dream yacht charter reviews

Dream Yacht Charter

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Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands 00802

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The crew of Captain and Chef/steward get a 5 star review. For the following reasons, they get a 1 - problem with bathrooms made all cabins smell like feces and urine. Some cabins even had back up of feces and urine, ughhh. Took 5 days to fix. 7 of 7 batteries were dead. That means generator had to run 24/7. For the forward cabins, that means sleeping with a train underneath all night long. Some cabins never had hot water, the others had intermittent. We're talking only 4 cabins. The main sail broke after first use. Jib sail broke after second use. So basically we had sails for 2 of about 20 cruises. There is more but you get the point.

Purchased a boat through them. Has been one of the worst overall experiences dealing with their high level of incompetence. Helen Keller had better communication skills than their after-sales team.

We chartered twice, directly through DYC in Raiatea French Polynesia. The first charter was 5 years ago and the current one was two weeks ago. Both were amazing. The polynesian staff are considerate, skilled, and excellent and the customer service officer Olivier is amazing. You can sail where you want on the high pacific between the Leeward Islands and they will help you. Olivier enthusiastically confirms your daily plans. If something goes wrong not too far from home a speedboat will rescue you. The boat was what we expected. These boats are extremely complicated nowadays so issues will arise, but we were completely satisfied overall. We need to remember that bareboating means a bare boat. I brought some extra line that was invaluable. Next time I would bring a few extra shackles, because they can shake loose in a squall.

DONT. PLEASE DONT GIVE THIS AWFUL COMPANY ANY OF YOUR TIME OR MONEY. THEY WILL RUIN YOUR VACATION. It is evident that Dream Yacht Charters had no intention to fulfill its obligation to our reservation or booking contract from the beginning. Even if you are not a sailor the list below gives you a sense of their "double dipping" gaining monies from our booking and clearly booking the vessel to another party the minute we could not take any more lies or failed repairs. We left the unseaworthy boat and they quickly prepared it for a new client. Just about the most abhorent unsafe practice. No refund, No acknowledgement of their responsibility, no maintenance records. Anchor & Windlass * Windlass broke on 2 occasions rending the boat inoperable and leaving crew in exposed unsafe conditions, without the ability to raise or lower the anchor manually. * Anchoring - a 5:1 scope ratio is generally considered the minimum standard for anchoring; we were advised to put down a 3:1 scope and when doing so the boat dragged at night despite a good set on the sandy bottom requiring crew to attempt to sail back to safe moorage during the night. For the Indian ocean a 7:1 scope may be more appropriate. At best Dream Yacht Charters provided a 3.8:1 scope ratio for the anchor yet telling us to only use 45m which is 2.8 scope without any markings. Main sail * No reef points on luffed main sail, making it impossible to reef the main as there is no reef 1 tack or reef 2 tack point thus there is no way to secure the foot of the sail while reefed. * Reef points exist on the leech, however they are only lines through the reef points back to the winch which risks tearing of the main sail when downward pressure is applied, as usually a vessel of this size has a block system for reefing on the main sail. * Defective main sail halyard unable to winch to the top due to underpowered winch size and inappropriate line sizes. * Unable to sheet in Jib for proper sailing angle as lines slip through winch, due to inappropriate sized winch and lines. Genoa Main Sheet winch blew apart port side under sail Dingy * Dingy under inflated and had leak in hull, outboard motor would not stay on for more than 2 mins, no oars provided - crew had to swim 0.5km to shore dragging dingy and then waited 6 hours for rescue. * All crew members were injured during the swim with crew suffering from deeply embedded sea urchin spines that required medical attention and caused inability to walk easily for 1 week. Additional Issues * Refused to provide us with a tank key, despite us asking several times * Freezer did not work * Watermaker has not been serviced, it is "operational" but water quality is poor and monitoring dials not working - crew were unable to drink water from Watermaker without violent nausea * Swim step ladder was unsafe - it was attached to rotted wood on Transom which gave way under any strain * Auto pilot will not helm by wind angle

I have chartered sailboats at least 15 times. Hands down the worst experience ever, Thank goodness Montenegro was AWESOME. To begin our debacle, we chartered the Cat for 10 days. Had signed contract for months. They emailed later and said we couldn't have the boat for 10 days, but only 7. Tried to argue about signed contract, they basically said tough and too bad and if we continued, they would cancel charter entirely. Then we arrived already disappointed. There was literally NO chart briefing. First time ever on a charter. In fact we sent them an entire itinerary seeking their advice prior to arriving, they said that couldn't(wouldn't comment, seriously?) The list of issues; 1 They asked our shoe size for fins when we chartered. They had 3 sets of fins/mask/snorkels on boat, random sizes. That's it. Many had their own they could have brought. 2 The Port side bathrooms had water on floor. They couldn't care less. Later they explained to us that to drain water from floor, turn on faucet to start floor pumps. Any easy fix that they didnt bother to tell us when we were concerned 3 The salon table was broken, we discovered this on our first day as we tried to convert it to a bed and it fell apart. This was the ONLY time they helped us. They actually sent someone to fix. Two bathroom door handles fell off every time u went to open door. They fixed one when they came out, not the other. 4 We rented internet(extra charge) We asked if it worked in sailing area, said they had no idea) we tried it for 35 Euro anyway. Worked for one day. When we pulled into a harbor and plugged into shore power after about 36 hours, it never worked the rest of trip and we had NO outlets for for days so couldn't use anyway. When asked how to fix the outlets, they hadn't a clue. When we returned to base, they found a fuse had "popped" A fuse box that was hidden and they never told us about during boat introduction. Seems to me someone from base should have been able to tell us about this issue and how to fix while we were on the move. We had to share a few USB ports to charges our phones so we could take photos. They refused to refund the 35 Euros for hotspot which we obviously couldn't use without outlets and it hadn't worked before that. :( 5 The stern of the boat floor was filthy!!!! 6 The dinghy gas can was a joke. It had NO air hole so trying to fill dinghy was quite difficult without spillage. Every other dinghy I'ver ever had was supplied with a 2.5 gallon gas tank so one could easily see when needed more. His motor had about a 2 quart gas(generous estimate) tank hidden under engine cover so had to check it every day and try to fill with a ridiculous gas can 7 We woke up one morning to 65 knot winds and pouring rain sideways and lightening. The base did not warn us of impending storm and heard nothing on the radio. We went to look for foul weather gear, Yup, U guessed it NONE. First boat EVER without two sets. During the storm, three moorings in the cove where we were staying in dragged boats 100 M. One boat decided to disconnect from the dragging mooring at our bough and as he cut across our bough, he clipped our boat. This caused the mooring line(from mooring) to snap. We spent the next 2-3 hours motoring into the wind until we could find another mooring to try. After storm passed, one of the taxis came out to us to see how we were. We reported what happened. A few hours later, the taxi was taking photos of our bow. We asked him why. He told us Dream yacht charters wanted photos. So they knew our plight and it appears their only concern was the boat. The NEVER contacted us to warn us of storm OR to check on our safety after!!!!!!!! Even the captain of the boat that hit us returned to check on us after he left that bay!!!! Luckily( and rightfully) they concluded we had no fault as the mooring line(from mooring broke) and another boat hit us. There was more, but I hope u get the point! Date of experience: June 2024

No change Dream Yacht Charter, the COMPANY, simply don't care about your experience. YOU have paid in advance tens of thousands of dollars and you are STUCK with a local franchiser who may or may NOT fulfill your agreement. You show up at the marina hot and tired from travel dragging your luggage and your sorry sucker ass fingers crossed that the boat you contracted for is even there or in any condition to sail. INTERCOURSE these people and their way of conducting business. You have been WARNED.

Avoid at all costs. You will be screwed it's just a matter of to what degree. From boats that simply aren't there to serious safety issues on the ones that are there. In between will be old moldy mattresses backed-up sewage from the waste tanks no refrigerator no promised gen-set. All not compensated by the "Dream Yacht" non-existent "customer service" and their lousy $600 "refund" after you've literally spent tens of thousands. Picture yourself standing in the hot sun at the marina with no place to stay no provisions no communication with them about the broken boat you've contracted and you'll get the idea.

