A Near Complete Guide to Planning and Budgeting for The Yacht Week
Thinking of going on The Yacht Week? Wondering if those hype videos real or if it’s Fyre Festival on boats? How much is this going to cost? Luckily for you, I’m here to help - the hype videos ARE real, Fyre Festival could only dream of being as cool as The Yacht Week, and I did spend quite a lot of money. But I promise you, it was all worth it.
I want to preface that we all have different budgets, and what I may be comfortable splurging on is going to be different for you. Also keep in mind that there are a lot of things that factor into the overall cost, ranging from the type of boat you charter, how big your crew is, to the week you sail. To give you a bit of background on my experience, I went on the Greece route as part of a crew of 24 people spread across 3 yachts. I’d consider a crew of this size to be quite abnormal, even for TYW standards. So if you’re going solo or just booking a cabin with a friend, don’t feel like you need to book tables or additional hotel rooms just because that’s what I did.
No matter what you end up choosing, so long as you go into it with the intention of having the greatest time of your life, The Yacht Week will not let you down. Their main goal is to ensure you never forget about them. And I, for one, will be telling anyone who is willing to listen all about my time on The Yacht Week.
Now let’s get down to business.
Which destination should I pick?
The real question you should be asking yourself is - How much partying do you want to do? Go with Croatia or any of the festival routes if you’re looking to rage every day. Otherwise, the other routes offer a more moderate pace. The Yacht Week sets up parties and activities pretty much every day, but you definitely have down time to do your own thing and explore. As you navigate The Yacht Week’s website, the pictures they use to sell you on the different routes is a good indicator of what to expect.
NOTE: Don’t feel bad if you need to take a breather from the parties. Give yourself a chance to recharge every once in a while.
Photo take by The Yacht Week
When should I go?
Lots of things to consider here. You can browse Google flights to see when flight prices start to creep up or down and choose a week that way. There are pros and cons to picking an earlier week vs a later one. If you go towards the beginning of the season, your boat has yet to be beaten up by Yacht Weekers. They clean the yachts up very nicely after each week, and you can say goodbye to your security deposit if you make any real damage. But still. Who knows what happens on these boats throughout the season! However, by going later, all of the things that could go wrong with your boat are discovered and fixed, and any logistical issues are ironed out. We went during the second week of the season, and our yacht was immaculate. But in the middle of the week, we had some technical issues with our boat and lost AC and hot water for a day and a half.
Side note: Beginning of June is a WONDERFUL time to visit Greece. We had perfect weather every single day. I brought a light sweater to wear in the evening in case it got a little chilly, but never needed it once. Plus, we often found that The Yacht Weekers were the only ones on the smaller islands because tourist season hadn’t hit full swing in Greece just yet.
What kind of yacht should I charter?
Photo taken by The Yacht Week
Whether you decide to go with their classic or luxury options, I recommend browsing The Yacht Week’s website and do some good ol’ comparison shopping. Just because the starting prices look really different from the main page, as I mentioned before, there are a lot of things that go into the final cost of your boat. You may not think you can afford a certain option, but a little digging may reveal it’s not so far out of reach for you after all.
For example, let’s consider Week 23 in Greece. A luxury monohull for 4 girls/4 guys, plus skipper & hostess costs $1512/person. For the same route, same week, same # of people, a luxury catamaran is only $60 more at $1572/person.
Here’s another example for yachts in the Classic category. The lowest price monohull for a crew of 8, plus skipper & hostess is $1040/person. But if you use the same parameters for the lowest priced catamaran, the price increases only to $1157/person. The cost doesn’t jump that drastically from a monohull to a catamaran. And personally, I think if you’re going to spend extra money on anything, make it your boat. This is going to be your home for the next week. Plus, the whole reason why you’re going on The Yacht Week is for the yacht!
Pssst - If you take out the hostess in this option, it’s actually the same price as the monohull at $1040/person.
One way to lower the cost is to max out the number of people on your boat. But in order to do so, one person has to sleep in the saloon. I would only recommend this if you are opting for a bigger boat. Though you don’t spend a lot of time in your own rooms, you do spend a lot of your time in communal spaces hanging out. So if you’re the lucky duck who sleeps in the saloon, your “room” may get commandeered by your mates for eating and drinking during the day. I’d also consider a conversation with your crew mates about potentially paying a little less than everyone else if you are the one who ends up sleeping in the living room space. But that’s just my personal opinion.
Any extra stuff I need to know about?
Download The Yacht Week’s Day 8 App
It will link to your Yacht Week profile and account, allow you to talk with your skipper/hostess, and also view photos posted by the official The Yacht Week photographer.
Download the Splitwise App
You can connect this to your Venmo account and makes it so much easier to keep track and split up all of the costs, from food/drink, Uber rides, gas, etc.
Pack your things in a duffle bag or back pack. When you get onto your boat, you’ll store a majority of your stuff in the drawers and closets on board. You then stash your duffle bag/back pack away for the week. We found out later that the closet on our yacht could accommodate a traditional suitcase. But each boat is different so having a collapsible bag is still the most convenient option.
If you’re like us and traveling in a big group, book tables in advance for the parties. The tables get picked up quickly so make a decision fast at the beginning. Even though we chartered 3 yachts, we only needed to book 2 tables. This gave us a central location to gather and we didn’t have to worry about ordering drinks individually at the bar.
Every single person who works for The Yacht Week is AMAZING - super positive, energetic, and outgoing. Honestly, some of the best people I have ever met. They aren’t just there to do a job, but they also become a part of your crew. So if there is something you can include them in, then try to. For example, if you have an extra regatta costume or accessories, give one to your skipper/hostess so they can dress up with you!
How much is this really going to cost me?
