Family Vacation This Summer On A Luxury Yacht Charter

Family vacation never looked so good. On a private yacht charter, soak up the family time in style with luxurious amenities, kid-friendly activities, and the finest service.

The family that plays together stays together, or so the saying goes. A yacht vacation abounds with family bonding opportunities and offers so many ways to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Charter yachts are often viewed as adult playgrounds, and that image is supported by brochures showing couples sipping champagne or dressed elegantly for dinner. But that’s only one side of the charter coin. The flip side is that a yacht charter is a wonderful family vacation.

A growing number of yachts have gone to great lengths to develop reputations for being family-friendly, and your charter broker can advise you on the ones your family will love.

Choose your crew

A common starting point for a family yacht is the crew, and many charter captains make a point of hiring crew members who like children. Yacht crew members are in the hospitality trade, after all, and can be excellent with children.

One captain says his first question in a crew interview is, “Do you like kids?” Some crew are known for being extra-amazing with children, but all crew will have some tricks up their sleeves, whether it’s a pirate treasure hunt on shore or amazing theme nights on board. Youngsters might discover a bottle on a beach, complete with an “ancient” treasure map. Miraculously, the map seems to match a nearby island, sending the excited kids on a hunt that ends with a treasure chest filled with doubloons of chocolate.

Kid-friendly amenities

Just as important as the space on board is what kids can do in them. Board and beach games, films and video games are essential, as are water toys, so safe water access is important. Or on a more traditional sailing yacht, steps and a platform can be set up on the side of the hull. On some larger yachts, owners and designers have taken children’s entertainment to sumptuous heights with cinemas and video game rooms.

Learning under way

Educational opportunities are readily found aboard a yacht, and with a little planning your broker and captain can even provision a teacher or lecturer upon arriving at a destination to give a lesson on your destination’s history and geography. After an afternoon of exploration on land, the gained knowledge can become the key to evening trivia contests or conversation at dinner time.

Little foodies

The crews on kid-friendly yachts also go the extra mile when it comes to food. Even special baby food or formula can be provisioned aboard. On one charter yacht, the chef knows that kids enjoy galleys, so she dresses them up in sous chef outfits and has them help prepare meals for which they can take credit. For the children who enjoy fishing, there is nothing like catching then cooking and presenting the culinary masterpiece to family at the dinner table.

Peace for the parents

These crews also understand that the parents may like to have some private time of their own, whether it’s to walk on a beach by themselves, curl up with a book, or disappear behind, ahem, closed doors.

Aboard one yacht, that’s when some of the crew take the youngsters on an adventure to leave the adults alone. “We aren’t babysitters,” says the captain, “but we also understand that it’s important to give the parents an afternoon off, so we plan kid-specific diversions or time on the water toys.”

For very small or rambunctious children, (or parents bent on sleeping in) nannies are strongly suggested. Many yachts have supernumerary cabins so you can bring your nanny along for the charter. Your charter broker is the best point of reference to find the right boat for this.

Tech or no tech?

While one yacht has a 300-game video arcade and an array of board games and video games as well, another captain takes the opposite approach, “confiscating” the ubiquitous electronic games that children bring aboard under the ruse that they interfere with the navigational equipment just like on an airplane. As a replacement, the kids are kept fully engaged with snorkeling, shelling and riding personal watercrafts or water toys – and family time, of course. Another captain turns the yacht charter into an educational opportunity, sharing details about islands and sea life.

Safety first

The outfitting of the yacht is important as well. One yacht, built for family use, has baby gates on most doors, pocket doors to protect kids from stairwells, a bathtub, and the crew adds safety nets around the decks for protection when children are aboard. But the yacht still has a sophisticated decor, so that guests don’t feel they’re in a nursery.

There is no better way to connect with the family than spending time visiting new places, experiencing amazing things and having fun on the water together.

Ready to explore what a charter yacht could offer for your next family vacation? See the featured yachts in our charter fleet, explore destinations, or get personal attention from our charter experts.