What’s included in a Caribbean yacht charter is settled in just three sentences of the contract that most crewed yachts in the region use. The first lists what the weekly fee covers whereas the other two list what it leaves out.
The first list is long as it takes in the yacht and its crew, every meal, a standard bar, fuel, permits, mooring fees and the cost of running the boat. Listings describe these weeks as all-inclusive. Each of the three sentences, however, begins with the same proviso: the terms apply unless the yacht's special conditions say otherwise. Those conditions, attached to the contract yacht by yacht, and the notes printed beneath each brochure's rates decide what an inclusive week finally costs.
What Is Included in a Caribbean Yacht Charter, at a Glance
| On a Caribbean Terms charter |
|---|
Included as standard | The yacht and a licensed crew, three meals a day, the standard ship's bar, fuel, cruising and clearance taxes and permits, mooring fees, the running costs of the yacht, and the water toys |
Charged on top | The crew gratuity of 10 to 20%, premium wines, Champagne and premium brands asked for by name, excessive drinking, scuba diving, excursions ashore, marina berths you request, fishing licences, communications and airport transfers |
Depends on the yacht | A daily limit on engine hours, a 5% APA, permits and taxes outside the yacht's home waters, the 14% Bahamas charter tax, relocation fees, and half-board or sleep-aboard options |
The Charter Agreement
Most crewed yachts in the Caribbean charter on the CYBA Inclusive Charter Agreement, a standard form written by the Charter Yacht Brokers Association, which the broker drafts for each booking and which appears on a yacht's listing as Caribbean Terms. Clause 2 of the current edition, revised in 2026, says the charter fee includes:
The whole yacht and the services of a fully licensed crew
All meals
The standard ship's bar
Fuel
Cruising taxes and permits, and clearance taxes
Mooring fees
All the expenses of running the yacht
Use of the leisure and sports equipment on board
It excludes the crew's gratuity, which the agreement sets at a customary 15 to 20% of the charter fee, to be adjusted for the service received. It also excludes scuba diving and equipment, premium beverages and fine wines, excessive drinking, excursions away from the yacht, dockage the charterer requests, fishing licences where required, communications and airport transfers. These items are settled before the guests leave the boat, in cash or by other agreed means.
Listings fill in the domestic detail the clause leaves out. One BVI catamaran's rate includes air-conditioned cabins with their own bathrooms, bed linen and bath and beach towels, a daily tidy of the cabins and common areas with the rubbish taken off, a change of linen midweek, and body wash, shampoo, conditioner and hand soap. Its special conditions add Wi-Fi, with the caveat that speeds at sea cannot be guaranteed.
The special conditions are a numbered page that the yacht's side supplies and the broker writes into the contract. They are where an owner adds to the standard terms or narrows them. Most of the differences between one inclusive charter and another can be traced to them. The same terms apply over Christmas and New Year, when rates are higher.
The Standard Bar
The agreement promises a standard ship's bar without saying what one contains. Some crews publish the answer. A power catamaran based in the British Virgin Islands lists its standard stock by brand: Tito's, Finlandia and Absolut vodka; Tanqueray, Bombay and Beefeater gin; Mount Gay, Cruzan and Bacardi rum; Johnnie Walker Black Label, Jameson, Jack Daniel's and Crown Royal; Martell VS cognac; Baileys, Kahlúa and Grand Marnier. The beers go from Carib, Red Stripe and Presidente to Heineken. Wine is bought to the guests' preferences and usually has to stay within a certain budget range so that it is not considered ‘premium’.
A bar that includes a Black Label Scotch and a VS cognac is better stocked than the word standard suggests. Where listings define the limit, the extras are fine wines, Champagne, premium brands requested by name and drinking the crew considers excessive. Two of the larger catamarans describe their rates as covering all food and drink, wines and spirits included, with those four exceptions.
A drinks order from a charter we arranged in Greece this season shows where the line falls. A group of six on a crewed catamaran ordered the week's drinks in advance for €1,048.83, including VAT. Of that, €601.48 went on red and white Burgundy and Champagne. On an inclusive Caribbean charter, the beer and the Tanqueray on the order would have been part of the fee. The Burgundy and the Champagne would have been billed as extras.
Crews buy for the bar against the preference sheet guests return before the charter. Ours asks, category by category from white wine to cognac, for a favourite brand, an approximate quantity and an optional budget. On an inclusive charter, the budget column tells the crew whether a request falls within the standard bar or will be charged as premium. Naming bottles settles the matter before the week begins.
Two arrangements fall outside the usual rule. Some yachts let guests board the evening before the charter for half the daily rate or a flat $2,000 to $2,500. They serve snacks, a welcome drink and breakfast the next morning; dinner ashore is at the guests' expense. Four of the listings specify that the evening is not an open bar. A kiteboarding catamaran in the Bahamas, sold as inclusive, covers meals, snacks, soft drinks and water. Alcohol is charged at cost unless guests bring their own.
