Cabin only yacht charters are just that; You rent a single cabin or more on a larger charter yacht, the other cabins rent out to other guests.
Share the sails can be a perfect way to go on a charter vacation when you are unable to get enough friends together to fill a yacht. It may also be that your friends don’t follow the same passions that you do, like scuba diving, sailing, or island hopping.
With cabin only charters, you are going to be with others who follow your passions.
How do Cabin Only Yacht Charters Work
Most Cabin Only Sailings run for either 6 or 7 nights. Typically Saturday afternoon to the next Saturday morning or Sunday to Saturday. Depending on the part of the world you choose a cabin charter in, it may be nothing more than a bareboat with a Captain and Hostess put on board or a dedicated yacht with many luxury extras.
Expect to have most of your meals on the yacht, although quite a few build at least a couple of nights restaurant stop (at your expense) into the itinerary so you can experience local food and culture as well. If the bar is included, it will be a standard bar—IE, Soft Drinks, Wine with Dinner, Cocktail drink of the day, etc.
Some have what is called a “Cash Box” that is a nominal sum of money each person deposits into the cruising kitty for the week. That will cover mooring rentals, ice, trash, or other incidentals that always crop up for the crew.
You ALWAYS have the choice of hanging on the yacht if you do not want to do any activities. Lounge in that sun! Read that book.
Where are Cabin Only Yacht Charters?
We have a good selection of locations available for Cabin Only Yacht Charters. We also have sample itineraries for each destination we can share with you.
- The British Virgin Islands
- The Grenadines
- The Bahamas
- Corsica
- Cuba
- The Galapagos
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Indonesia
- Maldives
- Martinique
- Panama
- Seychelles
- Spain
- St Maarten
- Tahiti (French Polynesia)
- Thailand
- Greece
- Croatia
What are the accommodations like onboard?
Most of the cabin only yacht charters are on 58-62′ catamarans, especially in the broader charter markets like the Caribbean. But we have 50′ sailing yachts for a unique sailing trip in the Grenadines and a 105′ Trimaran in the British Virgin Islands that specializes in SCUBA diving. Some out of the way destinations, as well as the Eastern Mediterranean typically are on catamarans as small as 42′.
Mostly cabins hold 1 Queen-sized bed that works for a couple. Typically you are renting the cabin for two, and there is sometimes a rebate if only one person is going to occupy the cabin.
Is it the same as renting a whole yacht to yourselves?
No. Many times the yachts have a specific route that they follow, which will take in the highlights. You may have a bit of input, but don’t expect too much. You are going to get an overview of the vacation area, not an in-depth look. The crew has to make sure that everyone is happy. In many places, everyone will have to agree on whether the air conditioning is running overnight. You may have to pay for drinks separately from the yacht menu onboard. Typically there will be a night or two off for dinner at your expense. Maybe the first and last night is spent on the dock with you boarding at dinner time on the first day and departing by mid-morning on the final day.
The personal service level is typically NOT as high as when you rent the yacht for yourselves. Neither is the price 🙂
Pricing for Cabin Only Yacht Charters
These are surprisingly affordable. A seven-night charter for two guests in one cabin can be as low as $4200 USD per couple, plus gratuity. Of course, it all depends on the location and the yacht you choose!
Cabin Only Yacht Charters Itineraries
The British Virgin Islands
Although we sell cabin only yacht charters in many locations around the world, we have probably sold the most in the British Virgin Islands. Let’s give you an idea on what your week vacation will look like from there.
Day 1
On a Saturday, you will board the yacht at Scrub Island Marina around dinner time. Dinner is onboard your yacht, and you spend the first night on the dock. Scrub Island is a beautiful marina with the clearest water I have ever seen in any marina. It is located just off the airport at Beef Island in the BVI. There is a ferry that goes back and forth every half an hour to Scrub Island from Beef Island.
Before you leave the dock, make sure you have snorkel and fins that fit you! They have large containers of them on the docks for you to choose your size.
Day 2
After breakfast on board, you will set sail toward Jost Van Dyke (around a two-hour sail) and visit the famous Soggy Dollar Bar for lunch (and a famous painkiller!). Later on in the afternoon, the yacht will head over to Great Harbour, which is literally just around the corner for dinner, and you have the option to head out to the world-famous Foxy’s bar for a bit of shopping and cocktails.
Day 3
Have a hearty breakfast watching the sailing boats head off to their destinations. Head up to Sandy Spit (maybe about 30 minutes sail) for some snorkeling, beach and watersport time followed by lunch. This island was donated to the British Virgin Islands government by the Rockefeller family way back when. Unfortunately, hurricane Irma took away the palm trees in 2017. More have been planted and are starting to grow. This is your quintessential small deserted island. At one time, it featured in a Corona Beer commercial.
