Barbados Private Charters

A private charter gives your group the whole catamaran, its crew and its snorkel stops for one fixed price. Che Allan’s private catamaran cruise with snorkeling costs US$500 per group of up to 10 on GetYourGuide (checked November 2026) for 3 hours of guided snorkelling and a sail down the west coast, and it is rated 5.0/5 from 70+ reviews there (our review). The price stays the same for two people or ten. For a couple it costs more than shared seats; from about seven people it costs less than a shared 3-hour snorkel cruise.

What the charter price covers

The listing includes snorkel gear, life jackets, a certified instructor who leads you in the water, and light refreshments: juice, soda, water, light snacks and a complimentary rum punch on the sail back. There is no lunch and no open bar. You are welcome to bring your own food and drinks, which many groups do for a birthday or a family day out.

Your group decides the pace. The snorkel stops are reefs and shipwrecks with tropical fish, and sometimes turtles, at what the listing calls uncrowded anchorages. After the swim the crew sails you down the west coast and points out landmarks from the water. Turtles are wild and the operator does not promise them; it warns that sightings are less likely in cruise-ship season.

You either meet the crew at the beach or, from some hotels, get picked up. The listing does not name the beach, so confirm the meeting point when you check in by WhatsApp after booking. Bring a towel, biodegradable sunscreen, cash for tips and any medication you need. Tipping the crew is appreciated, not required. If you want to swim with turtles, give them space: touching or feeding them is discouraged by the Barbados tourism board.

Per-group price against shared seats

The table puts the charter’s flat US$500 next to two shared cruises bought seat by seat. The share per person and the shared totals are our own arithmetic from the listed prices, checked November 2026.

Che’s small-group snorkel catamaran is the closest like-for-like: 3 hours, snacks and rum punch, at most 10 guests, US$75 per person on Viator (our review). Against it, the charter costs more for up to six people and less from seven, where seven shared seats come to US$525.

El Tigre’s lunch cruise is a different day out: 5 hours, a hot buffet lunch, an open bar and pickup, at US$115 per person on GetYourGuide. The charter undercuts it from five people (US$575 in seats), but on the charter you give up the lunch, the open bar and two hours on the water. For a group of five or six that is the real trade: privacy and your own pace against a fuller day. Our price guide sets these figures beside every other cruise on the site.

Groups that do better with the whole boat

Groups of seven to ten get the clearest gain, because the per-head cost drops below every shared cruise on this site. Families with swimmers of different confidence levels also gain: the guide works with your group only and can split the time between the nervous snorkeller and the strong one. Children from age one can go on this charter, which helps families with toddlers, since Calabaza’s shared cruises take children from age four only and keep younger ones for private charters.

Cruise-ship passengers can ask for an earlier start, which the listing offers. With the whole boat booked, you set a firm return time with the crew. The Bridgetown Cruise Terminal sits about a mile west of downtown, and you should still leave a wide margin before all-aboard: no tour operator can hold your ship. Our cruise-ship day guide covers the timing.

A couple or a solo traveller usually spends less on a shared seat. Pick a shared cruise too if you want a full lunch, an open bar and the sociable feel of a bigger boat: the luxury and small-group cruises cap numbers at 12 to 20 guests and still include lunch.

Who the operator turns away

Che Allan’s listing says the charter does not suit non-swimmers, people prone to seasickness, people with pre-existing medical conditions, babies under one year or people over 70. Everyone must be fit, able to swim and follow the crew’s rules. A catamaran heels less than a monohull, which many people find easier, but it does not guarantee you will not feel sick, so take any motion-sickness remedy before you board.

Bad weather can postpone or cancel the trip, with a refund. You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours ahead on GetYourGuide. The cap of 10 covers everyone on your booking, children included, so a larger party needs two boats or a different operator.

Other private boats in Barbados

The hands-on sailing adventure on a sailing yacht is the other private option on GetYourGuide: US$700 per group of up to 6, for 4 hours from Shallow Draught Marina in Bridgetown. A certified sailing instructor lets you take the wheel or simply ride along, with a swim and snorkel stop, water, soft drinks and snacks; lunch costs extra. It is a monohull yacht, not a catamaran, and it has 3 reviews so far, all 5 stars. For six people that works out at about US$117 each (arithmetic), more than twice the charter’s share for the same group.

Calabaza’s afternoon luxury catamaran sailing and charter cruise sounds private, but it is a shared cruise sold per person: US$175 each on Viator, at most 14 guests and a minimum of 8 to sail (our review). Ten friends booking it would pay US$1,750 between them (arithmetic) and could still share the deck with others.

Calabaza and El Tigre both run private cruises that they sell direct, and so do Cool Runnings and Silver Moon. None of those private options is on the booking networks this site covers, so we cannot show their prices; ask the operators for a quote if your group is larger than 10.

Before you book the charter

Count your group first, children included. Check the date on GetYourGuide, then send the WhatsApp check-in the operator asks for, and confirm the meeting point, the start time and whether your hotel is in the pickup area. Plan any food you want to bring, since snacks and soft drinks are the only refreshments included. Our packing list covers the rest.

Ready to pick a date? Check availability for Che Allan’s charter, and confirm the time with the crew, because start times are set per booking.