Soraya · Croatia
Private charter or fleet charter: what is the difference?
With a private charter you charter a fixed yacht with a fixed skipper exclusively for your own group. With a fleet-charter booking through a marketplace, the yacht and sometimes the crew are assigned according to availability, often as a cabin charter with changing companions who are strangers to one another.
What a private charter means
One yacht, one skipper, one closed group. You know in advance exactly which boat you get, who the skipper is, and that no one but your own group comes on board. That brings planning certainty, but usually costs more than a shared booking.
What a fleet charter means
Marketplace providers broker spare capacity from a pool of different boats. That can be cheaper per berth, but it means the boat, equipment and sometimes crew are only confirmed at short notice, and with a cabin charter you share the yacht with companions unknown to you.
Which model suits whom
Anyone who values privacy, a predictable boat and a fixed skipper is better served by the private-charter model. Anyone who is flexible, travelling alone or as a pair and mainly wants to optimise the price per berth will find more choice in the fleet-charter market.
| Private charter (Soraya model) | Fleet charter (marketplace) | |
|---|---|---|
| Boat | fixed, known in advance | changing, depending on availability |
| Crew/skipper | fixed, dedicated | sometimes changing |
| Companions | your own group only | with cabin charter, often strangers |
| Planning certainty | high, known early | lower, often at short notice |
| Typical price | higher per trip | often cheaper per person |
| Ideal for | couples, families, companies wanting privacy | solo travellers, price-sensitive single bookers |
Questions & answers
Frequently asked questions
Is a private charter automatically more expensive than a fleet charter?
Usually yes, because the entire yacht is reserved for one group rather than capacity being spread across several bookings. In return, the uncertainty over boat and companions disappears.
Is Soraya a fleet provider?
No. Soraya is a single yacht, the Sunseeker Manhattan 52, with a fixed skipper — not a marketplace with changing boats.
Can I book individual cabins on a private charter?
No, the yacht is chartered as a whole for one group, not cabin by cabin.
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Enquire with no obligation about whether the private charter week suits your group.