Carry on for a sail of approximately two hours to the Caves at Treasure Point on Norman Island for some wonderful snorkeling. Don’t forget to swim into the caves and check out the ledges to see if you can find your treasure chest. The crew, I am sure, will share the entire story of the Caves with you! Finish up the day at Benures Bay on Norman Island. One of my favorite calm anchorages, watch the stars with a glass of wine on the back deck or get in some late afternoon paddleboarding.
BVI Cabin Only Yacht Charters Itinerary
Day 4
Head from Benures Bay on Norman Island over to the Indians for one of the best snorkels anywhere. The water is crystal clear, and the fish life is plenty! Head over to Willy T’s in the Bight for lunch and a jump off this famous floating bar before a sail up to Deadman’s Bay (Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!) on Peter Island. The beach here cannot be described. It is beautiful, white, fine, sand. Perhaps late afternoon head over to Cooper Island, which is maybe 40 minutes away by yacht and head ashore to check out the rum bar. A contest to see how many different types each cabin can drink may be a good idea!
Day 5
It’s a big day. The crew will be up early sailing to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. If you have never seen there large boulders tumbling down into the sea, you are in for a treat. The sunlight reflects off the white sand bottom, and you can snorkel in between, around, and through grottoes and pools. If you want to get out on land, take a hike from the beach to Devil’s Bay through a maze of giant boulders. At the end of the day, your yacht will sail to North Gorda Sound, and anchor between Prickly Pear (named after the Prickly Pear Cactus) and Eustatia Island. A quiet night onboard follows.
Day 6
Time to set sail early for Anegada. Always a thrilling sail of around 3 hours. Typically on a beam reach. See if you can score one of the front seats on the Trampoline. Feel the wind on your face. Watch the water get shallow, and the coral heads look like they are inches under the keel of your yacht. There are a few opportunities on Anegada, visit the flamingoes, the salt ponds, the amazing beaches, and keep your toes in the sand while having a lobster dinner done on a BBQ!
Day 7
Another early morning sail of around 4 hours to get to Monkey Point on Guana Island for some snorkeling and lunch. Absolutely love the size of the bait balls and tarpon chasing them that are at this spot. You don’t want to miss it! Bring out the paddleboard and hit up White Bay Beach before sailing to Marina Cay just a few short miles away before sunset. Your last night anchorage is here, or just next to it at Scrub Island Marina.
Day 8
Sadly, your trip has come to an end, and it is time to say good-bye to your new friends and plan your next trip.
Can we put together a Cabin Only Charter for your Passion?
Yes, with enough time!
For us at H2O Luxury Yachts, we have personally put together enough trips of many different flavors, to know that broad strokes do not leave everyone happy.
For example, let’s take a SCUBA boat.
Nothing is worse than having 10 scuba divers on a boat, 4 of them having 20 thousand dollar camera rigs and wanting to dive 3 dives per day, each dive just wanting to get that perfect shot of 2 Sailfin Blennys in the perfect pose.
They have no interest in moving further than 20 feet in a 1-hour dive, 2 more divers just want to get in some drift diving, 2 more have just finished their open water certification and want to get some time underwater, The last 2 just want to get drunk on a dive trip.
They all have scuba diving in common, but other than that, each group hates to be in the water with other groups.
Plan my Custom Cabin Only Sailing
So here’s what you do, You email us with possible dates. A very in-depth description of what your vacation would look like and a brief on your personality. We would then put it out there to let others know what’s in the pipeline and see what interest we can shakeup.
Others will then come forth, and with everyone’s permission, we can get you all in contact with each other, and you all decide if you’re a match. The next step is we see what boats are available to meet your needs for your intended dates, We put together a package tailor-made to your needs.
Want to be on a charter yacht that will let you fish 24 hours per day, on day 2 all go out deep-sea fishing on a game fish boat to the north drop to try your game on the marlin, Day 4 go flats fishing with a guide and fly fish for bonefish and tarpon. On night six, be at the Willy T floating bar for dinner.
We have extensive knowledge of the industry and over twenty years in the Caribbean. Putting together those requirements is a no brainer for us.
Some of the themes possible are:
- Sailing regattas.
- Fishing trips.
- Scuba trips with specific interests within scuba diving such as underwater photography weeks led by National Geographic Photographers.
- Windsurfing.
- Kiteboarding.
- Party weeks.
- Relaxing weeks.
- Distance swimming coaching.
The possibilities are limitless. Just let us know what your thinking and we can put it together.
One company Swim Vacation puts together many trips each year that has athletes swim between the islands, they provide coaching for all levels of swimmers. This has been a perfect way for swimmers to get in some serious training without having the only thing of interest to see is a black line on the bottom of a pool.
We have had some that are all women, they leave their spouses behind either because of different vacation schedules, different vacation interests, or, well, just because they can. SCUBA diving trips are another popular choice, as well as learn to sail charters.
We at H2O Luxury Yachts are experts at putting together groups that want to take a yachting vacation and everyone onboard expecting the trip to be based upon their chosen interest.
Scuba Diving On Board