Cabin cruise or boat hire: which to choose?

A cabin cruise is a sailing holiday where you book one or more cabins on a shared boat, with a professional crew and full board included, and no sailing licence required. For a first time at sea, the real question is whether this suits you better than hiring a whole boat (a yacht charter), reserved for your group alone.

"For a first cruise, is it better to book a cabin or hire the whole boat?" This is one of the questions our advisers are most frequently asked. Both let you explore the sea and wonderful destinations, but they suit very different needs. One option, the cabin cruise, takes you aboard a boat with a crew, on full board, alongside other travellers. The other, boat hire, hands you an entire vessel, just for your group, with the freedom to plan your own itinerary. Here is a clear, side-by-side comparison to help first-timers choose.

Two options, two travel philosophies

Before comparing line by line, you need to understand clearly what each option includes. The difference is not just about price: it touches the very way you experience the trip, from the atmosphere on board to how the days are organised.

The cabin cruise in brief

On a cabin cruise, you book one (or more) cabin(s) on a boat shared with other passengers. A professional crew runs the boat: a skipper at the helm choosing the best anchorages, a hostess looking after the housekeeping, and, depending on the programme, a chef. You have nothing to organise: cabin cruises are full board, and water-sports equipment (masks, snorkels and fins, sometimes kayaks and paddleboards) is available. The boats are typically spacious, comfortable catamarans, sometimes large yachts, or traditional river vessels such as the Dahabieh for a cruise on the Nile in Egypt. These cruises most often run on a weekly basis, on fixed dates, to destinations such as the Seychelles, the Grenadines, the Caribbean, Polynesia or Greece. A catamaran cruise in the Seychelles or a cruise in the Cyclades are among the most popular programmes for a first time. It is the hands-off travel option: come aboard, relax and enjoy the company of fellow travellers.

Whole-boat hire in brief

With boat hire (also known as a yacht charter), you book a whole boat, private, for your group alone. You make up your own crew, you choose your dates and you build your itinerary as you go. This freedom comes with a trade-off: you need to know how to sail. "Bareboat" hire means at least one person on board must hold the relevant licence and have sufficient experience. If no one can take the helm, or if you would rather rest, you can add a skipper, or even a full crew. Boat hire applies just as much to a sailing boat hire as to a catamaran hire.

The comparison at a glance

The table below sums up the main differences between the two options, on the criteria that matter most when booking your first cruise.

How to choose your sailing holiday when you have never sailed?

If you have never sailed, the right choice depends above all on three questions: who are you travelling with, how much independence do you want, and what budget per person are you aiming for? Here are the most common scenarios.

You are travelling solo, as a couple or as two friends

This is where the cabin cruise makes complete sense. You book a double cabin, you pay only for yourself, and you benefit from a boat, a crew and full board that would be costly to fund on your own by hiring a whole vessel. It is also a chance to meet other travellers in a friendly atmosphere.

You are travelling as a family or an established group

If you are already numerous enough to fill a boat (a family, a group of friends), whole-boat hire often becomes more relevant. You keep your privacy, you adapt the pace to the children or to everyone's wishes, and the price of the boat is divided between all. For a stay with nothing to manage, you can opt for a boat hire with a skipper. That said, a family cabin cruise remains possible and appreciated, particularly to far-off destinations where full board and a crew greatly simplify the organisation.

You want to try without a licence or any managing

If no one in your group has a boating licence or experience, and the idea of managing the provisioning, the fuel and the itinerary does not appeal to you, the cabin cruise is the simplest solution. The crew takes care of everything. Conversely, if you want your private boat but cannot sail, boat hire with a skipper or with a crew offers you the best of both worlds: the intimacy of a boat just for you, and a professional at the helm.

Budget: comparing like for like

The most common mistake is to compare the price of a cabin directly with that of a whole boat. As they stand, they are not comparable: a cabin cruise is paid per person and includes the crew, full board and insurance, whereas boat hire is shown per boat and includes, in its basic version, neither crew nor meals. To decide, always think in terms of cost per person, all in.

As a benchmark, here are the starting prices for a cabin cruise with Filovent, per person, for a standard double cabin and one week of sailing. Prices are shown in EUR; indicative GBP equivalents are available on request.

For example, the price of a standard double cabin in the Mediterranean starts at around €1,200 per person in low season, and exceeds €4,000 per person in high season.

These amounts are starting points: the exact price depends on the destination, the boat, the cabin and the season. On the hire side, the price of the whole boat varies enormously according to the size of the vessel, the destination and the period, and you have to add, where applicable, the skipper, the provisioning and the fuel. In both cases, your adviser will draw up a precise, personalised quote for you.

Frequently asked questions

Cabin cruise or whole-boat hire: which to choose for a first time?