Sent us out on a mostly broken boat and did not care at all. We pulled out from the dock to find that almost nothing worked. No fridge, no generator, no outlets, nothing that we paid extra money to have. The boat Skippy Cat (the Fountaine Pajot Elba 45) was the worst boat I have ever been on and they had no idea how a thing on it worked. Brand new boat (been in the water for less than a month and a half) and yet it was almost entirely useless. And of course, they could not care one bit because they had already been paid. They completely breached their contracts for everything they were supposed to have and before you know it you've already signed away any liabilities they may have for making sure anything works. Not one single person there cares because they're all making their money regardless of how awful they are. One woman there (Virginia I'm talking to you) will stand there and patronizing you while blowing smoke in your face when in reality she doesn't know a single thing. We asked her where to take the garbage off the boat to throw it away and she couldn't even tell us where their garbage area was. One of the guys working the dock told us and she acted like he was below her for even knowing. This heinous woman was also yelling (in the most disrespectful way possible) at this woman who was just doing her job of cleaning the boats that had just come back into the marina. That lady cleaning had much more restraint than I do because just from watching her speak to that woman like that I was about ready to chew her a new one and send her into the water. I have never met a ruder, more entitled, flaming garbage pile of a human and I sincerely wish her the worst. There is no excuse for talking to another person the way she feels she has the right to. We went to Antiqua and if you see this before going you are much better off going anywhere else and so much better off never dealing with the people at DYC.

My wife and I have chartered a few times and booked with a couple of different charter companies. This year we decided to go to St. Martin and booked with Dream Yacht for a trip from June 14th-21st, 2023. The booking went fine and the customer service representatives I dealt with were helpful and pleasant. I did receive an e-mail on May 25th that they had changed our boat, but the new boat was substantially the same as the old boat so I was not worried about that. We were scheduled to leave on a Wednesday. The Friday before, we found out my brother has cancer. They scheduled a medicine port to be installed early Monday morning and by Monday evening, we found that his cancer has spread, is not curable and will be terminal. Tuesday we picked up our 5 year old black lab from the vet as he was having an issue with his paw. We found out that he has cancer as well and the prognosis was not good. My wife and I could not imagine leaving our 12 and 15 year old daughters or the rest of our family during such a trying time. We canceled our vacation with Dream Yacht Charters by phone and I explained to the agent I had been working with the reasons behind the cancellation. My family had other concerns on our minds, of course, but the high cost of this vacation was also of concern for us. On June 21st, 2023, I sent an e-mail to the agent I had been working with at Dream Yacht Charters. I was requesting the vacation be re-booked for the same boat and dates next year so nobody is out anything. I reasoned that the boat owner would not be upset as that boat had only been booked for a couple of weeks before that cancellation and we could re-book that boat and the owner would still get paid. The company would not be out money as they would keep my payments. My wife and I would still get to enjoy the vacation that we already paid for. I did not get a reply. I waited what I thought was a reasonable amount of time and then sent another e-mail on July 17th, 2023 reiterating my first letter and expressing my disappointment that I had not heard back. I did not get a reply to that letter either. It is now August 16th, 2023 and I never heard back from Dream Yacht Charters. My family went through (and continue to go through) a very difficult time. Dream Yacht could have made a decision that cost them nothing and helped out their customer. They could have been sympathetic and accommodating. They could have developed a long-term customer. They did not do those things, instead they kept the money and ignored me because they already got their money. A company with those ethics is not a company I want to do business with.

DYC bareboat in Abacos. April..May 2023. S/V Yepa (on loan out of New Prov). This was my second time chartering with DYC in the Abacos - once before Dorian and the Rona and and once after - and I simply can't say enough good about the experience. The pre-sales team was great in getting us a boat and a plan that fit our trip, the post-sales team followed up on things, and the charter base in Abaco treated us like nothing short of family! We initially reserved a Lagoon 52; two days before boarding, we were notified that a sail drive on the 52 needed to be repaired - we were upgraded to a Bali 5.4 at no cost. The Bali came from the New Prov base, overnight. A few minor issues at inspection - like all charter boats do - the Abaco base took care of everything that morning. They were willing to fix a New Prov boat to make an Abacos customer happy. We thought that was cool of them. The problems: Chain counter was inop (we just counted like olde tyme sailors). Bow thrusters were inop (first time I've seen bow thrusters on a cat --- why???). High Pressure pump on an A/C needing to be reset was the worst of it. Sailbag had the average charter-boat wear and tear, zero actual issues there. Watermaker worked fine for the week. Generator worked fine for the week. Fridge worked fine for the week. Icemaker worked fine for the week. A/C worked fine for the week (HP reset was before leaving the dock). Toilets, shower, sinks, stove, winches, lines, standing and running rigging, engines, etc, all in top shape. Two full propane tanks. Barbeque tools. SQUEAKY CLEAN barbeque (should be - it was propane). Bilges dry, through-hulls clean, circuit breaker fine, lights fine. Transom shower fine. Swim ladder fine. Hatches and ports and windows and doors all fine. Chart plotters up to date. Autopilot worked like a champ. No scratches or sunfade on any instruments. Zero scratches on the magnetic compass. Dived the boat on a few snorkel outings - very little growth underneath, rudder and skegs all in good shape (fantastic shape considering a charter boat!). A few torn handles on the dinghy - average wear and tear on a charter boat. We used the dinghy several times most days (had enough crew to require 2 trips on most outings), no problem at all. Dingy motor was tuned well. The supports on the dinghy platform was not sized for the dinghy - a very minor thing, no inconvenience at all. Kitchen was well-appointed. My brother is a chef, he brought his own tools, the second day he put his tools back in his bag. The charter base manager was great - we ran through our float plan and he suggested a few things that made the trip better. The charter base customer care manager was also great - checked to see if there was anything we needed to make our trip more comfortable or enjoyable, made sure we had answers to any questions. We hired a day skipper for 1 day, to help us learn the specific boat; I would not do the day skipper again. He was a contractor but I still put that on DYC because they hired him. I also put that on me - crew and I should have invested the time in walking the boat and dry-running certain operations instead of relying on someone else. We had a few challenges the first few days, as you do with new boats, and the base was always responsive and helpful. One of our crew got sunstroke towards the end of the trip, so we asked if we could come in early and stay on the dock. When we pulled in, DYC met us and asked if anyone needed medical attention - they had already called clinics to verify that someone was available should we need it. We did cause damage to the boat (sorry, owner!) - we notified the base when it happened, and reminded them of the damage when we pulled in. They went over everything with us, and we came to a very amicable agreement. I've got friends who are charter brokers; I've got friends who have discounts with charter companies; it might be different in other bases - for sure I've seen some posts here that would steer me clear of DYC in certain spots - but for the Abacos I simply can't think of any reason why I would not charter with DYC. Similar experience in 2018 on a Lagoon 42 in the Abacos with DYC. Watermaker, generator, sails, rigging, cushions, galley, cabins, heads, electronics, dinghy, etc, all in great shape. I've seen some great reviews for DYC out of the USVI and I've seen some terrible reviews for DYC out of the BVIs. The maintenance of the boats really should be a global standard for an organization, but it will differ amongst charter bases. Also consider that a lot of charter fleets weren't maintained to standard during The Rona - we waited until 2023 for a few reasons, one of which was to give the charter companies a year'ish to bring the boats back up to standard.

Covid delayed this crewed booking from Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands for three years, finally completing it this year. Dream Yachts downgraded us from a Lagoon 620 to a 58' boat, which all things considered, was disappointing but OK. Boarding is supposed to take place at 6:00 pm on the Saturday the booking begins. We had to sit dockside, watching the boat being cleaned out, provisions brought aboard, and by the time we were allowed to board at 8:00 pm, the provisions still were not stowed. Dinner? Late. Based on the boat not being ready for us, we assume it had come in from the previous week's charter. The weather was raining. After leaving Scrub Island, we all learned the toilets weren't working properly. The toilet in our cabin had a gasket leak at the base which allowed sewage to drain over the floor and into the shower for the entire trip. We were given towels to soak it up, but since there was too much,we ended up with sewage soaked towels wrapped around the toilet base with the stench of sewage the entire week. How could this happen to all of us if the boat had just returned from charter? Why would we have been given such an unacceptable boat? Sailing? Forget it. The chartered captain of the boat discovered the mainsail wasn't safe to use. Finally, on the Friday before we left Saturday, he patched it up enough we could sail for the last few hours back to Virgin Gorda. Seven days, maybe three hours of sailing. We were so glad the electric generator worked, otherwise it was impossible to sleep without air conditioning as there were no fans in the cabins. We really liked the captain and chef. But because there were so many things wrong with the boat, the captain worked all hours of the night trying to fix things. One night we had to listen to a power drill noise that sounded like it was almost in our cabin, in the middle of the night for quite some time. It appeared that Dream Yachts sends you out on a boat with major problems and lets the captain try to fix them. The paying clients have no choice but to live with those problems. I don't know about other charter companies, and they may all have similar policies, but when you arrive at Scrub Island, you're required to pay in cash, an additional $550 each couple. I'll bet a lot of our $3,300 total cashbox payments went to trying to fix the boat. Can you imagine an airline requiring a cashbox payment to fix a broken plane? We all agreed that's the last Dream Yacht Charter we'd sign on for.

