Ask our Mallorca brokers to explain
Every answer here comes from a DMA broker who books Mallorca season after season: what a week really costs, how VAT and APA work, who the crew are, and which islands fit which month. Open a question for the short answer, or read the full one on its own page.
Costs and payments
What is the VAT on a Mallorca yacht charter?
Marcelle HailwaxYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
21%, Spain's standard VAT rate, applied to the charter fee for charters starting in Spanish waters. It is charged on the charter fee itself, not on the APA or the crew gratuity, and it is due with the final payment.
How much should we tip the crew on a Mallorca charter?
Marcelle HailwaxYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
10 to 15% of the base charter fee is the common reference in the Mediterranean when the service has been strong, and service on good Balearic boats is usually very strong. It is always at your discretion, but plan for it in the budget: on an €80,000 week that is €8,000 to €12,000.
How much does a Mallorca crewed yacht charter cost?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
For a proper luxury crewed charter in Mallorca, the conversation starts around €60,000 to €150,000+ per week before extras, with superyachts running €120,000 to €300,000+. Smaller and older crewed yachts exist around €20,000 to €40,000, with honest tradeoffs in crew size and finish.
Can I pay for my yacht charter with a credit card?
Thomas MerlierYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Short answer: sometimes for the first installment, but we almost never recommend it. The card company's exchange rate plus processing surcharges, direct or hidden, usually cost you more than any points are worth on amounts this size.
Does using a charter broker cost me anything?
Thomas MerlierYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
No. Our service is free to you. Like a travel agent, we are paid a commission from the yacht's side, and the charter fee is the same whether you book through us or approach the boat directly. There is no markup for using a broker.
Does a Mallorca charter price include food, drinks and fuel?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
On crewed yachts in the Med, no. The weekly rate covers the yacht and its professional crew. Food, drinks, fuel, and marina fees are paid from the APA, an onboard budget of roughly 25 to 35% of the charter fee that you pay before the trip. Whatever the crew does not spend comes back to you afterwards.
When are the final payment and APA due for my Mallorca charter?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
The balance of your charter fee, the APA, and the Spanish VAT are due together about six weeks before your charter starts; your agreement shows the exact date.
Can I get a discount on a Mallorca crewed yacht charter?
Marcelle HailwaxYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Sometimes. Outside July and August, and especially in May, early June, and October, managers will consider a serious offer, and larger yachts have more room to move. The way to do it is through your broker: we know which managers negotiate, which have strict no-discount policies, and what number is worth putting on the table.
How do payments work when booking a Mallorca yacht charter?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
The standard structure: 50% of the charter fee is due when you sign the charter agreement, and the remaining 50%, together with the APA and Spanish VAT, is due about six weeks before you step aboard. For far-in-advance bookings a 25/25/50 split is sometimes possible with the owner's agreement.
Why are prices shown without VAT and APA?
Marcelle HailwaxYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Because neither is the same for every yacht and itinerary, so baking them into the listed rate would make every price wrong for someone. The predictable part is Spanish VAT: the standard rate of 21% applies to charters starting in Spanish waters, and the exact treatment can shift with the itinerary, which is why your written quote, not the listing, is the definitive number.
Booking and contract
How many days do we need for a Mallorca yacht charter?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Seven days is the sweet spot for Mallorca itself: enough to circle the island's best coastline at a relaxed pace, from the southwest calas to the Tramuntana coast and Pollensa, without ever feeling like you are commuting. Five days does the southwest beautifully; three days makes a superb long weekend around Palma's bays.
Can I charter a yacht in Mallorca for one day?
Marcelle HailwaxYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, and Palma is one of the best day-charter bases in the Mediterranean. A classic day runs from Palma or Puerto Portals along the southwest coast: swim stops in the calas, lunch at anchor or ashore, and a slow cruise back at golden hour. Premium day yachts run into the low five figures per day; smaller options start at a few thousand euros.
Do you have professional insurance?
William Mc NallyYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes. DMA Yachting carries professional indemnity insurance up to EUR 500,000 with ITIC, the International Transport Intermediaries Club, the specialist insurer for yacht brokers and other transport intermediaries.
What happens if weather affects our Mallorca charter?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Summer weather in the Balearics is about as reliable as the Mediterranean gets: no hurricane season, long settled spells, and a predictable afternoon sea breeze. Weather rarely takes a day from a Mallorca charter; it just decides which coast you enjoy it on.
When should I book flights for my Mallorca yacht charter?
Thomas MerlierYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
After the charter agreement is signed, not before. It is far easier to move a flight than to move a yacht: the boat you want has to be free, licensed for Spanish waters, and in the right port on your exact dates, and that is the hard part of the puzzle.
How far in advance should I book a Mallorca yacht charter?
William Mc NallyYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Six to twelve months ahead for July and August, and the earlier the better: the Balearics are one of Europe's tightest charter markets in peak weeks. There is also a structural reason the good boats go early here: only yachts holding the Spanish charter licence may operate commercially in these waters, so the legal fleet is smaller than the marina full of yachts suggests.
What happens after I send an inquiry?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
First, we confirm reality: whether the yacht you asked about is actually free on your dates and at what price, since Med rates move with the season. At the same time we pull together comparable boats, including ones with better crews or better value, so you choose from a real shortlist rather than one listing.
Should I buy charter cancellation insurance?
William Mc NallyYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
We recommend it. Cancellation and curtailment insurance protects your charter fee if illness, travel disruption, or other events force you to cancel or cut the trip short, and charter contracts have firm cancellation terms because the owner holds the yacht exclusively for you.
