Charter brokerage of River and Ocean Cruises (rent a river ship / rent a ocean ship)

• Charter, respectively Full Charter of River Cruise Vessels (but also contingents and part charter), often also called rent-a-ship, cruise ship rental, river ship rental, river charter, cruise ship charter
• Selection of about 350 river cruise vessels only within central Europe
• Passenger capacity of 20-200 beds, meaning 10-100 Cabins (in double occupation)
• Most different deployment and cruising areas like Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Southeast-Europe, Russia
• Cruises on Rhine, Moselle, Danube, Rhône, Seine, Douro, Wolga, Don
• Vessels with board language English, Dutch or German
• Ship standards and furnishing from 3-star up to 5-star-level
• Charter duration from short trips via one-week-cruises up to complete seasons
• Charter time in Main Season (April to October), Low Season (March & November) but also Winter Season (December to February)

• Non-binding and free of charge search for a suitable river cruise ship (Bed capacity, standard, availability, cruise area)
• Proposing alternatives, if not all of the above criteria apply
• After consultation, joint and non-binding ship visit and inspection
• Support from drafting the contract to drawing it
  (with examination and negotiation of the charter rate and conditions)
• Advice on the operation, schedule and program (onboard and shoreside)
• Recommendation of external partner and service supplier if required (such as transfers, DMC / incoming agencies, entertainment, etc.)

• Travel Agencies and Tour Operators
• Incentive-Agencies
• Corporate travel and company party
• Fairs and Hotel Ship Services
• Shipping companies and ship owners

The charter rate is usually charged per night (see also topic embarkation and disembarkation). In order to have a comparison and a calculation basis, the rate is often mentioned “per passenger per night”. Within a full charter always the full bed capacity per night has to be paid as a charter rate (mainly based on double occupancy of cabins) and does not depend on the final occupancy by the charter client (for occupancy based models flexible cabin contingent contracts are useful, but not exclusive full charter contracts). The background to this is, that the main part of costs incurred on board are fixed costs that are not independent on occupancy (e.g. crew, fuel, technic, port costs, insurances).

The following services are usually not included in the charter rate:

• Arrival and departure transportation, transfers
• Drinks and beverage packages
• personal expenses of the guests (such as shop, hairdresser, massages, restaurants with additional payment, tips)
• Shore excursions
• Passenger-related port fees (port fees, bed taxes, tourist taxes)
• Insurances of the tour operator
• VAT on transportation services (depending on the country for river cruises)

Smoking on board is only permitted in designated smoking areas (such as the Cigar Lounge or special areas of the outside decks). However, smoking is strictly prohibited in most public areas and particularly in the cabins.

Within a full charter, the charterer (tour operator) himself provides the tour guide (often also cruise director). He is responsible for guest relation, shore excursions and the on-board program, but also acts as a contact and interface for the hotel manager and captain on board to discuss and flexibly amend the daily cruise program. If needed, we can recommend partners to provide tour guides and organize the shore excursions.

River and ocean-going cruise ships are considered to be extremely safe due to the highest building and operating regulations, the crew is regularly trained and carries out prescribed emergency exercises. All guests receive mandatory safety instructions on board.

If requested, the schedule can be amended according to your needs within the charter period and will in any case be verified nautically by the shipping company. If berths are not available, an alternative port or alternative routing is recommended. The start and end of the charter trip must always be located where the previous regular cruise ends or starts again.

Generally the following services are included in the charter rate:

• Full board
• Entertainment
• Wellness and fitness facilities
• Crew (nautical, technical, hotel / caterer)
• Luggage service from the pier to the ship and back
• Fuel (depending on the itinerary, surcharges may apply, so-called bunker clauses may also apply)
• ship-related port fees (depending on the itinerary, surcharges may apply)
• Insurance for ship, crew and guests for shipowners faults

The charter contract is concluded directly between the shipping company or the ship owner and the charter client. As a broker, we accompany both contracting parties while agreeing on the charter rate and the contract details.