Cost of the yacht - Variable, ranging from $420 to $2400 per person
Security deposit - You have to put this down when you arrive, but you get it back at the end of the week after they inspect the boat. But it’s still a cost you should be aware of and include in your budget ($3000-$7000)
What about a Hostess?
Every yacht MUST have a skipper, but you can choose whether or not to have a hostess. I found that the hostess is absolutely worth splurging on ($943 for the week).
Generally speaking, the skipper takes care of the outside of the boat and the hostess takes care of the inside of the boat. In addition to making some of our meals (side note: the meals they make are SO GOOD - we even cancelled a dinner reservation on one of the islands because we preferred what our hostess cooked instead), she also helped us keep things tidy in the common areas. And because she did this for us, we never butted heads about cleaning on our yacht. If you choose not to go with a hostess, talk with your crew mates to plan your meals ahead of time and divvy up responsibilities accordingly.
Tipping your skipper/hostess - I found a little note I wrote to myself, and it said “$200-$300 per guest to tip the skipper and hostess (they split it half and half)”. I remember doing the math to myself at the time, and it boiled down to tipping each of them ~$20 per day. Considering all of the things that they do for you every day, it’s not that much to ask for.
(If you’re a Yacht Week hostess or skipper and I got this TOTALLY wrong, please let me know! I had to ask my hostess 3 times what an appropriate tip would be. We loved our skipper and hostess so much we just wanted to make sure they knew we appreciated everything they did for us - love you Rosie and Ale!)
Food and Drinks
There are opportunities for you to have dinner and lunch on the islands, but you should have more than just snacks on the boat. Our hostess took care of all of the food shopping, and left drinks and snacks up to us. Grocery shopping was quite hectic and felt like an episode of Supermarket Sweep! But instead of piling a bunch of turkeys into our carts, we loaded up on beers and chasers. We literally had 4 of these huge carts filled with stuff. We spent ~$1200 on groceries, drinks, and beers + another $300 on tequila, so in total $1500.
Hotel Rooms - For the Greece route, we had the option to book a hotel room at Porto Heli. It’s absolutely optional, and only half of us got rooms, but the perks to getting one are: A) you can take a long hot shower without guilt, and B) you can poop to your hearts content. In Porto Heli specifically, the boats were anchored off shore, so we would have had to ride the dinghy back at the end of the night.
The rooms at Nikki Beach Resort and Spa are gigantic, and some come with a private swimming pool. But better than that is the sunset.
Kitty Jar - $100-150/guest, given to the skipper/hostess on day 1. The crew will use the cash to take care of mooring fees, refueling costs, water taxis, etc. It makes their job easier to get little things paid for and taken care of, and you can just focus on having fun. Anything that gets left over is given back to you. My skipper had all of the costs written down and any receipts to show us as well. The Yacht Week also has an estimated yachting costs calculator on their site if you’re curious. You can change up the route and the type of yacht.
Dinner and lunch on the islands - We only had one group dinner on Ermioni, and it cost us $35-$40 per person. This cost really depends on your route. I didn’t find Greece to be a terribly expensive country to visit, and the food is AMAZING. If it wasn’t for all the alcohol I consumed, I feel like I lived a more healthy lifestyle in Greece because I was active every day (DANCING COUNTS) and eating lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and seafood.
Renting electric bikes, ATVs, or scooters - $30 to rent an ATV for the day. If you plan on renting a scooter or ATV, make sure you get an international driver’s license. It’s super easy to get it from AAA, costs $20, and is good for a year. Some places won’t also won’t let you rent without one.
Outfits for the themed parties and regatta race. Even when there wasn’t a themed party scheduled, we asked our crew to coordinate colors & outfits. The bride and groom of our crew also purchased light up shot glasses, glow sticks, and personalized cups to make things feel more festive.
Lots of swimsuits - I’m from New England where summer lasts for 2 months out of the year, so I have no need for more than 1 or 2 swimsuits. But for TYW, you basically live in your swimwear the entire time. You should have a handful to cycle through.
Floaties - You only need a couple of floaties per boat. But if you are going to bring one, I’d also suggest you bring an electric pump.
Flags - The Yacht Week encourages you to bring your own flags and represent. It also helps you distinguish your yacht from others.
Boat shoes - On the very first day we set sail, our skipper threw all of our shoes in a cardboard box, and that’s pretty much where they lived the whole week! We only put our shoes on when we left the yacht to explore or party on the islands. But boat shoes pretty much go with every outfit you’d wear so I think they’re worth having :)
As a pharmacist, of course I have to recommend:
Sunscreen (lots of it) - consider using reef-safe sunscreens
Aloe vera (because someone is gonna forget about sunscreen)
First aid kit (medic is available, but having a basic kit on board is a good idea)
Hangover kit - liquid IV, pediatlyte powder, ibuprofen
If you’re prone to motion sickness: Dramamine (OTC), scopolamine (prescription only; put it on day 1, lasts for 3 days; see if your MD will give you two >.<), Sea-Bands
Then, at the end of the week, anything we didn’t take home with us we left with The Yacht Week - this includes food, drinks, and floaties. Nothing goes to waste.
Phew! That was a lot to cover and I think I got most of it! There are some people who can just pack a bag with a swimsuit and call it a day. But based on the length of this post, you KNOW I am not one of those people. The Yacht Week will forever hold a special place in my heart. Not only was it one of the most incredible weeks I ever had, but it was a celebration for two of my best friends who had gotten married just days prior.
I can’t stress enough how wonderful all of The Yacht Week staff were and how impressed I was with how smoothly everything went. We drank a lot, danced a lot, and got a lot of D (vitamin D you guys!). But The Yacht Week says it best themselves - you have to come and feel it, to believe it.
<3 Lisa
