Private Caribbean Cruise: How to Charter Your Own Crewed Yacht
A private Caribbean cruise on a crewed yacht costs a median $38,000 a week, about $679 per guest per night. See what it includes, who runs it and how to book.
A private Caribbean cruise means chartering a whole crewed yacht for your group, so the captain, the chef and the route all answer to you rather than to a ship’s timetable. Most groups who ask for one want three things a cruise ship can’t give them: nobody else aboard, anchorages too small for a ship, and a day that moves at their own pace.
There are two ways to get that privacy. You can charter a yacht that sleeps up to a dozen guests, or you can buy out a small cruise ship for a group of a hundred or more. This guide prices both from published figures, explains where a private cruise can start and stop, and shows how the booking works. If you’re planning a charter from scratch, our guide on how to plan a Caribbean yacht charter covers the season and the islands in order.
What is a private Caribbean cruise?
A private Caribbean cruise is a week aboard a crewed yacht that your group charters whole, with a captain and a chef working for your group alone. The typical charter yacht in the Caribbean and Bahamas sleeps eight guests (Vital Charters listings analysis, October 2026), and the route is planned around your group rather than a port schedule.
The guest limit isn’t arbitrary. Under the SOLAS convention, “a passenger ship is a ship which carries more than twelve passengers” (International Maritime Organization), and a passenger ship faces a far heavier set of construction and safety rules. That’s why most charter yachts stop there, and why our guide to the 12-person yacht rule is the first thing to read if your group is bigger.
Compare that with the ships most people picture. 44% of the world’s ocean cruisers sailed to the Caribbean, the Bahamas or Bermuda in 2025. The average ship in the cruise lines’ fleet carries about 2,100 passengers at standard occupancy, our calculation from 692,000 lower berths across 327 ships (CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry 2026). A private yacht is a different product, not a smaller version of the same one. The side-by-side with small luxury ships sets out what each does better.
How much does a private Caribbean cruise cost?
A private Caribbean cruise on a crewed yacht costs a median of $38,000 for a high-season week, all-in, and the middle half of yachts ask between $26,500 and about $58,000 (Vital Charters rate analysis, October 2026). Spread across a full yacht, that’s about $679 per guest per night, before the crew gratuity.
Those figures come from 425 crewed yachts with a published 2026-27 high-season rate across the Caribbean and the Bahamas. “All-in” means the rate on all-inclusive yachts, and the rate plus the provisioning allowance on yachts priced plus expenses, so the two can be compared directly. Neither includes VAT, port fees or the crew tip, and any unspent provisioning allowance is refunded at the end of the week.
View data table
| Guests aboard | Yachts | Median high-season week | Middle half of rates | Per guest per night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 | 108 | $24,250 | $19,800 to $36,000 | $607 |
| 7 to 8 | 199 | $39,000 | $28,950 to $58,750 | $696 |
| 9 to 10 | 92 | $50,400 | $34,000 to $96,350 | $720 |
| 11 to 12 | 26 | $121,275 | $42,000 to $214,650 | $1,444 |
Crewed yachts in the Caribbean and Bahamas with a 2026-27 high-season rate, by the number of guests each sleeps. All-in asking rates; plus-expenses rates include the provisioning allowance. Excludes VAT, port fees and crew gratuity. Vital Charters rate analysis, October 2026.
The jump at the top isn’t a price for the twelfth guest. Nearly half of the yachts that sleep 11 or 12 are large motor yachts, and the median boat in that group is 100 feet long. A 12-guest sailing catamaran asks a median of $42,000 a week, so a big group on a catamaran pays far less than the chart’s last bar suggests. What actually moves the price is the size and type of yacht you need to sleep everyone.
Most of the money is fixed before you add anything. On an all-inclusive yacht the rate covers the crew, meals, an open bar within reason, fuel for a normal week of cruising and the water toys aboard; our guide to all-inclusive yacht charters shows where the line falls on plus-expenses boats. What can still reach your invoice, from Bahamas VAT to park fees, is set out in our guide to Caribbean yacht charter taxes and fees.
