Are food and drinks included in a yacht charter?

Source draft 1

Answer

Food and drinks are generally treated as charter expenses rather than being included in the base charter fee. They are normally provisioned according to the guests' preferences and paid from the APA.

The level and style of food can be highly personalised, from simple family meals to fine dining, tasting menus and specialist dietary requirements. Alcoholic beverages are also normally selected according to the guests' preferences and charged as an operating expense.

Analysis

One of the advantages of a crewed yacht charter is that food and beverage arrangements can be tailored extensively rather than following a fixed hotel-style package.

Broker comment

Your chef and crew can work from a preference sheet before the charter. The more information you provide about what you actually like to eat and drink, the better the onboard experience can be.

Source draft 2

Answer

Food and drinks are generally purchased from the charterer's APA rather than being included in the base charter fee.

The crew will normally provision the yacht according to the guests' preferences, dietary requirements and planned itinerary. The cost of provisions is then charged against the APA.

The precise arrangements can vary between yachts and charter agreements.

Options / distinctions

Meals prepared by the yacht's chef are normally part of the charter service. –

Food ingredients and beverages are generally an APA expense. –

Premium wines, spirits and special products can significantly affect provisioning costs. –

Dietary requirements and preferences should be communicated before the charter. –

Some yachts or charter arrangements may have specific inclusions or exclusions.

Analysis

The quality and style of provisioning can be an important part of the charter experience. It is therefore useful to discuss food preferences before signing rather than treating provisioning as an afterthought.

Broker Comment

A good chef can make a major difference to the experience. Give the broker and crew meaningful information about how you actually eat—rather than simply saying “anything is fine”—so the yacht can be provisioned appropriately.