How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Superyacht in the Caribbean?

The thrill of standing on the bow of a superyacht and looking out onto the Caribbean Sea is incomparable. Owning a superyacht is a lot of responsibility, but renting one for a week or more affords guests an unforgettable getaway. So, how much does it cost to rent a superyacht in the Caribbean?

It costs between $34,000 and $1.5 million or more to rent a superyacht in the Caribbean per week. A superyacht that measures 80 feet costs at least $30,000-$60,000 to rent per week. However, you can expect to spend between $80,000 and $1.5 million to rent an 80-300-foot superyacht for a week, depending on the model.

Tipping is a big part of the cost to rent a superyacht, and it’s standard to tip the crew 10%-15% of the total rental cost. Follow along as we explore how much it costs to rent a superyacht in the Caribbean and highlight the most important cost factors.

What Is the Difference Between a Yacht and a Superyacht?

The main difference between a yacht and a superyacht is that superyachts are as big as 80-300 feet or longer. Standard yachts typically measure between 30 and 79 feet long. While traditional yachts are luxurious, the extra space that superyachts offer makes them the best choice for luxury trips.

Standard yachts can only typically accommodate up to 10 guests, whereas superyachts can accommodate 20 or more guests in many cases. Some superyachts can even hold over 100 people. It costs $10,000-$150,000 to rent a yacht for a week, and $34,000-$1.5 million to rent a superyacht for a week.

How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Superyacht in the Caribbean?

It costs up to $1.5 million or more to charter a superyacht in the Caribbean for a week. You may spend as little as $30,000 per week to rent a small superyacht that only measures 80 feet. However, the cost to charter a superyacht in the Caribbean quickly soars to $80,000-$350,000 or more if the yacht measures over 180 feet.

Cost Factors

Everything from the time of year to the capacity affects how much it costs to charter a superyacht in the Caribbean. Amenities, crew members, and how many nautical miles you travel also impact how much you will pay. Let’s look at the most important cost factors to consider when you charter a superyacht in the Caribbean.

Season

You will typically spend more money to charter a superyacht in the Caribbean from late September through the winter. That’s when people want to take a vacation to the Caribbean to escape the cold weather. The rest of the world has a peak yacht season between May and October.

There is less demand for superyachts throughout the spring and early fall, and those are the shoulder seasons in the Caribbean. You can save money if you charter a yacht in the Caribbean between April and early August when fewer people look for them. Before you charter a superyacht in any region, look up the peak travel times in the area.

For example, summer is the peak yacht travel season in Greece, but that’s often when you can find the best deals in the Caribbean.

Yacht Size & Model

The size, model, and capacity of a superyacht are some of the biggest cost factors when it comes to chartering a superyacht in the Caribbean. It’s more expensive to rent a newer superyacht than an old model. For example, it costs $60,000-$80,000 to rent a yacht built in the 1960s even if it was recently updated.

Conversely, a superyacht of the same size that was built in 2023 costs at least $10,000 per week to rent in most cases. Superyachts also go up in cost when they have a large capacity. According to Dockwalk, The bigger the yacht, the higher the capacity and that means you’ll need to hire more crew members.

Some superyachts can hold as many as 100-300 people. Depending on how many guests you plan to have, you may need to hire one crew member for every 2-4 guests on the superyacht. You can save money when you charter a superyacht if you host fewer guests and look for an older model.

Amenities

Modern superyachts are fitted with many amenities that drive the cost. Luxury superyachts feature full kitchens, fine upholstery, TVs, and even swimming pools and hot tubs. Of course, you will have to pay a premium price to rent a superyacht with luxury amenities like pools, helicopter pads, and tennis courts.

Luxury lunch table setting on a yacht interior comfortable design for holiday recreation tourism travel and vacation concept

You can even find luxury superyachts that feature full spas. Amenities account for 10%-30% of the price of a superyacht rental. Typically, your crew will provide 3 meals per day, and you can expect to eat high-end food.

Meals cost at least $36 per person per day, but it depends on what food they provide. All-inclusive superyacht rentals are quite expensive because they include the price of 3 meals per day for each passenger, as well as drinks and materials. If you customize a superyacht, you can expect to spend $1 million for every 3 feet of renovations.

