Before You Book: 7 Questions That Prevent Most Charter Disappointments

Saturday. 15:00. Six guests step aboard for seven nights.

The captain shows them the three cabins.

All three have the same queen bed. All three are the same size.

One of the guests booked the trip thinking of one cabin as the master.

Then the broker’s written note comes up on a phone.

Before signing, the broker had asked the yacht’s management for the cabin layout in writing.

The answer was in the file. Equal cabins. The family chose with that in front of them.

Nothing is wrong. Everything is as written.

The short answer

Most disappointment on a crewed charter comes from something nobody asked about before signing.
Seven questions cover most of it. They are ranked below, with the one that matters most first.
Ask for answers from the yacht’s management, in writing, and not from a brochure or a listing page.
Promises that are not in the contract are easy to lose. Ask for them to be added.
Ask what to do if something is not right, before you need to know.

The contract examples on this page refer to the standard MYBA charter agreement (2017 version). Your own contract governs. Clause wording differs between versions and contract forms, so ask your broker to show you the clause.

Questions 1 to 3: what you are actually buying

Who confirmed the cabin layout, and where is it in writing? “Master” can mean a true master suite or the cabin that happens to be first on the list. Equal queens, doubles and twins are all common. Ask the yacht’s management to confirm the bed types, the number of cabins and the number of crew. Photos and listing text are a starting point. A written answer from management is better. If the layout decides whether you book, make sure it is in the contract.
What is not included, in writing? A barbecue, a specific water toy, extra linen changes, use of a hot tub and berths in peak ports are the usual items. Some are on request. Some cost extra. Some depend on availability. In the 2017 form, nobody can be held liable for a berth that is not allocated (Clause 4). Ask for one short list of what is extra or on availability.
How fast does the yacht cruise, and what does that cost in fuel? Fuel is paid at cost from your APA (Clause 8). Faster cruising uses more fuel. Running air conditioning all day and night on the generator also burns fuel. Time under way is limited to an average of 6 hours a day (Clause 4). Ask which pace the itinerary assumes and how that shows up in the APA.

Questions 4 to 7: how the week runs

What is the weather reality for my dates, and what is the plan B? The owner does not warrant comfort in bad weather (Clause 2), and the captain may refuse an unsafe order (Clause 7). Ask which area is the first choice for your dates and which is the fallback. In Greece, the meltemi is common in July and August. In the Caribbean, hurricane season runs June to November. Our page on bad weather on a yacht charter explains what changes and what does not.
Can I speak to the captain before I sail? Ask your broker whether a call can be arranged. The captain can tell you what the route looks like in practice, and your broker can note what was said. A five-minute call answers questions that a brochure cannot.
How does the APA usually land for this yacht? Ask for a realistic range, not a single number, and ask what drives it: fuel, food, drink and berths. APA is an advance at cost. Before you disembark, the captain presents a detailed account with receipts (Clause 8). Our page on is APA refundable shows how it works.
What do I do if something is not right on board? Tell the captain first and note the time, date and what happened. If it is not resolved on board, tell your broker or the owner within 24 hours and confirm it in writing (Clause 21). Do not leave the yacht before speaking to your broker. Read what to do in the first 24 hours before you go.

Put the answers in one place

Seven answers scattered across emails and calls are hard to use on day 3. Ask your broker to put them in a single short note. It should cover:

cabin layout, as confirmed by management
the not-included list
the pace and the expected fuel use
the route for your dates and the plan B
the captain call, and what was said
the APA range
who to message, and how

If something matters to your decision, ask for it as a special condition in the contract. Verbal assurances are easy to lose. Written ones are not.

Money questions to settle before you sign

Three more checks save trouble later.

Ask for the dates of each payment, and who holds the funds. See how your charter money moves.
Ask whether the contract has a security deposit. The amount sits on page one of the 2017 form.
Ask what insurance you need yourself. The 2017 form says cancellation and curtailment insurance is not included (Clause 16(d)). Our page on cancelling a yacht charter covers what you get back and what happens if the owner cancels.

What your broker does

Answers the same day and always tells you when you will hear next.
Checks in personally on day 2 of the charter: “Are you having a 5-star vacation? If not, what can be done?”
Puts your issue to the yacht’s management in writing the same day.
Helps you put a complaint in writing on time, so your rights under the contract stay protected.
Pushes the owner for specific fixes, such as a technician, a crew change or replacement equipment, and for credits for things not delivered, shown on your APA statement.
Keeps separate problems separate, so a payment question does not hold up a charter issue.
After the charter, chases the APA account and any balance, and keeps you updated until it is closed.

The overview of all three phases is on what happens when a yacht charter goes wrong.

Questions people ask

What should I ask before booking a yacht charter?

Start with cabin layout, what is not included, fuel and pace, weather for your dates, a call with the captain, the APA range and what to do if something goes wrong. The seven questions above cover them in order.

How do I know the cabins are what the listing says?

Ask your broker to get the layout confirmed by the yacht’s management, in writing. Listing text and photos are a starting point.

What is usually not included in a crewed yacht charter?

Common examples are a barbecue, specific water toys, extra linen changes, hot tub use and berths in peak ports. Ask for the list in writing, because what is included differs from yacht to yacht.

Can I talk to the captain before the charter?

Ask your broker to arrange it. Many guests find the call useful. It is a good time to raise the route, the pace and any occasion that matters to you.

How much APA should I expect to spend?

It depends on the yacht, the pace, the number of guests and what you eat and drink. Ask your broker for a realistic range for that specific yacht, and what drives it.