Are you a cruiser or a yachter?

This is a sponsored post written by Julia Rosien on behalf of OceanScape Yachts.

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Why a luxury yacht vacation might be for you!

My idea of a luxurious vacation? Visit a lot of places without actually having to spend time traveling, living out of a suitcase or hunting down the best places to eat, play and sleep. 

Cruise anyone?

If you’ve ever taken a cruise, you’re all too familiar with behemoth ships that crowd harbors and the excruciatingly long lines of tourists filing on and off ships and tour buses. But what if you could cruise with a few close friends, choosing your own ports of call peppered with memorable meals between each?

Yacht vacations for the masses

After growing tired of the cruising scene, Todd Beechey, and his wife considered renting a yacht for a week. While they eventually enjoyed their vacation, they found the researching and planning a frustrating experience – finding available yachts, comparing prices and organizing all the little but very important details for a successful cruise.

For most of us, a private yacht vacation conjures visions of filthy rich and beautiful people lounging carelessly on a sunny deck while sipping martinis. But the face of yachting is changing and the luxury sharing economy (yacht owners renting to non-owners) is ripe for development.

“Collaborative consumption can exist – even flourish – for high-end products and services, as long as the necessary amount of trust is established,” writes Brent Handler on FastCompany.com. “Ultimately, the assumption that those that can afford to buy will always choose ownership over rental is incorrect. High earners can be just as open to the flexibility of shared commodities, assuming they are presented, and marketed, in the right way.”

Todd Beechey agrees and believes it’s time to democratize the yacht vacation, which is why he founded OceanScape Yachts.

“At OceanScape Yachts, it’s our goal to connect people who want a yacht vacation with yacht owners looking for people to rent their yachts. We like to think of the concept as a golf membership meets vacation timeshare – membership in our vacation community with the ability to choose different yacht vacations around the world, the ultimate in freedom and flexibility.”

Is a yacht vacation for you?

Just like every cruise vacation is unique (with drastic variances of prices), so is every yacht vacation. Curious if a yacht vacation will suit your needs and fit your budget?

You’ll begin with a one-time membership fee of $9,500 (of which $5,000 is applied to your first vacation) and an annual renewal fee of $5,000. Each year, $5,000 will be available as a rebate toward your cruise vacation (which makes membership essentially free). If you don’t use the rebate, it’s accrued until you do. OceanScape also offers a one-time try-before-you-buy program.

From here, the cost of cruising varies greatly on the time of year, what you do and where you go on your yacht vacation as well as your food and beverage choices. The chart below (for illustrative purposes only) will give you a ballpark idea of what a week-long cruise will cost in the Caribbean for up to 8 people.

While a yacht vacation may be more expensive than your average cruise (although it’s comparable to high end cruises and suites) there’s no denying the allure. No line-ups, meals crafted to your likes by your own personal chef and an itinerary you design. Sounds like my idea of a dream vacation – and worth saving my pennies for.

“Our goal is to serve vacation lovers, yacht owners and crews. We want to provide vacation lovers with wonderful exotic locations and exceptional service while giving yacht owners an opportunity to reduce their operating costs and keep their crew active and engaged.”

Crowdfunding for OceanScape Yachts

Interested in being part of OceanScape from the ground up? They’ve just launched a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo.

“We believe that a superyacht vacation is quite possibly the best vacation experience on the planet,” says Beechey. “We have taken big cruise ship vacations and resort vacations in the past, and for us, nothing has compared to the unique experiences and unbelievable service that you get on a yacht vacation.”

OceanScape is offering perks and rewards in return for contributions – from $2 for access to their newsletter to $65,000, which gives you a week-long super yacht vacation for 8.

Want to learn more about OceanScape Yachts? Find them online at OceanScapeYachts.com or on Facebook or Twitter.