Before you go further, see which crewed yachts are open for your group and dates.
Can you charter a whole small ship instead?
Yes. Small cruise lines sell whole-ship charters, and once a group outgrows what three yachts can sleep, a buyout is the only way to stay private. Asked what a week’s charter of its 448-guest luxury ship costs, one operator’s CEO told Robb Report “plus or minus $5 million,” and he added that charter clients “rarely bring more than 150 guests onboard” (Robb Report, 2025).
A chartered cruise on a small ship serves the same occasions yachts do: weddings, family reunions, anniversaries, company milestones. A 64-guest sailing ship line told the same reporter that private buyouts make up to 12 percent of its bookings, and that the share is growing. What you give up is the scale of a yacht: a ship needs a deepwater anchorage or a dock, and the itinerary is set months ahead with port authorities rather than decided on the morning.
Between those two sizes sits the option most mid-size groups miss. Two or three crewed yachts can sail together on the same route, each with its own captain and chef, meeting at the same anchorage each evening. Our guide to tandem yacht charters explains how that works for groups of 13 to 20 or more.
Who runs a private Caribbean cruise?
Two kinds of operator run private Caribbean cruise charters: crewed charter yachts, which are privately owned and booked through a central agency or a broker, and small-ship cruise lines that sell a whole ship to one group. Across the Caribbean and Bahamas, 664 active crewed yachts are listed for charter (Vital Charters listings analysis, October 2026).
| Crewed charter yacht | Two or more yachts in tandem | Small-ship buyout | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group size | One group that fits one yacht | A group split across several yachts | Dozens to hundreds of guests |
| Who runs it | The yacht’s own captain and crew | Each yacht’s own crew | The cruise line’s charter desk |
| How it’s booked | Through a broker or the yacht’s central agency | Through a broker who books the yachts together | Direct with the cruise line |
A crewed yacht is booked like a villa with a crew: the owner sets the rate, a central agency publishes the calendar, and a broker can search every agency’s yachts at the same price you’d pay booking direct. Our explainer on how a yacht charter broker works covers who pays whom.
Can a private cruise start in Florida?
Yes, and it usually heads for the Bahamas. Of the 77 crewed yachts with a Florida home port, 74 also list the Bahamas as a cruising area, and 69 of those 74 are motor yachts (Vital Charters listings analysis, October 2026). The nearest of the islands lies just 50 nautical miles off Florida’s coast (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism).
That distance shapes the week. At 20 knots the crossing to Bimini takes about two and a half hours, by our arithmetic rather than any published timetable, and the sea state in the Gulf Stream decides the day. The Exumas lie less than 250 miles off South Florida (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism), so a Florida start often means a first day of travel before the cays begin.
For a Virgin Islands or Grenadines week, groups fly in and join the yacht there. The Florida fleet is mostly motor yachts because that crossing rewards speed. Sailing catamarans are mostly based in the Virgin Islands: 184 of the 248 that state a home port. Of the catamarans that cruise the Bahamas, 20 of the 29 that state a home port are based in the Bahamas itself, so a private catamaran cruise there usually means flying in. Everyone aboard needs a passport, and the captain handles the formalities (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism). Our guide to Bahamas yacht charter prices covers what a week there costs, including the taxes added on top.
Do private cruises stop at private islands in the Bahamas?
Several cruise lines run private islands in the Bahamas, but only for their own passengers, so a private yacht doesn’t stop at them. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Stirrup Cay is offered “exclusively for its passengers” (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism), and the other lines’ cays work the same way. A private yacht goes instead to the small cays and sandbars a cruise ship can’t reach at all.
The list keeps growing: Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Berry Islands, Princess Cays on Eleuthera, the Disney and Holland America islands, and Carnival’s Celebration Key on Grand Bahama (Caribbean Journal). Each is built for thousands of passengers arriving at once, which is the experience a private cruise exists to avoid.
