Date Reviewed: October 2006

Viaggio is the kind of yacht that doesn’t get much attention at a mammoth event like the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. At 88 feet long, this brand-new motoryacht sits just across the dock—and literally in the shadow of—some of the world’s biggest, most luxurious yachts, some of them more than 200 feet long.

I’ll admit, I had my eyes trained on those bigger boats as I made my way through the boat show crowds with Camper & Nicholsons International charter broker Diana Mares. Had she not taken the time to point Viaggio out to me, I’m sorry to say that I’m not sure I would have found the boat.

Thank goodness for Diana’s effort and personal tour. This entry-level crewed motoryacht was a stunning surprise to me, just launched from the Cheoy Lee shipyard and built with an attention to interior detail and comfort that I have not seen before from this yacht builder. She’s not only a gorgeous “little” motoryacht, she’s also a heck of a good entry-level crewed charter deal—at $29,500 for eight guests with three full-time crew.

The photos here in the CharterWave First Impressions section show you the high caliber of the interior craftsmanship and materials, as well as the nice touches including plasma-screen televisions not just in the main gathering spaces, but also in each stateroom (with DVD players, too). There’s even a glare-resistant flat-screen television up on the sundeck, right near the two-stool bar and barbecue grill.

Viaggio’s master cabin felt impressively big to me, including its shower sized for a loving couple. Two of the three additional guest cabins also felt nicely sized to me as well. The fourth cabin has double beds that I felt were more sized for children than adults, plus Corian in the en suite bathroom instead of the marble found in all the other guest cabin bathrooms,. Still, I think I can safely recommend Viaggio as a yacht that three couples could split the cost on and all feel they got a good cabin.

If it were me, I’d happily pay my third of the weekly rate and give the larger master cabin to my friend who does all the legwork of actually arranging the trip for the rest of us. If there are kids to put in that fourth cabin with the twin beds, fine. If not, the space can be used to stow everybody’s luggage. (The price is so good for this yacht, there’s no reason to force eight guests into the charter party instead of six.)

To learn more about Viaggio, go to the Camper & Nicholsons website, www.cnconnect.com. Also, be sure to ask your broker about the crew. I didn’t have a chance to meet them during my tour, so I can’t say whether their level of service lives up to all of this boat’s wonderful promise.—Kim Kavin