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Review: Dream Yacht Charter

Finding the right yacht charter for your preferences and needs can be a challenging process – we’ve taken a look at one of the sector’s biggest players, Dream Yacht Charter.

(Photo: Dream Yacht Charter)

Founded in 2000 with the aim of revolutionising the industry by making sailing accessible to all, Dream Yacht Charter have rapidly become one of the biggest names on the charter market. If you’re thinking of chartering a yacht and want some help navigating the options, we’ve taken a comprehensive deep dive into Dream Yacht Charter so you can decide whether they might be the go-to guys to kick-start your yachting adventure.

Fleet & Destinations

When it comes to variety of fleet and destinations covered, Dream Yacht Charters can’t be beat. They have a diverse fleet of over 920 yachts available for charter, including monohulls, catamarans, sailboats and motor yachts. They cater for charters in over 45 global destinations, including all of the world’s most renowned yachting regions such as the Caribbean and Mediterranean, as well as lesser known spots like Cuba, Belize and Scandinavia.

How to book

Whereas online charter platforms will require you to conduct your own searches for yachts based on your specific criteria, Dream Yacht Charters simply ask you to fill in an online form with your main requirements such as type of yacht, crewed or bareboat, preferred destination, and dates of travel. They will then search their fleet and come back to you with availability, as well as a quote on pricing.

At any given time, Dream Yacht Charter also have a number of special offers available, with certain yacht charters offered for discounted rates. You can view these special offers by clicking on the relevant tab at the top of the website and then navigating on the drop down menu to your destination of choice.

Charter services

It’s fair to say that Dream Yacht Charter cater for every single charter preference, budget and need. From cabin charters, where you book individual cabins rather than the entire yacht, through to lavish fully crewed private yachts complete with captain, crew and five-star hospitality treatment from the start to finish of your trip, and everything in between, they offer it all.

And while charters of a week or two are still the most popular duration, they also allow for long-term bareboat charters – or “sabbaticals” as they call them – which have grown in popularity after changes in working patterns have allowed for remote working, even at sea. Sabbatical charters allow travellers to experience a destination, local culture and cuisine for extended periods.

Other services include European  canal cruises, which are popular with those who lack sailing or skipper experience but would still like to helm their own boat, and luxurious Aqualodges for those who want to stay near the water but aren’t ready for a sailing adventure. Finally, if you’re trying to get your yacht master license, you can add miles to your log with Dream Yacht Charters delivery charters for accredited bareboat sailors.

There are a number of alternatives for finding your ideal yacht charter. Among them, we would recommend Ritzy , which has a large number of crewed yachts available, and SamBoat , which also offers a wide variety of vessels, both crewed and bareboat.

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Dream Yacht Charter has a rating of 1.6 stars from 12 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Dream Yacht Charter ranks 444th among Vacation sites.

“DYC bareboat in Abacos. April.May 2023. S/V Yepa (on loan out of New Prov).”

This was my second time chartering with DYC in the Abacos - once before Dorian and the Rona and and once after - and I simply can't say enough good about the experience. The pre-sales team was great in getting us a boat and a plan that fit our trip, and the charter base in Abaco treated us like nothing short of family! We initially reserved a Lagoon 52; two days before boarding, we were notified that a sail drive on the 52 needed to be repaird - we were upgraded to a Bali 5.4 at no cost. The Bali came from the New Prov base, with a few minor issues at inspection - like all charter boats do - and the Abaco base took care of everything that morning. Chain counter was inop - we just counted like olde tyme. Bow thrusters were inop (first time I've seen bow thrusters on a cat --- why?). High Pressure pump on an A/C needing to be reset was the worst of it. Sailbag had the average charter-boat wear and tear, zero actual issues there. Watermaker worked fine for the week. Generator worked fine for the week. Fridge worked fine for the week. Icemaker worked fine for the week. A/C worked fine for the week (HP reset was before leaving the dock). Toilets, shower, sinks, stove, winches, lines, standing and running rigging, engines, etc, all in top shape. Two full propane tanks. Barbeque tools. SQUEAKY CLEAN barbeque (should be - it was propane). Bilges dry, through-hulls clean, circuit breaker fine, lights fine. Transom shower fine. Swim ladder fine. Hatches and ports and windows and doors all fine. Chart plotters up to date, no scratches or sunfade on any displays. Autopilot worked like a champ. Zero scratches on the magnetic compass. Dived the boat on a few snorkel outings - very little growth underneath, rudder and skegs all in top shape. A few torn handles on the dinghy - again, average wear and tear on a charter boat - we used the dinghy several times most days (had enough crew to require 2 trips on most outings), no problem at all. Dingy motor was tuned well. Kitchen was well-appointed. My brother is a chef, he brought his own tools, the second day he put his tools back in his bag. The charter base manager was great - we ran through our sail plan for the week and he suggested a few things that made the trip better. The charter base customer care manager was also great - checked to see if there was anything we needed to make our trip more comfortable or enjoyable, made sure we had answers to any questions. We hired a day skipper for 1 day, to help us learn the specific boat; I would not do the day skipper again. He was a contractor but I still put that on DYC because they hired him. I also put that on me - crew and I should have invested the time in walking the boat and dry-running certain operations instead of relying on someone else. We had a few challenges the first few days, and the base was always responsive and helpful. One of our crew got sunstroke towards the end of the trip, so we asked if we could come in early and stay on the dock. When we pulled in, DYC met us and asked if anyone needed medical attention - they had already called clinics to verify that someone was available should we need it. We did cause damage to the boat (sorry, owner!) - we notified the base when it happened, and reminded them of the damage when we pulled in. They went over everything with us, and we came to a very amicable agreement. I've got friends who are charter brokers; I've got friends who have discounts with charter companies; it might be different in other bases, but for the Abacos I simply can't think of any reason why I would not charter with DYC. Similar experience in 2018 on a Lagoon 42 in the Abacos with DYC. Watermaker, generator, sails, rigging, cushions, galley, cabins, heads, electronics, dinghy, etc, all in great shape.

“Class Action Suite”

Just had a disastrous engagement with Dream Yacht Charters. The boat was not acceptable having maintenance and safety issues. Given all the similar experiences of baiting (their sails and marketing … really good) and switching (their delivery … beyond bad) is there a class action lawsuit in the works … that we can join rather then their attempt to buy our silence?

Reviews (12)

• Follow David P.

