Weddings and Celebrations on a Private Yacht in Phuket

A celebration on a yacht is the one format where the venue moves: the ceremony at anchor in a quiet bay, the dinner under way along the coast, the sunset wherever the captain says it will be best. Horizon Cruises Phuket has three yachts of its own for up to 30 guests and a catalogue of around 80 boats beyond them. Prices are per boat per day, in Thai baht, with no celebration surcharge.

Which occasion, which day?

A wedding at sea

A ceremony on deck at anchor, then the reception aboard as the yacht moves to the sunset. The largest of our own yachts, Technema 89 Say Yes, takes 30 guests for the day; a sailing catamaran takes up to 40 on a wide, flat deck that does not roll at anchor. A wedding needs the boat for the full day, and usually an early start is not the point — a departure around midday, ceremony at three, sunset at six works well.

A proposal

The opposite scale: two people, a short evening charter, a bay with nobody else in it. Any of the smaller boats does this; a sunset charter of two hours is the natural format. The crew knows how to be invisible.

A birthday

The most-booked celebration format — a full day to the islands with a group of 10 to 30, lunch aboard, a cake at anchor, the toys out. Nothing needs to be special about the route; the day is the occasion. How we plan a birthday charter.

An anniversary

A couple, or a family, on a boat sized for them: an overnight on one of our own yachts — each sleeps 8 — puts the anniversary itself at sea, at anchor, with dinner from the galley and the morning swim before anyone else is awake.

A hen or stag day

A group of 8 to 12 on a speedboat or a small motor yacht, a full day, the water and the music. Speedboats from ฿21,000; the boat's page shows what is aboard.

What can we arrange on board?

What we organise, on our own yachts and on most partner boats:

• Catering beyond the standard lunch — a set dinner, a buffet, canapés. Quoted per menu, in advance.
• A private chef on the yachts that carry one — listed on the boat's page with its price.
• Cake, flowers and decoration — through our event partners, quoted per brief in advance.
• Photographer, musician, DJ, officiant — through the same partners; or bring your own, they count toward the boat's licensed capacity like any guest.
• A full turnkey wedding. With our partners we take on the whole event — ceremony, décor, catering, music, photography, guest transfers — so that you deal with one contact. Quoted as a single figure once the brief is set.
• A sound system — JBL PartyBox on Technema and Ferretti; listed where present on other boats.
• Water toys — slide, floating pool, SUP boards, tender; a Seabob at a charge on Technema.

Everything on this list is confirmed in writing before the day, with a price. Nothing is improvised at the pier.

How does a wedding day run?

A working schedule for a wedding on a full-day charter, moved to your ceremony time:

• 11:00 — transfer collects guests from the hotel; the couple can arrive separately.
• 12:00 — boarding at the marina, welcome drinks on deck, the yacht leaves.
• 13:00 — lunch at anchor in a sheltered bay.
• 15:00 — the yacht moves to the ceremony anchorage. Ceremony on the foredeck or the flybridge, depending on the boat and the wind.
• 16:00 — photographs, the swim if anyone wants it, the toys for the guests who do.
• 17:30 — the yacht gets under way toward the sunset; dinner or canapés served as it goes.
• 18:30 — sunset at anchor.
• 19:30 — alongside; transfer back.

An officiant is not part of the charter itself, but we arrange one through our partners — a registrar for a legal ceremony, a celebrant for a symbolic one — or anyone you choose leads it.

Children and the guest count

Children count toward the licensed capacity like anyone else — a boat rated for 30 takes 30 people, not 30 adults. Child-size life jackets are aboard and the crew fits them. What matters more than age is the boat: a wide, flat catamaran deck is the easiest place for small children at a celebration, a speedboat the hardest. Tell us the ages and the shortlist adjusts.

The guest count also decides whether it is one yacht or two. Above 30 on our own yachts, or above what a chosen boat is licensed for, the celebration runs on two boats in company — same route, same anchorage, guests moving between them by tender. The price is two day rates.

What should you tell us when booking?

The date; the occasion; the number of guests including children and their ages; whether there is a ceremony and at what hour; what you want served beyond the standard lunch; anything you bring aboard yourselves — flowers, a cake, a photographer. From that we send the boats that fit, with a final figure and a list of what is and is not in it, and a time to view the yacht.

What does a celebration charter cost?

The same day rate as any charter of that boat — from ฿21,000 for a speedboat, ฿33,900 for a motor yacht, ฿214,000 for a luxury yacht — plus whatever you add from the list above, each item priced separately. Our own yachts, high-season full day: Ferretti 80 Sofia from ฿110,000, Technema 89 Say Yes from ฿140,000, Beluga 88 from ฿267,500. Prices by boat and season.

What is included?

Captain and crew, fuel for the agreed route, passenger insurance, drinks and snorkelling gear, towels, round-trip hotel transfer on full days, and a final price in Thai baht on every charter. On our own yachts, a Russian-speaking manager aboard. Lunch, drinks and toys by boat — the full picture. National park fees, where the route enters one, and crew gratuities are separate.

How do you book a celebration?

Send the date, the occasion and the number of guests. You get back the boats that are free with final prices, and a time to view them — any yacht can be seen before you pay. A 50 % deposit confirms; the balance is paid on the day. Cancellation 30 days or more before: full refund of the deposit; 29 days or less: not refunded. If the Thai Marine Department closes the port on the day, a full refund or a new date, your choice.

For a wedding on a specific date in high season, book early: the boat you want on the day you want goes weeks ahead. For the peak dates — New Year, Chinese New Year, Loy Krathong — see holiday charters.

Which yacht suits a celebration?

For 25 to 30 with a saloon and the widest toy list, Technema 89 Say Yes. For an elegant 20 to 25, Ferretti 80 Sofia. For a Phang Nga Bay backdrop, Beluga 88 from Ao Po — the limestone towers are 13 to 20 km from that marina. For 30 to 40 on a deck that stays flat, a sailing catamaran. For two, a sunset charter on anything small.