What published crew-to-guest numbers show on luxury phinisi

By Luxury Phinisi Labuan Bajo Editorial Desk

Sourced figures: prices in the table carry their source and check month. A published rate is not a quote and not our offer, and nothing here is legal advice.

We have found no market norm. One agent's fleet page, Navelia, gives crew and guest counts that work out at 0.69 to 1.60 crew per guest across seven boats, from Ikan Kayu to Alila Purnama. Those figures assume full listed capacity on a single source's listing, so use them to frame questions and leave service quality to separate checks.

What do published crew and guest counts show?

The table uses one source for every count, the Navelia fleet page, so the numbers compare like with like. The last two columns are our own arithmetic on those figures and nothing else. Boats are sorted by crew per guest.

Three boats list more crew than guests, one lists the same number, and three list fewer. Length does not sort them neatly. Sanctuary and Alila Purnama are within two metres of each other, yet Alila Purnama lists two more crew for eight fewer guests, and that one comparison moves the ratio from 0.78 to 1.60. Lamima is the longest boat here and has the largest crew, but it does not have the highest ratio. Ikan Kayu is two metres longer than Andamari with the same crew, and its extra guest places it lower in the table.

Cabins tell a slightly different story. Sort by crew per cabin and Ikan Kayu moves above Andamari, because it has five cabins to Andamari's six. Neither column is the right one on its own. Crew per guest suits a question about attention at meals and on excursions. Crew per cabin suits a question about housekeeping. Which matters more depends on your party.

Seven boats from one page are a sample and do not describe the market. A Komodo operator guide does describe its luxury class as having a "high crew ratio", but it gives no number, and its class labels are its own. Our page on how classes are labelled explains why those labels do not line up.

Why are crew counts hard to compare?

A single number hides several decisions, and a listing does not explain them. Four gaps matter most.

• Who is counted. Each boat gets one figure, with no breakdown we have found by deck, engine, galley, hospitality, dive or spa staff.
• Which source you read. Vela is the one case here where we can match the listing against the operator: its own FAQ also states a full crew of 18. The other six depend on the agent's figure alone. Mixing counts from different sites would make a table look fuller and mean less, which is why we kept to one.
• Which party you bring. The ratio above assumes every listed guest berth is filled. A party of six on Sanctuary would be 2.33 crew per guest, if all 14 crew sail, so ask whether the boat sails with fewer crew for a smaller party.
• What the guest number means. These are listing figures, and a listing is not the vessel's certificate, so neither certified capacity nor crew qualifications can be read from it.

Price makes a tempting fifth column, and we left it out on purpose. The nightly rates for all seven boats appear in the price table on this page, but they do not share a basis. Lamima publishes its rate plus 11% VAT, Vela publishes its rate as subject to 12% VAT, Navelia's fleet page lists both boats at those same base figures without stating the tax, and the other five rows are "from" rates. Dividing any of them by a crew number would produce precision that the inputs do not support.

Does a higher ratio always mean better service?

No. A ratio counts people, and it cannot measure training, language, how long a crew has worked together, or how well a captain runs the boat.

The ratio can also reflect what the boat sells. A Komodo operator says that at the top end you pay for four things: space, crew ratio, build quality and range. That operator has boats and trips of its own to sell, and the statement is an opinion, yet it does make a useful point. Crew ratio is one of the things bundled into a high rate, and you may be paying for it whether you use it or not. Vela's published rate, for example, covers diving for certified divers and spa treatments up to four hours a day. A boat offering services like these may need people to deliver them, and a couple who neither dive nor book a massage may not feel that part of the number.

A lower ratio is not a fault in itself either. A smaller boat with fewer guests can feel attentive for reasons a spreadsheet will not catch. Use the column to decide what to ask, then judge the answers.

How do you get a crew number in writing?

We have not found an official document that states a crew-to-guest ratio, so the offer is the place to fix it. Ask for these points, in this order:

1. The total crew on board for your dates, as a number.
2. The split by role: captain and deck, engine, galley, cabin and hospitality, guides, dive and spa.
3. Whether that number changes if your party is smaller than the listed maximum.
4. Whether any listed service needs staff who join separately, and at what cost.
5. What happens if the crew on the day is lower than the number in the offer.

A provider that answers the first two questions promptly has told you something useful. A provider that replies only with a ratio or "one to one service" has told you something too. Put the reply next to the other tests in our guide to choosing a luxury phinisi provider.

What else do people ask about crew numbers?

Is there a standard crew-to-guest ratio for luxury phinisi?

Not that we have found. The only figures we can offer are boat-by-boat counts, and arithmetic on them describes those boats alone.

Which boat has the highest ratio in this table?

Alila Purnama, at 1.60 crew per guest on Navelia's counts at full listed capacity. That is arithmetic on one listing and says nothing about the quality of service.

Which document states the crew-to-guest ratio?

None that we have found. Ask for the crew number and the split by role, and have them written into the offer.

Does the crew number include dive and spa staff?

The listing does not say. It gives one number per boat, so ask the provider for the split by role.

Does a smaller party get more crew per guest?

Only if the full crew still sails. The arithmetic improves as the party shrinks, so ask whether the boat reduces its crew for a smaller group.

Which sources support this page?

• Navelia fleet page, agent listing
• Vela FAQ, operator page
• Vela rates, operator page
• Lamima rates and schedules, operator page
• Komodo yacht charter guide, operator guide
• Luxury boats in Komodo, operator page

How do I reach the desk?

Have a crew figure you cannot interpret? Send the boat's name and the wording you were given to bd@juaraholding.com or WhatsApp 6281139414563. The desk will reply on what the words do and do not settle, and the number itself is for the seller to put in writing.