Sometimes, vacation planning can be tough. But, if all crucial elements are carefully calculated, the vacation can safely go underway. This blog will give you some useful information about chartering a boat so you know what type of vessel to pick for your next vacation. Picking the right vessel will depend on your travel style, budget, service needed, and level of comfort one is expecting from the yacht charter in Croatia.
Sail boats
Preferred by families and active vacation seekers. It is the entry level of charters and the most economic way to go island hopping on the Adriatic. Sail boats come with the skipper OR it can be chartered as bare boat in case someone has a license. Goes from 2-5 cabins and is not always the most comfortable way to to travel, but it is more of an adventure. Be aware that sail boats are slow and it takes time to get from one island to another so this is not for face paced itineraries. Also, people who are looking for comfort and more living space this will not be the best and preferable way to travel.
Cost usually includes the charter fee and skipper while other expanses such as fuel, marina fees, food/drinks and/or other personal expanses are paid on the spot.
Always comes by default, with a skipper and bigger ones (45ft and up) come with chef, deck man and hostess. Just as quick as sail boats but with much more comfort. Catamarans are the best balance between comfort and price for vacation without compromises. They come from 3-6 cabins making it perfect for families and/or group of friend traveling together. Catamarans are not suitable for fast paced itineraries as they depend on wind and are slow on motor, but it’s made for pure enjoyment and island hopping without any compromises of comfort and space.
Cost usually includes the charter fee and skipper while other expanses such as fuel, marina fees, food/drinks and/or other personal expanses are paid on the spot. Bigger catamarans do include full crew as well.
Gulets are wide and long vessels with sophisticated look. Since the interior is designed to house big number of people, these vessels are convenient for housing large groups of people who want to freely roam on the Adriatic Sea with all included amenities. Considering the elegance of interior and neat furnishing, gulets can be suitable for groups of friends, family reunions or people who truly enjoy full all-inclusive service. The gulets come with full staff, all meals preparation and many of them have various water toys available for some sea fun. Very spacious for full comfort.
Ranging from 5 – 12 cabins it is great for family reunions, couple families traveling together. Also there is many price ranges so could meet anyone’s budget too. These boats can go either on motor OR sails so that is a cool feature as well. Again, not for fast paced itineraries as the boats are limited in speed.
Cost usually includes the charter fee , full crew, half board, and fuel while other expanses marina fees, full board surcharge and/or drink packages are usually picked if needed and paid separately.
Motor Yacht are the perfect choice for speed cruising aficionados. Also, this is reserved for people wanting full comfort and stress free vacation not ready for any compromises. The yacht will come fully crewed and full of entertainment and water toys. For those wanting to have glamorous style vacation on floating luxury home, this is the perfect choice. Usually yachts are ranging from 2- 5 cabins for up to 10 people it is not unusual that there will be more crew then guests on board. This is truly a prestige way to explore Croatian islands and most common way of choice for Croatia yacht charter luxury type vacation.
Cost usually includes the charter fee and the crew while all other expanses are covered by APA. APA is advance provision allowance that is most of the time between 20-30% of the charter cost. Captain uses it for any expenses on board (food, marina fees, drinks, fuel etc) and at the end of the trip either you spent it all or you get some of your APA back.
What is usually included in Croatia yacht charter cost? This will depend on the charter type. On sail boats, catamarans and the yachts most of the time the charter fee, and skipper (crew) is included in the cost while extra costs are marina fees, fuel, docking and food while on board. Good thing about gullets that in most cases price has all the above included in the cost and there are very little extra expanses.
When can you charter the boat? Sail boats, catamarans and gullets are mostly chartered from Saturday to Saturday while the yachts have the flexibility to charter any day of the week without limits on number of days too. There are some catamarans that are chartered that way as well but are not a majority.
How are the extra expanses covered? Usually by APA on motor yachts and ‘as you go’ on other type of vessels. APA is advance provision allowance that is most of the time 20-30% of the charter cost. Captain uses it for any expenses on board (food, marina fees, fuel etc) and at the end of the trip either you spent it all or you get some of your APA back.
Where does the crew sleep? Crew always has separate cabins so it does not effect the comfort of people chartering the boat. How to do the routing? Well, the boat is yours so you dictate the routing when you stop and where you stop. We can of course suggest but the only ‘set in stone’ stops are starting and ending marinas, the rest is flexible and you dictate the routing. The captain and the crew are there to make any dream come true.
