Want to charter a yacht for a private party or getaway? Here are the questions to ask before renting your luxury ship to ensure a good experience.

If you really want to blow people away for a special getaway, there’s no bigger statement than renting a yacht. Whether you’re looking for an escape for you and your family or wanting to throw a party or event of a lifetime, yacht charters can cater to your every need.

However, there are some pretty important questions to ask before renting a yacht. Especially if you want things to go as perfectly as possible.

Take a look.

1. What Am I Using the Yacht For?

One of the most important questions to ask before renting a yacht pertains to its purpose. What are you going to use the yacht for? Are you taking it out on a private charter trip for you and your family or hosting a private party?

Yacht charters come with two common options: bareboat or skippered. Bareboat means you will be operating the yacht on your own, which can include basic seamanship courses. 

Skippered charters, on the other hand, come with a myriad of crew options. This can be a skeleton crew consisting of a captain and a chef or an entire crew designed for maximum luxury or party catering.

2. How Many People Does the Yacht Need to Accommodate?

One of the most telling questions to ask before renting a yacht revolves around how many people you’re planning to have on it. Yachts come in all shapes and sizes and many can accommodate nearly 1000 guests. 

If you’re planning on cruising the ocean with your family, you won’t need a yacht capable of handling hundreds of people. However, you will probably want a sizeable crew, especially if you’re new to boating or being on the ocean. 

Alternatively, if you are planning a big corporate party, you’re going to need to account for all your guests. You don’t want people excessively spaced out, but you also don’t want them to feel like sardines packed into a tiny container.

3. Should I Rent a Sail-Powered or Engine-Powered Yacht?

Next, if the idea of luxury yacht rentals for the perfect vacation is what you have in mind, you’ll want to consider the power source. Do you want a yacht that uses a sail or one that uses an engine?

Most often, people opt for an engine-powered yacht, as sailing is an acquired and specific taste. The sailing rigs also take up an exorbitant amount of deck space, which most people like for sunbathing or site seeing. Additionally, sailing also takes a little more learned skill than simply letting the engines do the work for you.

4. What Kind of Crew Does the Rental Come With?

As we discussed above, yacht charters often come with varying options for crews, assuming you chose the skippered option rather than the bareboat option. 

If you’re planning on host a lavish party with food, entertainment, and little to no work on your end, your best bet is to go all out on the crew. Remember, the more guests you have, the bigger the boat you’ll need, which means you’ll need a bigger crew. 

If you’re going on a simple vacation on the ocean with a smaller yacht, you may only need to hire a handful of crewmen.

5. Where Do I Want to Take the Yacht?

Amongst the most vital questions to ask before renting a yacht answers where the yacht will be going. If you want to take the yacht sailing around the world, you’ll need a specific yacht with a specific crew. 

One of the major benefits of choosing a yacht trip over a cruise ship is that you get to have more say in your destination/s. This also includes how long you stay at each stop. A yacht charter is also more private, which allows you to get away and relax with your loved ones without being surrounded by hundreds of strangers.

You’ll also need a yacht capable of handling the extreme high and low temperatures. This means having adequate heating, air conditioning, and insulation.

6. How Long Do I Want to Rent the Yacht?

Knowing how long you want to rent the yacht is also very important and will play a major role in your budget. It may also be a determining factor in what yacht you choose to rent. 

For example, small sailing yachts can be as inexpensive as $10,000 a week. However, large motor yachts with full crews can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per week. 

For party or event purposed, other yacht charters charge by the hour. Depending on the style and size of the yacht in question, this can be hundreds of dollars per hour or thousands of dollars per hour.

7. Will I Have Cell Service or Internet On the Yacht?

One of the most commonly asked questions to ask before renting a yacht involves your connection to the outside world. How will people reach you and vice versa?

Most yacht charter services come with Satellite phones, which is ideal if you’ll be exploring open waters and far away from typical cell phone service. However, if you’re only renting the yacht to host a party or event, you probably won’t need to worry about losing cell service unless you sail far away from the beach. 

Additionally, older cell phones and some cell phone companies still using GSM service may have more coverage in different parts of the world. However, the onboard satellite phone will be your best bet, and you’ll be able to give that number out to friends and family members.

As far as an internet connection goes, you may be somewhat limited. While some yachts do provide this service for a fee, the connection can be spotty at times.

8. How Much Will It All Cost?

Finally, the most important of all the questions to ask before renting a yacht charter – what’s the cost?

As we mentioned above, the cost will range drastically from boat, duration, size, crew, quality, brand, and accommodations. Your best bet is to get in contact with a reputable yacht charter company and start hammering out the numbers based on what you want. 

Any More Questions to Ask Before Renting a Yacht?

Before signing any dotted lines, make sure you have all the questions to ask before renting a yacht written down. Don’t leave anything out! You’ll be spending a fair amount of money and everything should be perfect for you. 

Additionally, if you’re looking for more articles about social lifestyles, be sure to check out the rest of our blog before you go!