Stage 7: What should you recheck after booking and before departure?

At each contractual payment or planning milestone

• Reconcile invoices and dates against the signed agreement.
• Check for changes to ownership, operational arrangements or material equipment.
• Confirm that any revised itinerary has been reflected in the expense forecast.

Before final provisioning and travel arrangements are locked

• Confirm the captain, chef and senior service contact scheduled for your dates.
• Finalize cabin allocation, guest preferences and required travel documents.
• Confirm boarding location, transfer arrangements and emergency contacts.
• Recheck essential equipment, connectivity expectations and activity restrictions.
• Agree who may authorize discretionary extras and when spending updates will be provided.

Yotspot’s galley listings include permanent, temporary and rotational positions. That supports asking who is scheduled for your charter; it does not establish a staffing problem on any particular yacht. (yotspot.com)

At boarding, during the charter and at closeout

• Attend the captain’s safety briefing and review the weather-dependent route.
• Confirm the expense-reporting arrangement and initial APA position.
• Review expenditure during the trip, rather than waiting for a final surprise.
• Raise service or equipment issues promptly and follow the agreement’s notice procedure.
• Review the final expense account and supporting documentation.
• Record disputed items, outstanding invoices, refund arrangements and responsible contacts.
• Give a separate instruction for any gratuity; do not leave it implicit in the expense settlement.

AYCA’s 2026 captain guidelines recommend a boarding briefing, interim expense reviews and a final accounting with receipts or documentation. They are useful operational guidance, but the financial terms of your own agreement remain the reference point. (ayca.net)

Stage output: a reconciled trip file, any unresolved claim or refund tracked to completion, and a short note on what to repeat or change next time.