APA, Advance Provisioning Allowance, is standard when booking a private yacht charter. This money will be used to pay for any operating expenses during your yacht charter. The expenses covered include fuel consumed during your trip, food, alcohol, port fees, onboard communications such as internet or satellite, special requests, and incidentals during your time onboard. A typical APA is estimated to be 20-25% for a sailing yacht and 30-35% for a motor yacht. If there is any money left over after expenditures, this will be paid to you in cash at the conclusion of your trip.
Reviewing the Expenditures that Will Be Incurred
You can at any time while onboard review the expenditures that your APA has been applied toward. These funds and the applying of them to expenses is handled by the Captain of the vessel. Since your yacht charter will need to be readied prior to your departure with fuel and the necessary provisions for you and your guests, the APA will most often need to be paid several weeks in advance of your trip. You will receive a list of the various expenditures that were applied against the APA by the Captain or your charter broker prior to disembarking.
How Overage or Underage in APA is Handled
The amount of APA paid up front should be very close to the required dollar amount, as set by the itinerary, meal plan, and number of guests onboard. However, it isn’t uncommon for there to be an overage after all expenditures from your private charter have been deducted. In this scenario the remaining funds will be returned to you at the conclusion of the trip. There may also be unexpected expenses that arise, or a change in your itinerary thus incurring more docking fees, that cause you to have an underage of APA. When this happens, you will receive a detailed list of the expenditures with a bill for the outstanding amount upon the conclusion of your trip.
Planning ahead for your at-sea expenditures can help to keep your luxury yacht charter within budget. Be sure to factor in APA as part of your trip expenses when booking a private yacht charter. Cruzan Yacht Charters can help you better understand how this is calculated for your itinerary and the boat of your choosing.