It has been a month and two glasses of wine and now I’m finally ready to write about The Yacht Week. Keep in mind Croatia sits on the top of my favorite places list and The Yacht Week ruined Croatia. In all fairness I also feel my previous expeditions and knowledge of Croatia also ruined The Yacht Week.
As a group our travel philosophy is epicness on a budget, basically don’t get too crazy. It didn’t work this time, The Yacht Week is an amazing party, however the YouTube videos are not as they seem. Would I use Yacht Week again, probably not, but I also don’t want to steer interested individuals from the experience. I just want to give my perspective of the realities of The Yacht Week.
The “Yacht”:
This is not a Jay Z music video, sooo…..The first thing you must ask yourself and friends before booking “Do I like camping?” If you answered “yes”, hooray you may continue to browse the yacht cards on the website www.theyachtweek.com This is basically camping on a boat, while still attempting to look fantastic for the parties every night. We embraced mermaid baths, no AC, pumping the toilet, washing dishes in the ocean, spooning with friends and other hardships that come when basic conventional amenities are absent. It is true you will not sleep for a week, if you can find a good sleeping pill script before you depart; they will become best friend and don’t forget earplugs and eyeshades. The shower situation is dismal; we ended up bathing in the ocean and then rinsing off in the small cramped shower on the boat, who knew that beer pong raft would double as a shower caddie. In the marinas shower facilities are available, ALWAYS use them when you can, although hot water is scarce #firstworldproblems. The conclusion on the “yachts” is they are cramped and short the modern amenities we all know and love. 
My suggestions are:
* Book the biggest boat you can afford and don’t fill it to max capacity, if you can avoid anyone sleeping in the living area, this is best.
* Don’t bring too much stuff, Anna and I are epic over packers, we are American dammit and maybe we need those floating flamingo beer Koozies, thank you amazon.com. You don’t need a hair dryer, straightener or curling iron either, no power for it, buy some salt spray and get over it.
*When it comes to food and drink, purchase breakfast and lunch items, maybe plan for one dinner on the boat. Think basic! Kitchens on the boat are small and storage is limited, besides that precious space in the refrigerator should be reserved for beer and mixers and champagne.
Let’s start with the basics:
The storage compartments are small no matter how large your yacht, we suggest investing in a backpackers backpack, 45-55 liters is usually a nice size. Other options are duffel bags or soft sided luggage, there is nowhere to stow a large hard side roll bag on the boat.
What the ladies should pack:
A different bathing suit for everyday with cover ups, shorts etc.
A fun dress or outfit for each night
One pair of pjs that are not scandalous and maybe one that is
Flat shoes, no heels necessary
Whatever you need for effortless hair, thank god I had Dano the braid master
Basic make up, this is not the time to perfect cat eyeliner. A little pop up folding mirror will help immensely.
Small and cute clutch or wristlet that holds the basics, not three Longchamp purses (guilty)
What the guys should pack:
Bathing suits and board shorts
Tank, tees and chill stuff
A nice shirt for each night to pair with 23 shorts
Topsiders and flipflops
You’re a guy, this really is not hard.
As a group, you should pack:
Fun rafts: I would suggest sharing with a friend, everyone from our group bought a float and two were never even blown up.
Towel clips: The boat provided a few, however this is how you dry everything. The extra towel clips are great for hanging bathing suits and cover ups. No one wants to sacrifice that $150 J crew bikini to the Adriatic Sea.
Personalized cups: before yacht week I ordered plastic cups with everyone’s name, you can find a variety on etsy.com and they kept the drink mess at bay. We had one made for our skipper, as well, he loved it. A sharpie and a solo cup will work also, but its def not as fancy!
Play list, play lists, and play lists!!! New boats have the aux; you can use an auxiliary cable connection you can purchase a cord from amazon for about $5-7 they connect straight into everyone’s phone or MP3. Older boats only have cd players. Our boat was a 2011 model, we had the aux connection, (note: 2011 standard does not include air conditioning.)
Flags and lights: Country flags, State Flags, University Flags, whatever.
Battery powered Christmas lights, they make finding your boat a breeze from the shuttle boats when you’re drunk and its dark.
Enough alcohol for a small army, mixers and don’t forget beer and a lot bottled water; enough said.
It’s the little things: We brought out the body paint and it was an instant hit, glow sticks are also fun, be creative!
Don’t even think about it:
High heels, pants, running shoes and work out clothing (no you won’t use them, seriously), laptop.
Keep in mind you’re on a boat and your drinking, things get lost easy. Be prepared, someone will sacrifice something to the water. In our boats case it was an Iphone, buy a buoy buddy and every other phone protection device. I also recommend taking knock off sunglasses, you can purchase fake Ray Bands in an assortment of fun colors pretty much everywhere in the world.
The Parties:
This is where they lost me. The parties are fun, but def drink before you go! I have traveled in Croatia before and drinks are relatively cheap, compared to the rest of Europe. Not so the case at Yacht week parties, at least in NYC when bars rape you with drink prices the drink actually tastes good and is strong. The transportation to and from the marina or your boat is also usually double the cost you would pay as a normal tourist. That said the Fort Party is pretty amazing, how often do you party in a fort? There is a piano player who can play any song ever created and this point I had learned just buy beer or a shot. Also pack a flask, they never checked.
As for the other parties I could take them or leave them, they are okay if you have never been to Thailand.
Everything said, I had fun at The Yacht Week and had an experience I will never forget. I’m glad I went and experienced the week. My review is not meant to bash the week or steer people from the fun, yet to paint a honest picture of the week from someone who was not paid to go, cough cough.
Would I change that I went to The Yacht Week in Croatia, absolutely not! I would however change the way I approach Yacht Week had I known what I know now. I hope this gives prospective travelers a true insight of this week . You are not that fancy, this is not really Croatia and you will spend a ton of money. That said, I would rather be sitting on that boat with a cold Ozujsko beer laughing with my friends than this dumb airplane, going to work. And you seriously won’t work out so don’t bother with the shoes!!!
~By: Amanda
Check out our other blogs about Croatia:
Way Too Wanderlust Reccommends
- The Yacht Week: http://www.theyachtweek.com
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