Yacht Rental Deposits in Miami: What's Refundable & When You Pay

Pricing · By The VCYC Team · August 11, 2026 · 9 min read

Vice City Yacht Club requires a 30% deposit or $500 minimum to confirm your Miami yacht charter, with balance due day-of. Weather cancellations earn a full refund or free rebook.

Direct Answer: Deposit, Balance, and Refund Policy

Vice City Yacht Club requires a 30% deposit or $500 minimum (whichever is greater) to confirm your Miami yacht charter, with the remaining balance due the day of departure. Customer cancellations forfeit the deposit, but if weather or mechanical issues prevent safe departure, you choose either a free rebooking to any future date or a 100% refund under the Perfect Day Guarantee. Every available date can be held free for 24 hours with no card and no deposit before you commit.

This structure eliminates the surprise billing and weeks-ahead final invoices common at other charter companies. You know exactly what you owe upfront, you control when the balance leaves your account, and you retain full flexibility if conditions turn unsafe.

How Much Deposit Does Vice City Yacht Club Require?

The deposit is 30% of the total charter price, or $500 minimum, whichever is greater. The balance is due the day of the charter—not two weeks before, not when you arrive at the marina, but on charter day after you board and confirm everything is ready.

Here are three real examples across our fleet: Yacht — Charter Duration — Total Price — Deposit (30% or $500 min) — Balance Due Day-OfMonaco (57 ft, 13 guests) — 4 hours — $1,750 — $525 — $1,225 Sebastian (65 ft, 13 guests) — 6 hours — $4,050 — $1,215 — $2,835 Astonish (97 ft, 13 guests) — 8 hours — $12,150 — $3,645 — $8,505 The $500 minimum protects smaller charters: if you book a 3-hour trip on BALI at $500, the 30% formula would yield only $150, so the $500 floor applies and you pay the full amount as deposit. On larger charters—like an 8-hour run on Make Big Happen at $25,650—the 30% deposit is $7,695, and you settle the $17,955 balance on charter day.

No surprise invoices arrive weeks before your date. You control the final payment timing, and you see the exact split at booking.

The 24-Hour Free Hold: Reserve Before You Pay

Every available date on our calendar can be held free for 24 hours with no card and no deposit. This means you can lock your preferred yacht and departure time while your group confirms headcount, finalizes the itinerary, or compares other quotes—without risking a dime.

The hold works like this: you select a yacht, choose a date and duration on the live booking calendar, and request the hold. We mark that slot as reserved for 24 hours. No credit card is captured, no deposit is charged, and no cancellation fee applies if you decide not to proceed. If you want to confirm the charter within those 24 hours, you convert the hold into a booking by paying the deposit. If the 24 hours expire without payment, the date returns to the open calendar and another customer can book it.

This feature solves the coordination problem that plagues group charters: one person scouts the boats, shares details with the group, collects contributions, and only then commits. The free hold buys you time to organize without losing your date to another booking. Most competitors either don't offer holds or require a deposit immediately, which forces hasty decisions or forfeited payments when plans shift.

Once you're ready to move forward, the deposit confirms the booking and the balance schedule begins.