Yacht
Charter Honeymoon
|
Charter your own yacht
for the ultimate custom-made honeymoon cruise. |
Here's the ultimate
custom-made honeymoon cruise idea: charter your own yacht, just for the
two of you. You set the course and the itinerary to suit your
whims. And you can charter a yacht just about anywhere in the world: the
Caribbean, the Pacific northwest, Greece, Thailand . . . the list goes
on and on. Sound outrageously expensive? Actually, many yachts can be
chartered for just about what the average U.S. couple spends on their
honeymoon—and sometimes less.
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You have several options to choose
from when planning your yacht charter honeymoon:
- Bareboat
charters. If you're
qualified to handle a yacht on your own—that is, you can read a
nautical chart and you have previous sailing experience—then you
might want to consider a bareboat charter, since it offers the most
privacy. Being totally on your own might be a huge plus on your
honeymoon, but it could also be the biggest downside. You’ll do all
your own cooking, and if anything comes up in the middle of the
night, you’ll be the ones dealing with it.
- Skippered
charter. If you don’t
have yachting experience, bring along someone who does by going with
a skippered charter. A variation on this option would be the
sail-and-learn charter, where the skipper also acts as an instructor
who can teach you a thing or two about sailing.
- Crewed
charter. The crewed
charter offers a full crew—on smaller boats, this might be just a
captain and a cook—to serve you. You might reduce the cost of your
crewed yacht charter by taking a larger group with you (perhaps
family and friends) to share the cost.
- Type of
boat. Do you want a
motorized yacht or a sailing yacht? Big or small? (Larger yachts are
less cramped, but usually more expensive; smaller yachts may have
the advantage of going where larger ones can’t, such as a secluded
cove.) If you choose a sailing yacht, you have the option of a
monohull or catamaran; monohull yachts tend to rock more, while the
double hull of the catamaran is more stable.
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The cost of a yacht charter depends on
a variety of factors: the size of the boat, the amenities, the number of
nights the yacht will be chartered for, and whether the charter is
crewed or bareboat. As we poked around the web for this article, we
found crewed yacht charter packages starting around $2,000 per person
for a week—but don't be surprised to see prices well above that amount.
For example, The Big Day honeymoon registry offers a Caribbean private
crewed yacht charter package starting at $1800 per person for seven
nights, including meals and drinks. That's comparable to the rates
listed by other yacht charters in the Caribbean, such as Stewart Yacht
Charters, which advertises rates starting at $2000 per person per week.
On the other hand, Jamal Alaska Yacht Charters charges $20,000 per week
for up to four people—but that rate includes your own San Francisco
gourmet chef, spacious king-size staterooms, en suite bath, and other
nice amenities. Bareboat charters often cost less up front; for example,
we found rates on a 32-foot yacht at Bareboat BVI in the British Virgin
Islands starting at $1500 per week in the off season and $3000 during
the high season. But you will usually need to provision a bareboat
cruise yourself, which adds to the cost.
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"Honeymooning
Aboard a Chartered Yacht"
Here's a good article from Lovetripper;
the article lays out the basics of chartering a yacht.
Yacht Charter Guide
Article providing a basic overview of
chartering a yacht; it's a good place to start.
YachtCharterGuide.com
Lots and lots of yacht charters listed
here, plus the helpful articles, "Choosing
a Yacht."
ebare.com
If you are thinking of going the
bareboat yacht charter route, this excellent site provides a thorough
guide to everything you'll need to know—it even includes a chart
outlining the hidden costs of bareboat yacht charters.
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Your honeymoon story
Have you done this trip (whether on
your honeymoon or other travel)? We'd love to hear about your experience
so we can share it with others . . . just
drop us a line.
Last Updated:
November 20, 2008 |
