Yacht Trips: Cheaper Than You Think

You’re a braver person than I, if you’re getting on a yacht. Imagine being on the open ocean, with nothing but booze, partying friends, and top notch catering. Whaddya mean that doesn’t sound so bad? That’s the premise of a slasher movie. But since some of our readers have no qualms about potentially sharing a boat with a masked psycho, I did some checking. Here’s what your terror-laden cruise will cost:

It’s like a holiday, but on a piece of wood. In the ocean.

1. How Many Guests?

The number of murder victims guests has to be quite exact. This is because there’s a restriction on how many passengers a specific yacht can take on-board. The most commonly chartered yachts are the 14 passenger yachts; these tend to cost around $6000 per day. Smaller yachts (nine passengers) reach around $4000 a day. A quick reference:

• Small private yacht (fewer than 10 passengers) – About $2500 a day
• Typical yacht (11 – 25 passengers) – About $4,000 a day
• Large yacht (Up to 55 passengers) – About $25,000 a day

Occasionally, yachts may charge a per-person fee (usually $400 – $600 per head) instead of a flat rate. Note that there is no distinction between children and adults, they all count toward the guest total.

2. Weekend or Weekday?

Most yachts charge an additional $500 – $700 for weekends. The same goes for public holidays, or the eve of public holidays.

Weekends: The extra $500 covers their medical costs when the boat moves.

3. Dockside, One-Way, Return Trip, or Your Own Captain?

There are three alternative ways to move that yacht around:

• Dockside - Okay, so dockside isn’t actually “moving” at all. This means the yacht doesn’t go anywhere; it stays on the dock. But you can have your party on board. Dockside packages are usually 4 hours, not full day. It can reduce your costs by $1000 – $1,500. A favourite for wedding receptions.
• One Way - A one way trip, usually to places like Bintan. This might reduce the cost of the trip by $500 – $1000, depending on the length of the journey. Be prepared to buy a ticket back, after you get there.
• Return Trip - The most common package. Most return trips are day long, and have a scheduled itinerary of stops.
• Your Own Captain - This is where the price varies radically. Some private yachts charge nothing for this. On others, the price can vary from $600 a day to $1,200 a day. Having your own captain means you can plan your own itinerary, and go diving / fishing wherever you please.

Discount captain: as close as he’s been to an actual boat

4. Food and Beverage

This is the average price:

• Snack / Finger foods – $30 – $50 per head
• Lunch – $30 – $70 per head
• Dinner – $70 – $130 per head

For alcohol, there might be a corkage charge.

Quick Breakdown

This is based on averaged prices, derived from Boatbookings. It’s for a 14 person yacht, on a full day return trip:

Image Credits:

Archer10, Yachtfan, Permanently Scatterbrained, Orin Zebast

Have you ever chartered a yacht? Comment and tell us about the price!

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