A private small ship charter in Croatia starts from €50,000 for seven nights with Zantium Travel in 2027. That entry price applies to selected early-May and October departures aboard M/S Azzurro, with other ships and dates priced according to vessel and season.
Instead of booking individual cabins on a scheduled cruise, your group charters the entire ship. There are no other passengers aboard.
For a larger family, group of friends, celebration, retreat or special-interest group, that changes the experience considerably. You still have a professional captain and crew, private en-suite cabins and the facilities of a Croatian small cruise ship, but the week is organised around one group.
Your first and last ports are fixed, while the route between them can be shaped around what your group wants from the week, subject to weather, navigation, berthing availability and the captain’s operational decisions.
Here is how private ship chartering in Croatia works, what it costs and what to decide before choosing your vessel.
What Is a Private Small Ship Charter?
A private ship charter means your group books the entire vessel for the week.
This is different from a normal Zantium small-ship cruise, where you book one or more cabins and share the ship with other passengers. On a private charter, only your guests are aboard.
Zantium’s charter fleet carries a maximum of 36 passengers, making a whole-ship charter particularly useful for groups that are too large for a conventional yacht but still want to travel privately.
You have the ship’s cabins and communal areas to yourselves, together with the captain and professional crew. The simplest way to think about it is having your own small Croatian cruise ship for the week.
Private Charter vs Scheduled Cruise
| Scheduled small-ship cruise | Private ship charter | |
| How you book | Individual cabins | Entire ship |
| Who is aboard | Other guests, up to 36 in total | Only your group |
| Pricing | Per person | Per ship |
| Route | Published itinerary | Shaped around your group |
| Dates | Published departures | By arrangement |
| Meals | Set cruise programme | Programme planned with your group |
| Best suited to | Couples, individuals and smaller groups | Families, friends and private groups |
If you are deciding between taking several cabins and chartering the entire vessel, our guide to family cruises in Croatia also compares cabin bookings, blocks of cabins and whole-ship charters for larger groups.
How Much Does a Private Ship Charter in Croatia Cost?
A Zantium private ship charter starts from €50,000 for seven nights in 2027. The entry price applies to M/S Azzurro departures on May 1, May 8, May 15, October 9, October 16 and October 23. Other ships and dates are priced according to vessel and season.
Unlike scheduled cruises, which are priced per passenger and cabin type, a private charter is priced for the whole ship. That makes group size an important part of the calculation.
| Guests | €50,000 charter divided per person* |
| 20 | €2,500 |
| 24 | €2,083 |
| 30 | €1,667 |
| 36 | €1,389 |
*Simple division of a €50,000 starting charter price. This is not a per-person fare and does not include mandatory or optional costs outside the base charter package.
This is why whole-ship chartering becomes particularly interesting as the group grows. A family of six is unlikely to charter because it is the cheapest way to travel. A group approaching 30 or 36 people has a very different calculation.
If you want to compare that with booking individual cabins, see our complete guide to Croatia cruise costs for 2027.
The Most Expensive Ship Isn’t Necessarily the Right Ship
Our ships do not all offer exactly the same product. Cabin configurations, deck positions, balcony availability and communal spaces vary between vessels.
A group that puts private balconies high on its list may arrive at a different choice from a group primarily concerned with keeping 30-plus guests together at the most sensible overall charter price.
We therefore recommend starting with the group rather than the ship. Tell us how many people are travelling, how the cabins need to be divided, your dates and what matters most aboard. We can then narrow the fleet to the ships that actually fit.
What Does a Zantium Private Charter Include?
A seven-night private charter includes exclusive use of your chosen ship together with its professional crew and the core services required for the week.
• Seven nights aboard your chosen vessel
• Professional crew
• Fully equipped cabins with air conditioning, LCD TV, safe deposit box, hair dryer, cupboard and wardrobe
• Fuel for a maximum of 4–5 hours of sailing per day, including the necessary time for mooring and unmooring
• Daily buffet breakfast
• Three-course lunch daily
• Welcome dinner on Day 1
• Daily cabin servicing
• Fresh bed linen and towels midweek
• Free Wi-Fi on board
A Cruise Manager is mandatory and charged separately from the base charter price. Airport transfers are not included but can be arranged on request.
Excursions are also separate from the charter price. Groups can choose from Zantium’s ready-made excursion packages or work with us to build a bespoke set of experiences around the itinerary.
