Yacht Week: Worth It?

Before you even get to Yacht Week, the first step is booking your yacht. You can either:

• Book a cabin: Join a boat with strangers and share the experience.
• Book a full yacht: Fill it with your own crew of friends.

My group booked an entire yacht, so I knew everyone on board. I can't recommend one option over the other since I only did the full-crew version, but honestly, everyone I met was friendly. If you do a cabin share, you'll just have more opportunities to mingle and make friends.

From what I heard, it can be slightly cheaper to rent out an entire yacht with your own group — though prices vary by boat size and number of people. Smaller boats cost less overall, but since they hold fewer people, the per-person price often evens out.

Personally, I'd recommend booking a larger boat if you can:

• You'll get a bigger, nicer catamaran with way more lounge space.
• Larger boats = less seasickness.
• Hypothesis, but from my experience: bigger boats tend to get more seasoned skippers (since they're more complex to handle). Ours was super knowledgeable about the route and always made sure we were in prime locations — whether docked in a marina or lined up on Regatta Day.

Another decision: do you want a host? A skipper automatically comes with the yacht, but a host (who cooks and cleans) is optional. My recommendation? Get a host. Yes, it raises the price, but having someone prepare gourmet meals while you relax on the water is so worth it.

Plus, our host Kaylee was amazing (shoutout Kaylee!! She even has her own private catering business in the US). She made our experience so much better — not just for the food, but because she was a vibe.

Day I: Trogir & Opening Party

Day 1 wasn't too wild for us. It was mostly logistics: meeting our skipper and host, getting settled on the boat, grocery shopping, raising all of our flags (bring fun flags to add to the sail), all that good stuff. Nothing major happens on this day, but the excitement in the air is real — everyone's buzzing for the week ahead.

That evening, our whole crew went out to dinner, then hit the official Yacht Week Opening Party at Padre's Bar. Honestly? The venue felt a little small for the crowd size. A few of us ended up wandering to the bar next door, where we somehow befriended the bartenders — and they let us go behind the bar to make drinks. A random but fun little side quest.

Later that night, we headed back to the marina. One of the nearby boats was throwing an after-party, so of course, we joined. We ended up meeting some cool Egyptians and had a wholesome guitar sing-along. A very fun (and slightly chaotic) start to the week.

Day II: Bol

By the time I woke up the next morning at 8 AM, we were already sailing toward the island of Bol. Waking up on the water with the sun shining in and a gourmet breakfast waiting downstairs? Luxury.

The club itself was awesome — set in the middle of a forest, which made for a really unique venue. The music was house/tech, which isn't my favorite genre, but the vibes were still on point.

On Bol, a bunch of us rented ATVs and rode around the island. It wasn't a guided tour — we were just out there on our own, zipping through the streets, probably a little too fast, but safe enough. (I did hear about someone else crashing their ATV into a wall — no injuries, but definitely a reminder to drive carefully.)

After that, we came back to a full lunch spread from our host and then hit the beach. A few of us tried out one of those inflatable water obstacle courses — SO MUCH FUN. I felt like a little kid again. Just know: you'll fall a lot more than you expect, and sometimes it hurts.

That evening, we went into Bol town for dinner. Then it was time for the Yacht Week party at Club 585. Getting there was half the fun — they transported us on little trackless trains (like the ones you see at zoos or amusement parks). Super cute, except one of my friends jumped off his train as a dare and hurt himself... story for another time.

Day III: Regatta Day

This was hands-down my favorite day of the entire trip. Honestly, I would go back to Yacht Week just to relive Regatta Day.

The sail goes from Bol to Starigrad, but instead of docking on land, all the yachts form a tunnel raft — two lines of boats tied up side by side (looks like an equals sign from above). And then? You stay docked like that, all night.

During the sail, every boat dresses in a theme. It's a friendly competition, and the best theme wins a table at the final party of the week. Our theme was Super Mario — each of us dressed as a different character. I loved it, but because we weren't coordinated in one single look, it didn't come across super cohesive to the judges. We didn't win, but it was still so fun seeing everyone else's creativity.

