How to build a yacht charter guest preference sheet: what to ask, when to send it, and how galley, interior and deck turn one form into a week of service.
A charter guest preference sheet is the single document that records what a charter party eats, drinks, does and celebrates, so the captain, chef, interior and deck can plan the week from the same brief. Sent early and read properly, it is the difference between a charter that feels tailored from the first drink and one where the crew spends the first two days guessing.
This guide covers what a good sheet asks, when to send it, how each department reads it, and where a platform like Guest Trip replaces the forwarded PDF with a form that lands straight against the trip.
Most sheets fail in one of two ways: they are so long that the principal's assistant fills them in with “no preference”, or so short that the chef still has to phone the broker. Aim for one section per department, written in plain language, with the questions that change what you buy, book or set up.
Guest list. Names as they like to be addressed, ages of children, cabin allocation, who is the decision-maker, passport details for clearance. Captain, chief stew. Food. Allergies and intolerances (severity, cross-contamination), religious and ethical diets, disliked ingredients, favourite cuisines, breakfast habits, formal vs relaxed dining. Chef, interior. Drinks. Wine and champagne preferences with price comfort, spirits and cocktails, non-drinkers, coffee and tea specifics, still vs sparkling water, minibar contents. Chief stew, purser. Pace and activities. Early risers or late nights, cruising vs swimming days, watersports and certifications, diving, fishing, fitness, guided tours ashore. Captain, deck. Wellbeing. Spa and treatment interests, seasickness, mobility considerations, sleep preferences (pillows, temperature, blackout). Interior, spa. Occasions. Birthdays, anniversaries, proposals, business dinners, surprises that must stay secret from named guests. Whole crew. Logistics. Flights, transfers, luggage, embarkation and disembarkation times, guests joining mid-charter. Captain, purser
1. Send it the day the charter is confirmed
The sheet is only useful if it is back in time to act on. Ask for it at least two weeks before embarkation, and earlier for remote cruising grounds where specialist provisioning has to be shipped in. A broker-led charter usually sends the sheet through the central agent; an owner's trip or a repeat charter is often sent by the chief stew directly.
Send it with a short covering note that explains why each section matters. Guests fill in more when they understand that “favourite breakfast” decides what is in the galley on day one.
guest preference forms are sent by link, so guests fill them in on a phone rather than printing and scanning, and every answer lands against the trip where the crew can read it.
2. Ask about severity, not just presence
“Nut allergy” tells the chef almost nothing. Is it anaphylaxis or a mild intolerance? Does it extend to shared fryers and unmarked pastries ashore? Ask for the severity and the practical rule the guest follows at home, and repeat the answer back at the embarkation briefing so nothing is lost between the form and the galley.
The same logic applies to seasickness, sun sensitivity and mobility. A guest who mentions a bad knee in the sheet needs a different tender plan and a different beach than one who does not.
3. Capture the shape of the day
Preference sheets tend to focus on food, but the questions that most change an itinerary are about rhythm. What time do guests want breakfast? Do they want to be under way by nine or still at anchor at noon? Is the group there to see places or to be left alone in a bay? These answers set the passage plan, the deck rota and the interior's turnover windows.
the preference answers sit alongside the day-by-day itinerary, so a late-rising party can be planned as late departures rather than discovered at 09:30 on day one.
4. Confirm it in person at embarkation
Sheets are often filled in by an assistant weeks earlier. Use the welcome briefing to confirm the essentials with the guests themselves: allergies, dislikes, the occasion they are celebrating and who signs off on changes to the plan. Note the corrections in the same place as the original answers, not in a WhatsApp thread.
5. Keep the sheet alive through the week
The most valuable preference data is learned on charter: the champagne that was refilled three times, the beach the kids asked to return to, the treatment the principal booked twice. Log it against the guest profile, not the trip, so a repeat booking next season starts from what worked rather than from another blank form.
spa, room service and service requests raised by guests during the charter are recorded against the trip, giving the crew a running picture of what the party actually asked for.
The captain reads it for pace, risk and the character of the group: a corporate party wants a different week from a family with teenagers. The chef reads it for provisioning quantities and menu structure, working back from the number of formal dinners and lunches ashore. The chief stew reads it for cabin set-up, table settings, bar stock and service tone. The deck reads it for toys, certifications and which anchorages will actually get used.
One brief serving four readers only works if it lives in one place. A sheet that is forwarded to each department as an email attachment is four documents within a day of the first correction.
As soon as the charter is confirmed, with a return date at least two weeks before embarkation. Allow four to eight weeks for remote cruising grounds where specialist provisioning has to be imported.
Usually the principal or their assistant, sometimes with input from each guest. The crew should confirm the key answers with the guests themselves at the embarkation briefing.
Allergies and dietary restrictions with their severity, followed by the daily rhythm the guests want: wake-up times, cruising versus swimming days and how much they want to do ashore.
Yes. Preferences learned on charter are the most reliable data a yacht has for repeat guests. Store them against the guest profile, with the guest's consent and in line with data-protection rules, rather than in a personal inbox.