Below Deck and its various spin offs have captivated viewers for years, and the show would not be what it is without its charter guests. Each season, the Below Deck crew hosts several charters on a super yacht, where guests take place in various excursions and activities. These ventures range from water sports to picnics to parties, but never fail to put the yacht crew to work. While the charter guests enjoy almost all of the activities, some are particularly painful to the Below Deck crew, making them terrible ideas in the long run.
The Slide
While the famous Below Deck slide certainly looks captivating at first glance, the popular charter activity is more complicated than it may seem. The slide is a hassle for the deck crew, who are responsible for setting it up correctly and safely. The deckhands have always been candid about the pains of setting up the slide, which can take hours. The slide is also incredibly heavy, making the set up even more difficult on the often short-staffed deck crew.
The Slide is a fun pastime for guests, although there are several downsides even for them. One of the biggest downsides is the time, since it only takes about five seconds to reach the bottom of the slide and drop into the water. After resurfacing, the guests then have to swim back to the boat and climb up a ladder, which cannot be the most comfortable while soaking wet!
Throughout Below Deck history, some guests have also gotten a bit ridiculous with their requests regarding the slide. One of the most notorious was when a female charter guest demanded Bosun Kelley Johnson ride it with her, which he agreed to, despite being uncomfortable. While charter guests do love the slide, there is just too much that can go wrong with it!
Beach Picnics
Another charter activity that has more cons than pros would be the classic picnic, which guests seem to choose rather frequently. While picnics are a cute thing to do while home or near a park, nothing about them screams luxurious super yacht charter. In addition to being rather boring in nature, the picnics are always a lengthy setup for the crew, which is often not appreciated by the guests either.
When guests can choose to participate in fun water activities or themed onboard parties, it does not make sense to choose a picnic instead. These picnics typically take place on a beach, where it is often windy, which causes sand to blow around and into the guests food. This is not the type of experience you want to have after paying thousands of dollars, since it is something you could likely do at home.
It is understandable that the guests would want to explore tropical beaches, although food should not be a part of such excursions. A better alternative would be to have guests enjoy drinks on the beach, and then return to the comfort of the yacht for a more elegant meal.
Jet Skiing (Operated By Charter Guests)
While jet skiing sounds like a great idea for a charter activity at first, there are many things that can also go wrong, as we have seen in the past on Below Deck. It’s hard to forget the problematic charter guest who refused to wear a life vest as he drove a jet ski around the yacht at dangerously high speeds, much to the dismay of the crew. If the guest had injured himself at any point during the excursion, the crew would have been responsible, which is not fair to them.
It is easier to overturn a jet ski than one might think, so it is absolutely crucial to wear a life vest for safety. If the guests are not extremely familiar with operating a jet ski, they are risking their safety by driving it under such dangerous conditions.
Instead, a better alternative to allowing the guests to ride their own jet skis would be to strictly have members of the deck crew operate them, while the guests enjoy the ride. In the past, the crew have taken guests on sightseeing excursions on smaller boats, which is also a good alternative.
TELL US – WHICH BELOW DECK ACTIVITY DO YOU THINK IS THE WORST?
