The success of a mega yacht charter, indeed the entire yacht charter season of a superyacht, depends on one thing. Specifically, the ability of the vessel’s crew to meet the needs of the paying customers. The best cruising grounds and good weather matter little. Especially if the megayacht charter crew does not provide excellent service.
A luxury yacht charter client should be treated the same as you would treat the owner. The only difference is that the crew knows the preferences of an owner (e.g. his or her favorite restaurants, the time he or she likes to wake up in the morning, etc.). The crew does not know these preferences for a new mega yacht charter client.
This provides the crew with a challenge – to ensure that they learn as quickly as possible what the client expects to gain from the Mediterranean yacht charter experience.
It all comes down to this – the happiness of the lead charterer and his family and guests hinges on the effort expended by the staff of the superyacht, especially the Chief Stewardess and the Chef.
A good skipper will introduce the stewardess and chef to the lead charter client early on in the charter. This way, the stew can get a feeling of the level of service or distance expected by the customer, and the chef can get a sense of the level or formality needed with each meal presentation.
Whether a Mediterranean yacht charter or a Caribbean yacht charter, the captain’s role is challenging. He is legally bound to ensure the safety of the guests and crew and he has a priority to ensure that the owner’s property is safeguarded. At the same time, he has to keep the charter guests happy while they are on board, since the paying guests have a significant degree of freedom to decide the nature of the charter.
It is a delicate balancing act to ensure the clients’ demands do not compromise the crew.
The skipper must also comply with the laws of the territorial waters through which the superyacht passes, with particular importance placed on drug restrictions. The captain must impose his authority in the event of discovering the use of recreational drugs. In all superyacht cruising areas, this is illegal. The captain is potentially liable for any breach of the laws. Additionally, in many jurisdictions, the discovery of recreational drugs on board can result in the confiscation of the vessel by the local authorities.
It is essential that the captain ensures that all charter guests (and crew) obey these laws. Should there be an issue with this, the captain may need to refer to the owner/broker to agree on termination of a specific charter. Charter agreements provide the captain with full authority to prohibit the use of recreational drugs by the charter guests.
A seasoned yacht charter broker understands this delicate balancing act faced by a charter captain and crew. If the broker has previously handled a particular client on another vessel, he or she will discuss the characteristics of the client with the new captain, as well as the chef and stewardess.
Brokers also try to gather as much personal information about the charterer by means of a preference sheet. On such forms, the clients can spell out their food and beverage likes and dislikes as well as the recreational pursuits they hope to enjoy during the trip (shopping, swimming, quietly reading a good book, etc.). Such preference sheets help give the crew a deeper understanding of the charter guests desires and expectations.
At the conclusion of the luxury mega yacht charter vacation, it is equally important for the crew and broker to discuss the trip.
Per Jana Sheeder, President of 1-800 Yacht Charters,
“We ensure that all goes well during a charter, then we follow up after the charter to make sure that all details were perfect for the clients. Personalized and prompt customer service is critical to us. Our clients depend on our having everything organized before, during, and after their superyacht experience as they live their own lives. There is no second guessing in our service. It’s critical to us to make sure that everything was perfect so that we know for their repeat charters. There is no excuse for not providing perfect service to discriminating clientele;” thus, the feedback of the captain and senior crew enables the broker to build up a comprehensive picture of the client’s preferences for future engagements.
The captain, crew, broker and customer work together. It is a perfect combination. The odds are quite high for a successful and memorable holiday at sea. That is The Superyacht Experience™ – created by 1-800 Yacht Charters.
This entry was posted in Educational News and tagged private luxury yacht charter, Mediterranean yacht charter, Jana Sheeder, 1800yachtcharters, crew, yacht charter broker, customer service, 5 star service, 1-800 Yacht Charters, five star service, megayacht charter
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