Booking your first private yacht charter comes with a surprising number of small questions. Where do I park? Do I board early? Am I supposed to tip? Who decides where we go? After hundreds of charters and 133 five-star Google reviews, we've heard them all — so here is the entire day, start to finish, exactly as it happens.
Step 1: Booking
Pick your date, group size, and hours (4-hour minimum), and reserve with a 50% deposit. Weekday charters run $500/hour and weekends $600/hour, all-inclusive. You'll get a confirmation with the departure location, arrival time, and a direct line to your captain. In the days before the trip, we'll check in about your plans — celebration, sandbar day, sunset cruise — so the crew can prep.
Step 2: Arrival and Boarding
Plan to arrive about 15 minutes before departure at our private St. Petersburg marina (the exact address is in your confirmation). There's parking steps from the slip. The crew will help carry coolers and bags aboard — remember, charters are BYOB, no glass — and shoes come off at the boarding step to protect the decks. Barefoot is the dress code.
Step 3: The Safety Briefing
Before lines come off the dock, your captain gives a short briefing: where life jackets live (all sizes aboard, including kids'), how to move between decks while underway, and how the swim platform works. It takes five minutes and it's the only "formal" part of the day.
Step 4: Choosing the Route
This is the part first-timers don't expect: you have a real say in the itinerary. The captain will lay out the day's options based on wind, tide, and your group's energy — anchor at a quiet sandbar, run out to Shell Key or Egmont Key, cruise under the Skyway Bridge, or chase the golden hour along Pass-a-Grille. Want more swimming and less cruising? Say so. It's your charter.
Step 5: The Day Itself
Once underway, there's genuinely nothing you're responsible for. The crew handles navigation, anchoring, music requests on the premium stereo, and drink runs to the coolers. Dolphins usually find the boat before you find them. Most 4-hour charters settle into a rhythm: a cruise out, a long swim stop, food and drinks on the flybridge, and a slow ride home as the light turns gold.
Step 6: Heading Back
Your captain times the return so you're back at the dock at the end of your booked window — never rushed, never short-changed. Gather your things, and if the crew made your day, a 15–20% tip handed directly to them is the customary thank-you. Then start the group chat about the next one. Ready for your first charter? Check your date or call (727) 609-2248.
Your First Yacht Charter — FAQ
Do I need a boating license to charter a yacht?
No. Every Yacht Away Now charter is fully crewed — a USCG-licensed captain runs the yacht while you relax. No boating license, experience, or knowledge is required from anyone in your group.
Do you tip the captain and crew on a yacht charter?
Tipping is customary and always appreciated. Most guests tip 15–20% of the charter rate, given directly to the crew at the end of the trip — similar to what you'd tip for excellent restaurant service.
Can I choose where the yacht goes?
Yes, within safe conditions. Before departure your captain will walk through options — sandbars, Shell Key, Egmont Key, the Skyway, a sunset loop — and build the route around what your group wants. Weather and tides get the final say, and your captain adjusts to keep the day smooth.
What happens if the weather is bad on my charter day?
Your captain monitors conditions in the days leading up to your trip. Tampa Bay's summer showers usually pass within an hour and often just shift the route; if conditions are genuinely unsafe, we work with you on rescheduling options. Safety calls are always the captain's.