Martina AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
10 to 15% of the base charter fee is the Mediterranean norm when the service has been strong, and service on good Riviera boats usually is. It is always at your discretion, but plan for it in the budget: on a EUR 120,000 week that is EUR 12,000 to EUR 18,000.
The practical side: the gratuity goes to the captain at the end of the charter, cash or a pre-arranged transfer, and the captain splits it evenly across the whole crew, including the engineer and deckhands you saw less of.
If anything falls short mid-trip, tell the captain or your broker then rather than at tip time; almost everything is fixable while you are still aboard. Budget context: what a Riviera charter really costs.