probably have some recommendations based on feedback they have gotten from others.

Determine the Date

Once you have a budget and a location, next is the date. Be sure to find a date that works well with your schedule and is an excellent time to travel on a yacht. Different times are better for different bodies of water. This is because of tropical storms and the seasons.

Furthermore, most yachts will have owners who want to use the yacht. They will be blocking certain times to use it for their purposes. So, the best time to book a yacht is as soon as possible with our premier yacht charter company here at 26 North Yachts. This will ensure that you will get to save your spot before other yachters or the owners take that time from you.

Consider Who You Would Be Traveling With on Your Yacht Charter

On a private charter, you will have a much more intimate setting than when on a  cruise ship. This means that the boats are not as large, and there is more time to interact between you and the other guest. Sure, there are larger yachts and mega yachts that are fairly big, but they still don’t compare to a cruise ship.

You will choose wisely as you don’t want to take people you cannot stand after a few hours. After all, you will sometimes be a boat in the water, far from land. This means that you will want people around that you enjoy. The other guests are a big part of making this yacht charter successful.

Choose Your Crew Members Wisely for Your Yacht Charter

Your crew members are a part of your experience, and you want them to understand and cater to you. They will be around you as much as the other guests during your yacht charter. You want to find a crew that you can click with. The crew can make or break the yacht charter experience. So, be sure that you take the time to learn more about the team on the ship of your choice.

Try to Stay Flexible

While the crew members will know where to take you and what to do, mother nature may have other plans. Also, there might be other reasons you can’t reach a particular destination. This could be due to the weather, but maybe you spent more time on an excursion than planned. That’s the fun of having your private yacht. You can come and go as you, please. However, this means you will need to stay flexible for the duration of the experience.

Book Activities and Experiences in Advance

As said before, you will need to be flexible. However, there may be a few things that you don’t want to miss. Many yachts will have jet skis to enjoy, a beautiful deck space, scuba diving, and more on board the ship. But what about off the vessel?

This is when it is a great idea to book those things far enough in advance so that you can count on having a spot. To get the most out of your yacht charter vacation, you should take the time to research the area that you will be visiting. If you have questions, ask your book agent for more advice on what to look into. They certainly will have some idea since they always book yacht charters.

While booking things in advance is essential, leave a little time between each adventure to ensure you have enough time. This is important if there is some travel via the charter yacht to the next destination. Things, such as weather or situations, can cause you to be late. So, please don’t cut it too close to avoid stressful situations.

Always Ask for What you Want.

Don’t be shy with your crew and booking agent. Always ask for what you want. Furthermore, state anything that you don’t want. This includes food if you have a chef preparing your food. You want to inform them of any allergies you might have or dislike to any food. Communicate to everyone what you expect kindly. But, the crew and booking agent are not minded readers, and everyone has different expectations from their yacht charters.

We want this to be one of the best vacations of your life, so we urge you to speak up and let us know what you want to see or do so that we can find the perfect yacht for your next vacation.

Stay Safe, and Have Fun!

This should go without saying, but stay safe. Remember, you are on a large body of water filled with wild animals. Don’t fool around and get thrown off the boat; always watch small children closely.

Relax and enjoy it! But always be sure that you are playing it safe. Should something feel off, speak up. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

It may seem intimidating to plan and book the ideal yacht charter vacation, but if you do your homework and communicate effectively, you can ensure that you make the most of your time away. Be sure to abide by the rules and local laws of the area you are traveling. Keep yourself and other guests safe. Have a good time, and communicate your needs to the charter company. Yacht charter vacations can become the ideal escape with a bit of planning. Happy sailing!