How To Book Your Yacht Charter in Croatia – Pros & Cons!

When you are booking direct, you are booking with the charter company themselves that manage the boat. They’re generally booking out their own boats and only their boats. When you are looking at a third party online booking site you are looking at the boats that all of the charter companies have.

By going direct to the charter company, the person you book with is very likely the person you’re going to see at the check-in counter when you arrive in Croatia. There is no middle man. The yachts that you will be booking are their yachts that they will know intimately.

PROS

• Generally you will also get a competitive going direct with a charter agency as they save on commission by you going direct.
• They know the yachts that you are looking to charter through them.
• You are dealing with people who are part of the local sailing industry and usually know the area.
• When you book with a charter company direct, depending on their size and especially with a smaller charter company most likely the people that you book with, talk on the phone with or email with, they are the people you’re going to see at the check-in counter when you go to get on board the boat. I like this as a personal touch.

CONS

• As they are only going to steer you towards their own yachts, you are going to have to search a number of different charter companies to compare what is available.
• One you may not think about as a con, when booking direct, there’s no one between you and that charter company. There’s no one batting for you. Basically you don’t know what you don’t know and you don’t have anyone on your side to point out what you may not know.
• Often communication can be challenging.  Often what you want and what they are providing you is lost in translation. It’s good to have someone on your side who understands the local language, the local culture and the way of doing things as well as understanding what’s important to you.
• While they may offer additional services, and provide a range of information, their focus is on the yacht and yacht charter specifically.

These are going to show up at the top of your google search.  These online booking systems are usually the big boys who are are booking thousands of yachts every year and can afford to pay the most money for ads or google ranking. You’ll see names like to be Zizoo, Book a Boat, Instant Sailing and Sand Boat. These are global sailing charter booking systems. They’re going to help you charter in any destination in the world where there is chartering.

You will also find sites such as Croatia Charter, Croatia Yacht Charter, Yachts Croatia. These are also third party booking systems and they are only focused on charter boats in Croatia.  Sometimes they will have a brokerage site as well for buying yachts in Croatia and the main difference is they are based in Croatia, servicing Croatia charters.

PROS

• Systems usually have financial backing, they have access to nearly every boat instantaneously in Croatia or wherever they’re going via their API that they lock into their system.
• There are two main systems for charter yachts in Croatia and these systems instantly access both.
• You only need to access one site to find all that is available in Croatia (or wherever you may be looking).
• Often their interfaces are better than a lot of direct booking interfaces because their business is their interface. This is where they are investing their money in the way they look, to make it easier for you to book online.
• Usually offer a more competitive rate as their turnover is bigger and they are able to give away part of their commission to get a sale.
• Most allow payment by credit card which is not usually the case with direct bookings.

CONS

• These are largely automated systems where you need to know your own search criteria.
• They lack the personal touch. That’s not saying there is no or never any personal touch. A lot of these places have a live chat. If you are dealing direct with a person on these sites, they will be sales people, not sailors!
• Usually the service starts and ends with the yacht charter.
• They will not know anything about the yachts other than what is provided within the system.

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is what we do here at 45 Degrees Sailing.  We act as the middle man between you and the charter company. Our first point of call is to make comtact woith you, to clearly understand what you are looking for in a yacht and what type of sailing holiday you are after. We’re here on the ground IN Croatia. We work within the industry. We sail the yachts we charter. We do this all year round. Our goal is to find you the yacht that fits your needs best using the most trusted and reliable charter companies to ensure your entire holiday is perfect!

PROS

• All bareboat charters with 45D include a one-on-one phone call. We are going to talk to you about more than just the yacht you are looking for to ensure you get to ask all the questions you have, tell us all about the trip you are looking for, who is coming with you, where you’ve been in the past. We look at the bigger picture.
• We know the charter companies. We know which ones we will only book if there’s nothing else and ones we’ll recommend you pay more to because your experience will be the best.
• We know the boats. We have sailed just about every model of boat that gets chartered here in Croatia. We get to  know the boats to get an understanding of what the make and model are like and who they best suit.
• We know the sailing area so we can help you arrange a trip that suits you and your crew away from the crowds if necessary.
• We are able to translate everything and communicate everything between you are the charter company to ensure the yacht you charter works for everyone on your crew.
• We know what photos is listings are real photos or stock photos. This may not seem important and it is very important. We want to do is ensure that what you see is what you get in your charter.
• You don’t have to sift through all the options to ensure you’re comparing apples with apples, we do that for you.
• We see what is included and what is not. We advise you what may be an extra cost and what is a standard inclusion so there are no surprises on the day.
• We have experience. We know what a 46 foot yacht looks like with 10 people in it. We understand what each yacht looks like when it’s got a whole bunch of people in it and we let you know.
• We know the weather and the seasons. We know if in July and August you have a boat with no air-conditioning, no fans and you’re planning on being on the dock. You’re going to MELT!  We know if a yacht has no shade in winter you’re going to come back looking like lobsters.
• We get you to think about all the little details that you want to check when you’re booking your yacht that make a big difference to your charter.
• We access yachts at the same rates as the 3rd party booking system or a charter company.

CONS

• We have very little wiggle room on the price.
• Not all independant agents are located here in Croatia. It is always best to ask the right questions so that you know who you are talking to.