Crew

The crew is one of the biggest cost factors when it comes to Caribbean yacht charters. Superyachts are massive and require lots of work to run the vessel and tend to the guests. For example, a superyacht can hold 100-300 people or more in some cases, and that demands as many crew members as possible.

Crew members are responsible for basic maintenance, navigation, cooking, and waiting on guests. Captains and engineers typically get a daily pay rate of $400-$700, chefs get $250-$500, and mates get $175-$300 or more per day. However, daily, and weekly rates vary based on the size of the vessel and how lavish of an experience you want.

Mates make up the majority of a superyacht’s staff. It’s typically standard to tip a superyacht crew up to 10%-15% of the charter fee for the week. When you charter a yacht from a service, the crew’s salary is often included in the cost, but that doesn’t include tips.

Preferences

When you charter a superyacht, you typically pay a base rate for the crew and the cost of the yacht itself. They factor in the day rate for each crew member as well as the cost of materials necessary to run the vessel and feed the crew. However, you will pay differential fees based on your preferences and what you request from the yacht’s crew.

A week or more before your journey, a representative for the yacht will ask you to fill out a sheet with your preferences. This includes your favorite food and drinks as well as any other accessories you want for your trip. It’s up to the crew to gather these supplies and provide you with a bill based on the cost of the items you request.

This is called an Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA), and it’s the most variable cost factor when you rent a superyacht. Up to 25% or more of the total cost of chartering a superyacht comes from the requests you make. It ultimately comes down to how expensive the food items and drinks you request are, as well as how long the trip is.

Destination

Sailing in popular Caribbean destinations often carries a bigger fee because of the demand. For example, yacht traffic in areas like the Leeward Islands will be dense because of how popular that part of the Caribbean is. It’s typically cheaper to charter a yacht in an area with short distances between islands and docks.

For example, islands like Saint Vincent are close to other Caribbean destinations like Grenada and Saint Lucia. Prices vary, but this will often reduce the cost of refueling and even crew fees. It ultimately depends on how long you charter the yacht and how much travel is involved.

Renting a yacht in Turks and Caicos and taking it to the Dominican Republic requires lots of travel. This would be a 199-nautical-mile journey. Longer journeys mean more work for the crew and more fuel consumption, and that adds up quickly.

How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Yacht in the Bahamas for a Week?

It costs up to $1.4 million or more to rent a yacht in the Bahamas for a week. However, you could spend as little as $28,000 per week to rent a yacht in the Bahamas. Chartering a standard yacht in the Bahamas costs roughly $4,000 per day.

You must also factor in up to 15% of the charter cost for tipping the crew. For example, you can expect to spend an extra $6,000 in tips if you rent a yacht that costs $40,000 for a week. However, you could easily spend $20,000-$210,000 or more on crew tips if you charter a $1.4 million superyacht for a week with a large crew.

How Many Guests Can You Have on a Superyacht?

You can have up to 100-300 guests on a superyacht. However, a superyacht can typically only sleep up to 34 people. It’s common for people to charter superyachts for weddings and special events with 100 or more guests, but they cannot all sleep on the yacht because they typically only have 17-20 cabins.

However, you must ask your captain how many guests you can have on a superyacht before you plan an event. Make sure to figure out the difference between how many guests are welcome versus how many guests the yacht can sleep. Typically, you can only have between 4 and 12 guests on a traditional yacht unless it’s between 50 and 79 feet long.

So, How Much Will It Cost Me to Rent a Superyacht?

You can expect to spend up to $1.5 million to rent a superyacht in the Caribbean for a week. While capacity and crew members are a big factor, the size, and model of the yacht you rent are the biggest cost factors. I recommend looking into remodeled yachts built between the 1980s and early 2000s because they often cost at least 30% less.

A superyacht can hold between 1,300 and 100,000 gallons of fuel. At $3.20-$4.00 per gallon, it costs between $4,100 and $400,000 to refuel a superyacht. You won’t typically pay for the fuel yourself when you rent a superyacht, but the service you rent from will factor fuel costs into your bill. Short trips cost less because you will consume less fuel, but trips over a week can easily add $4,000 or more to your bill.

Amenities, insurance, and tips make up 10%-30% of the cost to rent a superyacht in the Caribbean. Make sure to speak to the service you rent from and figure out whether you are responsible for insurance.