Since you're here, you've probably heard a lot about how much fun it is to attend The Yacht Week. You've probably seen the promo videos, Instagram posts, and online itineraries and reviews about the experience. I don't hope to replicate any of that great content around what The Yacht Week will be like if you go. In being the type of person who puts together trips for my groups of friends, I find that I've always wanted to know more about the actual execution of a trip. What went into planning it, how much does it really cost, what are the timelines and schedules that have worked before?
This post will provide information I find useful for High-Level Planning. Want to get into the weeds about party venues, table prices, grocery shopping, alcohol quantities and pricing, menus and more? Be on the lookout for upcoming Detailed Planning guides (or Spotlights as I like to call them)!
THE IDEA
The Yacht Week (TYW) describes itself as being "a series of boutique floating festivals set in 6 destinations around the world." It's an accurate description. You gather a group of of your friends (or book a cabin for 2), rent a yacht for a week and sail along a pre-planned route from port to port. Each day is different as you explore a new town and experience the events hosted by TYW, where you have the opportunity to meet, mingle, and party with all the other crews that are on your route.
This summer was my second TYW experience. In summer 2017, I attended Croatia Ultra Route which began with two days of Ultra Europe Music Festival and then a shortened week of sailing. It was, as you could imagine, a fast-paced, non-stop "rager" for lack of a better word. For my next TYW adventure, I wanted to take advantage of a mid-paced route that had longer sails, fewer yachts, and more variety in the type of events hosted. This meant heading to Athens, Greece and setting sail from the Marina Alimos to explore the Saronic islands of Poros, Ermioni, and Hydra!
THE PLAN
I think in spreadsheets, so I will use this section to try and answer quick questions regarding the "who, what, when, where, and how much" type of questions in easy to reference tables. This includes:
Summary FAQ Sheet
Booking Information and Payment Schedule
High-Level Finances
I'll begin with a Summary FAQ Sheet of what I booked for my group. I'd recommend everything that is here with the only modification being I may choose to splurge on air conditioning next time! Still, I personally would prioritize getting a catamaran (for size) over a mono-hull with air conditioning.
Bookings for the upcoming summer open in mid October! Previous attendees or "veterans" of TYW get priority entry to pre-booking. Usually, by the end of this pre-booking period, a majority of the Premium and Premium Plus yachts are booked. These are generally the larger, newer yachts that have air conditioning. The sooner you book, the better your selection will be!
Here is a breakdown of the payment schedule for your fixed costs (or Booking Cost), which I define as: Yacht, skipper base rate, hostess base rate, and food/beverage package. These fixed costs are what you book and pay for online.
Payment Schedule for Summer 2018:
Some decisions you have to make upfront in order to complete a booking:
1. What will your gender ratio be? If you're unsure of who your crew will be, it's better to start off with more guys:girls in your ratio - it's easier to ask TYW to change an extra male spot to a female spot later on.
2. Will you get a hostess or not? Well, I'm going to stop you right there. Yes, you are going to book a hostess! There's nothing better than waking up to breakfast already prepared, having someone who helps keep things tidy, and your skipper will appreciate having an extra experienced sailor on board. It really takes a load off, and allows you and your crew to truly have fun without any of the added worries of responsibility. If you're at all like me, the organizing of shopping, meal prep, and tidiness would likely turn into another task list for you to personally keep tabs on. Add a hostess, gain a new friend!
3. Will you get a Food & Beverage Package? My hostess recommends getting the Hostess Food & Beverage Package. This sets your crew up with an assortment of basic necessities that are delivered directly to the yacht for the best value. When you really take a look at the more expensive options, the amount of- and type of foods included are really not worth the per person costs. It's best to then plan a menu with your hostess and supplement this basic package with your own shopping at the supermarket for groceries and alcohol. No worries, they'll reach out to you before your trip to find out your preferences, any allergies, and work with you on what you'd like to eat. You'll put in minimal effort (your hostess does most of the shopping, it can also be delivered to the yacht at Marina Alimos), and you save a lot of money that can be better spent elsewhere on your trip! Technically, you can add the food and beverage packages up to 30 days before your trip, but I recommend including it from the beginning of your booking process. This has a few benefits: it reduces a step of effort later to add it on and your crew members can work on their own budgeting with it included in the base cost upfront.
But wait, you're probably wondering at this point, "Okay, so how much will this trip really cost?"
See the below table of high-level finances. This was for a crew of 8 women plus our skipper and hostess. All costs were split evenly among the 8 crew members. Airfare is not included here, since that was quite variable depending on each persons departure city, schedule, and ability to book.
Additional Notes about the above costs:
All prices listed are in Euros (€). Airfare was not included, since it varies individually.
Base rate for Skipper is 800€, we added a cash tip (15% of total yacht week booking cost).
Base rate for Hostess is 650€, we added a cash tip (10% of total yacht week booking cost).
While gratuity is always optional, it makes a wonderful gesture to the people who take such great care of you and the yacht during your trip, who try their best to ensure you have a really memorable experience. Gratuity is suggested to be calculated off of at least the base rate of the yacht you select. My crew calculated off of the total booking cost.
Please note you are responsible for feeding your entire crew, that includes having your group cover your skipper and hostess’ meals on and off the yacht.
THE SCHEDULE
These were the tasks that I tracked and coordinated leading up to the trip. Most of the coordination with my group occurred via email, as we were spread out in various time zones around the world.
Since you'll likely be taking lead on most of the booking items, I will go into a little detail here on arrival/departure dates and booking additional lodging. For arriving to the base city, I recommend having everyone arriving the Friday before your first day of TYW. So for us, our week started Saturday, July 14th, so I had everyone plan to arrive in Athens no later than Friday, July 13th. This allowed for everyone to get into town, meet each other, and then go out for dinner and fun together in a more laid-back casual environment. Obviously, for this you'll need a hotel or AirBnB for your group. In the schedule above it's referred to "Hotel #1". Check-in day at the marina can be a little hectic, so I really enjoyed waking up together Saturday morning, having breakfast, and going to the marina together.
For departures from Athens, I recommend anything after 11:00am on the ending Saturday of your week; so for us, that was Saturday, July 21st. The last day of TYW is actually Friday, as that is when you will arrive back at the Athens marinas. The ending Saturday listed on your week is really just an early morning check-out day (9:00 am check-out!). For this reason, my group decided to check-out Friday afternoon and spend the night in the city again. This second lodging is referred to as "Hotel #2" in the schedule above. Some crews, however, definitely stay on the yacht for this final night. I've done both, but I honestly did enjoy having an AirBnB for the whole group that final night in Greece!
THAT'S IT! NOW, WHAT'S UP NEXT?
Well, for you - head over to www.theyachtweek.com to sign-up for pre-booking now and to book your trip! Use Referral Code: ANGELIQUEMARABLELBO to save €220 on your trip!
Also, don't forget to follow for more on Instagram:
Wonderful, official TYW photographer Pablo Oriol Valls: @the_photo_cubicle
For more photos from my crew and me: @imtypeaokay
I'm working diligently on some upcoming Detailed Spotlights on: TYW Greece Party Venues & Table Service, Menu Planning & Grocery Shopping, Prices in Greece & Budgeting, and an overall Trip Review. So, stay tuned!
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