The broker sends the preference sheets nine days before a ten-day charter: eight guests, one shellfish allergy, one vegan, a sixtieth birthday on day four, and a two-year-old. Every one of those lines is an order to somebody. Your job is to turn a form into a plan, and a plan into a boat that looks like it was expecting them.
The preference sheet
The preference sheet is the primary intelligence document for a charter. It typically comes via the broker and covers: guest names and relationships, allergies and dietary requirements, dislikes, favourite drinks and wines, sleeping arrangements, children and their needs, celebrations, activity interests, and any medical or mobility needs.
Reading it well means going past the form:
- Allergies and medical needs are safety information, not preferences. They go to the chef and the captain, and they get repeated at the table.
- Ambiguity is a question to ask, not a guess to make. "Likes white wine" is not an order; ask the broker which producers.
- Read the relationships. Who is the host, who books the trip, and whose preferences override.
- Children change everything — bedding, cabin safety, meal times, glassware, netting, tender rules.
Building the guest profile database
Preference sheets are one-shot. A guest profile is cumulative. Over repeat visits it captures what was actually served and how it landed:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Confirmed allergies and severity | Safety-critical, verified rather than assumed |
| Wines and spirits actually consumed, by producer and vintage | Prevents replacement guesswork |
| Room setup preferences: pillows, temperature, water, lighting | The details guests notice and never state twice |
| Service timing and style | When they actually eat, not when they said they would |
| Dislikes and misses | The dish that came back, the flower that triggered a sneeze |
| Celebrations and dates | Anniversaries you can pre-empt |
Update the profile during the trip, not from memory after it.
The preparation timeline
Working backwards from embarkation:
- T-14 days and earlier: preference sheets received; questions back to the broker; provisioning list built; special items with long lead times ordered (fine wine, cake, gifts, flowers, cot, high chair).
- T-7: provisioning ordered; agent briefed on deliveries and berth; cabin allocation set; menus drafted with the chef; rota drafted against expected guest hours.
- T-3: deep clean complete; linen and uniform checked and pressed; bar and cellar stocked and counted; amenities placed; welcome setup planned.
- T-1: final delivery received and checked; flowers in; cabins dressed to the allocation; pre-arrival checklist signed off.
- Embarkation day: welcome, safety briefing, cabin briefing, drinks; guest names in use within the hour.
Onboard Notes
- Preference sheets are confidential guest data. They do not go on personal phones, into chat groups, or ashore. See the data-protection lesson.
- Never rely on the sheet alone for an allergy. Confirm it with the guest quietly on day one, and tell the chef what was actually said.
- A preference expressed at the table outranks the sheet. Amend the profile the same day.
- Build the T-minus timeline into a written pre-arrival checklist with initials, and pair it with a post-departure checklist covering laundry, breakage log, stock count, profile update and the trip report.