Charters, levels of service

[MogeyMan]

Mods, you may move this, or other members, I don't really see a forum for this question.

 

If I were a gazillionaire and wanted to charter a boat for a theme cruise, say for paper mache, can I choose between levels of service for my charter? Say, for example, I want my pax to all have the very best of everything, like food and service, or maybe just the bare minimum, depending on what I choose to pay for the boat I am chartering?

[CruiserBruce]

When you charter a cruise ship, you can certainly customize things to a certain extent. I wouldn't expect massive changes, like unlimited Dom Perignon flowing, but if you pay for it, and the cruise can charge a reasonable rate for it...just ask.

[Krazy Kruizers]

To an extent you can ask for certain items for a full charter. Some of them request a bit of a different itinerary than what the ship is normally doing.

Sure you can ask for certain foods and to have a couple of cocktail parties. You are paying for it -- or I should you are charging higher prices to pay for those parties and extra food.

If you want your passengers to have just the bare minimum, I bet they won't want to sail with you again.

[ZN1300]

We've been on many LRBC Blues Cruises that were full ship charters. Most were on a HAL ship. The organizers bring all of the entertainment. Blues music pretty much 24 hours a day in multiple venues. The first year the Eurodam was chartered it took a couple of nights before the ship kept extended hours in the Lido restaurant. They were not prepared for hungry cruisers awake at all hours. It worked itself out in the long run.

[sun~]

My experience on the LRBC is the charter cuts lots of corners to save money. Keep in mind, the real money goes into entertainment.

 

Other areas there is a certain things like food service times, menues, are adapted for the budget of the charter. For example, there are no breakfasts in the dining room.

 

The room stewards work in shifts on the LRBC, regular waif staff works bar service. During the cruise the charter organizers and the the ship staff meet to work out issues. Food is the biggest problem on lrbc, too much closed for too many hours. The ship does order more alcohol for the ship.

 

If you were a gazillionaire, almost anything is possible. Except the number of staff and crew. Only so many beds!

[K&RCurt]

We have been on several charters and the cruise lines are very accommodating in some areas, and not so much in others.

 

Want your own cruise director, no problem. On a charter on Celebrity the ships cruise director had the best cruise ever (I was chatting with him at one of the bars.) He had only the safety related work to do on the cruise and relaxed and enjoyed himself the rest of the time.

 

Want your own entertainment, no problem. Run you own shows, have your own bands around the ship, run arts and crafts programs, seminars, have your own massage program, I have seen all of this.

 

Want a custom itinerary, easily done. It just needs to sync with standard offering cruises before and after.

 

Want the ability to be naked most of the time on most areas of the ship, no problem.

 

The things they won't do relate to the profitability of the cruise.

 

Carnival, for instance will not offer the alcoholic beverage packages on charters as they feel they will make more money without it.

 

Excursions need to be run through the Cruise Line's system, even if they are identified by the charterer and are not excursions the cruise line normally offers.

 

I am sure there are others.

 

So, there is a lot of flexibility in what you want, but it isn't "the sky's the limit."