Should you use Dream Yacht Charter? Read this and then decide. Our bareboat charter sailboat was advertised to have several convenient and appealing systems that would make a family's vacation safe and comfortable. However, we quickly found that some of the critically important and desirable ones were broken: - Broken windlass (no way to anchor safely – like having no brakes in a car) - Broken fresh-water maker (fresh-water rationing) - Broken AC (sleepless nights from the sweltering heat) - Incompatible propane tank valve (no way to cook our provisions - forced to dinghy in to buy expensive restaurant food) - Bad dinghy motor (unable to leave and return to boat reliably and safely) I heard from one of their USVI technicians that they know at least one onboard system was broken before they sent us out on our 10-day USVI vacation. Within 24 hours after leaving the marina, we discovered other broken systems. Over the next eight days I made 40 calls to their emergency mechanical hotline. On the rare occasions that a human answered (the voice mailbox was always full so no messages could be left), they repeatedly assured us that someone would be sent out immediately to repair all the issues. Finally, eight days later, they sent two technicians to fix one issue – they brought a propane tank with proper fittings so that we could now cook our provisions. Why did they lie about fixing the issues immediately? Why didn't they respond sooner? Why didn't they fix the issues before the charter? Why didn't they swap out the boat for one that was known to be usable? In addition to the broken items mentioned above there were other things that underscored negligence and chronically poor maintenance: - Heavily encrusted hull bottoms (looked like it had not been cleaned in years) - Badly damaged, unrepaired bow (potential water intrusion) - Failure to provide prearranged extras (they have yet to provide a refund) - Leaking windows (significant rain intrusion) - Filthy condition of cushions (appeared not to have not been cleaned for years) - Numerous broken snaps and Velcro (loss of cushions while underway) - Ripped helm bimini We were trapped on the boat in survival mode instead of joyous vacation mode with limited ability to stay at the locations we had planned to visit because the windlass was broken. It was unsafe, uncomfortable, and disappointing. It was worse than renting a camper van in the peak of summer in Florida, and finding that the brakes, AC, stove, motor, and other systems were malfunctioning or completely unusable. Wouldn't you at least expect a refund from the car rental company. I have detailed documentation on everything that happened - lists of all calls made and numerous damning images/descriptions of all the broken and deficient systems. These have been shared with DYC and I will gladly share any of this information with anyone who is interested to see proof of these claims. Upon returning home after the "vacation" I made numerous attempts (calls, e-mails, and certified letters) to seek restitution. After weeks of delay, they finally responded with a paltry and insulting compensation offer for ruining our vacation, and at this time they have refused to provide a refund or negotiate further to reach a fair settlement. They cannot and have not refuted the facts stated above. They know them to be true. They just don't care or want to provide fair restitution. This charter was not the only contentious interaction I had with them. Prior to this disastrous charter, I had two other unpleasant encounters. In the first one, they refused to honor a promise that was used to convince me not to cancel my reservation during the 2020 Covid shutdown. They promised to add two free days to the charter but never honored the promise. In the second interaction, they failed to return phone calls in a timely manner causing an important deadline to pass. Their sloth cost me a great deal of aggravation to prove, with documentation through numerous e-mails and telephone calls, that it was their fault that the deadline was missed. My experiences with them have convinced me that they don't care about anything, except getting your money. There are better more customer focused competitors out there. They have demonstrated that this customer's satisfaction was not a high priority for them. https://youtu.be/MH6t4v0Rrm0 #dreamyachtcharter #yachtcharter #sailingcharter #sailing #bareboatcharter #catamaranrental #sailboatcharter #USVICharter #catamaranrental #catamaranvacation #dreamyachtcharters #yachtcharters #sailingcharters #sailing #bareboatcharters #catamaranrentals #sailboatcharters #USVICharters #catamaranrentals #catamaranvacations #sailingtips

Tip for consumers: Don't use Dream Yacht Charter!

• Follow Jeff W.

Worst charter experience we have ever had (over 20 previous bareboat charters). Unsafe, uncaring, unresponsive, unwilling to try and make it right. We chartered for 2 weeks out of Nassau in July. Reserved a 1.5 year old Lagoon 40 in hopes of getting a nice boat in good condition. This is not a vendetta against DYC. I'd love to help them improve and make things right not just for myself but for others as well. The avenues I have tried to accomplish this so far have not worked. The largest problem was that when issues were found, DYC just said that's the way it is and did nothing to make it better on our charter or after. After months of negotiating, they offered $300 compensation on a 2 week charter without AC, without a safe boat, without a safe dinghy, and with many other issues. We had no reliable contact information for the base while on the boat. The number on our booking confirmation email did not work, and the number on Google did not work. The boat is a 15 min walk from the base and we were left to fend for ourselves or make the walk multiple times. We were given a semi responsive phone number at the end of day two. The boats AC in the port hull had been disassembled / removed from the port hull at checkout, and they have known about that for a long time, said it would take a week sitting at the marina to have it fixed. Although it was July in the Bahamas and we paid for AC, we were out of luck. After returning they offered $300 compensation. The boat ran on 220V European voltage, but had 110 appliances onboard DYC put a 110v toaster and blender on the boat. We found out that the appliances were 110V when the toaster caught fire. I had my entire family on a boat that caught fire because I trusted DYC!? Broken vessel rudder: The Port rudder had the bottom 1-2" missing, shaft was noticeably bent, delamination in the rudder showed significant algae growth indicating that the damage has been there for a long time. We did not dive the bottom of the boat in the marina, so we discovered this after the 7 hour passage from Nassau to the Exumas. Compromised steering on a boat should be a non-starter! Dinghy failures: Upon leaving the charter marina, the dingy davit eyelets on the dinghy ripped out of the rigid hull. The wood behind the fiberglass was rotten, black, and soft indicating that the dingy was old and neglected. This happened in the middle of the tight exit channel with coral / shoals on either side in seas much too large to safely recover a half hanging dinghy off the back of our boat. With no reliable contact number we brought the boat into the marina and backed into a slip. The workers lamented… "our dingy's are so bad" and then took off trying to find a replacement. They brought by different options that were completely unacceptable. Leaking dinghys that required constant bailing, dinghy's that did not even run well enough for the dock hands to get them to us, etc. We landed on a dinghy with two leaking tubes, an unremovable wooden plug JB welded in to drain plug, and a smoky engine with a damaged prop and questionable reliability. We asked for a better dinghy and were told that was it, otherwise we could wait a week for a different one. This dinghy almost sank while motoring back to our boat in a squall and put my family in danger. Mis-calibrated vessel depth gauge: During "checkout" I was told that the depth reading on the boat was absolutely the depth below the keel, not the depth below the waterline. Using a lead line and measuring tape, the actual water depth was 2 feet SHALLOWER than the reading below the keel. If we trusted the DYC base (I advise not trusting DYC) we would have been in danger of running aground. At checkout we were told the starboard refrigeration unit was a freezer and the port was a refrigerator. We provisioned for two weeks accordingly and bought a ton of meat and perishables to be frozen in the starboard "freezer" With food costs in the Bahamas, and accounting for people for 2 weeks this was a large sum of money. The starboard unit was always meant to be a refrigerator and would not reach freezing temps. Most of our meat spoiled and was wasted. We have worked over the last 3 months to give DYC the opportunity to make this right and they have come back with a $300 refund which is insulting. I write this review in hopes of saving others from going what we went through. We spoke with other DYC guests at the base who went through similar issues. We toured the Moorings base at the same location and it looked very impressive and was a stark contrast to what was going on at the DYC side.

• Follow Kathy T.

We bareboat chartered a catamaran for two weeks in June in the Exumas - my husband, me, our three kids aged 11-25, two teen nieces, and one boyfriend. The cat pictured was so perfect, 4 separate cabins with private heads each and three spacious common areas. When we arrived, we were told the boat we were supposed to charter had been damaged by the last charterers. There were no more cats available (although we saw plenty all around us) so we were downgraded to a monohull with two private heads and one head off the salon for the other cabins to share. We were very much looking forward to the cat, not only for the ideal sleeping arrangements, but also for the luxurious shared spaces - a monohull does not compare and eight people quickly gets crowded. The bahamas anchorages are very shallow, having a monohull meant we had to anchor far out or avoid anchorages we could have gone to in a cat. We were also assured hard kayaks were available but when we got there, there were only inflatable kayaks that took forever to inflate - and they forgot to give us paddles! The base also provides shuttling to the nearby grocery store for provisioning, but it was very expensive despite the short trip (and should have been comped considering the problems). It would have been nice if provisioning was provided like Moorings does. Fitting everyone for snorkel gear and fins was irritating insanity. Rather than letting us pick our gear like Moorings does, a woman kept bringing us fins to try on and then she would run back to the storage area and get new ones for us to try on. It took forever and somehow we ended up missing an entire set of fins and a snorkel to go with its mask - so we had to take turns snorkeling rather than all go together. Also, the chart chip we were given was completely unreliable, the depths were not even close to correct - my husband had just been on our sailboat in the Bahamas the week before (our boat had an issue, hence the charter), and our several year old chart chip was spot on. The GPS screen on the monohull was in an awkward spot so you couldn't easily watch it when you were at the helm. The boat was not available for us to leave at 5pm, we had to stay until the next day to repair the water pump and a broken fan (replaced with a fan without a protective cover, right by our head in a berth). During the checkout, we were told the boat had a shallower draft than the boat's documentation said. We had other issues with the boat, oil was spilling out of the engine and the forward sump pump stopped working, dream yacht quickly flew someone to where we were to fix it but we had to stay at the island that had the airport and then we had to dinghy him back-and-forth, so we spent a few days dealing with this problem, rather than having fun with our six passengers. A battery was bad and the alarm went off for the entire trip, the repairman didn't fix that. The bilge pump ran continuously. There were no tools on the boat. The galley was pretty but so poorly outfitted we didn't even have pans to use in the oven (so the oven was completely unusable) and there were no potholders. The french press coffeemaker was cracked and not usable, no whisk, no mixing bowls, no measuring spoons, only one 1/2 cup measuring cup. We were told the bottom refrigerator drawer was a freezer but it was actually a refrigerator, so our meats defrosted until we figured out that error. Bahamas in June is very hot, normally we don't have air-conditioning, but this boat did have it. It didn't work in three of the cabins so those people were dying while others were freezing trying to get the air to with the all of cabins. Obviously we didn't use the air conditioning 24/7 since it required running the engine but the fans were a poor replacement, some of them barely worked or didn't work at all, five guests were miserable trying to sleep. At the end, we had to fuel up the boat, but we couldn't get anyone on the radio and had to wait outside of the channel for 45 minutes before anyone answered. Then we had to wait ages until it was our turn, because people sat at the fuel dock and didn't get out of the way when they were finished fueling. We had a great trip anyway, but it was not at all what we expected and paid for. We did get the difference between the two boats refunded, and the kayak rentals refunded, but we would've preferred to have the things we were willing to pay for. In the past, we have chartered with Moorings in the Bahamas and Caribbean, and Hinckley in Maine, and never had issues like this.

