Yacht Charter vs. Cruise Ship: Pros & Cons

As popular Mediterranean and Caribbean vacation spots starts to open up to more tourists, you may be eager to start planning your next vacation cruise. There are two ways to experience the world’s top paradises that you can choose from. You can either buy tickets for a cruise ship or book a yacht charter for you and your family. Both options comes with their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. Here is quick breakdown comparing the two – Yacht Charter vs. Cruise Ship.

Pros & Cons of Yacht Charters

• Personalized Experience – One of the best perks of chartering a yacht, is how intimate and personal the experience is. In the end, it is only you, your guests, and the crew that gets to enjoy the ship. Offering not only exceptional privacy, but the opportunities for much more flexible itineraries, accommodating schedules, and even customized menus and services to suit your tastes.

• Higher Cost – Chartering is typically far more expensive than reserving a cabin in a cruise ship.  While bareboat charters can cost a couple thousand dollars per week, private crewed yacht charters generally start around $10,000 per week. Weekly luxury superyacht charter rates start around hundred of thousands of dollars, all the way to millions of dollars per week.

• Exceptional Service – Part of the personalized experience of a crewed yacht charter is the exceptional service provided by the crew. The captain, first mate, stewardesses, chef, and all other crew members are to serve only you and your guests. They work hard to provide five-star service that includes cooking and serving gourmet meals, cabin cleaning, bartending, operating private watercrafts and toys, massage, and taking you out to excursions on land.

Pros & Cons of Cruise Ships

• Onboard Entertainment – As cruise ships have gotten bigger, more entertainment venues and shopping opportunities are available to guests. From multiple top-brand stores and numerous dining options to pools and mini water parks, all the way to full-on Broadway shows, you will likely never get bored while you are on the water.

• Short Stop Overs – If your main goal is to explore foreign countries and tropical locales, a cruise ship may not be the best choice. While cruise ships do visit plenty of countries when completing their pre-set itineraries, they only stay docked in one location for a very limited amount of time. Guests typically get to spend only a few hours exploring a local area before the are expected to board the ship again. 

• Crowds – Unlike private yacht charters, there is far less privacy and intimacy on a cruise ship. With hundreds of cabins and up to thousands of tourists on board, cruise ships resemble hotels on sea. During peak season, the sheer number of guests walking around the ship’s many public areas, makes cruise ships often feel like shopping malls or even amusement parks. Since many people bring their young children, the noise level on a cruise ship can become quite unbearable.

In the end, both yacht charters and cruise ships come with their own pros and cons. You must weigh them yourself based on your budget, your guests, and what you want out of your next vacation. Yacht charters are great of a personalized and intimate experience with a flexible itinerary and five-star service, while cruise ships are great if you are looking for non-stop activity, plenty of socializing opportunities, and fun onboard entertainment.

Yacht Management South Florida, Inc. is yacht management company with our own full-service boatyard in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Our team of yacht managers and technicians work together to ensure complete yacht care and stress-free yacht ownership to all our clients. Send us a message or call (954) 941-6447 today to learn more about our reasonably priced services.