Hidden Extra's

[Guest]

Hi,

I'm about to book my first boating holiday and am planning on going through Hoseasons. I've been trying to read all the small print and just wanted to check how much extra the holiday will cost on top of the hire fee for fuel, car parking, mooring etc. We're a family of 4.

Thanks

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. It all depends on which yard you`re going with. The trouble with going through Hoseasons or Blakes, is that you are dealing with a "commisioned" booking agency, and they will just book the boat for you at the price shown, whereas if you book with the yard direct, you can sometimes work a deal, and they will be able to tell you an "all in" price straight away. Don`t forget, as well as the agencies, there are also several independant yards that are well worth consideration, and may also offer you a better deal than some of the big yards. Usually, for an average 4 berth boat, you can safely add on about £120-150. dependant on whether some things have to be payed as extras. For example, some yards, but not many, don`t charge for car parking, or a hair dryer, or a family pet, whereas some yards will charge you for EVERY extra.

The independant yards are-

Maffett Cruisers of Loddon,

Pacific Cruisers of Loddon,

Freedom Holiday Cruisers of Horning,

Martham Boat Company of Martham.

All of the above have their own websites, so you`ll be able to find out exactly what extra costs (none with Maffett Cruisers) will be applicable. One thing i will say is that Martham Boat Company only hire out traditional all wood cruisers, but are very reliable, and are also very comfortable. Fellow forumite "Stranger" often hires from them, so he would be able to advise you about them. As for Maffett Cruisers, my wife and i are going with them yet again this year, and if you take a look at their website, the price IS an "all in" price, with NO hidden extras whatsoever. Their boat "Jay" will comfortably sleep 4, so why not take a look at their site. I hope this helps. Regards , and good luck .................... Neil.

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

I forgot to add ..... If you pick your moorings carefully, you can go the whole week without paying at all. However, at some of the most popular spots, a fee is charged, and this can be as high as £10 per night, but somewhere nice and quiet on an out of the way river bank, or at BA moorings will usually be free of charge. Regards ............. Neil.

[Dan]

You'll probably need to do this for the actual boat to get an accurate price, but as a rough estimate:

Fuel deposit £100 (You may get a bit of this back at the end of your holiday if you dont use quite this much fuel)

Non refundable damage waiver £45

Pets £30 each

Holiday Insurance £15 (if required - personally I never bother!)

If the holiday is fairly iminent and/or you aren't bothered about cancellation insurance which Hoseasons include and wont allow you to remove (I think), then booking direct with the yard can, depending on the yard, mean you can 'remove' this option & bring the cost down (by around £25-30 from memory)

All the best

Dan

[Guest]

Thanks for all you help. We've booked through Pacific Cruisers and are looking forward to the summer

[senator]

Pacific are a great yard and the boats while older are always very well presented.

We hired Pacific Princess from them and were over the moon with both the boat and the service. Beware though it was probably their fault we got the bug and ended up buying our own boat.

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

Pacific are a great yard and the boats while older are always very well presented.

We hired Pacific Princess from them and were over the moon with both the boat and the service. Beware though it was probably their fault we got the bug and ended up buying our own boat.

I doubt that Ian, there`s a slight difference between Pacific Princess and Clandestine

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

Thanks for all you help. We've booked through Pacific Cruisers and are looking forward to the summer

When are you goning?. Karen (my wife ) and i will be on Swallow from Maffett cruisers next door in late June. Also, a word of advice, try to arrive at Loddon about 11-30 to 12 noon, and have lunch in Rosie Lea`s tea rooms adjacent to the quay. We`re aiming to arrive at the yard hopefully about 11-30ish and park the car, then walk to the village for lunch before boarding . Can`t wait

[Guest]

Thanks for all the advice. We had a lovely holiday on Pacific Moonlight and are planning a return trip next year. We thought we'd try the North this time and will try another independent boat yard.

I would thoroughly recommend Pacific Cruisers!

Thanks