Is this level of strictness normal on a private catamaran charter?

[Itsgettinghotinere]

We’re currently on a private catamaran charter in Croatia. For the most part, the week has been great, the Islands are beautiful and it’s been wonderful to see so many different places.

That said, I’m not sure if our experience of our skipper and hostess is usual or not…

We planned a sailing holiday as we wanted to do an activity holiday with our teens. I’ve sailed and grew up with small pleasure boats. We made this clear when we booked via the charter company and specifically listed it on our preference list. The preference list also stipulates that learning to sail is one of the possible options. We have not been allowed near the helm let alone sail! To be fair, the wind has been minimal so we’ve been under engine all week but yesterday would have been perfect but no, we are not allowed.

We are also not allowed to:

1. wear shoes on the boat. We know this however our hostess constantly shouts “shoes, shoes, shoes” at us as soon as we walk on to the sugar scoops! Every time. Without fail.
2. Sit on any outside seating while wet from swimming. When swimming we have to stay at the front of the cat until we dry off. I’m referring to the all weather outside seating. It’s making it very difficult as we’re not allowed to get any water while we swim as were might drip on the teak.
3. We are not allowed to drip anything anywhere: my husband was washing his hands in our cabin but the cabin door was open. While drying his hands some water dripped on the floor and our host saw and immediately came into our cabin and dried up the 3 spots.
4. We are told to eat over our plates. Our teens are 14 and 13 so it’s not as though food is dropping everywhere. My son was told to eat his watermelon over the plate as our host didn’t want to spend her time cleaning after him. We are not allowed to leave any crumbs on the table and look out if any accidentally end up on a cushion (out door cushion).
5. One evening my husband had a glass of red wine and it came with a warning not to spill any.
6. They have made restaurant bookings ahead for us which is fine for the most part but one was very expensive- (€650) and we only had two drinks each. The next evening was the same so we said we’d like to move our booking to a different restaurant and was told that it would make things awkward for them, they wouldn’t honour future bookings maybe and we ended up eating there.

There are other instances like this. The obsession with everything being clean all the time. We are very clean, tidy and respectful people. We just feel like we’re intruding on their boat.

While I’ve typed this I’ve been told we can only apply sunscreen off the boat, nowhere on the boat as apparently the front is full of sunscreen! I make us all stand on the front and apply sun cream. We don’t use sprays and I’m very careful about applying it. But it’s not enough and now we can’t use sunscreen unless we’re in the harbour or on land! In fact, our packing list said sun cream would be provided as they understandably want to use creams that won’t damage the boat. We arrived to find none so I suspect they prefer guests don’t use anything.

We’re walking on eggshells and just don’t feel welcome. Is this normal behaviour? I’d like to hear from those who had chartered before. Thank you

I have not chartered before but have you contacted the charter company? I would contact them by phone if possible and detail what you have written here.

I would ask her for the sunscreen detailed in the holiday booking.

I am guessing they get a kick back from the restaurant you visited. I’d refuse to go again.

It sounds like they don’t really want to have people on there boat at all. I would contact the company you booked through.

They are being very clear in their demands to you. I suggest you start being very clear in your demands back

tell them that the demands are ruining what I’m sure was a very expensive holiday.

if you don’t ever say no, or push back, why would they think you aren’t happy with their requests.

also, the seating is all weather and there to be sat on. Perhaps point out that you hired the boat on the understanding that you would actually get to USE it. And their demands are preventing you from actually doing so

I haven’t contacted the charter company as I didn’t know if it was being unreasonable. Also, we’ve have a shocker of year do we wanted a lovely relaxing bit of luxury, and to learn something new. I will contact him but it’s already tense on the boat I don’t want to make it worse.

I think the slight issue is that the skipper and host own the boat.

That’s exactly what we suspect, they are getting some kick back from the restaurants.

No, that's awful and I would leave them a bad review. No dripping and no sun cream on the boat is crazy!

I’ve actually only found one review for them and they are booked until mid October back to back.

my impression here :
they own the boat,
they host only for the income
they are not hosting for the experience of hosting -
you are just cash to them
what a horrid inhospitable atmosphere for a precious holiday -
I can’t imagine them becoming warm and friendly, so I’d be inclined to suck it up for remainder of holiday and absolutely review honestly afterwards to ward off future customers from funding these ‘hosts’ catamaran lifestyle

That sounds very unreasonable, taken all together!