What a yacht offers instead is the Exumas. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park covers 112,640 acres and was the first land and sea park in the world, protected so that you can’t fish or take shells home (Bahamas National Trust). Nearby, the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay are “only accessible by boat” (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism), and the swimming pigs sit close to Thunderball Grotto, one of the most popular snorkeling spots in the Exumas. Our Exuma Cays yacht charter guide maps a full week.
How do you book a private Caribbean cruise?
Booking a private Caribbean cruise takes five decisions, in this order: group size, destination and season, yacht type, crew, and contract. Group size comes first because the guest limit decides which yachts are even possible, and the crew comes before the contract because on a private cruise the people aboard shape the week more than the boat does.
- Count your guests and cabins. Decide who shares a cabin before you look at yachts. A yacht that sleeps eight on paper may suit six adults far better once you count heads and bathrooms.
- Pick the islands and the season. The Virgin Islands suit first-timers and short hops; the Bahamas suit beach and snorkel weeks and a Florida start; the Grenadines and St. Barts suit longer passages and a livelier shore scene.
- Choose the yacht type. Sailing catamarans are stable at anchor and suit families; motor yachts cover more distance and carry more toys; power catamarans sit in between.
- Shortlist by crew. Ask for the captain and chef named in each proposal, confirm they’ll be aboard for your dates, and read guest reviews that name them.
- Read the contract and the deposit terms. All-inclusive Caribbean weeks commonly use the CYBA standard charter agreement, and your payment sits in an escrow or client account until the charter starts.
A broker does that shortlist for you across every agency, at no extra cost, because the yacht’s owner pays the commission out of the published rate.
The bottom line
A private Caribbean cruise is a crewed yacht chartered whole for one group, or a small ship bought out for a group in the hundreds. The yacht is the more private of the two by a wide margin: it reaches anchorages ships can’t, it changes plans on the morning, and the price depends far more on the size of yacht you need than on anything else.
The cleanest way to start is with your group size and dates. Browse the Caribbean charter destinations to narrow the islands, then start a yacht search at Vital Charters and we’ll shortlist crews that fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a private Caribbean cruise all-inclusive?
Usually. About three in four crewed yachts with a 2026-27 rate price all-inclusive (Vital Charters rate analysis, October 2026), covering meals, drinks and fuel. The rest charge a base rate plus a provisioning allowance, paid up front and refunded if unspent. Either way, taxes and the crew tip are extra.
What are the best luxury yacht cruises in the Caribbean for a small group?
For a single family or group of friends, the most private luxury Caribbean cruise is a crewed yacht chartered whole: the captain and chef work for your group alone, and the yacht anchors at cays no cruise ship can reach. Larger groups sail several yachts together or buy out a small ship. Choose by group size first; brand comes second.
How many guests can a private yacht cruise take?
Only 22 yachts in our 2026-27 rate analysis sleep exactly 12 (Vital Charters, October 2026); most sleep fewer. For a larger group, several yachts can sail together on the same itinerary, each with its own crew.
Can you take a private cruise from Miami or Fort Lauderdale?
Yes. South Florida is the main base for crewed motor yachts that cruise the Bahamas, and the crossing to Bimini or the Berry Islands takes a few hours in good conditions. Every guest needs a passport, and the captain handles the formalities on arrival.
Do you tip the crew on a private Caribbean cruise?
Yes. The standard Caribbean charter agreement describes a gratuity of 15 to 20 percent of the charter fee as customary (CYBA Inclusive Agreement, Clause 2.B). It’s paid to the captain at the end of the week and shared among the crew. Our crew tipping guide covers how to hand it over.
Can a private yacht stop at a cruise line’s private island?
No. The cruise lines describe their Bahamas islands as reserved for their own guests. A yacht can, however, anchor at public cays and protected parks nearby, many of which a cruise ship’s passengers never see.
A whole yacht, nobody else aboard
Tell us your group size and dates, and we’ll shortlist crewed yachts across the Caribbean and Bahamas that fit, with what each week includes.
