If this is your first time party boat charter, we offer you a charter guide to walk you through the steps. it’s usually advisable to establish an overall budget of how much you would like to spend on your very special event. It is not uncommon to pay between $100 to $200 or even more per person for a yacht and a fully catered dinner or party with an open bar. The type of menu you select will have a determining effect on the cost and clearly the more guests you invite, the more expensive it becomes but the per person rate comes down.
The next thing to determine, when you are looking for a boat, is to make sure that the boat that you select is US Coast Guard Inspected and certified for the number of guests you will be placing on board for your special event. You must always think: “What is the maximum number of guests that we could possibly have?”
Buffets are most popular on yachts so that there is more time for dancing, meeting in groups or being outside and by the bar. It is also a well known fact that there is more food for the guests on a buffet. The crew keep the buffet dishes full until they can see that guests are slowing down. If a formal dinner is requested, or you need all guests to be seated at the same time even for a buffet, it is very important to make sure the yacht dining salon can accommodate everyone. The yachts in our party fleet the maximum that can be seated at the same time, on the largest yachts, is 240. With more guests than that then it is best to do more casual arrangements.
It is also important to remember that what the Coast Guard give as the certified number of guests allowed does not take comfort into consideration. We have yachts that the Coast Guard have certified for up to 149 but for space restrictions may be best suited for up to 80 guests. We will guide you into choosing the right yacht for your event based on your requirements.
Guide to Booking a Party/Event Yacht
- Take a look at the boats listed here boatmiami.com/party/
- Choose those that interest you the most.
- Contact us by phone 305.758.2500 or email to discuss your event.
- We will start with the choices you have made and make suggestions for yachts that may suit your event better either because of the size of your group or the type of event.
- We will prepare proposals for you based on the information you provide.
- If possible once you receive the proposals, the next step is to make an appointment to view the yachts. If this is not possible we are all experienced in working with destination events for both Weddings and Corporate; Bar Mitzvahs and Birthdays. Any event can be managed.
- Once you have decided on a yacht we will then send you a contract. We will need to have this contract back, signed, to secure the date and the yacht.
- The deposit is also due at the same time as the contract. Only with a deposit is the yacht fully guaranteed for your event. Deposits are non-refundable.
- The balance will be due, on any of the yachts, 3 weeks prior to your event. We do have one yacht that requires the balance paid in full 30 days before the event but most are 2 – 3 weeks from the event.
- From signing the contract to getting to your event date we will be in touch as and when needed. Here to answer all questions you have and make changes to all aspects of the event including number of guests and menu/bar options; adding entertainment; choosing different dock locations or adding time to the event.
- Many yachts have an on board event manager and we will put you in touch with this person at the appropriate time. This is especially good for brides who can make sure all details of the wedding are taken care of.
- Some yachts offer a food tasting and we can arrange that once the contract and deposit are in.
All yachts will require that we keep a Credit Card on file. We do not share this information with the yacht and will not do so without your explicit permission for charges to be made. It is generally used when extra guests arrive on the night of an event and we need to collect payment.
What we will need to make relevant yacht suggestions:
- Date of the event
- How many guests
- Type of event – Corporate; Wedding; Bar Mitzvah; Birthday or other
- Preferred location – Miami; Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood; West Palm Beach
- Type of food service – Buffet; Stations; Formal Plated or Cocktail
- Type of bar service – Full Open Bar; Beer/Wine and Soft Drinks or Non Alcoholic. If a Cash Bar is preferred or Drink Tickets to limit the purchase of alcohol
YACHT SELECTION
Choose from the largest selection of dinner, party, corporate and event yachts available. If your event is on the water, our experienced planners can do it better than anyone else – We have the quickest turn around for quotations and we only offer yachts that will match your special requirements.
Make sure the cost of the yacht estimate includes the fuel, the delivery fee, the dockage fee, the crew’s salary, service fees and any applicable taxes. The cost of the Yacht is fixed and does not vary with the number of people on board. The catering and beverages are variable costs and should be shown separately on a per person basis and should also include any service charges and taxes.
All Boat Miami proposals and estimates show these hidden costs in a detailed line by line breakdown.
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The Cost of the Yacht Itself
(Usually Fixed) + Dockage, fuel and sometimes a delivery fee. -
The Food and Beverage
Element (Variable with the number of guests). -
The Crew Service Charges and Local Taxes
Also variable
Boat Miami knows the ins and outs of what would be best for your event. We believe in customer satisfaction and putting our clients’ needs foremost in our advice.