Private Charter vs. Group Tour: Why It Changes Your Day on the Water

Quick Answer: On a Leisure Boat Experience private charter, the entire 36-foot yacht, the captain and mate, and the full day belong to your group of up to 6 guests only. No other party boards, and no one else's plans shape your schedule. A shared or group tour puts your party on a boat with guests you've never met, running on a schedule built around everyone on board, not just you.

What "Private" Actually Means Once You're on the Water

Every Leisure Boat Experience charter is fully private. That means your group — up to 6 people — has the entire 36-foot Albemarle Carolina Classic Express Yacht to yourselves, along with a USCG-licensed captain and mate.

There's no boarding process shared with strangers, no other family's cooler taking up cockpit space, and no itinerary compromise. If your group wants more time anchored at one key, or an earlier or later departure, that's a conversation with your own captain — not a vote with people you just met.

Trips also run with flexible dates and departure times, and full-day charters include a dedicated Experience Coordinator to help plan the day before you even step on board.

What a Group or Shared Tour Usually Looks Like

A shared tour typically means a larger vessel carrying multiple unrelated parties at once, on a fixed schedule set by the operator to work for everyone booked that day.

That structure can mean a lower cost per person, but it also means less control over pace, less say in which stops get more time, and sharing deck space, shade, and the crew's attention with people outside your group.

Where the Difference Matters Most

A private charter gives you room to adapt in the moment. Celebrating a birthday or a bachelorette trip on board, traveling with young kids who need extra time getting comfortable in a life jacket, or coordinating around a guest with a medical condition or mobility need — all of these are easier to manage when the whole boat is already your group.

Children under 13 wear a life jacket any time the boat is moving, and any medical conditions or medications are shared directly with the captain before departure. On a private charter, those conversations happen with your own crew, not in front of other passengers.

What's Included Either Way

Every Leisure Boat Experience charter — regardless of destination — includes snacks and a light lunch, water and soda, coolers with ice, floatation devices, snorkeling gear, and full security equipment and life jackets. Gratuity, the BBQ upgrade, personalized cake, and paddleboard add-ons are available separately at checkout.

Ready to have the boat to yourselves? Book your private charter with Leisure Boat Experience today.