Exploring the beauty of the Mediterranean sea on a yacht undoubtedly is a unique experience. And there is no point denying that a luxury yacht charter is expensive. It could easily cost you anywhere from £10,000 to £ 150,000 per week to charter a yacht. Yes, it may sound a little too much for a first-timer, but a good luxury yacht charter in the Mediterranean does cost a fortune.
And if you are here looking for how to choose the right yacht charter broker for your trip to the Mediterranean, you do have some idea of how much you have in the budget to spend and what sort of facilities you want.
The role of a good yacht charter broker is to provide you with the maximum value for every penny you spend. Eventually, your yacht charter broker takes care of every aspect of your yacht chartering process, from finding the right yacht to designing itineraries, doing contracts, and taking care of the taxes and legalities. Be aware about choosing an incompetent broker; we have shared five tips that will help you choose the right charter broker.
1. Ask a friend for references
This is the best thing you can do when looking for a yacht charter broker. Ask your friends, family, and/or colleagues for any references of a yacht charter broker. For example, there will be some friend in your social media circle who has posted photos of enjoying the yacht in the Mediterranean. If you remember any, you can contact them for references.
It is the best approach because the process you will follow to find a good yacht charter has already done it. And considering your friend is your trusted contact, you can rely them on for honest references. If they have a bad experience with some yacht broker, at least they can tell you who not to choose.
2. Have a look at the Credibility
Credibility matters. For example, suppose you are traveling from America to the Mediterranean. In that case, the first thing anyone would want to ensure is that they partner with a reliable, certified, and credible yacht charter broker in the Amalfi Coast & Capri that they can trust.
A good yacht charter is often the member of one or more of the following organizations: International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA), Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (MYBA), Charter Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA), or American Yacht Charter Association (AYCA). Membership to these organizations ensures that the yacht charter broker adheres to the industry standards.
3. Reviews tell a lot
Once you are assured of credibility, it comes down to the reviews. In the traveling industry, you have various options to access reviews of the yacht charter broker posted by clients. You can check out the Google Reviews, have a look at your yacht charter broker’s social media account, and check out the top travel guide websites like TripAdvisor. This will give you a fair idea about the people’s experience with the yacht charter. If most clients recommend the yacht charter broker, you can rely on their recommendations. And just see their level of responsiveness, it is important for a broker to respond in a fast appropriate manner to your needs.
4. Contracts need to be clear
A yacht charter contract is key in the whole yacht chartering process. It should clearly specify what is included and not in the yacht charter. Cancellation and refund policy is often the point of conflict between a yacht charter company and clients.
Usually, when you charter a yacht, you have to pay 30% of the fees to book a yacht. In case of cancellation, how much refund you get, do not be afraid to ask all the questions. A good yacht charter broker will curate your best interests and be on your side should any issue arise between you and the yacht owner/crew.
5. Communication is of prime importance
You will often feel whether a yacht charter broker is the right one or not once you have communicated with them. Backed with all the steps mentioned above, evaluate your communication experience with the yacht charter.
If you think your chart yacht charter has appropriately addressed all of your queries, you can consider partnering with them. And make sure your yacht charter broker has good first-hand experience in carefully selected yachts & destinations and has a local presence in the Mediterranean.
So, are you ready to charter a superyacht in the Mediterranean?