How to rent a yacht? A step by step guide

Like what you see? Subscribe to our weekly news letter.

Yacht charter/How to rent a yacht? A step by step guide

Back to blog home

Step 1: Choose a destination to rent a yacht

The most important part when renting a yacht is to pick the right destination. I can say that this is even more important than the yacht itself.

So the big question is, where can I rent a yacht?

The answer is simply everywhere 🙂 There is yacht available for private charter even in the north pole. Here are the main yacht charter destinations:

The Mediterranean
The Caribbean, Central America & The Bahamas
South Asia
Australia & South Pacific
Other places such as the north or south pole

Want to know which one of these destinations is the best for you?

Here is a brief overview of each of them:

1 – The Mediterranean

When it comes to yacht rentals, the Mediterranean is the most popular place on earth. You can easily spot a yacht when walking anywhere in Monaco, Ibiza, or Santorini. Most of the yachts are located of course, on the European side of the Mediterranean. Here are some of the best countries to consider:

France

Main highlights:

French Riviera coastline
Monaco
Pine-edged coves of Porquerolles
The Côte D’Azur…

Italy

Top Highlights:

Italian Riviera
The Italian coast
Beautiful fishing villages
Rome
The coast of Puglia
Venice
Sicily
Sardinia
Capri

More about Italy

Spain

Things to see:

The Balearic islands
Medieval villages
Tapas bars
Michelin star restaurants
Barcelona

Available yachts in Spain

Croatia

Dalmatian coast
Dubrovnik
Hvar
Korčula
Split
National parks

More about Croatia

Available yachts to charter in Croatia

All Croatia fleet

Greece

Places to visit:

Volcanic islands of Santorini and Mykonos
Kefalonia’s limestone coast
The Byzantine and Venetian architecture of Corfu
Zakynthos
The Dodecanese Islands
The Aegean Islands and the Northern Sporades
Ionian Islands
Cyclades Islands
Dodecanese Islands

More about Greece

Turkey

Places to see:

Private beach of Cleopatra
Bodrum
Marmaris
Bay of Ekincek
Kekova
Kas
Turkbuku
Yalikavak
Datca
Knidos
Gokova
Gocek
Fethiye
Kalkan

More about Turkey

Available yachts to charter in Turkey

All Turkey fleet

Montenegro

Top places:

Kotor
Tivat
Marina Porto Montenegro

More about Montenegro

2 – The Caribbean and Central America

The Caribbean

Best places to visit:

Leeward Islands
Havana
Virgin Islands
Barbados
Jamaica
Volcanic Martinique
St. Barths
The Grenadine Islands
The Bahamas
Windward Islands
Greater Antilles

More about the Caribbean

Available yachts to charter in the Caribbean

Central America

There are yachts available in:

Mexico
Costa Rica
Panama

3 – South East Asia

Thailand

Dive spots of Koh Samui and Koh Tao
Koh Phangan
Phuket
The emerald islands of the Ang Thong National Marine Park
Koh Tao
Forests of Krabi

Indonesia

Bali
Sumatra
Kalimantan and Sulawesi
Raja Ampat
Komod National Park
Anambas Islands
The Maluku islands
Flores islands

More about Indonesia

More about traditional Indonesian yachts

4 – South Pacific, Australia & New Zealand

South Pacific

French Polynesia
Fiji
Bora Bora
Cook Islands
Tahiti
Tonga Vanuatu

The ultimate guide to South Pacific

Australia

The Kimberley region
Sydney
The Gold coast
The Great Barrier Reef
Perth
The Whitsunday island

New Zealand

Rotoroa
Maori culture
Marlborough Sounds region

5 – The Indian Ocean

Seychelles

Mahé
St. Anne on Praslin island
Lively coral reefs La Digue and Silhouette
Valée De Mai
La Digue island

Maldives

Africa Banks
Dhigurah island
Kuda Bando’s tropical forest

Learn how a gulet cruise in the Maldives looks like

6 – North America

New England

Newport
Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard gallery
Great history

Alaska

Alaska’s Inside Passage
Majestic mountains
The Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau
Frederick Sound (where you can see whales)

7 – Northern Europe

The Baltic

United Kingdom

8 – Arctica & Antarctica

Arctic

Norway
Finland
Greenland
Iceland
Alaska
Arctic Canada
Northwest Passage

Antarctica

King George Island
The Antarctic Peninsula
South Georgia
Port Lockroy
Deception Island

Step 2: Define your rental budget: How much does it cost to rent a yacht?

Yacht charter vacation is more known for the ultra-wealthy people. Some charter prices are extremely high. But also, the charter prices can be cheaper than a week on a cruise ship for a family of four.

Type of yacht charters to consider:

1- Bareboat

It is also renting a boat but without the crew. So you need to hire a skipper or a crew. And pay for everything needed for the cruise including the fuel, food, and other expenses.

The charter price for a bareboat start from around €1.500 per week in some places even less.

2- Cabin charter

This option is very similar to cruising. You just rent a cabin and share the yacht with other people on board for a week. Usually, cabin charter prices include the half board and some even the drinks. The price ranges from €800 up to €5.000 per person.

3- Crewed yacht charter

This is what most people want when they are searching for a yacht to rent. Here you get a yacht with the crew. There is usually a captain, chef de cuisine, hand deck, waiter, sailor, housekeeping, and more. Usually, you get at least 3 members (captain, deckhand, and chef). Some ultra-luxury yachts can even have 16 members. The charter price includes the fuel, the crew service, and most of the amenities onboard. You pay as extra the meals, drinks, and ports taxes. The price starts from €5.000 per week for a small yacht and it can get up to €1M per week for mega-yachts.