For solo travellers or couples, a cabin cruise is generally the most cost-effective and hassle-free option: you pay only for your cabin, with no licence and nothing to organise. For families or groups of six or more, whole-boat hire usually offers better value and privacy, since the price of the boat is shared and the boat is yours alone. In short, the more of you there are, the more whole-boat hire tends to make sense.

What is the difference between a cabin cruise and a bareboat charter?

A cabin cruise is a per-person booking on a shared, fully crewed boat with full board, and it needs no licence. A bareboat charter is whole-boat hire with no crew: you sail it yourselves, so at least one person on board must hold a valid licence (typically an RYA Day Skipper certificate or equivalent) and have real sailing experience. Put simply, a cabin cruise is hands-off and sociable, while a bareboat charter is private and self-skippered.

What is the price difference between the two options?

A standard double cabin in the Mediterranean starts from around €1,200 per person in low season, rising above €4,000 per person in high season on far-off destinations. The pricing logic differs between the two: a cabin cruise is paid per person and includes the crew, full board and insurance, whereas boat hire is shown per boat (bareboat, without crew), to be shared among the crew, and does not include meals in its basic version. To compare honestly, always think in terms of cost per person, all in.

Do you need a boating licence for a cabin cruise?

No. On a cabin cruise, a professional skipper is always on board: you need no licence and no sailing experience. It is only with boat hire without a crew (bareboat) that the person at the helm needs a valid licence and sufficient experience, typically an RYA Day Skipper certificate or equivalent.

Will I really be sharing the boat with strangers?

Yes, that is the principle of the cabin cruise: you share the boat with other passengers you do not know at the outset. Good to know: we do not communicate the profile of the other travellers (age, nationality) in advance, and it is best not to choose your cruise on that criterion, as the composition of the group may change right up to departure (cancellations, upgrades). For many, this is precisely a sociable advantage, the chance for wonderful encounters. If you prefer to stay strictly among yourselves, turn instead to whole-boat hire, or book several cabins to reassemble your group on board.

Can you choose your dates and your itinerary?

On a cabin cruise, the dates and itinerary are set in advance by the programme: you choose from the departures offered. With whole-boat hire, you are free with your dates and you build your route with your crew, within your permitted cruising area.

How long does a cabin cruise last?

Most cabin cruises run on a weekly basis, with boarding and disembarking on fixed dates. For example, a cruise in the Seychelles is organised over 8 days and 7 nights, with boarding at Mahé. You choose your date from the scheduled departures, unlike whole-boat hire where you freely set the duration and dates of your stay.

How many people are on board during a cabin cruise?

It depends on the boat. On a traditional river vessel such as the Dahabieh, there are only a few cabins; on a large cruising catamaran, the capacity is higher. Each cabin generally accommodates two people, and a professional crew completes the complement on board. Your adviser will tell you the exact capacity and the number of passengers expected for the departure you are interested in.

Are meals included?

On a cabin cruise, yes: all our cabin cruises are full board, sometimes prepared by a chef on board depending on the programme. With boat hire, the provisioning is yours to organise via the boat kitty, unless you add a hostess or a crew to take care of it.

Which destinations for each option?

The cabin cruise shines on far-off and exotic destinations: the Caribbean, the Seychelles, Polynesia, Asia, a Nile cruise in Egypt, as well as the Mediterranean (Greece, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Corsica). Whole-boat hire offers a very wide choice, with the Mediterranean as the favoured playground for a first experience.

Can you do a cabin cruise on a river?

Yes. Beyond cruises at sea, the cabin option also exists in the form of a river cruise, for example on the Nile in Egypt aboard a Dahabieh or on the great rivers of Europe. The principle remains the same: a cabin booked per person, a crew on board and full board. It is an excellent gateway for a first experience, with no sailing constraints whatsoever.

I am travelling as a family: what should I choose?

Both are possible. If your family is numerous enough to fill a boat, whole-boat hire offers you privacy and flexibility, especially with a skipper to take the sailing off your hands. For a far-off destination, or if you want zero organisation, a family cabin cruise, on full board and with a crew, simplifies everything.

Which option to choose for a family cruise without a licence?

Without a licence on board, your family has two options: the cabin cruise, all-inclusive with a crew and full board, ideal for far-off destinations; or hiring a whole boat with a skipper, which keeps a private boat for you while entrusting the sailing to a professional. For a large family attached to its privacy, hire with a skipper is often the most suitable.

Can you privatise a cabin cruise?

Indirectly, yes: a small group can book all the cabins on the same boat to be among themselves. If your goal is above all intimacy with service on board, a crewed cruise on a private boat is often the most suitable option. Your adviser will help you compare the options according to the size of your group.

Key points

There is no better option in absolute terms: it all comes down to your group, your desire for independence and your budget per person. The right reflex when setting off for the first time: list who you are travelling with and the level of management you are willing to accept, then ask your Filovent adviser for a per-person quote for each option. You will compare what is genuinely comparable and choose the option that truly matches your group, at the right price per person.