How Flexible Is a Private Croatia Cruise Route?
On a scheduled cruise, the itinerary is already established. On a private charter, the first and last ports are fixed, but the week between them can be shaped around your group.
That does not mean a ship operates like a taxi. The captain has final responsibility for navigation and safety, while weather, sea conditions, port availability and other operational requirements affect what is possible on any particular day.
Within those constraints, however, there is considerable room to build the week around what your group actually wants to do. You might prioritise longer swimming stops, particular islands, quieter bays, historic towns, wineries and food experiences, more time ashore, or activities suitable for children.
How We Actually Build a Zantium Charter Route
When we plan a private charter, we do not normally start by asking the group to give us seven ports for seven days. We start by asking what you want the week to feel like.
A family might want plenty of swimming, shorter periods underway and enough time ashore for three generations to enjoy the same day. A group of friends might care about Hvar and Vis, good restaurants and several evenings ashore. A food and wine group might be happy to change the route to make a particular winery, producer or dining experience part of the week.
We then work backwards from those priorities with the captain to build a route that makes sense at sea.
A route that looks perfectly sensible on a map does not always make the best cruise. Distances between ports, berth availability, weather and sea conditions all affect the week. Sometimes an extra hour at anchor and a longer swim stop is worth considerably more than adding another port simply to say you visited it.
That is also why we do not promise a minute-by-minute itinerary months before departure. We establish the shape of the week and then operate it according to the conditions we actually find along the Croatian coast.
If you are still deciding which parts of Croatia interest your group, our island-hopping guide goes into the islands and different ways of travelling between them in more detail.
What Is Life Like Aboard a Private Small Ship?
These are not bareboat charters where someone in your group needs to know how to sail. The captain and crew operate the vessel, prepare meals, maintain the cabins and handle day-to-day life aboard.
Your guests have their own private cabins while sharing the ship’s communal spaces with the rest of your group. Depending on the vessel, these can include a restaurant and bar, outdoor lounge areas, sundeck, swimming platform and other facilities.
The ship will often sail while breakfast is being served. There may be a swimming stop before or after lunch, followed by arrival at the day’s destination and time ashore. On a private charter, that rhythm can be adjusted around your group far more than it can on a scheduled departure.
What Does the Cruise Manager Do?
In addition to the ship’s crew, every Zantium private charter requires a Cruise Manager, who is charged separately from the base charter price.
The captain is responsible for the vessel, navigation and safety. The crew operate the ship and provide onboard service.
The Cruise Manager is the group’s principal point of contact for the guest experience: communicating the daily programme, coordinating arrangements and excursions ashore, answering practical questions and helping the week run smoothly.
For a private charter with potentially 20–36 guests - particularly a themed programme involving excursions or activities - that coordination becomes an important part of operating the week.
Who Is a Private Ship Charter Best For?
Multi-Generational Families
A whole-ship charter works particularly well for grandparents, adult children and grandchildren travelling together.
Everyone has their own cabin, nobody needs to coordinate several hotels, and the week can be adjusted around different ages and mobility requirements. Large families can also discuss menus, excursions and the pace of the itinerary before travelling.
For more detail on travelling with several generations, see our Family Cruise Croatia guide.
Groups of Friends and Celebrations
A private charter keeps everyone aboard one vessel rather than dividing a group between several yachts, villas or hotels.
That makes it particularly suitable for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, reunions and other occasions where having everyone together is part of the experience.
Yoga and Wellness Groups
Zantium operates private yoga charters along the Croatian coast, where the ship becomes the group’s accommodation and travelling base for the week.
A private charter allows the itinerary and daily rhythm to be planned around the retreat rather than fitting yoga sessions around a standard cruise programme. Sailing periods, swimming stops, time ashore and organised sessions can all be considered when planning the itinerary.
Food and Wine Groups
Zantium also operates food and wine charters, where gastronomy becomes part of the itinerary rather than simply an occasional excursion.
Depending on the group’s interests, the week can incorporate wineries, oyster farms, local producers, traditional restaurants and other culinary experiences ashore, alongside meals aboard.
Because excursions are separate from the base charter price, these experiences can be assembled from our existing packages or built specifically for the group.
Cycling and Other Special-Interest Groups
Zantium operates cycling charters and other special-interest cruises.
