Caribbean Crewed Yacht Charter

For the ultimate in luxury vacation splendor, try a Caribbean crewed yacht charter. Unlike five star all inclusive resort stays, cruises in top of the line luxury cabins and other luxury destinations a Caribbean crewed yacht charter allows you to play ultra rich yacht owner without the costs of owning one. Someone once told me that the acronym “BOAT” stood for bring on another thousand. YACHT probably stands for something like “You’re Access Costs a Hundred Thousand.” With a Caribbean crewed yacht charter you get to choose your destination or destinations, how long you are traveling and when and where you will stop and for how long.

A professional captain, personal chief and all the beer, wine, snacks, cocktails, food, fuel and water toys are included in your total cost. It makes you want to put on the navy blazer, ascot and captain’s hat that Thurston Howell III wore in Gilligan’s Island. You will want to start calling everyone “lovey” and affect an accent as well. There are a variety of yachts available including luxury catamarans, power yachts and monohulls that take of from Saint Thomas and Tortula, and you can sail on the unlimited packages through the Virgin Islands, dive in the undeveloped islands of Grenadines or stop in Antigua, Saint Barts or Saint Martin.

There are some current specials for travel in December at some of the sites including ten nights for the price of seven, one thousand dollars off a fifty foot Tonina catamaran and a twenty percent discount off a sixty foot catamaran. Pricing ranges at Sailing Directions from fifty nine hundred dollars ($5900) for a diving trip on a standard sail boat in the Virgin Islands to a little over twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for a week on a powered sixty foot yacht in all of the Caribbean.

Another company called Paradise Connections offers Caribbean crewed yacht charters for as little as sixteen hundred dollars ($1600) a week per person based on a six person charter. They make it sound extremely easy; you pick your itinerary, you pick your activities, set your own schedule and you can even change your mind without incurring a change fee. I think we need to let the airlines know about paradise Connections, or maybe they could open up an airline as well. Can you imagine how many people would want to use an airline that allowed you to change your reservation for no extra charge?

The all inclusive price of sixteen hundred dollars per person includes all meals, standard bar (premium spirits are additional), water toys, equipment for diving, a chef, the captain and of course the boat. They have a large variety of boats to choose from including boats that only accommodate two people for a more romantic getaway. There are larger boats so you can coordinate a trip with friends or family.

When choosing a company to book your Caribbean crewed yacht charter makes sure the company you choose is a member of the American Yacht Charter Association. The organization sets standards for members that cover charter amenities, crew standards, equipment standards and more to make sure customers get the most for their money.

If you don’t want to look at individual companies you can go Ed Hamilton and Company. They are yacht charter agents who can get you a bareboat or crewed charter to fit your budget. You can enjoy the benefits and amenities of a luxury cabin on a top of the line cruise ship without the restrictions of where you can go or stop and the limitations that come with a preset schedule and itinerary. They are even mentioned in the most recent Conde Naste Traveler magazine that rates them as one of the world’s top travel agents for the seventh year in a row.

They have been arranging luxury motor yacht charters since 1972. Ed Hamilton and Company offers twelve steps to a dream vacation. The twelve steps are decide when you want your vacation to occur, decide on the kind of vacation (active, relaxing or combination), decide where you want to go, how much will you spend, what style of charter do you want (bareboat, crewed or bareboat with a captain), research and narrow your choices, interview the prospective captains and recent customers, check the yacht’s condition (age, repair log, etc.), book your yacht – make sure the deposit is held in escrow, arrange the rest of the details (getting to the departure point and accommodations before and after to get home), book through an agent to handle any problems that come up and finally step on board and enjoy.