Typical weekly rates

Rates follow the yacht, not the destination. The figures below are base weekly rates for Caribbean charters, where the quoted price is all inclusive. The middle column is what most groups actually end up paying; the outer columns are the quiet end of the season and the newest, largest yachts in that bracket.

Yacht and party sizeFromTypicalUp to
Catamaran, up to 6 guests$14,000$23,000$40,000
Catamaran, 7–8 guests$23,000$33,000$66,000
Catamaran, 9–10 guests$22,000$34,000$60,000
Motor yacht, 7–8 guests$40,000$55,000$85,000
Motor yacht, 9–10 guests$48,000$90,000$145,000

Smaller and older catamarans start lower still, from around $10,000 a week. Christmas and New Year are quoted separately and sit well above the ranges above; late spring and autumn sit below them. Each band below shows yachts currently offered at that price.

Rates shown are the starting weekly price for each yacht. Search the full fleet if you want to filter by dates, cabins or destination.

What the charter rate covers
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE YOU ARE QUOTED

What the charter rate covers

On a Caribbean all inclusive charter, one weekly rate covers:
  • The yacht — every cabin and all the living space aboard, for your group alone.
  • The full-time crew — captain and chef on smaller catamarans, with a stewardess and deckhand added as yachts get larger. They live aboard year-round and know the boat.
  • All meals, snacks and soft drinks, cooked to the preference sheet you complete before you travel.
  • The ship’s bar — wine, beer and spirits within the yacht’s standard selection.
  • Water toys — snorkelling gear, paddleboards and kayaks as standard; seabobs, e-foils, jet skis or dive equipment on yachts that carry them.
  • Fuel for normal cruising, the tender, and linens, towels and daily housekeeping.
A Mediterranean yacht is quoted differently — the rate covers the yacht and crew only. That difference is explained further down.
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What you pay on top
THE COSTS THAT SIT OUTSIDE THE RATE

What you pay on top

  • Crew gratuity — customary rather than optional. The Caribbean standard is 15–20% of the charter fee, the Mediterranean 10–15%. On a $33,000 week that is $5,000 to $6,600, so budget for it from the start.
  • Cruising permits and park fees — a few hundred dollars for a week. Some yachts include BVI fees in the rate and some do not; we confirm which before you sign.
  • Dockage on the nights you choose a marina over an anchorage, and any premium berth you specifically ask for.
  • Meals and excursions ashore — restaurants, tours and entrance fees are yours.
  • Premium drinks — champagne, fine wine and top-shelf spirits beyond the yacht’s standard bar.
  • Travel to the yacht — flights and ground transfers.
What should not appear is a surprise. Everything included in your rate is written into the charter agreement before you pay anything.
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What a full week actually comes to

Two worked examples for eight guests, both for a week in high season, excluding flights. The point of putting them side by side is that the headline rates look very different while the totals do not.

Catamaran, British Virgin IslandsCatamaran, Greece
Advertised rate$33,000 all inclusive€24,000 plus expenses
Food, drink, fuel, dockageincluded€7,200 (APA, 30%)
VAT—country-dependent, commonly 12–22%
Permits and park feesabout $400included in APA
Crew gratuity$5,000 (15%)€2,400 (10%)
Total for the groupabout $38,400about €36,500 plus VAT
Per personabout $4,800about €4,550 plus VAT

Both figures are illustrative: the exact permit, dockage and VAT position depends on the yacht, the flag it flies and the waters you cruise. We put the real numbers for your yacht in writing before you commit to anything.

What “plus expenses” and APA mean
HOW MEDITERRANEAN CHARTERS ARE PRICED

What “plus expenses” and APA mean

APA stands for Advance Provisioning Allowance. When a yacht is quoted “plus expenses”, the advertised rate buys the yacht and its crew, and everything the yacht consumes during your week is paid separately through the APA. This is standard across the Mediterranean and for larger power yachts in the Caribbean.

The APA is normally 30 to 35% of the base rate, handed to the captain before you board. He spends it on food, drink, fuel, dockage and port fees, keeps the receipts, and gives you a running account through the week. Whatever is left is returned to you at the end; if the week runs over, you settle the difference.

It is not a hidden charge and it is not a deposit — it is the same money a Caribbean yacht has already folded into its headline rate, simply collected separately and accounted for against receipts. Compare the totals rather than the headline rates, and the two regions sit closer together than they first appear.
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Is a bareboat charter cheaper?
BAREBOAT AND CREWED, ONCE EVERYTHING IS COUNTED

Is a bareboat charter cheaper?

On paper, yes — a bareboat costs less per week because you are renting the yacht alone. You skipper it yourself, which requires a qualification and genuine experience, and provisioning, cooking, navigation, anchoring and cleaning all become your holiday.

Once you add food, drink, fuel, dockage and a hired skipper if you need one, the gap narrows considerably. There is also a difference that does not show up in any quote: a crewed yacht’s captain and chef usually live aboard all year and know that particular boat inside out, while a skipper attached to a bareboat fleet may have stepped aboard days before you did.

We arrange both, and will tell you plainly which one suits your group. If nobody in the party wants to be responsible for the anchor at two in the morning, crewed is the honest answer. More on how crewed all inclusive charters work.
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What a week costs, destination by destination
Greece yacht charter prices
Croatia yacht charter prices
Italy yacht charter prices
French Riviera yacht charter prices
Turkey yacht charter prices
Bahamas yacht charter prices
St Barths yacht charter prices
Caribbean yacht charter prices

Charter costs: common questions

For a catamaran shared between eight guests in the Caribbean, expect roughly $4,000 to $5,000 per person for the week once the gratuity and permits are included. Smaller groups pay more per head because the yacht, not the headcount, sets the rate — four people on a six-guest catamaran will pay more each than eight people on a larger one.

APA is the Advance Provisioning Allowance on yachts quoted “plus expenses”, normally 30 to 35% of the base rate. You hand it to the captain before boarding and he spends it on food, drink, fuel, dockage and port fees, against receipts. Anything unspent comes back to you at the end of the charter.

It is customary rather than contractual, but in practice it is expected and you should budget for it from the outset. The Caribbean standard is 15 to 20% of the charter fee and the Mediterranean 10 to 15%. It is paid at the end of the week and reflects the service you received.

Because they are quoted for the yacht and crew only, while a Caribbean rate already includes food, drink, fuel and dockage. Add the APA and VAT to a Mediterranean quote and the totals end up much closer together. Always compare the full cost of the week rather than the advertised rate.

In the Caribbean, late spring and the start of the season before the holidays; in the Mediterranean, May, June and late September. Christmas and New Year are the most expensive weeks of the year in the Caribbean and are quoted separately, often a year or more ahead.

A yacht charter agreement normally takes 50% on signing to secure the dates, with the balance due about a month before you board. The APA, where it applies, is transferred shortly before the charter or handed to the captain on arrival. The exact schedule is set out in the contract for your yacht.

There should not be. Everything covered by your rate is written into the charter agreement before you pay anything, and we go through the exclusions with you — gratuity, permits, dockage, meals ashore and travel — so the budget you set at the start is the one you finish on.

PLANNING YOUR CHARTER

Personalized vacation planning.

Experience and knowledge
We focus on the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas and the Mediterranean, and we have been to every destination we sell. Tell us your budget and we will tell you honestly what it buys.

Yachts for all tastes and budgets
Catamaran, motor yacht or a traditional gulet — we work across a wide selection of crewed all inclusive vessels, and arrange bareboat charters as well.