The short answer: book the half day if you want the highlights around Providenciales and still have your afternoon. Book the full day if you want to actually leave Provo — cross the Caicos Banks to North and Middle Caicos, reach the barrier reef, and eat a chef-cooked lunch on the water.
They are not the same trip at different lengths. They go to different places. Here is the honest comparison.
Side by side
| Half-Day Charter | Full-Day Charter | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 4 hours | Full day |
| Base price | $1,450 (up to 6 guests) | $2,500 (up to 6 guests) |
| Additional guests | $75 per person | $100 per person |
| Maximum capacity | 14 | 14 |
| Range | Around Providenciales | Across the Caicos Banks to North & Middle Caicos |
| Food | Drinks included | Full Caribbean meal by a private chef |
| Typical stops | 3–4 | 6–8 |
What the half day actually covers
Four hours is enough to get a real sense of the water around Providenciales without surrendering your whole day. A typical run includes:
- Sandbars out on the shallow banks
- The La Famille Express shipwreck — a freighter grounded in shallow water, and the most photographed thing in these waters for good reason
- Little Water Cay (Iguana Island), the nature reserve where the endangered Turks and Caicos rock iguana lives
- Beach hopping between cays only reachable by boat
- Fort George
- Noah’s Ark floating bar and Captain Oak’s Tiki Bar
- Snorkelling, or conch diving on the flats
- Island rum punch, beers, sodas, juice and water throughout
That is a genuinely full four hours. What it is not is a crossing — you stay in the Providenciales orbit.
What the full day adds
The full day is a different proposition. You cross the Caicos Banks and get to the parts of the country most visitors never see:
- North and Middle Caicos — quieter, greener, and almost empty compared to Provo
- The Turks and Caicos Barrier Reef, the third largest barrier reef system in the world
- Fort George Cay
- Half Moon Bay — the sand strip between Water Cay and Little Water Cay, with open water on one side and a sheltered lagoon on the other
- Remote sandbars with nobody else on them
- Shell hunting and conch diving alongside the snorkelling
And the food changes entirely. Full-day charters include a full Caribbean meal cooked by a private chef aboard: jerk chicken, steak and shrimp kabobs, snapper, BBQ ribs, seasonal lobster, peas and rice, mac and cheese, plantains, salad, bruschettas and fruit — with margaritas, island rum punch, virgin punch, sodas, juice and water.
Eating that on a sandbar in the middle of the banks is, for a lot of our guests, the part of the holiday they actually remember.
The cost difference in context
The full day is $1,050 more at base. Split across a group, the gap narrows quickly:
| Group size | Half day total | Full day total | Extra per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 guests | $1,450 | $2,500 | $175.00 |
| 10 guests | $1,750 | $2,900 | $115.00 |
| 14 guests | $2,050 | $3,300 | $89.29 |
At full capacity you are paying under $90 a head more for roughly double the time, double the stops, and a chef-cooked meal that would cost more than that in a Grace Bay restaurant. Viewed that way the full day is the better value — provided you want to spend the day on a boat. Full pricing for every package is on our rates page.
Choose the half day if…
- It is your arrival or departure day
- You have young children who will run out of patience
- Someone in the group is unsure about sea time
- You have dinner reservations or another activity booked
- You want the highlights without committing the whole day
- Budget is the deciding factor
Choose the full day if…
- You want to see North and Middle Caicos, which a half day cannot reach
- Snorkelling the barrier reef matters to you
- You are travelling as a larger group and want the per-person cost down
- You want the chef-cooked meal on the water
- This is the centrepiece of the trip
- You would rather do one thing properly than three things briefly
A note on timing
If you are visiting between December and April, the seas are at their calmest and the crossing to the far banks is comfortable. In breezier conditions we may reshape the route or recommend the half day instead — and we will tell you that before you book, not after you have paid. There is more on conditions month by month in our guide to the best time to visit.
Frequently asked questions
Is the full-day charter worth the extra cost?
If you want to reach North and Middle Caicos and the barrier reef, yes — a half day physically cannot get there. At larger group sizes the difference falls below $90 per person, which is less than the chef-cooked meal alone would cost ashore.
Can I upgrade from a half day to a full day?
Subject to availability on the day, usually yes. Ask your captain at pickup and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible.
Is lunch included on the half-day charter?
No. Half-day charters include drinks — island rum punch, beers, sodas, juice and water. The chef-cooked Caribbean meal is part of the full-day charter.
How many stops do you make?
Typically three to four on a half day and six to eight on a full day, though every charter is private so the route is built around what you want.
Which is better with young children?
The half day, in most cases. Four hours is about the limit for younger children on a boat. If you want a full day with kids, the catamaran with its slide holds their attention considerably longer.
Still deciding?
Tell us your group size, your dates and what you want out of the day, and we will tell you which trip we would actually put you on.
Compare both charters and book