Tip for consumers: Charter with moorings

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Reviews 3.2.

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Fantastic experience all round

Fantastic experience once again delivered by Dream Yacht Charters in the UK. Transparent pricing from the start and excellent value. Could not believe that the insurance indemnity was included in the price! Lorraine could not have worked harder to guide us on location and yachts to suit our needs. Any questions were dealt with quickly and professionally. The yacht we chartered met with our expectations and I have no doubt that had we experienced any difficulties at the base, Lorraine would have done her utmost to sort. Thank you for such a first class service. We will continue to charter from Dream Yacht Charters without reservation

Date of experience : 30 September 2023

Awful checkin experience in Olbia…

Awful checkin experience in Olbia Italy. Boat are not ready nor checked: fuel was not done (they forgot… so we had to do it), dingy’s engine does not work, safety not respected, beddings rented are not available No management

Date of experience : 01 August 2021

Reply from Dream Yacht Charter

Hi there, Thank you for your feedback. We've recently changed our cleaning crews and this did create some issues as the previous company was not up to standard and the boats needed recleaning, causing delays. We are sorry for your experience and please get in contact with your booking number if you want us to investigate further on [email protected]. Best wishes, the Dream Yacht Charter team

Nightmare Yacht Charter

My husband and I, and several of our friends, recently returned from a trip with Dream Yacht Charter. (see full review at tripadvisor.com as this site limits length) Overall: service was terrible. Captain and crew were unprofessional, and abandoned the guests on the boat, which was unsafe. Captain would leave the boat unmanned for hours at a time, not returning until 3am.Captain and stew arguing in front of guests. Stew quit on us mid charter. Generator broke. We had no AC and limited clean water so we were told we could not shower. Food was not good. We spend our own money for provisions. Company will not make this right and refuses to offer us a reasonable compensation for a terrible experience. Stay far far away from this company. Kelsey D. Canton, OH, USA

Date of experience : 27 May 2023

Hello Kelsey, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re so sorry to hear that your boat did not meet your expectations and fell below our standards. We see that your complaint has already been addressed by our customer experience team, and has been settled. Still, learning about your situation helps us understand where we need to improve and allows us to prevent it from happening again. Thank you for letting us know, the Dream Yacht team

Dream Yacht Charter Raiatea Bora Bora

We had a blast on a 5-days trip around Raiatea, Taha’a & Bora Bora. Conditions were exceptional so was the crew. We had a beautiful and confortable catamaran for the 7 of us with plenty of space. The crew was super friendly and knowledgeable bringing us to beautiful snorkelling and cultural places around the different islands. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience!

Date of experience : 05 January 2024

What an AMAZING experience

What an AMAZING experience. We’ve just returned from a week long skippered charter from Corfu, sailing around the beautiful islands of the Ionian. Paxos, Antipaxos and Corfu Old Town were beautiful and the secluded bays we had the pleasure of visiting thanks to our local skipper, Nicholas, were simply overwhelming. Fly and flops are no longer for us - we’ll be chartering with DYC for the foreseeable future. Shout out to our skipper who made the holiday as fantastic as it was. We couldn’t have asked for a better week.

Date of experience : 02 July 2022

Hi David, Thank you for your wonderful review. We're glad you had a great time with us in Corfu and we will pass your review to your captain :) We look forward to seeing you again soon with pleasure. The Dream Yacht Charter team.

Love the staff and service

We most recently chartered our first Catamaran in Exumas Islands, Bahama and had a magnificent experience. That was our 4th charter with Dream Yacht Charter and are very happy with the overall service, boats and staff at the base. All the bases we have visited are very busy- but we always feel we get what we need and are attended to. Love that they have bases all around the world. Have 2 more bookings this year - La Paz tomorrow and Naples, Italy in July. Never think about looking for alternative companies

Date of experience : 18 February 2023

Fantastic Charter - Great Trogir Base Manager and Staff

We chartered a 45ft catamaran. Boat was in excellent shape and we had no issues. Well equipped with chart book, extra propane and all other amenities. Base staff was super friendly and helpful and always asked us if everything was ok or if we needed anything when we passed them on dock. Base manager Tommi was super friendly and engaging, ensuring all of our needs were met and also took the time to suggest ports as well as booking slips for us. What a fabulous country and superb charter!

Date of experience : 20 May 2023

Friendly, professional & efficient

Just returned from a 1 week charter out of Pomer Marina, Croatia. The Dream charter team were 1st class throughout, Davor the base manager was professional, courteous & extremely competent. The yacht was spotlessly clean & ready for departure well before time. I highly recommend Dream Yacht Charter & will certainly use them again in the future.

Date of experience : 11 July 2022

Hello James and thank you for your review ! We are happy you had a great time with us and we look forward to welcoming you back onboard again ;) Best wishes, the Dream Yacht Charter team.

Baja is my favorite place now

Baja is my favorite place now. There was something for everyone: sailed under northerlies with mostly calm evenings, snorkeled, fished, bummed it on the sandy beaches, enchanted by pelicans feeding, greeted by the barking sea lions and explored the Ispiritu Santo island geology. DYC La Paz base provided competent professional support with a well provisioned and maintained boat. We were nourished well by an onboard cook arranged with DYC freeing us all for more play. A vacation and an adventure connected with nature.

Date of experience : 25 January 2022

Hi Taiyoko, Thank you for your review, we're glad you had a wonderful time in La Paz :) We look forward to welcoming you onboard again! Best wishes, The Dream Yacht Charter team

Dream yacht charter Dubrovnic…

Second charter to Aci Dubrovnic Croatia.From arriving early at the marina the team were fantastic. They were friendly and very efficient. The yacht handover was relaxed and the engineer was exceptionally helpful. With great information the team put you at ease and fill you with confidence that they are available should you need them. Thank you we will be back !

Date of experience : 22 April 2023

Appreciation to the DYC team in Zaton/Sibenik, Croatia

Unfortunately, our charter (Lagoon 42 Grand Tour) is over, boat was quite stable and we had a great time! Let me express my appreciation to the DYC team here in Zaton/Sibenik, Croatia and the quality of this boat (knowing a lot of other DYC bases and boats woldwide, since I am yacht owner at DYC myself). The boat maintenance and customer care is really recognizable good, fast and reliable. Very convenient and it supports a lot our life on board. Everybody felt very well. MERCI BEAUCOUP for this!!

Date of experience : 17 June 2023

We booked our Aug 2022 holidays in…

We booked our Aug 2022 holidays in Dubrovnik (Croatia) with Dream Charter via Boataround agency in Sept 2021. Initially booked catamaran FP44 Hellia. Easy communication with Boataround, 10% discount. I give Boataround 10/10. In June Dream Charter upgraded the catamaran to almost new FP47 Saona 'Beyond' for free. All went super. The boat was ready on time and by 18.00 we were heading to Korchula. The holidays were perfect. Questions about sensors operation (in Hvar city) on the yacht were answered by phone on time w/o any stress. Dream charter is offering easy communication, professional service 10/10. I would deal with them again.