Once all the boats were lined up in the tunnel raft, the real party started. Everyone pulled out their floaties, jumped in the water, and mingled between boats. Then a DJ showed up on a smaller boat in the middle of the raft and started blasting house music. Unreal vibes. I was basically in the water the entire day, soaking up the atmosphere.

This was also one of my favorite days because it was such a natural way to meet people. With everyone boat-hopping, I think I managed to visit every single yacht lined up on our side by the end of the night.

Meals were served on board, and the evening was pretty open-ended — you could call it an early night or keep the party going. A few boats even had DJs set up on board, so some of us joined them to continue dancing.

I can't think about this day without smiling.

Day IV: Carpe Diem Beach Club

Day 4 was party-heavy from start to finish.

I woke up early after spending the night outside (my cabin was basically Harry Potter's closet — not all rooms are built equal, and mine was the unlucky one). Sleeping under the stars was actually kind of magical, so no regrets.

That morning, we sailed out with a few other boats, formed a circle on the water, and swam in the middle for a while. Then we got ready for the big themed party of the day.

Our theme was "The Year of the Sea Myth" — so we went full sirens. The party was at Carpe Diem, a famous beach club on its own island. You literally have to take a water taxi to get there, which already made it feel special.

We splurged on a table at Carpe Diem, and honestly? Worth it. The whole vibe was a blur of dancing, drinks, and being surrounded by the ocean. Highly recommend splurging here — when else are you going to party at a venue like that?

Afterwards, we headed into Hvar town for dinner, then ended up bar hopping with other Yacht Week people. It turned into a long, fun night — especially for me and my friend Lali.

Day V: Hvar

After the madness of Carpe Diem, today was slower. We slept in, had a late breakfast courtesy of our host, and then wandered to the beach to just chill. A reset day, which was much needed.

In the evening, Yacht Week hosted a White Party at Hula Hula Bar, a spot right on the water with an incredible sunset view. The sky turned this gorgeous burnt orange as the sun dipped down — truly stunning.

Now, funny story: right as we arrived, my friend accidentally spilled her red drink down the back of my white dress. Before I even entered the party, I was stained. Classic. Instead of sulking, I decided to lean into it. I grabbed my red lipstick, had my friend kiss the dress, and then went around asking other people to do the same. By the end of the night, my ruined dress had turned into a crafty little souvenir. Lemonade out of lemons.

After the party, we went back to the boat for a family-style dinner cooked by Kaylee. Later that night, we debated between staying near the marina or heading back out — and surprise, surprise, we ended up back at Carpe Diem. This time with a random mix of new friends and old, buying another table and dancing the night away. The spending was getting... questionable at this point, but the memories? Priceless.

Day VI: Vis & Fort George

Our last full day of Yacht Week!

I woke up to us sailing toward Vis, a charming little island town right on the water. It was picturesque — easily one of the prettiest places we visited all week. A few friends and I rented scooters to explore the island, and honestly? One of my favorite activities.

One thing about me: I love scooters. We spent hours driving around the island's curvy, hilly roads, stopping at overlooks and taking in the views. It was such a blast, and I realized I'm actually great on a bike.

Back on the boat, we got ready for dinner in town. We ended up eating outside in a garden — gorgeous vibes, even if I can't remember the restaurant name.

Then came the grand finale: the Closing Party at Fort George, an old fort perched right on the sea. The venue was incredible — stone walls, open-air spaces, music drifting over the water. A few friends and I met up with Molly, and we danced until the party (sadly) shut down earlier than expected.

Not ready for the night to end, we went back to the boats and hung out with friends — new and old. Our whole boat ended up talking until sunrise, and I fell asleep outside again, under the stars. A perfect way to wrap up the week.

Day VII: Return to Trogir

Our final morning.

We all collectively slept in after the long night at Fort George. Once we finally rolled out of bed, we had breakfast, packed up, and started cleaning the boat as we sailed back to Trogir.

Check-out was at 2 PM — and true to form, we were running late. But we made it. We said our goodbyes to our skipper and our host Kaylee, and just like that, our Yacht Week adventure was over.