Choosing your yacht
Can we charter a yacht for a honeymoon, birthday, or wedding in Mallorca?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, and celebrations are some of the best charters we arrange. Tell us the occasion when you inquire and the crew builds around it: decorated cabins and cakes for birthdays, cava at anchor for honeymoons, a proposal set up in a quiet cala at golden hour with the tender standing by.
What is the difference between a fully crewed and captain-only charter?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
On a fully crewed charter you are a guest; on a captain-only charter you are the crew. A crewed yacht comes with at least a captain plus chef or stewardess: meals cooked, cabins made, drinks appearing, toys launched. Captain-only gives you a professional at the helm while provisioning, cooking, and cleaning stay with your group.
Do you offer bareboat as well as crewed charters?
Thomas MerlierYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, we arrange bareboat too. Tell us dates, group size, and budget, and we will line up options along with the qualifications you will need to show: an ICC or equivalent national license is required to skipper a yacht in Spain.
We are more than 12 guests. Should we take one yacht or two?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Two yachts, in most cases. Most charter yachts are limited to 12 guests, so a bigger group forces either a much larger and much more expensive vessel or a split across two boats, and the split usually comes out 20 to 50% cheaper.
Can we bring an extra child beyond the listed guest count?
William Mc NallyYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Usually not, and it is worth knowing why. Every charter yacht has licensed limits for how many guests it may carry by day and sleep overnight. Those caps come from the yacht's registration and insurance, not the crew's goodwill, so managers hold the line even for small children; occasional flexibility exists for infants under 12 months, case by case.
What is a tandem charter?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
A tandem charter is one vacation spread across two yachts that cruise together. One captain leads, the boats coordinate route and anchorages, and the group mixes freely: teenagers on the sportier boat for watersports, parents on the quieter one, everyone rafted up for lunch in the same cala. Three or more boats doing the same is called a flotilla charter; the same idea with more logistics, and we have organized those too.
Life on board
What do you eat on a Mallorca yacht charter?
Marcelle HailwaxYacht charter broker & former yacht chef, DMA Yachting
Whatever your group loves, cooked by a private chef who provisioned the boat specifically for you. Before the charter you fill in a preference sheet: favorites, dislikes, allergies, how adventurous the table should be, and what the bar should hold. The chef builds the week's menus around it. This answer comes from inside the galley: Marcelle cooked aboard charter yachts before joining our broker desk.
What should we pack for a Mallorca yacht charter?
William Mc NallyYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Pack light, in soft-sided bags: yacht cabins have clever but limited storage, and a hard suitcase has nowhere to live once emptied. Day life aboard is swimwear, cover-ups, and sunglasses; add one or two smarter outfits, because dinners ashore in Palma or Puerto Portals are part of the Mallorca charter experience, and a light layer for evenings, especially in May, June, and September.
Is there wifi on board a Mallorca yacht charter?
Thomas MerlierYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, and it has become genuinely good. Most crewed yachts in our Med fleet now carry Starlink alongside 4G/5G routers, and Balearic coastal coverage is strong to begin with, so video calls and a working morning from the aft deck are realistic on most boats.
Do I need a jet ski license on a Mallorca yacht charter?
Thomas MerlierYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes. Spain requires a recognized license to drive a jet ski, and Balearic authorities take it seriously, so this is not a formality your captain can wave through. Unlicensed guests can still ride as passengers behind a licensed driver, and license-free toys, seabobs, paddleboards, and inflatables, carry the fun for everyone else.
Can we scuba dive during a Mallorca yacht charter?
Thomas MerlierYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes. The usual setup in the Balearics is rendezvous diving: a licensed local dive center meets the yacht at the day's anchorage or a nearby bay with tanks and a divemaster, you dive, and the itinerary rolls on. Mallorca's southwest corner is particularly good, with the marine reserves around El Toro and the Malgrats islands delivering the best fish life.
Will we get seasick on a Mallorca yacht charter?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Unlikely in summer. The Balearic season runs on long settled spells, mornings are typically calm, and the afternoon sea breeze is the kind of wind that fills sails rather than stomachs. Daily legs are short, and most nights are spent at anchor in protected calas where the boat barely moves.
Does the crew stay on board during the charter?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes. On a crewed charter the captain, chef, and stewardess live aboard for the whole trip, in their own crew quarters separate from the guest cabins. That is why a yacht listed with 4 guest cabins genuinely sleeps 8 guests; the crew occupies none of them.
Where and when
Can we visit Ibiza and Formentera from Mallorca?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, and it is one of the best weeks the Mediterranean offers, but it needs to be planned as a real itinerary rather than a side trip. The crossing from Mallorca to Ibiza is roughly 50 nautical miles of open water: a comfortable few hours on a fast motor yacht, a committed passage on a sailing cat. Once across, Formentera's beaches and Ibiza's evenings reward the effort completely.
Are there anchoring restrictions in Mallorca?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, and they are the reason the water looks the way it does. The Balearics protect their posidonia seagrass meadows, the bright underwater fields that keep the sea clear and the beaches white, and anchoring on posidonia is prohibited and enforced with real fines. Popular calas manage the pressure with marked buoy fields, some bookable in advance, some first-come.
When are the high and low seasons for a Mallorca yacht charter?
William Mc NallyYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
High season in Mallorca is July and August: the warmest water, the fullest calas, the busiest marinas, and the highest rates of the year. The best boats for those weeks are booked months ahead, and berths in Palma and Ibiza get scarce.
Can we start our charter from Ibiza or another island?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Often yes, but it depends on the yacht. Every boat has a homeport, and in the Balearics that is usually Palma. Starting elsewhere, Ibiza most commonly, means repositioning the yacht, and a delivery fee that reflects fuel and crew time. Sometimes that fee buys you a full extra day in the right waters and is worth every euro; sometimes boarding in Palma and cruising over is the smarter plan.
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