For a cycling group, the ship provides accommodation and transport along the coast while the activity programme takes place ashore. The route and excursion programme therefore need to be considered together rather than treating cycling as an add-on to an ordinary cruise itinerary.
The same principle applies to other organised groups: tell us what the group is travelling to Croatia to do, and we build the feasible cruising and excursion programme around that objective.
Corporate and Incentive Groups
Private accommodation, substantial shared spaces and a changing destination each day can also make small ships suitable for corporate retreats and incentive groups.
A whole-ship charter keeps the group together while allowing the programme to combine time aboard, organised activities, destinations and free time ashore.
Private Small Ship or Private Yacht?
They are different products.
A private sailing yacht or catamaran generally accommodates a much smaller group. A small cruise ship becomes particularly interesting once the guest list grows beyond what comfortably fits aboard one conventional yacht.
Instead of chartering several boats and trying to keep the group together, everyone travels aboard one vessel with a professional crew, private cabins, dining facilities and substantial communal spaces.
If you are bringing 25, 30 or 36 people to Croatia, that distinction becomes considerably more important than whether someone describes the vessel as a yacht or a cruise ship.
How to Plan a Private Ship Charter in Croatia
1. Confirm Your Approximate Guest Count
Work out how many adults and children are likely to travel. You do not necessarily need every name yet, but 18 guests and 34 guests require very different planning.
2. Choose Your Dates
If your dates are not flexible, establish them before becoming attached to a particular vessel. Each ship can only accommodate one private charter at a time.
3. Count the Cabins
Thirty guests do not necessarily mean fifteen cabins. Singles, couples, children and family combinations can change the number considerably. Tell us who needs to sleep where rather than simply giving us the total headcount.
4. Tell Us What Matters About the Week
You do not need to design the route yourself. Tell us what matters: swimming, food and wine, nightlife, history, children, particular islands, a celebration, yoga sessions, cycling or simply having plenty of unstructured time together.
5. Choose the Ship
Once we know your dates, group and cabin requirements, we can narrow down which vessels actually fit.
Compare the current fleet and starting prices on our private charter page.
6. Build the Week
From there, the itinerary, menus, excursions, transfers and additional arrangements can take shape. That order avoids trying to force the wrong group onto the right-looking ship.
Private Ship Charter Croatia FAQs
How much does it cost to charter a private cruise ship in Croatia?
A private small ship charter with Zantium Travel starts from €50,000 for seven nights in 2027. The entry price applies to selected M/S Azzurro departures in early May and October. The final price depends on the ship, dates and additional arrangements requested by your group.
How many people can stay on a Zantium private small ship?
Zantium’s charter vessels carry a maximum of 36 passengers. Exact cabin configurations vary by ship, so establish your guest list and sleeping arrangements before choosing a vessel.
Can we choose where the ship goes?
Yes, within operational limits. The first and last ports are fixed, while the itinerary between them can be shaped around your group. The captain retains final responsibility for navigation and safety, and routes remain subject to weather, sea conditions and port availability.
Is a Cruise Manager included in the charter price?
A Cruise Manager is mandatory on Zantium private charters but is charged separately from the base charter price.
Are airport transfers included?
No. Airport transfers are not included in the base charter price, but Zantium can arrange them on request.
Are excursions included?
No. Excursions are separate from the charter price. You can choose from ready-made excursion packages or work with Zantium to build a bespoke programme for your group.
Can children join a private charter?
Yes. Private charters can be particularly useful for larger families because the itinerary, meals and activities can be planned with the group’s ages and requirements in mind.
Do we need sailing experience?
No. Zantium private charters are fully crewed. A professional captain and crew operate the vessel throughout the cruise.
Can we organise a themed private cruise?
Yes. Zantium operates yoga, food and wine, cycling and other special-interest charters. The route and excursion programme can be planned around the purpose of the group, within operational constraints.
How far in advance should we charter a ship in Croatia?
If you need a particular week or vessel, enquire as early as possible. Each ship can only be chartered by one group during a given week, so availability is more limited than booking individual cabins.
Start With Your Group
You do not need to come to us with a finished itinerary.
Tell us when you want to travel, approximately how many people are coming, how many cabins you need and what you want the week to feel like.
From there, our Croatia-based team can show you which ships are suitable and start putting the week together.
