The Denison charter team shares what guests are currently asking for on their yacht vacations. Denison charter brokers Kristina Gagliardi, Jennifer Saia, Megan Cashmore, and Nadia Martinez shared the scoop. 

This year, chartering is all about the toys. Charter guests have been requesting all sorts of toys, but two in particular have been making the top of the list. “A lot of people have been asking for e-foils or slides,” Kristina says. “Toy lists are pretty specific sometimes. I have clients who have chartered in the past and have shared that they spent five hours on the e-foils, so they really want an e-foil. Those are probably the two most desired toys right now.” 

Nadia and Megan have seen this trend, too. The main thing when I ask clients what they’re looking for in a yacht–it’s the toys. Often clients even choose the yacht because of the slide, and end up using it once.” But slides are a big request this year, and the team is here to make it happen, whether you use yours once, twice, or a hundred times! 

Nadia adds. “E-foils are certainly huge. I had a request for a jet pack. But a lot of toys which are special requests, can be sourced by the captains wherever they are. So if we have a charter in our listings that may not offer a toy that a client wants, we can always get it for them.” The beauty of the Denison charter team is that they can customize your yacht vacation exactly the way you dreamed about it.

Another element to note with charter requests lately is more unique destinations. “I’m seeing a lot of the obvious places like the South of France, Italy, but also Croatia has been super popular as of late,” Kristina shares. “It’s become more popular in recent years. Also, the VAT isn’t very high. At 13%, there’s a little bit of a saving. Greece is always popular. And right now, we are also seeing a big increase in Caribbean inquiries. Specifically, the British Virgin Islands have been really popular because there’s no tax there. It’s a relatively small cruising ground, so you can cover a lot of ground really quickly. But there’s so much to see and do. They have some of the best scuba diving in the world. Jet skis are not allowed there because it’s very much protected. So it’s all pristine. 

Really, people are having an appetite for more off the beaten path. I have a lot of inquiries of late for Norway. We’ve seen some in Fiji. I think people are getting a little more adventurous.” 

In terms of destinations, Nadia emphasizes the importance of water temperature, which guests may not necessarily think about when considering where to cruise. She finds that guests are requesting more activities in the water. “There are a lot more options, a lot more beach setups, a lot more toys for the aft deck that can create pools and all this cool stuff that’s out there. I have also noticed that a lot of requests are for water activity or that they want to be out on the water. That would mean to me that, wherever they’re going, if the water’s cold–like say in New England–it’s probably not a good option.” 

“And, then there are the ‘extremes’,” she continues. “I’ve been asked to find yachts in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the Seychelles, the Galapagos, and more. This requires a lot of time-consuming research which is a learning curve for all parties, but they can be hard to book. Also, Starlink communications packages are getting better, stronger, faster, and clients want the latest and greatest. Even when I was in Coastal Ecuador and the Peruvian Amazon, we had internet! Once, SatNav and VSAT were key to bookings, now Starlink packages are the trend.” It seems that as the horizons are broadened, so are the technologies that come along with them. Or perhaps it’s the other way around! 

“Last spring we’ve been experiencing a flurry of last-minute inquiries for spring break, Memorial Day weekend,” Nadia shares. “And a lot of those have been specifically asking for the BVIs, the Caribbean, and New England. That has been a shift in the previous years that had a major focus on the Bahamas. So we’re excited to bring those charters.” 

The charter market has been steadily growing to offer more options, more customizations, and more fun. Denison is proud to be paving the way in these unique vacations that truly allow you to get away from it all.