Your charter is confirmed when we have both the signed Charter Agreement and the Signing Payment. Once both are in hand, the yacht is yours for that date and we begin planning. One without the other reserves nothing yet — though while your agreement is outstanding in the courtesy hold window, no one else is offered the date either.

The Signing Payment is the amount due when you sign, as shown on your invoice: 25% of the charter fee for a standard charter; 75% when the charter is 30 days or less away; and 100% for Special Event and Holiday dates. The full payment schedule is under Forms of Payment.

We can take all forms of credit card, EFT and cash payments and have started taking Crypto payments.  

All Marquis Charters bookings are confirmed upon receipt of a signed Charter Agreement and the Signing Payment. See Confirmation & Signing Payment, Courtesy Hold, and Date Lock for how the reservation process works.

   25% of the charter fee  is paid at contract signing;

   50% of the charter fee is paid at 30 days prior to commencement;

   25% of the charter fee is paid at 14 days prior to commencement.

   For charters booked 30 days or less before commencement, 75% of the charter fee is paid at contract signing and the balance at 14 days prior.

   For demise charters, the payment milestones on your Advanced Provisioning will be defined in your Yacht Services agreement depending on the nature of the services being funded by APA.

At 7 days prior to your booking, your damage deposit is paid.

If we have agreed to anything different than the above, our agreed terms, will be documented in the contract that we sign for the Charter.

Special Events/Holidays Demand:  On Special Event Days such Airshow, NYE, July 4, BottleRock/LaOnda, SailGP, Rolex Big Boat Series, Super Bowl, FIFA, America's Cup, Opening Day on the Bay, Parades and holidays such as Valentines Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc all bookings are paid 100% when booked.

See our Cancellation and Rescheduling policies.

After we chat about how you would like your trip customized, we will document the key points in a Charter Agreement sent for signature via Docusign.  The Charter Agreement is a binding commitment of the vessel and its crew. Upon execution, the Charterer assumes full responsibility for the total contract value.

A Charter Agreement is issued to one party at a time for a given yacht and date. While it is outstanding, the date is not offered to anyone else. Proposals and quotes, by contrast, are subject to availability at the time of contracting.

Signing establishes the commitment; the Signing Payment secures the date. The vessel is not reserved until both are received.

Click to see an Example charter agreement

A payment received without a signed Charter Agreement is held, not applied. If the Agreement is not signed within the courtesy hold, the payment is returned less a small administrative fee covering transaction costs such as card processing.

As all payments are non-refundable, we strongly advise that principals or their management teams mitigate financial risk through specialized high-limit trip insurance that can cover 100% of the charter's risk.   We have pre-arranged with MHG Insurance and Yonder Travel Insurance to be two world-class options for Marquis Charterers.  

A Date Lock reserves a yacht for a specific date, exclusively for you, for seven days — before any contract or paperwork. It's for when you know the date but aren't ready to commit to the details. The fee is $1,000; we'll send a simple invoice, and the lock begins when payment clears.  Multiple Date Locks may be elected for holds longer than  one week.

If you book the charter within the seven days, the full $1,000 is credited toward your charter fee. If you don't, the fee is non-refundable — it compensates us for a week of declined inquiries on that date. A Date Lock can be purchased at any time, including during a courtesy hold if you need more room.

A signed charter contract is required for all bookings and the actual and full cancellation details will be included in the contract.  If they differ from what's listed here, the contract prevails.  

In keeping with global luxury yacht charter practices, there are no refunds for cancellations, no-shows, or early terminations, regardless of the cause. This includes, but is not limited to, medical emergencies, travel disruptions, or changes in personal itineraries.  We strongly advise clients take advantage of luxury yacht-charter experienced trip cancellation insurance products to protect themselves from financial loss in the event that they need to cancel.  We have arranged for the following partners to provide clients with insurance to protect their investment:  MHG Insurance or Yonder Travel Insurance.

Marquis Charters does support rescheduling of a charter booking if requested in advance subject to a pricing adjustment if a 'regular' charter is rescheduled to a Special Event/Holiday booking.  Special Event and Holiday bookings may not be rescheduled.  Rescheduling must be re-booked within six months and be completed within 9 months, subject to availability.  Cancellations made less than 24 hours from departure can not be rescheduled, except under extreme circumstances solely at our discretion.

Refusing to commence a charter due to denied boarding of too many humans or unapproved pets is considered a same day cancelled charter.  Arriving more than 2 hours late is considered a cancellation.

In the event that environmental conditions prevent safe passage, the Captain will offer the charterer the option to proceed as a "Dockside Charter" at the vessel’s berth.  Under these circumstances, the charter is considered performed in full, and no credits or refunds will be issued.  If in the Captain's discretion the Dockside Charter is also unsafe to perform, or the charterer refuses that option, then the charter will have become interrupted by an act force majeur.

We strongly advise that principals or their management teams mitigate financial risk through specialized high-limit trip insurance that can cover 100% of the charter's risk.   We have pre-arranged with MHG Insurance and Yonder Travel Insurance to be two world-class options for Marquis Charterers.  

Included in your agreement is a damage deposit in the event of damage caused by you or your guests.  But no worries, if you don't throw a chair through a window, throw our fancy dinnerware overboard, pour red wine on our carpets or carve your initials into our gelcoat, your deposit will be released the day after your charter.  

You may also obtain Charterer Liability insurance from our insurance partners MHG and Yonder.

I signed but haven't paid yet. Is my date reserved?

Not yet. A signature reserves the terms; the Signing Payment reserves the yacht. We ask for both within the courtesy hold so that no one — you, another guest, or our crew — is left in limbo.

I paid but haven't signed yet. Is my date reserved?

Not yet. Your payment is held for you but isn't applied to a charter until the agreement is signed. If the hold ends without a signature, the date returns to open availability and your payment is returned, less a small administrative fee covering transaction costs such as card processing.

Marquis Charters is a 'by the book' operation.  Our captains are USCG Licensed for vessels this size or larger, operating on the coast or inland.  Our captains and crew are enrolled in and comply with an independent random drug testing program operated by the Maritime Consortium, which is the same program often used by larger, commercial passenger vessels.  On any charter, any crew member who handles your alcohol is RBS Certified by the State of California.  The same goes for food with food handling certification of crew.  Our chefs are fully certified professional chefs who also operate their own certified prep kitchens on shore.  Last but certainly not least is privacy.  You can find our full PRIVACY POLICY here.