How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Cruise Ship?
"How much does it cost to charter a cruise ship?" is one of the most common questions we receive, and the honest answer starts with another question: what kind of charter do you mean?
There are two markets that both get called "cruise ship charter," and they are priced in completely different ways:
Full-ship hospitality charters sold by cruise lines. You buy out every cabin on a scheduled sailing. The cruise line keeps operating the ship with its own crew, hotel staff, food, entertainment and itinerary planning.
Whole-vessel charters arranged through a shipbroker. These are usually time charters or bareboat charters. You hire the ship itself, often for weeks, months or years, and pay a daily hire rate. Who supplies crew, hotel staff and consumables depends on the contract.
Getting the category right first saves time and stops you budgeting against the wrong benchmark.
Full-ship charters from cruise lines: what is publicly reported
Corporate incentive groups, conferences, affinity groups, music festivals and private celebrations are the usual buyers here. The cruise line treats your group as a single, very large booking.
There is no public rate card, and pricing depends on the line, ship, season and itinerary. Some figures have been reported in the press:
Small ships. Fox News, citing Bloomberg, reported that chartering a small ship of about 200 passengers can cost roughly $600,000 to $1 million per week.
Large ships. Cruise Critic's guide to charter cruises explains that a full-ship charter on a large ship can run into the millions of dollars, because the line is replacing the revenue it would have earned from selling every cabin individually.
These figures come from third-party reporting. They are not QPS quotes, and they shift with demand. The underlying logic holds, though. A cruise line prices a buyout against its expected revenue for that sailing, which includes fares and the onboard spending it will give up or capture. Peak-season sailings on popular itineraries cost more. Shoulder-season repositioning voyages can be more negotiable.
What a cruise-line buyout usually includes
Fully crewed and operated ship (marine and hotel)
Food and standard beverages, as the line's packages define them
Standard entertainment and onboard facilities
Port planning within the line's existing operation
What often costs extra
Custom branding, private events, AV and production
Premium beverage packages, gratuities and port charges
Itinerary changes away from the scheduled route
Exclusive use of venues normally run as revenue outlets
Whole-vessel charters through a broker: how daily hire works
Some buyers need more than a buyout of one scheduled cruise. They may need a ship for a season, a ship for a new route, or a ship for an operator expanding capacity. In that case, the commercial structure is usually a time charter or a bareboat charter. (See our explainer: Bareboat vs Time Charter vs Voyage Charter for Passenger Ships.)
You don't pay a per-cabin price here. You pay hire, normally quoted per day and paid in advance at set intervals. Your other costs depend on how responsibilities are split.
The main drivers of daily hire
1. Size and capacity. More berths, more public space and bigger machinery mean a higher capital value and higher running costs. A 1,000-passenger ship and a 2,500-passenger ship are not in the same price bracket.
2. Age, condition and recent refit. A ship with a recent refit, current class surveys and modern hotel spaces commands more than an older ship that needs work before service. Older tonnage can be very good value for the right project.
3. Term. Longer charters generally carry a lower daily rate, because the owner gets secure employment and avoids idle time. Short or one-off charters cost more per day. They also carry fixed costs such as positioning and crewing that have to be recovered over fewer days.
4. Positioning and redelivery. If the ship is in the Mediterranean and you need it in the Caribbean, someone pays for that voyage in fuel, crew time and hire. Delivery and redelivery locations are negotiated, and they can move the total cost a great deal.
5. Who supplies crew and hotel operations.
On a bareboat charter, you take over the ship and supply everything: crew, management, insurance, maintenance and hotel. The hire is lower, but your operating budget is much larger.
On a time charter, the owner usually supplies and pays the marine crew and maintains the ship. Hotel staffing, catering and consumables may sit with either party, depending on the deal.
6. Fuel and port costs. Under a time charter, the charterer typically pays fuel (bunkers) and port charges. For a cruise ship, these can rival the hire itself, depending on itinerary and speed.
