Should You Charter One BVI Catamaran for 12 Guests or Two?

The quick answer (read this first)

Choose one catamaran if you want:

• Everyone under one roof all week (simple, cohesive trip)
• Shared dinners onboard without coordination
• One itinerary, one crew, one vibe

Choose two catamarans (tandem) if you want:

• More choices (finding two 6-guest boats is much easier than finding one great 12-guest boat)
• More space and less “crowding” in the social areas
• Better service pace (higher crew-to-guest ratio overall)
• More water toys overall (less waiting and rotation)
• Flexibility to split the group (6/6 or 8/4) based on your dynamics

The reality of one catamaran for 12 guests

We’ll be direct: the main advantage of one boat is simple: togetherness without logistics. Everyone wakes up on the same platform, swims off the same stern, and dinner is naturally a full-group event every night. There’s no decision about “who goes on which yacht,” and there’s no effort required to reunite the group.

The trade-off is also simple: it’s busy. Even on a large catamaran, 12 guests + crew means the yacht is constantly busy. The common pinch points aren’t just cabins; it’s the living flow: people moving in and out after swims, ordering drinks at the same time, rotating through toys, and generally sharing the same spaces all day.

And this is the part most clients only understand after we explain it: as the guest count rises, service pace naturally slows a little on one boat. Not because the crew isn’t excellent, but because the crew-to-guest ratio is spread thinner. You may wait a bit longer at peak moments (cocktail hour, lunch resets, toy setup). If your group expects constant high-touch service, that matters.

Finally, options are limited. There simply aren’t many catamarans we’d recommend for 12 in the BVI, and the ones we do like, book early.

Our approach: we don’t list everything that “can sleep 12.” We focus on the few that consistently work well for real groups. (We’ll cover that shortlist below.)

The limited 12-guest shortlist we recommend (start here)

The reality of two catamarans cruising together (tandem)

If your main goal is that the week feels smooth, spacious, and well looked after, tandem is usually the winning setup.

The first big win is choice. It’s generally far easier to charter two excellent catamarans for 6 guests each than it is to find one truly great 12-guest boat on your exact dates. It also gives you flexibility in how you split the group: 6/6 is common, but 8/4 can be perfect if you have a “quiet family yacht” and a “social yacht,” or if you have different sleep schedules and preferences.

The second win is the one people feel immediately onboard with: service pace. Two yachts mean two crews. In practice, that usually means faster drink service at peak moments, smoother meal flow, and less waiting for setup/cleanup. You’re not increasing luxury by buying “a bigger boat”, you’re increasing the operational capacity supporting your group.

The third win is space and toys. Two boats mean more lounge zones, more storage, and typically double the water-toy inventory overall. No yacht carries 12 of every high-demand toy. With two boats, you still rotate, but the line for popular water toys is shorter because you’ve doubled the supply and the number of hands running it.

And importantly, you can still cruise together and spend the day together. Tandem groups usually anchor in the same bays, snorkel together, meet up for beach bars, and share the same itinerary rhythm. That’s exactly why the BVI is such a good destination for tandem.

If you want specific examples of pairs of yachts that have successfully chartered together, check out our list of tandem charters we have booked before.

What we need from you (so we can recommend the right setup fast)

If you send us these details, we can usually recommend the right approach quickly:

• Your dates (and any flexibility)
• The mix: how many couples, singles, kids/teens
• Your priority: togetherness vs comfort/service
• Any must-haves (high toy focus, scuba, specific vibe, etc.)

From there, we’ll either shortlist the best 12-guest single-boat options or propose a tandem pairing that fits your group dynamic and keeps you cruising together.