Date of experience : 19 August 2022

I have chartered sailboats at least 15…

I have chartered sailboats at least 15 times. Hands down the worst experience ever, Thank goodness Montenegro was AWESOME. To begin our debacle, we chartered the Cat for 10 days. Had signed contract for months. They emailed later and said we couldn't have the boat for 10 days, but only 7. Tried to argue about signed contract, they basically said tough and too bad and if we continued, they would cancel charter entirely. Then we arrived already disappointed. There was literally NO chart briefing. First time ever on a charter. In fact we sent them an entire itinerary seeking their advice prior to arriving, they said that couldn't(wouldn't comment, seriously? The list of issues; 1 They asked our shoe size for fins when we chartered. They had 3 sets of fins/mask/snorkels on boat, random sizes. That's it. Many had their own they could have brought. We had 10 people on charter :( 2 The Port side bathrooms had water on floor. They coolant care less. Later they explained to us that to drain water from floor, turn on faucet to start floor pumps. Any easy fix that they didnt bother to tell us when we were concerned 3 The salon table was broken, we discovered this on our first day as we tried to convert it to a bed and it fell apart. This was the ONLY time they helped us. They actually sent someone to fix. Two bathroom door handles fell off every time u went to open door. They fixed one when they came out, not the other. 4 We rented internet(extra charge) We asked if it worked in sailing area, said they had no idea) we tried it for 35 Euro anyway. Worked for one day. When we pulled into a harbor and plugged into shore power after about 36 hours, it never worked the rest of trip and we had NO outlets for for days so couldn't use anyway. When asked how to fix the outlets, they hadn't a clue. When we returned to base, they found a fuse had "popped" A fuse box that was hidden and they never told us about during boat introduction. Seems to me someone from base should have been able to tell us about this issue and how to fix while we were on the move. We had to share a few USB ports to charges our phones so we could take photos. They refused to refund the 35 Euros for hotspot which we obviously couldn't use without outlets and it hadn't worked before that. :( 5 The stern of the boat floor was filthy!!!! 6 The dinghy gas can was a joke. It had NO air hole so trying to fill dinghy was quite difficult without spillage. Every other dinghy I'ver ever had was supplied with a 2.5 gallon gas tank so one could easily see when needed more. His motor had about a 2 quart gas(generous estimate) tank hidden under engine cover so had to check it every day and try to fill with a ridiculous gas can 7 We woke up one morning to 65 knot winds and pouring rain sideways and lightening. The base did not warn us of impending storm and heard nothing on the radio. We went to look for foul weather gear, Yup, U guessed it NONE. First boat EVER without two sets. During the storm, three moorings in the cove where we were staying in dragged boats 100 M. One boat decided to disconnect from the dragging mooring at our bough and as he cut across our bough, he clipped our boat. This cause the mooring line(from mooring) to snap. We spent the next 2-3 hours motoring into the wind until we could find another mooring to try. After storm passed, one of the taxis came out to us to see how we were. We reported what happened. A few hours later, the taxi was taking photos of our bow. We asked him why. He told us Dream yacht charters wanted photos. So they knew our plight and their only concern was the boat. The NEVER contacted us to warn us of storm OR to check on our safety after!!!!!!!! Even the captain of the boat that hit us returned to check on us after he left that bay!!!! Luckily they concluded we had no fault as the mooring line(from mooring broke) and another boat hit us. There was more, but I hope u get the point! Date of experience: June 2024

Date of experience : 21 June 2024

Not so nice

Good: uncomplicated check-in in Greece and nice marina with restrooms and restaurant. Bad: our ship was in very bad condition and looked dirty inside and outside. It was not equipped like it was offered to us. The staff did not respect our complaint and did not provide any discount, saying we are the last crew using the ship at the end of the season. Do not buy the WiFi, it never worked and was never useful. Not a good experience

Date of experience : 03 November 2021

Thank you for your feedback and we're sorry to hear you have experienced issues during your sailing vacation. We would like to investigate further and advise you to contact us with your booking information on [email protected] so we can assist.

Top experience!!

I am a seasoned skipper and have chartered with many companies in the past. A few months ago, I met Dream Yacht’s Head of Customer Experience, Edouard, at an event. His passion for customer centricty convinced me to give Dream Yacht a shot for my next trip that I was planning in La Paz. From my arrival at the base in La Paz, the Base manager, Ernesto, his staff, and the crew on board, made my trip memorable. I will definitely be booking again with Dream Yacht and will highly recommend to anyone looking for an amazing experience.

Date of experience : 07 May 2023

Boat was in perfect order and plenty of anchorage In February

Boat was in perfect order. There are plenty of anchorage In February. Water is blue. We explored ridge (North) part of the island. Quite pretty area. Base was very helpful with suggestions, docking and weather. Definitely want to go back and explore Southern side of the island.

We had a fantastic holiday from Pozzuoli Italy

We had a fantastic holiday from the Pozzuoli Marina. Really easy introduction from the base staff and the engineers before and after we returned they are very friendly. We visited all the many Islands that are in easy reach of this Marina in our luxury Bali 5.4 Procida, Ischia,Ventotene,Ponza,Positano,Amalfi and Capri. We have been sailing with DYC for 5 years France, Palma, Martinque, Bahamas, Greece and Croatia and we look forward to our next 5 years. Thank you DYC

Date of experience : 20 August 2022

Hello Gary and thank you for your wonderful review. We're glad you had a great time in Italy and we will be happy to welcome you onboard again soon. Best regards, The Dream Yacht Charter team

WORST COMPANION OF CHRTER

WORST COMPANION OF CHRTER! One star is already too much! in the meantime we pay for a 60 catamaran and at the jetty they tell us that it is not available e. Check at 4.80. Cruise with constant problems of smell of waste water, poor and badly cooked food, boat never cleaned neither internally nor externally, bathroom bag with dirty toilet paper never changed in a week! Absolutely to be avoided do not be fooled! Refund? 250€

Date of experience : 29 June 2022

Hi Simona, Thank you for your feedback. Hearing about your customer experience helps us understand where we need to improve. We have looked into your comments internally with the relevant teams and while we understand your frustration, our team on site addressed the issues as best as possible. We are still in conversation with you and open to finding a resolution. Our customer care team will reach out. Best Regards, The Dream Yacht Charter team

Horrendous experience with Dream Yacht…

Horrendous experience with Dream Yacht Charter in Kos, avoid this company if you want to avoid rude service and being ripped off. When checking the boat after a charter, their staff actually broke a port hatch and then charged me for it. When I tried to engage with them in a sensible discussion about what they had done I was sworn and shouted at by them. Terrible company.

Date of experience : 20 July 2022

Hello Mr Cooke, Thank you for your feedback and we're sorry to hear you have experienced issues during your sailing vacation. We would like to investigate further but could not identify your booking, please send us an email at [email protected] explaining your disappointment so we can look into it. Regards, the Dream Yacht Charter team

An efficient and tightly run operation!

As a boat owner/partner with Dream Yacht of a Lagoon Catamaran in Croatia I was initially anxious as to how my boat would be maintained by the Marina Team. However to date I can say that the entire experience has been trouble free with all the staff making every effort to look after the boat and ensure that everything aboard is in good working order for their clients. Although a very busy base they run a very professional and tight ship with Marco the base manager personally getting involved to make sure things run smoothly. Full marks guys!

Date of experience : 04 November 2022

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Reviews 3.2.

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A bad business model that cause the customers suffer

I'll jump in again on this. My understanding: When you see a charter company that offers "guaranteed payments" to "owners", realize that in many/most cases, the charter company picks up the costs for all repairs to the boat. Conversely, many companies (Like BVI Yacht Charters), the maintenance is paid for by the owner of the boat. You tell me. Which boat is more likely to be well maintained? The boat where the management company has to eat the repairs, or the boat where the management company bills the owner for all of the repairs? Yup. BEST maintained boats we've ever had were from BVI Yacht Charters. Worst? By far: DYC. The boat was about 9 months old and in not-great shape. There was probably 2 rolls of duct tape in use on the boat, for repairs. As a business owner, I've always said that the difference between good companies and great companies is how they handle things when the excrement hits the fan. DYC is a classic example of how NOT to handle things. Just horrible people. At some point, they will run out of charterers to screw over. As for the good reviews: Certainly, one would expect most charters to be mostly trouble free. But a company that pays off guests to NOT post a negative review

Date of experience : October 10, 2023

Amazing Charter team in Antigua

My friends and I have just returned from a week of bareboat Sailing in Antigua on board a FP Astraea. The boat was in really good condition and the hand-over and return processes were very easy. The base manager, John, is a fantastic guy and he leads a team of enthusiastic and friendly individuals; nothing was too much trouble for them during our stay and they bent over backwards to assist us when required. The sailing area in Antigua, whilst looking fairly limited at first glance, is absolutely superb and we had a blast for our week there. I have invested in a boat with DYC and after this, my first charter with the company, I am confident that I have made the right decision; sailing like this could not be easier and there are so many bases to choose from.

Date of experience : March 10, 2023

Absolutely Perfect!

