Separating Fact From Fiction: Exposing The Truth Behind Below Deck Yacht Charters
Separating Fact From Fiction: Exposing The Truth Behind Below Deck Yacht Charters
Industry-renowned for offering inside scoops into life on a luxury yacht charter, Below Deck has grown into a reality TV phenomenon with multiple spin-offs and a long list of idyllic destinations. But just how much of the show is real?
Recently broadcasting the tenth series of Below Deck: Mediterranean, the latest series followed 147.4ft (44.91m) superyacht rental BRAVADO as she made her show debut in the charter routes of Barcelona. With adventures, mishaps, and vibrant characters all thrown in, one of the Series 10 primary charter guests has broken their silence on what really happens behind the scenes of Below Deck.
YachtCharterFleet digs even deeper to lift the mask of reality TV and unveil the true luxury yacht charter experience.
Privacy And Professionalism
Broadly known and accepted as being a reality TV show, privacy for guests on board a Below Deck yacht charter is largely nonexistent.
Wearing a microphone at all times, every conversation is picked up, with some discussions being cut from recordings to maximise entertainment value on the show.
With camera crews milling around and getting in the faces of those onboard, there’s a lot of movement behind the scenes, including multiple new arrivals from the production team throughout the day and night. Providing anything but a relaxing atmosphere.
With the cropping and censorship of conversations between the charter guests being revealed, it comes as no surprise that encounters among the crew are highly scripted.
Staged incidents, fights, and seemingly innocent mishaps occurring almost in succession are far from real experiences onboard a luxury yacht charter, where crew are meticulously trained to be professional at all times, especially with guests on deck.
In the makings of what is considered to be ‘good for television’, the specific crew members seen in action on Below Deck are there for TV purposes, and are not generally found together as a group on real charters secured through a charter broker.
The costs of a charter with Below Deck are heavily discounted and do not truly represent the costs involved in real bookings.
Carl Moon explains in his video that he believes the €60,000 he paid for a Barcelona yacht charter with the show is approximately what a three or four-day charter would cost; however, this is completely inaccurate, as the fee taken by the producers of the show does not account for all the additional charges related to a charter vacation.
Filmed in August 2024, a weekly charter rate for yacht rental BRAVADO (as seen in Series 10 of Below Deck: Mediterranean) shows a starting price at high season of €220,000 before any additional expenses are added.
As the charter featured in the exposé video is based on a three-day charter, here is an approximate price breakdown of what a three-day charter in Barcelona during August on the same yacht would realistically look like.
Comparing the prices side by side, it is evident that no VAT or APA has been charged by the production team of Below Deck, resulting in the incredibly low rate placed on the primary charter guest for inclusion on the reality TV show.
In addition to the standard weekly charges as seen above, it is also customary to add on a tip for the crew.
Carl Moon states that his charter party provided a €30,000 tip to be split among the crew, on top of what they paid for their charter. Though this seems incredibly generous, this amount still doesn’t bring the total cost up to where a realistic Barcelona yacht charter would sit.
YachtCharterFleet’s guide for charter crew gratuity explains that the standard amount sits between 10-20% of the charter cost and is usually discreetly given to the captain for distribution, other than being presented in front of the entire crew, as seen on the show.
For more details surrounding the ins and outs of charter pricing, read the comprehensive YachtCharterFleet guide to yacht charter costs, which includes a charter cost calculator.