Meals
All meals, in the language of the listings, means three a day on board. Of the 34 listings we reviewed, 25 include a sample menu. Breakfast appears on 24 of them, lunch on 22 and dessert on 21. A late-afternoon course, called variously happy hour, hors d'oeuvres or the chef's drink of the day, appears on 15.
Most of the cooking is built around fish. Mahi-mahi, snapper, wahoo, grouper or tuna appear on 23 of the 25 menus. Lobster is on 14. One BVI power catamaran's menu for a single day runs from crab cake Benedict at breakfast and an ahi tuna stack at lunch to crab-stuffed mushrooms in the early evening, followed by short ribs braised in red wine and an apple tart.
The listings present these menus as samples, adjusted to the dietary needs and preferences guests send ahead. One BVI catamaran notes that some diets require high-cost provisioning and may carry an extra charge. Several listings name special provisioning requests among their exclusions. Guests who depend on specialist products should raise them before signing.
Because the rate assumes every meal is eaten aboard, 13 of the 34 listings offer a reduced half-board rate. The usual arrangement serves 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners on board, leaves 3 lunches and 4 dinners to be taken ashore at the guests' expense, and takes $100 to $150 per guest off the weekly rate. Four yachts also offer a local-fare plan at $75 per guest, with 2 lunches and 1 dinner ashore. For a party of eight at $150 each, the saving is $1,200, to be weighed against the cost of 7 restaurant meals for eight. Several listings also discount children, by $100 to $250 a child.
Fuel, Moorings and Permits
Fuel is part of the standard fee. Most listings leave it at that. Four of the 34 set a limit of 4 hours a day under engine. All four are sailing catamarans of 21 to 24 metres. One of them charges fuel beyond the limit against its allowance. In the signed contracts we reviewed, the limit appears as a special condition written expressly against the fuel provision in Clause 2: fuel “is included for up to 4 hours of engine operation daily.” Engine time beyond that is settled on board or charged to the APA. In three of the four contracts, the same condition states that generator use remains covered by the fee. On our own BVI route, where most passages take under an hour, the limit leaves a margin. It matters more on longer routes and in light winds, when a yacht spends more time under power.
Mooring fees are covered. A marina berth the guests ask for is billed separately.
Permits require closer reading. A yacht based in the British Virgin Islands normally includes the BVI cruising and national parks permits in its rate; 12 of the 34 listings say so in their rate notes or special conditions. One contract we reviewed made that inclusion conditional on the yacht being fully licensed in the BVI. Outside the territory, the arrangement reverses. Three listings carry identical wording: whatever a yacht includes for BVI charters, fees, port dues and taxes for charters elsewhere are generally excluded unless agreed. Pick-ups away from the yacht's base carry relocation fees, from $750 each way to St. Thomas on one catamaran to $3,500 and $5,000 for St. Martin and St. Barths on others. Two listings state that the yacht is not available for charter in United States waters, which rules out the U.S. Virgin Islands. All five Bahamas-based listings quote their rates before a 14% charter tax, whatever their terms.
Listings and contracts do not always agree. On a BVI catamaran we contracted in September, the listing's rate panel put the cruising permit and licence on the client's account, while the yacht's own special conditions included BVI taxes, fees and permits in the fee. We added a special condition stating that the inclusion takes precedence over anything in the listing or brochure.
When an Inclusive Rate Carries an APA
On 25 of the 34 listings, nothing is added to the inclusive rate. Four add a 5% advance provisioning allowance, or APA. All four are sailing catamarans of about 24 metres, based in the BVI and the Grenadines, with weekly rates from about $92,000. One lists the costs the allowance is meant to cover as premium wines and Champagne, dockage, communications and fuel beyond the daily limit. Another names port fees, local taxes, permits and certain drinks, reconciles the account at the end of the week and refunds the balance.
A settlement sheet from one such charter shows how the money moved. The guests paid a $5,000 APA with the charter fee. By the end of the week, $2,245 had been spent: $1,309 on a two-person kayak and $600 on a bicycle, both requested by the guests, $100 on transfers to and from the yacht and $236 on bank charges for their payments. None of it went on fuel, food or drink. The remaining $2,755 was offered back to the guests, with the option of adding it to the crew's gratuity.
The other five listings charter on plus-expenses terms, under which an APA paid on top of the rate covers provisions, drinks and other variable costs. The two that publish a Caribbean figure set it at 25%. The five are a 50-metre motor yacht, two catamarans in the Bahamas, a catamaran in St. Martin priced in euros and a sailing yacht in Antigua. A listing's rate panel shows which model applies, with the charter type given as Inclusive or Plus Expenses.
