Charter Guide
What's Included in a Gulet Charter?
The whole yacht, a professional crew and your cruising fuel — included as standard.
A gulet charter includes exclusive use of the whole yacht, a professional crew, and — crucially — fuel for a normal cruising itinerary of up to around four hours a day. Because cruising fuel is already in the rate, an Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA) is rarely needed. The main extras are VAT, a transparent per-person food package, crew gratuity, transfers and any private-marina or motorised-watersports fuel costs.
The fuel-included advantage
This is the single biggest difference between a gulet charter and a standard MYBA motor- or sailing-yacht charter. On most crewed yachts, fuel is paid separately through an APA — a cash float you top up as the captain spends it. On a gulet, fuel for a normal cruising itinerary of up to roughly four hours a day is already included in the weekly rate.
The practical effect is that an APA is rarely required on a gulet. For most groups, there is no large cash float to wire in advance and reconcile at the end. An APA only tends to apply to very small groups or the most exclusive gulets — and where it does, the captain provisions on your account at cost, with a full receipt reconciliation at the end of the charter, so you only pay for what you actually use.
Fuel for motorised water-sports toys (jet-skis, seabobs) is the exception — that is charged separately.
What the weekly charter fee includes
Across our gulet destinations, the published weekly rate covers the same core elements:
- Exclusive use of the whole yacht — every cabin, every deck, for your group only
- A professional crew — typically captain, deckhand, chef and hostess — including their wages, uniforms and their own meals
- Fuel for cruising up to around four hours per day
- Use of the on-board leisure equipment — paddleboards, snorkelling kit, kayaks
- The yacht's insurance
- Mooring fees and taxes in the gulet's home waters (private marinas excluded)
- Linen, towels and the laundry of the ship's own linen
Exact inclusions vary a little by destination — Croatia, for example, also includes 24-hour generator fuel for the air-conditioning, Wi-Fi on board, and the Croatian tourist tax in the rate.
What costs extra
A clear, honest picture of the extras matters more than a headline 'all-inclusive' label. On a gulet charter, the items billed on top of the weekly fee are:
- VAT — added or included depending on destination (summarised below; our dedicated VAT guide covers it in full)
- Your food and beverage package — a transparent per-person cost (see below)
- Crew gratuity — discretionary, customarily 5–15% of the charter fee on Turkish gulets, and customarily higher (around 10–20%) in Croatia, paid in cash to the captain at the end of the charter
- Airport and hotel transfers — arranged on request
- Fuel for motorised water-sports equipment such as jet-skis and seabobs
- Private-marina fees — most of the time public ports are used; private berths are charged as used
- One-way (relocation) charters and certain optional excursions, where applicable
On cross-border itineraries — for example a Turkish gulet dipping into the Greek Dodecanese — Greek harbour fees, clearance costs and the Greek TEPAI cruising tax also pass to the charterer, and are always estimated in advance.
Food and drink — a transparent per-person package
Rather than a vague 'all-inclusive' figure, gulet dining is a clear per-person package, so you know exactly what you are paying for. Our Turkish gulets are provisioned in-house, which keeps ingredients fresh, locally sourced and consistent in quality.
In Türkiye the food package is Half Board at €595 per person per week (two meals a day, plus unlimited snacks, bottled water, tea and coffee) or Full Board at €665 per person per week (three meals a day on the same basis). In Croatia the package is Half Board at €550 or Full Board at €850 per person per week.
Beverages are handled just as transparently. On our Turkish gulets, drinks are supplied at cost price with no mark-up, and you are welcome to bring your own with no corkage fee — a genuine advantage over operators who mark drinks up heavily.
Children are charged at a reduced rate or go free on the food package — confirmed per destination in your proposal.
VAT — the short version
VAT is calculated on the charter fee (and on the food package), and how it appears in your quote depends on where the charter starts: in Türkiye, 20% VAT (KDV) is added on top of the rate; in Croatia, 13% is already included in the headline rate, so nothing is added; in Greece, it is a reduced 9.6–12% with a Greek charter licence or the full 24% without (plus the TEPAI cruising tax). Our dedicated guide on gulet-charter VAT walks through each destination, the licence rules and cross-border apportionment in full.
VAT and charter-tax regimes change annually — your final proposal always carries the exact, confirmed figure for your specific booking.
Why inclusions vary by destination
Gulet charters are not all written on the same contract, which is why the fine detail of what is included shifts slightly between countries. Turkish gulets charter on Exclusive Gulets' own in-house terms, with the rate quoted in three clear lines — charter fee, provisions package and 20% VAT — while Croatian and Greek gulets typically charter on the MYBA Charter Agreement, with the operator's specific inclusions written into the Special Conditions. Our dedicated guide on how a gulet charter works covers the contract framework and payment schedule in detail.
The headline principle holds across all three: the whole yacht, a full crew and your cruising fuel are included; food, VAT, gratuity and a handful of incidentals sit outside. We set every element out plainly in your proposal so there are no surprises on board.
Frequently asked questions
Is fuel included in a gulet charter?
Yes. Fuel for a normal cruising itinerary of up to around four hours a day is included in the weekly gulet rate. This is the main difference from a standard MYBA yacht charter, where fuel is usually paid separately. Only the fuel for motorised water-sports toys, such as jet-skis and seabobs, is charged on top.
Do I need to pay an APA on a gulet charter?
Rarely. Because cruising fuel is already in the rate, most gulet charters do not require an Advance Provisioning Allowance. An APA tends to apply only to very small groups or the most exclusive gulets — and where it does, the captain provisions on your account at cost and reconciles every receipt at the end, so you only pay for what you use.
Is food included in the charter price?
Food is a transparent per-person package added to the charter fee, not bundled into a single 'all-inclusive' figure. In Türkiye it is €595 per person per week for Half Board or €665 for Full Board; in Croatia it is €550 for Half Board or €850 for Full Board. Each covers meals plus snacks, bottled water, tea and coffee.
Is the crew included in a gulet charter?
Yes. A professional crew — typically a captain, deckhand, chef and hostess — is included in the weekly rate, along with their wages, uniforms and their own meals. A discretionary gratuity is the only crew-related cost paid on top: customarily 5–15% of the charter fee on Turkish gulets and around 10–20% in Croatia, given in cash to the captain at the end of the charter.
What is not included in a gulet charter?
The main extras are VAT, your per-person food and drink package, a discretionary crew gratuity, airport transfers, fuel for motorised water-sports equipment, and any private-marina fees. On cross-border itineraries, foreign harbour fees, clearance costs and cruising taxes also pass to the charterer — all estimated for you in advance.