Painted Pelican

Joe & Julia- Rosenthal Charter

1) The boat was amazing - all the creature comforts you would want , five star hotel
2) The Captain and first mate Joe and Julia were just wonderful
3) The food was better on the boat than at the top restaurants ( which were great as well and suggested by the crew)
4) The spots we anchored were great and the crew took us by dingy to all places we wanted to go

Awesome

Over-the-top great in every way!

We had an absolutely incredible experience with our private captain, Joe, and chef, Ariq. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. Joe was professional, knowledgeable, and made the entire trip smooth, safe, and enjoyable. Ariq was truly outstanding—every meal was beautifully prepared, delicious, and thoughtfully presented. Both went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Their attention to detail, warm personalities, and exceptional service truly made this trip special. I cannot recommend them highly enough—over-the-top great in every way!
Also, we so appreciate you going back to Willy T’s to represent Underwater Construction Corp. with the sticker! Hope to see it with you guys in the future!

Amazing, memorable and affordable vacation of a lifetime

We would recommend MarineMax Vacations, Captain Joe, Chef Ariq to anyone looking for an amazing, memorable and affordable vacation of a lifetime. The attention to detail on food and places from our profile sheet was spot on and the food didn’t disappoint, it rivaled any top end restaurant you could dream of. We will be back soon, you should book now too! Your memories are awaiting!

What really made this trip unforgettable was the people

We just finished 8 amazing days on a crewed Aquila 545 charter with MarineMax, and I can honestly say it completely changed how we’ll travel on the water going forward.
We’ve done a very similar trip before without a crew, and after this experience, there’s no chance we’d ever do that again. Having a crew turns the entire trip into an actual vacation instead of a job.
Captain Joe was fantastic from day one. He was professional, easygoing, and incredibly knowledgeable. He knew where to go, when to go, and always seemed one step ahead—whether it was weather, anchor spots, timing, or just making sure everything ran smoothly. We felt totally relaxed knowing he had everything handled, while still keeping the trip flexible and tailored to what we wanted.
Ariq, our chef, absolutely blew us away. The food was consistently excellent—fresh, flavorful, and thoughtfully prepared. Every meal felt special, and the variety throughout the week was impressive. It truly felt like having a private chef onboard rather than “boat food.” He was also great to be around and always happy to accommodate requests.
I also want to call out Danielle, who was instrumental in helping us book the trip. She answered all of our questions upfront, set clear expectations, and made the entire booking process easy and stress-free. Going into a trip like this with everything explained ahead of time made a huge difference.
The Aquila 545 itself was clean, comfortable, and well laid out for a longer charter. Plenty of space to relax, great cabins, and everything worked exactly as it should. Combined with a great crew, it was the perfect setup.
MarineMax did a great job overall, but what really made this trip unforgettable was the people—Joe, Ariq, and Danielle. They elevated the entire experience and made the week effortless and memorable.
If you’re on the fence about going crewed, do it. It’s absolutely worth it, and we’re already talking about when we can book our next one.

The experience was first rate

We just completed a cruise with Marine Max - two families of 3 (two couples and teenagers) - on a 545 Aquila. Overall the experience was first rate - starting with our Captain (Joe) and chef ( Ariq). Joe was completely prepared for every stop after the intake call and provided exceptional service all 8 days. Found great places for us to snorkel, made great recommendations on places to stop (bars, shops and restaurants) and was nice and friendly while providing top notch service. He also kept a good eye on us for the snorkeling excursions - always knew he was looking out for the safety of group members. It was clear that Joe was completely focused on us having a great vacation.
We had travel complications heading out and he was even checking on us after we left the boat. It was similar with Ariq - our girls can be particular and every meal was spot on (have never heard so many superlatives from the teenagers - they are wrecked now coming home from all of the spoiling 😀). The food was really delicious - I have a heavy couple weeks of working out to try to shed the weight! It was similar with Ariq and Joe - not just exceptional quality and service but delivered in a friendly and welcoming way.
The boat was nice and easily accommodated the two families and we were very comfortable - it was clear the boat was well taken care of.
Our experience with Marine Max and this crew was truly excellent - we would never hesitate to sail with them again. It was a top notch vacation and the service made it truly special.