Let me be very clear, I read all the reviews before I used them and was terrified that our trip would be a disaster. I can't speak for Dream Yacht in any place other than Nassau (Palm Cay Marina) in the Bahamas but at this location, they were spot on. We did not have a single issue, the staff was friendly and accommodating. We were told 48 hours before our trip that the boat we had reserved was having mechanical issues and they were giving us another boat. I, being a planner, was very concerned, especially after reading all the reviews. However, the boat they gave us was a nice upgrade, had everything we had wanted on the original boat and more. They answered all my questions, did a great briefing, made sure we had everything we needed and were wonderful with the check out. Every person we dealt with at this marina from Dream Yacht was just wonderful! Alex deserves a special mention as he arranged for everything and put up with all my questions! Thank you Alex! You all have an amazing team! Keep up the great work!

Date of experience : July 08, 2023

SAIL BOAT CONDITIONS and OPERATION

SAIL BOAT CONDITIONS and OPERATION TOILETS ● Working very well. Motors ● In general working well. See additional comments. MAINSAIL-should be replaced. ● Medium Size Tears ● Repair tape disintegrated. ● Mainsail cover ripped. ● Bimini cover above cockpit is TORN. JIB SAIL-should be replaced. ● Medium size tear KITCHEN ● Fridge not working. ● No freezer (not working) ● Fridge lock-latch broken (does not allow to close the fridge) ● Both units leaking water after using tons of ice to keep our food healthy. Still, because of this condition we lost of food ● Propane tanks: Insufficient capacity for 8-10 people on board ● BREAKABLE porcelain and glassware - this is risky to dangerous. ● Plates ● Mugs ● Glass ● DANGEROUS on a sail boat ● Secondary tap not working. UTILITIES ● No generator ● Batteries: Insufficient capacity. We had to run the engines for 3 hours every day. ● Water tanks: insufficient capacity for 8-10 people on board ● Outboard: weak capacity DINGHY ● Motor cover: Coming off continuously with the slightest move/touch ● Boat should have a bigger dinghy for the 8-10 people capacity CABINS ● Hatches ● Leaking ● Supports: three hatches had the supports broken ● Weather sealed broken in one of them. ● Bow port hatch glass/vinyl broken. ● Bow starboard hatch had no support. ● Bow starboard portlight: glass/ vinyl broken and duct taped shut ● Doors: ● Starboard bow & aft cabin not locking ● Lamps filled with rust ● Cabin mattresses in bad shape OPERATION ISSUES ● Left winch top broken ● Anchor lights not working ● The navigation panel switches wiring is wrong. ● Inadequate FIRST AID KIT ● NO proper, even basic tools like pliers, screwdrivers, etc. ● Anchor size inappropriate for the size of the sailboat MOTOR & STEERING ● Wheel does not lock, this is dangerous when backing with the boat. It can damage rudders if wheel is not firmly held by a co- pilot ● Wheel - it is very difficult to hold direction with this wheel ● The motor control is very difficult as it is not responsive, particularly in reverse mode. HULL ● Overgrown with algae all over ● Propellers filled with algae and sea dirt ● Rudders filled with algae and sea dirt

Date of experience : January 28, 2024

Great boat; Very good support

We have chartered many cats over the years, and the Bali 4.4 was by far our favorite. The layout and design was so open and comfortable, both up top and down below. We had a few minor issues after we left the marina, but Ken was right there on WhatsApp to help. Really our only issue was that we were told there would be a convertible bed in the main salon, and there was not. Luckily the bedless person was a very good sport about it but that was disappointing. Overall a great experience. I might go back just to watch Tikka (sp?) drive the yachts around that tight little marina! Thank you all.

Date of experience : June 03, 2023

I truly recommend DYC as a great…

I truly recommend DYC as a great charter company with great offers and excellent fleet all around the world

Date of experience : March 23, 2024

DYC Bottom Line More Important Than Clients

I had booked a bareboat sailing adventure with Dream Yacht Charters in the USVI for this month (May 2021) and had an unexpected acute health event that necessitated cancellation of this trip. I requested a refund due to medical issues and was denied. Dream Yacht Charters were not even willing to let me book at a later date. Apparently, the management at Dream Yacht Charters has made the decision that they need my $4,000 more than I do for my ongoing medical testing expenses. Dream Yacht Charters has followed their cancellation policy to the letter, but has squandered the opportunity to do what is right for a potential repeat client. Had Dream Yacht Charters made a different decision, then they would have had a loyal client who would be an ambassador for their brand. Instead, management has shown that their bottom line is more important than their clients. When my health issues are resolved and I book my next sailing adventure, it will NOT be with Dream Yacht Charters.

Date of experience : May 12, 2021

Reply from Dream Yacht Charter

Dear Julie, We were sorry to hear about your health issue which led to canceling your charter with us. We always recommend that customers buy travel insurance at the time of booking to cover emergencies, such as medical issues. Unfortunately, you declined to take it. Best wishes, the Dream Yacht Charter team

Sailing journey in Key West

As in every charter we have had there were issues. The thing we really liked about these guys was how they handled everything in the end. Though you could tell the boats were used a lot you could tell they put effort into keeping up with the issues. Being a new base for chartering they were very open to the little complaints we had with the boat and we felt comfortable with not feeling we were the cause of the problem. Because they were so accommodating we got more then our moneys worth on the boat we were on. We enjoyed our trip out on the waters of the Florida Keys on a 42’ Lagoon. Very spacious and really enjoyed the accommodations especially having an outdoor fridge. Thank you staff for all you did to make our trip especially enjoyable. We know you all did everything you could. We have and will continue to refer other sailors to you. We look forward to seeing you next year! Hairy Bear Captain and Crew Ken Tennant

Date of experience : April 28, 2021

Hi Ken Thanks so much for the kind review and we look forward to welcoming you on board again. Best wishes the Dream Yacht Charter team

DYC avoiding us!

Dream Yacht Charter will not talk to our broker! We were stuck dockside on the catamaran we chartered at the Key West DYC location for two days. When we left on Tuesday around 4:00 PM, the boat was still unsafe and unready to sail. We left to try to save our vacation involving 2 grandparents, 2 adult children with spouses, and 4 children under 6, who had all been planning a fun-filled vacation in the Florida Keys for many months. We all traveled in from the west coast for this trip. Not a hot dockside virgil. The genset had failed and was being replaced until they decided it could not be fixed. That decision came around 5 PM Monday, costing us our first day. Additionally, the starboard airconditioning did not work (94 degrees in the two staterooms with hatches and doors open and the tiny fan buzzing at full speed), there was a strong blackwater smell on the port side, the forward hatch cover was shattered, the watermaker was spraying water, the aft deck had a thick salt coating, we had no dingy, one blackwater tank was emptied and the other not check, one or both water tanks were empty, and most importantly, both aft safety lines were broken. Apparently, the staff was too short-handed to fix our issues, with two other cats suffering delayed starts due to maintenance issues. We could see a windless and rode and a halyard or other in mast line replacement on the dock behind us. The lack of maintenance on our charter cost us day two. The engines appeared to be in good order and the running rigging with the exception of a frayed topping lift seemed good.

Date of experience : June 29, 2021

Hi there, We are in regular contact with your broker and the base team, who confirmed you arrived on a Sunday and left on Tuesday, canceling the charter the day before. There was an issue with the genset on the boat you chartered, but apart from this ancillary equipment, the boat was ready for sailing. The air conditioning had some seagrass clogged in the strainer, there is quite a bit in the marina at the moment. This was cleared out and the air con worked. We offered a refund for the four days you didn’t stay onboard for. Hopefully we can welcome you on board again soon to show you how we are improving. Best wishes, the Dream Yacht Charter team

DYC - Zaton Marina

We chartered the Boat in Croatia, Zaton Marina. Nice little Marina managed by DYC staff. Efficient organisation, Yacht was in good condition, staff friendly and helpful. Nice experience and a trouble-free holiday.

Date of experience : September 03, 2022

Hello TC and thank you for your wonderful review. We will be happy to welcome you onboard again soon. Best regards, The Dream Yacht Charter team

We went to Corfu and it is beautiful!!

We went to Corfu and it is beautiful. The DYC Dock Manger is a hard worker. He stayed late to complete all tasks in preparation for our vacation. We were a group of 5 boats. We needed to hire one skipper and he was excellent!!! Overall, it was a great trip.

Holidays in Thailand with Dream Yacht Charter

We had a very nice holiday in Thailand. We felt very safe in the care of DYC - Thailand, very nice and friendly people work there. Our catamaran was very well prepared for sailing and well-equipped. We will definitely come back there 😎

Date of experience : February 12, 2022

Hi ArQ, Thank you for your review, we're glad you had a wonderful time in Thailand! We look forward to welcoming you onboard again! Best wishes, The Dream Yacht Charter team

Just had one marvelous week in French…

Just had one marvelous week in French Polynesia. Great time on a Sun Odyssey 43,9. We visited 3 islands. The weather was great also. I recommend this experience if this is on your bucket list! Was on mine for years and I would do it again. The staff was great and very helpful at the Raiatea base.