7. Market timing. Supply of available passenger tonnage changes with the cycle. When few suitable ships are free, owners hold firm on rates.
A note on QPS rates
We don't publish standard charter rates. Each fixture depends on the specific ship, term and responsibilities. Ask us for indicative rates for your specific requirement.
Building a realistic charter budget
If you are comparing a cruise-line buyout with a whole-vessel charter, line up total costs, not just headline rates. A whole-vessel charter budget often includes:
| Cost item | Cruise-line buyout | Time charter (typical) | Bareboat charter (typical) | |---|---|---|---| | Ship hire / buyout price | Included in buyout | Daily hire | Daily hire (lower) | | Marine crew | Included | Owner | Charterer | | Hotel staff and catering | Included | Negotiated | Charterer | | Fuel (bunkers) | Usually included | Charterer | Charterer | | Port and pilotage charges | Often extra | Charterer | Charterer | | Hull and machinery insurance | Included | Owner | Charterer (per contract) | | Repairs and maintenance | Included | Owner | Charterer | | Positioning / redelivery | Line's schedule | Negotiated | Negotiated | | Branding, fit-out changes | Extra | Charterer, with owner consent | Charterer, with owner consent |
These are general patterns, not fixed rules. Every charter party allocates costs in its own way, and passenger-ship contracts are often written on bespoke terms.
Hidden or easy-to-miss items
Deposits and security. Owners commonly require advance hire and sometimes a guarantee.
Off-hire clauses. These define when hire stops if the ship breaks down. They matter more than many charterers realize.
Regulatory readiness. The ship's flag, class status and certificates must fit your intended trading area. A ship compliant in one region may need work before another.
Pre-delivery and redelivery surveys. Joint condition surveys protect both sides from disputes over wear and damage.
Which route makes sense for you?
Choose a cruise-line full-ship charter if you need a one-off, turnkey sailing for an event or group and your dates fit an existing ship's schedule.
Consider a time or bareboat charter through a broker if you need the ship for weeks, months or longer, need it in a specific location, or are launching or expanding a passenger operation and want to control the product yourself.
Our Managing Broker, Capt. Ken Caine, is a USCG-licensed Master Mariner and a former senior executive at Windstar Cruise Lines during its launch period. He understands both sides of this: the operator's view of a charter and the owner's view of a fixture.
Ships currently offered for charter
Some vessels in our current inventory are offered for charter, or for sale or charter. Availability changes often, and many vessels are off-market.
FAQ
How much does it cost to charter a whole cruise ship for a week? For a cruise-line buyout, press reports put a small ship of about 200 passengers at roughly $600,000 to $1 million per week. Large ships can run into the millions. Whole-vessel time or bareboat charters are priced as daily hire and depend on the ship, term and who supplies crew.
Is chartering cheaper than buying a cruise ship? It depends on how long you need the ship and whether you want to own the asset. Short and medium-term needs usually favor chartering. Long-term operators often compare total charter costs against purchase and financing.
Who pays for fuel on a cruise ship charter? Under a typical time or bareboat charter, the charterer pays for fuel. In a cruise-line buyout, fuel is usually built into the price.
How far ahead should I start looking? As early as possible. Suitable ships are limited, and positioning, surveys and contracts all take time.
Send us your requirements
Tell us what you need, and we will tell you what is realistically available and how it is likely to be priced. Please include:
Type of ship (cruise, expedition, ferry, accommodation)
Passengers or berths required
Dates and term
Region and delivery and redelivery ports
Budget, and whether you want crew and hotel services included
Capt. Ken Caine, Managing Broker: +1-516-647-5129 (mobile/WhatsApp) · sales@qpsships.comJeff Garcia, Managing Broker, Mediterranean: +1-954-296-9066 · Jeffgarcia@qpsships.com
QPS Marine Ships is an independent, licensed and bonded shipbroker and a member of the IYBA, with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Aventura, Florida.
Comments