Factors that affect the yacht rental prices

When the best to book a yacht Early booking vs last minute

It depends, sometimes it pays out if you book last minute and you can get an extremely good deal. But, this is very rare because the best yachts get booked very fast and early. So if you want to book a nice high-quality yacht, it is always recommended to book early. Some yachts get fully booked a year in advance.

The Destination

The destination can affect the charter price. Sometimes, you find some yachts that are available in different destinations for a different price. Some countries have higher VAT and expenses and this is also one of the main reasons why the price varies from one country to another.

Seasonality

Every area or destination has a higher and lower season. And the price varies according to the seasonalities. Here are the main seasons in some of the most popular destinations:

Mediterranean:

High-season: July & August

Low-season: May, June, September, October

Caribbean:

High season: December to April

Low season: May to December

Some countries the price depends also on the area where you want to cruise like Indonesia, the price is not the same if you cruise in the Raja Ampat area of the Komodo National park area.

Amenities on board

The amenities are a big factor when it comes to the price. It is normal that the yachts with a larger range of amenities are more popular and getting more inquiries then the others. Which directly affects the charter price. Some of the amenities onboard: water sports toys, water slider, and even sauna on some.

Step 3: Choosing the right yacht to charter

Here are the main types of yachts that you can rent with some examples:

Motor yachts

These are the most high-end types of yacht. They are the most popular and for the highest price.

Here are our 2 favorite motor yacht we recommend:

Sailing yachts

Great sailing experience, some standards are very affordable. For a great experience, you should consider luxury sailing yachts. The only issue with some sailing yachts is its limited space.

Our recommended sailing yachts:

Expedition yachts

Designed to cruise all over the world. These types of boats go especially to more demanding areas such as the north or south pole.

Our recommendations:

Classic yachts

These types of yachts are usually large and offer a lot of outdoor and indoor space. An authentic cruising experience.

Our recommended classic yachts:

Open yachts

The main characteristics are the performance and high speed.

Catamarans

Known with its two parallel hulls. Offers acceptable space compared to some sailing yachts.

Sport fisher

These motor yachts are built for fishing and long exploring.

Gulets

One of the most popular types of wooden yachts. A combination of sailing and cruising.

Our favorite gulets:

Step 4: Planning the yacht charter vacation

After picking the right boat to rent, it is time to start planning what you will do during the holiday. Usually, this is the work of the agent with whom you booked. But to have the most of your vacation you will need these things:

1- Things to do during your yachting vacation

There are 100s of things you can do every day during your holiday. All you need to do is, pick the right ones for you. Here are some of the best activities to consider during a yacht charter vacation:

Swimming on secluded bays
Spending the night anchoring away from it all
Snorkeling on a crystal-clear sea
Visit some national parks
Explore small fishing villages
Kayaking around isles
Water skiing
Explore under the water with a sea-bob
Try some fishing activities
Having a glass of champagne on the jacuzzi
Jumping from the boat in the freshwater early in the morning
Visit some charming coastal villages

2- Places to see and visit

After knowing what to do, you will need to know where you want to go. You don’t need a big knowledge of the destination. That you can let the agent since he is an expert. But you need to know if you are more for remote places such as small fishing villages and isles where there is almost no one. Or you are more for city exploring and want to visit the biggest cities on each destination. Some others prefer a culture tour where they visit the most important archeological sites. Or others they like partying every night so they want to go where it is the more vivid nightlife. Or you can have a mixture of it all. It is all up to you!

3- Handcrafting an itinerary

After knowing what to do and where you want to go, all you need to do is tell that to the agent and also if you have in mind from where you want to start the cruise and if you have some special places you want to visit.

The agent will take all that and with the captain, they will handcraft an itinerary tailored to all your wishes.

Step 5: Paperwork and payment of the vacation

The payment of the charter price is usually done on two parts:

You pay 50% of the charter price when you confirm your booking.
The other 50% + A.P.A. you pay a month and a half before your vacation.

What is A.P.A.: Advance Provisioning Allowance: It is calculated as 30% of the charter price.

This amount will be used to cover expenses during the cruise such as food and beverages, port and marina fees, fuel for tender and wave runner, transfers to/from the yacht, National Park entrances, and all other costs not specified as included.

A.P.A is paid by the Client in addition to the charter fee for all relevant costs for the vessel that are not included in the charter fee. If A.P.A does not cover complete costs, the Client will pay exceeding the amount on board in cash. If costs made on charter are less than the amount is given as A.P.A, the amount that was not spent will be returned to the Client at the end of the voyage.

A.P.A does not include a tip for the crew.

Before paying the first half, you should get the contract including all the details of the vacation.

After paying the second half, you get the official invoice and voucher and documents needed for the cruise.

There are a few things that need to be done as well, like the preference lists where you add your wishes about the food and drinks. And the passenger list where you add the name and surname and document number of all the passengers with you.

After all that it is just fun. More these 5 steps are done correctly more you will have a holiday of a lifetime.

If you are thinking about renting a yacht, feel free to contact us and we will help you before, during, and after your holiday.

We can help you find your dream Yacht.

We know that organizing yacht charter holidays can be tiresome. There are just so many different vessels to choose from! But if you plan the right way if you are a bit adventurous and if classic hotel holidays are not any more your “cup of tea”, then we can be of great assistance.

Start planning with us