Date of experience : March 31, 2023

A dream redolent of diesel fuel

I chartered with DYC their Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 419 "Allegro" from Palma de Mallorca. I had to call up DYC before the charter to ask for the boat registration details and to deal with a mess-up caused by my agent. I would especially like to commend Chiara from the Palma office, who was very helpful and nice to speak with. She handled my check-in paperwork, too, and that was smooth and fast. She also later arranged the rental of a SUP board that I had forgotten to ask for while at the office. The boat, unfortunately, was not shipshape. The handover started quite late, around 18:30. There was a smell of diesel fuel around the boat, which was caused by diesel in the engine bilge. A lot of it -- the bilge was almost half full. I reported this, and a technician pumped out the diesel and cleaned the bilge. This pointed to a fuel leak somewhere around the engine, and indeed, the first day of the cruise fuel reappeared in the engine bilge. We're talking two fingers deep after four hours of motoring. Not exactly an insignificant leak. Despite my best attempts to sponge it out, it made its way into the main bilge and made the boat smell of diesel throughout the week. This is not quite the experience I associate with a "dream yacht charter", and neither is removing diesel from the engine bilge with a kitchen sponge.

USELESS Dream Yacht Charter REPLY !!

And yet again, another placating HORSESHIT email. Crooks. Dream Yacht Charter has YOUR money, and YOU are SCREWED. Again, email HORSESHIT from these guys, "we can't find you after checking all our systems." Here is the contract number: 889366499, AGAIN. Dream Yacht Charter REPLY !! "Reply from Dream Yacht Charter: "Apr 25, 2022; Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry your experience was not what you'd hoped for. We could not find a reservation based on the details provided. Please email with your booking details so our team can investigate your concerns. Best, the Dream Yacht Charter team" Why don't you try looking it up? 889366499 You guys are FRAUDALENT. Contracted for a boat and you did not deliver it. Simple. YOU screwed me and my family. How about a refund rather than your HORSESHIT placating email responses? Oh Gee, May 12 "reply" from these crooks, and still no response.

Date of experience : May 07, 2022

Hi Bruno, our customer service will get in touch with you to understand further your complain, and see how to proceed. Best regards, Dream Yacht Team

Unprofessional Operation

Unprofessional Operation – Plenty of Alternatives A group of six of us chartered a five cabin Fountaine Pajot Saona 47 for seven days in January 2023 from their QLD operation, Dream Yacht Charter and encountered many boat problems along with unprofessional & hostile charter management. 1. Lost a day because the generator was faulty. Partly because of this, the boat briefing was spasmodic and disjointed (briefer claimed first time to brief on this boat) as he was also dealing with the tender’s fuel tank not being full, replacing the missing ice chest, filling the boats water tank and agreeing the BBQ was unclean but didn’t have the time to address it. 2. Rain leak in starboard saloon and the boat was delivered with tarpaulin that had to be rearranged to slow the leaks. (Cushions sodden wet, had to be stripped and dried over following 2 days) 3. Dead and live cockroaches in cabins, saloon, and cockpit (6 instances) 4. Main outhaul was chaffed, unsafe to the extent we stopped using the sail. 5. Forward port cabin hatch also taped up to prevent rain from entering. 6. Shore power leads (all three connectors) were full of water and tripped the dock relay. We had to disassemble, dried and taped with plastic. (QYC accuses we dropped in the water, we did not) 7. 2 x AC’s not working (stern port cabin front saloon unit) and both fail to cool air. There were several other more debatable issues but given Dream Yacht Charter’s blameless responses and complete unwillingness to take any responsibility we let these issues speak for themselves. We were offered a refund for 1 ½ days rental, which we declined in preference for sharing our experience in the hope others reconsider using such a shoddy operator as Dream Yacht Charter their other brand, QYC (Queensland Yacht Charters)

Date of experience : February 25, 2023

Hi Peter Gibbs, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are sorry to hear that your boat did not meet your expectations and fell below our standards. In order to investigate the case, please fill in this form (https://bit.ly/dreamyacht) as it is our goal to provide the best experience, and we take that commitment very seriously. Thank you for contacting us, the Dream Yacht team.

Great Charter Experience!

Recently chartered a Lagoon 46 out of the USVI Dream Yacht Charter base. The boat was in perfect shape, clean and stocked for our trip. Thank you to a great local team that got us briefed, ready and out of the water quickly! We would recommend DYC to anyone looking to charter in the USVI.

Date of experience : June 08, 2023

Chartered a 52 Dufour in the British…

Chartered a 52 Dufour in the British Virign Islands and the boats systems were absoluely shot. End result, no electrical power, no AC, no wifi, no chilled ice or food, no sleep. Thats not a holiday - thats an endurance challenge. I averaged about 3 hours per night for 7 nights. The boat just had not been serviced properly, with serious seperate issues with generator, batteries, auto pliot malfunction, jammers, bilges, heads and propane/CO sensors (or maybe an actual leak?). No power menat no AC and no Wifi, no charging of phones and limited fridge use. Dream Yachting Charter did very little to sort these issues during the week - several visits that didnt mprove very much and took up valuable time. They acknowledge that they briefed us completely incorrectly regarding the use of the generator which exasserbated the problems. There were missing tools, medical supplies and generally a poor inventory. Their solution to the propane/CO alarm constantly going off was to disconnect it. So I was super nervous it wasnt a sensor issue but an actual leak. But no-one died, so thats ok right?! We slept with all the hatches open and on deck if we could. I'm imagining they broke a number of regulations with this approach - perhaps I should report them to the Authorities? Back at base, the manager, Richard, admitted all of the issues and thanked me for my feedback. There was a standard refund form for about 15% of the rental ($550) and I refused to pay for the fuel ($200) so that saved me another few percent. They agreed $50 for ruining our ice and food - wow. There was no more to be had. Even the broker (Helm) put pressure on them and in the end felt so bad, they offered a similar credit back from them for future rentals (not with DYC!) - so at least someone has a business conscience! Absolute disgrace. Own your issues Dream Yachting and compensate properly for giving people a lousey time.

Date of experience : November 18, 2023

Bad Service Experience

Want to plan my boat trip with DYC and was quite excited to call the service line in Germany. But unfortunately the service lady in Germany was extremely unfriendly yelled at me on the phone, didn't listen, was extremely rude and finally just hung up. I have never experienced such bad customer service in my life. The whole procedure raises doubts about the seriousness of the company and the service on and around the trip. Although of course it can also be a single dissatisfied employee I have now high concerns in doing a trip with DYC. — Feedback receive from DYC see comment below. The answer show exactly the same pattern as of the service line in Germany. No customer centricity due to claiming that the service person of DYC did everything correct but in fact they explained only the company view without the customer view. In addition stating wrong information about the service call I had initially. There has never been an ask for a discount in fact I was asking for good service and a regular offer. I assume that this review was written only in favor of the service line in Germany without taking the customer not consideration.

Date of experience : August 21, 2023

Dear Mar, Thanks for your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience when reaching out to our service line. We apologize for any inconvenience and frustration this may have caused you. Providing exceptional customer service is a top priority for us, and we deeply regret that we fell short of meeting your expectations on this occasion. After an internal review we analysed the situation with the team involved and we must state that our sales agent did her job properly and although she was not providing the sort of discount that you requested due to our close collaboration with the travel agencies in Germany, the team member was always professional and attentive. We cannot offer discounts on our prices to compete with the trade in the market, as it is a highly unprofessional practice. We have a policy of matching the prices but never competing against our distribution partners. Having said that, we would like the opportunity to make this right. If you would be willing, please contact our customer service team again, and we will do our best to address any questions or concerns you may have about planning your boat trip with us. Warm regards, Dream Yacht customer Service Team

Lavrion GR - base team

Six friends chartered out of Lavrion Greece June 2022. The base team there were very professional, welcoming and knowledgeable. We certainly recommend them and we look forward to returning soon. Yiannis the base manager was particularly helpful.

Date of experience : July 02, 2022

Hi Mark, Thank you for your feedback and we're glad you had a great time in Greece with us. We will feed that back to the team :) We will be happy to welcome you onboard again soon. The Dream Yacht Charter team.

Dream Yacht Charter

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