Good Ol' Days › Christmas & New Year

Christmas and New Year in the British Virgin Islands

The two weeks everyone wants, on a boat that sleeps ten in five queen en-suites. They are also the two weeks that book first.

The holiday rates

Christmas week is $40,000 and New Year's week is $43,000, for the whole yacht, eight days and seven nights, up to ten guests. Both are all-inclusive on the same terms as the rest of the season: captain and chef, every meal, the open bar, fuel, water toys, Starlink and cruising permits. At ten guests New Year's works out around $614 per guest per day.

Standard weeks for the rest of the season run $32,000 to $36,000, so the holiday premium is real but narrower than most people expect.

Why they book a year ahead

There are a finite number of crewed catamarans in the British Virgin Islands and exactly one Christmas week and one New Year's week per boat per year. Brokers start placing them twelve to eighteen months out. If you are reading this in the fall hoping for the coming December, the honest answer is that it depends entirely on a cancellation — check the live availability calendar rather than assume either way.

What the week is actually like

Busy, and better for it. The anchorages are fuller than in February, the beach bars are at their best, and there is a genuine atmosphere across the fleet between Christmas and the first week of January. Old Year's Night on Jost Van Dyke is the famous one. Foxy's has run it for decades and boats come from across the Caribbean for it; if that is what your group wants, say so early, because it shapes where the boat needs to be on the 30th and 31st.

If it is not what you want, the other half of the BVI is quiet that night and the captain will put you somewhere you can see the fireworks without being in the middle of them.

The weather

Late December is the start of the dry, settled stretch. Expect low eighties, trade winds in the 15 to 20 knot range, and the Christmas winds — a reliably breezier spell through late December and January. It makes for excellent sailing and means Anegada is a forecast-dependent call.

Christmas aboard

The chef cooks Christmas dinner properly, and the preference sheet is where you tell us what your family actually does — the traditional lunch, the thing one person refuses to go without, the cake. Decorations go up. If you are bringing gifts for children, tell the crew in advance and they will be stowed and produced at the right moment rather than discovered on day two.

See the full rate card, a sample seven-night route, or what a group of ten looks like aboard.

Common questions

How much is a Christmas or New Year charter in the BVI?

Christmas week is $40,000 and New Year's week is $43,000 aboard Good Ol' Days, covering the whole yacht for eight days and seven nights with up to ten guests, all-inclusive. Standard weeks the rest of the season are $32,000 to $36,000.

How far in advance do BVI holiday weeks book?

Twelve to eighteen months is normal. There is one Christmas week and one New Year's week per yacht per year, so they are the first dates brokers place. Late availability usually means a cancellation.

What is New Year's Eve like in the British Virgin Islands?

Old Year's Night at Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke is the famous one and draws boats from across the Caribbean. If your group wants to be there, say so early, because it determines where the yacht needs to be on the 30th and 31st. If you would rather avoid it, the quieter half of the BVI is a short sail away.

What is the weather like in the BVI at Christmas?

Late December starts the dry season. Expect temperatures in the low eighties and trade winds around 15 to 20 knots, with the breezier Christmas winds through late December and January. It is good sailing weather, and Anegada becomes a forecast-dependent call.