Advanced Marina reservations..

[AA3JY]

Starting to see a disturbing trend being set..in order to make reservations some marinas are now asking deposits in advance.. That will add up significantly for those on a limited budget if more marinas are now asking advanced deposits. Not only does that tie up ones account for an extended amount of time..but the interest accrued on those deposits goes in the marinas account not the cruisers’..that (Interest) can be a significant amount if the marina in question collects many deposits.

Yes I know this is a business decision on the part of these marinas but the cruisers mode of transportation are dependent on many variables..unlike land vehicles where there arrival times can be determined more exactly..besides there are heck of a lot more land accommodations to choose from then there are on the water..

So my question is..is this the new normal and expect more of this (advanced deposits) or has this been a normal practice ..?

[slug]

Originally Posted by AA3JY

Starting to see a disturbing trend being set..in order to make reservations some marinas are now asking deposits in advance.. That will add up significantly for those on a limited budget if more marinas are now asking advanced deposits. Not only does that tie up ones account for an extended amount of time..but the interest accrued on those deposits goes in the marinas account not the cruisers’..that (Interest) can be a significant amount if the marina in question collects many deposits.

Yes I know this is a business decision on the part of these marinas but the cruisers mode of transportation are dependent on many variables..unlike land vehicles where there arrival times can be determined more exactly..besides there are heck of a lot more land accommodations to choose from then there are on the water..

So my question is..is this the new normal and expect more of this (advanced deposits) or has this been a normal practice ..?

People behave poorly , selfish

With many people , when planning a cruise from point A to B , it’s become common to make a reservation at every suitable port on the route ... just in case

This widespread bad behavior hurts marinas and genuine folks who need a berth.

More and more marinas no longer accept any reservations

As s seaman your best defense is to develop a personal relationship with the port captain , clarify that you mean business

This is how all professionally run yachts operate

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by slug

With many people , when planning a cruise from point A to B , it’s become common to make a reservation at every suitable port on the route ... just in case

This widespread bad behavior hurts marinas and genuine folks who need a berth.

Some ruin it for all.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by AA3JY

So my question is..is this the new normal and expect more of this (advanced deposits) or has this been a normal practice ..?

Not abnormal around here... for years...

-Chris

[Group9]

One of our worst experiences was a marina on the ICW, which I won’t name for now (as this was ten years ago, and they may be better, now) that took our deposit, and didn’t want to return it when we ran aground in their channel trying to get in (after they assured us it was deep enough). It was attached to a hotel, and they ran the slips like hotel rooms and really had no knowledge of marina operations at all.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by AA3JY

So my question is..is this the new normal and expect more of this (advanced deposits) or has this been a normal practice ..?

Not the new normal, yet. But I don't have a problem with it and seems reasonable if you want to ensure you have a spot and/or at least call them to change your plan when you get delayed.

[ohdrinkboy]

I think it is perfectly acceptable to ask for a deposit for a slip reservation.

[BlackHeron]

Decent ground tackle is a one-time purchase.

Never understood the whole "reservation" thing for marinas anyhow. A schedule is one of the very most dangerous things you can bring aboard a boat.

[Zzmeyer]

I actually like the reservation system. While we generally anchor out I like to know I have a slip when we plan a reprovisioning stop. We often have to re schedule but most just require 24 notice. I also like the deposit. We recently stopped at a marina with a reservation but no deposit and because of engine trouble requested an end tie. They said all five were reserved. When we left a few days later I pointed out all five were still empty. No shows. It hurt their business and probably denied cruisers a slip

[flyingfin]

Originally Posted by AA3JY

Not only does that tie up ones account for an extended amount of time..but the interest accrued on those deposits goes in the marinas account not the cruisers’..that (Interest) can be a significant amount if the marina in question collects many deposits.

What planet are you from? Significant interest on a CD is barely 0.5%, plus Banks charge the marina 3% on credit card charge used to process that deposit

[Tupaia]

Turn up, anchor then negotiate. Our large cat rarely pays full price let alone surcharge for multis.

[Mirage35]

A common approach around here is to ask for a credit card number for the reservation, they then charge one night if you do a no-show without calling to cancel. Seems like a more civilized system to me.

[redneckrob]

I wish more would do a hybrid system where they take reservations for half their transient slips and leave the rest open for people who show up. There are times I really appreciate both, seems like the best of both worlds and most folks would understand that approach.

[Tortuga's Lie]

I think many marinas are also going to a third party reservation service like Dockwa or Snag-a-slip which takes your credit card info and relieves the marina of that part of the transaction. Also, many marinas that are in high demand, especially during a holiday weekend, want to ensure that they don't have any vacant slips when they have the high demand. Can't say that I blame them.

[rslifkin]

Some also have a pretty small number of transient slips (unless enough people are traveling and have let them know so they can use the slip). So having a couple of people no-show for reservations with no charge ends up digging into their transient capacity noticeably.