Terms can also change from one week to the next on the same boat. Contracts for one large catamaran over two Caribbean seasons included inclusive weeks with a 5% APA, inclusive weeks without one and a week on plus-expenses terms with a 30% APA. The terms that applied to one set of dates are no guide to the next.
What Guests Pay on Board
The gratuity is considered to be the largest cost outside the rate and is a customary 15 to 20% of the charter fee, usually given at the end of the charter before the guests disembark. Our guide to tipping yacht crew covers how it is handled.
Diving is priced in two ways. Yachts that dive from the boat charge per dive: $75 per diver on three listings and $100 on another, with introductory Discover Scuba sessions at $150 to $200 and certification check-out dives for students who have done the classroom work at home at $300 to $400. One of them rents a full set of gear for $250 a week. Others arrange rendezvous diving, in which a dive operator meets the yacht. One catamaran includes three group dives in its rate and sells further dives at $50 a diver, in packages of three; another lists diving as included.
Airport transfers are excluded by the agreement, though one catamaran books a taxi each way at its own cost. Bank charges on wire transfers fall to the charterer under a special condition in our own contracts. Extras are settled before disembarking, in cash or by agreed means. Ask in advance how the yacht prefers to be paid.
Three example weeks, before flights, diving and spending ashore:
Week | On top of the rate | Gratuity at 15 to 20% | Total |
|---|
A $30,000 inclusive week | None | $4,500 to $6,000 | $34,500 to $36,000 |
A $100,000 inclusive week with a 5% APA | $5,000 APA, unused balance returned | $15,000 to $20,000 | $120,000 to $125,000 |
A $38,000 inclusive week in the Bahamas | $5,320 charter tax (14%) | $5,700 to $7,600 | $49,020 to $50,920 |
Questions to Ask Before Signing
These questions cover most of what a listing leaves open. The answers belong in the contract.
Does the yacht charter inclusive, inclusive with an APA, or plus expenses?
Is fuel limited, and how is anything beyond the limit charged?
Which permits and taxes are in the fee for the planned route, and does that change outside the BVI?
Where does the standard bar end on this yacht, and is there a bar list?
Are half-board or sleep-aboard options available, and what do they change?
How is diving arranged and priced?
Does the yacht's insurance require every guest to sign a waiver before boarding?
How does the yacht want extras settled on the last day?
The question about waivers reflects a requirement we met this season. One yacht's insurance policy requires every charterer and passenger to sign a waiver before boarding. An earlier contract we reviewed made the same requirement a special condition.
Guests can add conditions of their own. On one of our Caribbean contracts this season, special conditions guaranteed that the air-conditioning would run overnight, that Wi-Fi would be available on board, that a party of four would have all three double cabins at no extra cost, and that the permit inclusion described above would stand.
Common Questions
What is included in an all-inclusive Caribbean yacht charter?
On Caribbean Terms, the weekly fee covers the yacht and its crew, three meals a day, a standard bar, fuel, cruising permits and taxes, mooring fees, the running costs of the boat and the water toys. The yacht's special conditions, attached to the contract, can change any of them.
Is alcohol included on a Caribbean crewed yacht charter?
Yes, within the limits of the yacht's standard bar. The bar list one BVI catamaran publishes names well-known spirits and Caribbean and imported beers. Wine is bought to the guests' preferences, though some yachts have a standard wine list. Champagne, fine wines and premium brands asked for by name are billed separately.
Is fuel included in a Caribbean charter rate?
Yes. Clause 2 of the agreement includes fuel. Of the 34 listings we reviewed, 30 set no limit on it. The other four, all sailing catamarans of 21 to 24 metres, cap it at 4 hours a day under engine. Fuel used beyond that is not included.
Do Caribbean yacht charters have an APA?
Most do not. Of the 34 current listings we reviewed, 25 add nothing to the inclusive rate. Four add a 5% allowance for extras. The other five charter on plus-expenses terms with a larger allowance.
How much should you tip the crew on a Caribbean charter?
The agreement sets a customary 15 to 20% of the charter fee, adjusted for the service received. On a $30,000 week, that is $4,500 to $6,000, usually given before the guests disembark.
About the Author
Maurits is a professional yacht charter broker and founder of Frontier Yachting. Before moving into brokerage, he worked as a yacht captain and sailed the Caribbean from the British Virgin Islands down to Grenada. He arranges Caribbean crewed yacht charters under the CYBA charter agreement and advises clients on both Caribbean and Mediterranean charters.
Contact: hello@frontieryachting.com | +32 487 22 08 22
Ready to Charter?
Send us your dates, the number of guests and your budget. We will reply with yachts available for those dates, with their special conditions already read.
Crewed Catamaran Charter in the BVI | Caribbean Yacht Charter | Contact Us
