Does the crew stay on board during the charter?

Carina Isenberg
Yacht charter broker, DMA Yachting

Yes. The captain, chef, interior crew and any expedition team live aboard in their own crew quarters, separate from the guest cabins, for the whole trip. A yacht listed with 5 guest cabins genuinely sleeps 10 guests; the crew and guides occupy none of them.

On an expedition that live-aboard team is central: they run the tenders and zodiacs for shore landings, lead the dives and hikes, cook through long remote days, and hold the local and safety knowledge that makes the trip work.

It is a larger, more specialist crew than a typical Med charter, and it is a big part of what you are paying for in these regions.