Perhaps not really comparable but in a previous life I booked massive yachts for 3/4-wk charters (staff of 10/12) and I always found crew (and brokers) were very realistic about wear and tear, and about reasonable levels of care and flexibility from both crew and clients. That said, we sometimes had to fork out to cover specific or "unreasonable" damage costs. My point is that wear and tear (and eventual boat depreciation) should effectively be built into this business model.

I don’t think any of the rules are unreasonable. The suncream they said they’d provide not being available isn’t on though.

Those rules are typical and normal on sailing boats. The way they communicate them is a bit over the top but they are probably the ones who would have to pay for any damages since it is their boat.

The restaurant isn’t typical. Just say, we will do our own bookings from now on, cancel all bookings.

Sounds horrific. I also thought when reading that they clearly own the boat. I would complain massively. Life is stressful r enough without precious holidays being ruined by this type of thing.

I agree. Crumbs are a pest attracting nightmare on a boat, everything stains and shoes on a boat are forbidden everywhere.

But the staff/company are probably getting commission on your €650 dinners (which is mad money). So ask nicely about other types of restaurants and see where you get. You are living is close quarters with the staff so complaints to their boss isn't going to create a nice holiday experience.

Tbh it doesn't matter whether you are or aren't- they can't force you to eat a restaurant that is so outside your budget. If they want to honour the booking they can go there.

Was there no discussion of budgets before booking?

How was the possibility of learning to sail worded in the marketing material/booking info?

You could be at the helm while motoring. Are they teaching you about knots and fenders and how to get on an off the quay?

No way would I be agreeing to only apply sunscreen once a day in the harbour.

Definitely contact the company, describe your experience and ask if all this is considered normal.

Also - if it's sunny the deck must be baking hot - were you not warned to have deck shoes or sailing shoes? Are you not stubbing your toe the whole time?

Only the shoes request is normal. The rest, absolutely not.

Croatia, whilst now astonishingly expensive, is still very reliant on the informal economy on the Dalmatian coast so there will be kickbacks happening at all of the restaurants you eat at. None of them have been chosen with you in mind!

Can I ask what experience you’re basing your comment on please?

Even entering our cabin to wipe the floor in front of my husbands feet while he dried his hands?

I have no idea what is normal for this type of holiday, but that all sounds horrendous and not the slightest bit relaxing.

Absolutely no shoes at all - deck included. Not stunning our toes and it’s not slippery but we’re not sailing it seems so no deck shoes needed.

I used to do the exact same job as your hosts and no those rules are not normal (with the exception of shoes).

Boats are designed to get wet, including the seating, cleaning up after meals is part of the job description. Restaurant bookings should be made after consultation with you, not decided for you. If you want to join in sailing the boat - absolutely, the crews job is to facilitate you doing as much or as little as you want.

It sounds like your hosts have the boat, but not the hospitality skills for the job. I would be telling the company you booked through everything you have said here and I'm so sorry that your holiday has not been the experience it should have been.

No discussion on budget at all. While we appreciate some suggestions on options, it’s been forced upon us and when we casually said we’d found another restaurant we’d prefer (a place we’d select from the menu based on preference rather than cheapest option) we were told it would make things very awkward for them for future bookings so we felt obliged to go. The kids are now stuck in the cabins and we’re tentatively sat on the front being watched the whole time.

I can’t comment on the boat but would say you know the rules so be careful so they don’t need to constantly remind.

on the restaurant, it’s a kick back, we had the same on a catamaran trip in Croatia, the restaurant was fabulous but hugely expensive , very secluded on its own little island, don’t get me wrong, worth the money for the experience, but not what we expected for lunch and there was only one lunch option, a set meal, sadly a few people on the boat couldn’t afford it, so just sat at the shore waiting for everyone to finish. Which is quite uncomfortable for everyone as they were clearly hungry, but when they found out the price declined. It was a couple of hundred euros a person, without drinks.

it was very clear if was prearranged with the restaurant and there was some kind of kick back going on. We were basically delivered to them,

I would definitely complain to the charter company - this is not what you wanted or thought you were booking. If you don't complain during the holiday you may find it hard to get any kind of refund afterwards. Any decent holiday company will try to remedy your issues during the holiday, but if you don't complain then they have no idea that this couple are actually a nightmare and terrible hosts and if you want a refund you need to let the company know asap that there are problems. Totally agree that they will be getting a kickback from the restaurants they're booking for you and if you book something else they won't - hence the bad reaction when you tried to do that.

I used to work on yachts and these hosts sound unhinged.
And definitely insist on changing your restaurant bookings.