Berthbooking FAQ

You can now, as of the beginning of August 2015, also book berths at marinas online via mySea as well as at buoys and (restaurant) jetties. While others have to start looking for a berth in the early afternoon, hoping to find a free berth, you can enjoy the day sailing because mySea guarantees the availability of the berth you have booked at the harbour, buoy or restaurant jetty. It's so easy and you only need to make a few clicks. You can find out how booking a berth online via mySea works:

• Register under www.my-sea.com
• Click on the orange button in the top left-hand corner.
• First select the yacht you need a berth for. We have added more than 1,000 yacht models to make this step as easy as possible. You can, naturally, also add a new yacht model yourself.
• Then select the period of time you want to book the berth for.
• After clicking on the blue “Search” button, you will see your results and can select your berth.
• Click on the “Book now” button to see more details about the berth.
• The booking widget is on the right-hand side of the screen. When you click on the “Book now” button, a dialogue box opens up, listing the details regarding your booking request. Then all you need to do is click on the “Book” button again.
• The final step shows the payment form where you have to enter your credit card details.
• And it's booked.

If you have any more questions on how to book a berth, then take a look at our FAQ.

FAQ:

Why should I even book online?

What will booking via mySea cost me?
The berth owners set the prices. That we cannot influence. But if you book via mySea you will not pay any extra charges. Quite the opposite! The prices are often more attractive as the marinas can react flexibly to fluctuations in capacity and even give discounts.

What do the berth owners think about online bookings?
The berth owners welcome online bookings as they always enjoy having guests. By booking berths online, the marinas etc. know in advance who is coming when with what kind of yacht. Your booking is secured because you use your credit card. And this also means that the berth owners are able to plan their capacities better.

Prices in foreign currencies
When the prices are not stated in euros, then we will convert the currency into euros based on that day's exchange rate. If the credit card account is in euros, then the exchange rate on the day of the booking will be used and the equivalent amount debited in euros.

Why pay for a berth at a (restaurant) jetty?
mySea has come up with something very special for (restaurant) jetties: a kind of deposit, which can then be refunded in the restaurant.
The restaurants, which also offer berths, have the option of asking for a kind of “deposit” for the reservation. This deposit is debited from your credit card and serves as security for the berth owner in case you do not show up. The amount of the “refund” is then taken off your restaurant bill.
Example: you pay 30 euros deposit for a reservation. If you visit the jetty owner's restaurant with your crew and dine for a total of 150 euros, then 30 euros will be credited to the bill and you will only have to pay 120 euros.
As the deposit and refund are usually the same amount, you do not need to pay anything more for your berth.

Why does the number of available berths vary?
The number of berths on mySea can vary from day to day. Marinas with larger charter fleets, for example, offer less berths at the weekend than during the week. Berth owners can also take out periods of time completely, e.g. when a flotilla has checked in.

By what time do I have to book my berth for the same day?
The berth owners decide themselves by what time offers can be booked online. Some offers can only be booked by noon and then are no longer available. Others, however, are online until 5 pm or even later. Therefore, there is no set time of day.
As the number of berths available online is limited, we recommend you book as soon as possible, ideally even on the day before.

Why is the berth only guaranteed up to a certain time of day?
The berth owners set the latest time of arrival themselves. The berth is not guaranteed anymore after this time. Why not? There are several reasons: especially in peak season it is time-consuming to keep the berths free as they repeatedly have to “shoo” other yachts away and explain that the berth is reserved. Most marina employees will clock off at some point. And then it becomes difficult to secure the berth. At a certain time of day, the employees are busy in the kitchen and with serving meals and can't keep an eye on the jetty the entire time.
But this does not mean that the berth is automatically gone after the latest time of arrival. However, it is totally understandable that the berth cannot be guaranteed for longer. If you are going to arrive after the stated “latest time of arrival”, then you should ring beforehand and let them know.

Why do I have to pay by credit card?
Paying by credit card secures your reservation with the berth owner. In the last few years, marinas and jetty owners have not always had good experiences with telephone reservations. Some guests simply didn't turn up despite having made a reservation. This means a loss of revenue for berth owners. And this is the reason why many didn't accept any reservations at all.
This situation has now improved, thanks to mySea. The berth owners know exactly who's coming and payment is secured by credit card.

How secure is my online credit card payment?
mySea uses the most secure standard available for online payments. Our partner SIX payment services processes the payments. The credit card data is transmitted over an encrypted line and can only be seen by the bank. The data is deleted after the payment has been made. So no credit card data is saved. At no time can mySea see the credit card data.
Your online payment via mySea is, therefore, very secure! This applies for bookings made on the the mySea website as well as per app.

Why can't I book more than 11 nights?
The berth search is limited to 11 days at the moment. This is because calculating longer-term bookings gets extremely complicated. There are no uniform standards, every marina calculates their prices differently. This makes it very complex to work out the price. We are already working on how to make longer-term berth bookings possible online.

Extra charges for catamarans
Many marinas add a surcharge of 50 to 100%  for catamarans. If you have selected a catamaran as your standard yacht, then these extra charges will already be included in the prices.

Why can't I book a berth online at every marina?
Being able to book berths online is still quite a new concept. For many marinas, online booking means filling in a form followed by lots of email correspondence. But being able to book a berth as easily as booking a hotel room is still quite a new idea. This is why some marinas have adopted a wait-and-see attitude in offering berths online. But we are in discussions with many marinas and are constantly adding new partners to our portfolio.

What is the difference between booking a marina and booking a restaurant jetty?
Marinas calculate their berth prices based on the yacht size. The length over all and width over all determine the prices. You pay the berth as you would a hotel room.
It's slightly different with restaurant jetties. Independent of the yacht size, the rule is usually: a free berth in exchange for a meal at the restaurant. A useful partnership for both parties. But because in the past many water sports enthusiasts did not turn up despite having made a telephone reservation, many restaurants with jetties now demand some kind of deposit for the reservation. This deposit is in turn deducted from the restaurant bill so that in actual fact the berth costs nothing again. This means your berth is guaranteed and the restaurant owner's revenue is guaranteed. A win-win situation once again for both parties.

What is the difference between paying via mySea and paying locally?
Some marinas would prefer to be paid for the berth personally at their own location. In this case, no money will be debited from your credit card. There is just a pre-authorization. Naturally we will inform you whether we have debited your card or whether you will need to pay locally.

What's the deal with the terms of cancellation?
The berth owners define the cancellation terms themselves. This is how you have to read the information: '2 days prior: 50% will be charged' means that if you cancel your berth 2 days prior to arrival you will have to expect to pay a cancellation fee in the amount of 50% of the total costs. Many berth owners, however, will not charge a fee because of bad weather (storm).