Luxury phinisi exclusions: the costs that can sit outside a Labuan Bajo charter rate

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.

Crew gratuities are the one exclusion all four compared sources share; alcohol, dive courses and flights appear on some lists, and dive insurance and visas only on Vela's. Some rates also leave out tax, park and port fees, transfers, repositioning and telecoms. Vela and Lamima include park fees, while one agent listing for Phinisi 50 excludes them. Check each item on your own quote.

Which costs do charter rates most often leave out?

Four published sources are specific enough to compare line by line: the charter guide on komodoresort.com, Vela's rate page, Lamima's rate page and the Boatbookings listing for Phinisi 50. Their lists do not match, so read them item by item. The third column matters as much as the second, because it shows that an item excluded on one boat can be part of the rate on another.

Gratuities are the one line on which all four sources agree. Park fees split them most sharply. The komodoresort.com guide says park fees are charged per person or per group, often in cash, and are almost never in the boat price, yet Vela and Lamima list them as included. Barefoot Yachts makes the same point from the agent's side: inclusions vary by yacht, and flights, alcohol, gratuities and certain specialist services may be excluded. Knowing a boat's class does not help here, as our page on vessel classes explains.

Spa treatment shows how fine the differences get. The Maj Oceanic listing says massages in its spa room cost extra, while Vela's rate covers treatments up to four hours a day. If a boat's brochure shows a spa room, the room alone tells you nothing about who pays for the therapist.

The price table on this page sets Lamima's and Vela's published base rates beside four items that are charged or suggested separately: the park and port fee line on Tiare's schedule, the foreign visitor park ticket, the park's dive charge, and a crew tip guide. More boats and sellers are on the published prices page. For the other half of this subject, see what a luxury phinisi rate includes.

When does tax come on top?

Tax comes on top whenever the rate says so, and the published wording varies. Lamima's published rate is plus 11% VAT, and Vela's is subject to 12%. Navelia's fleet page shows the same two base figures with no word on tax. The Phinisi 50 listing goes the other way and says its price includes government taxes of 10%. That gives three percentages and two treatments across four sources, so no single VAT figure can be applied to the whole market.

An operator guide on neptuneliveaboards.com says that since June 2026 regional taxes, including 10% on accommodation and food served on board, are a condition of sailing clearance. This comes from an operator guide and not an official document. It also describes what the boat must settle, and it does not say whether a guest sees that tax as its own line or finds it folded into the rate.

An agent's base figure and an operator's taxed total can look like two prices for the same boat when the gap is only tax. Ask for the percentage, the amount it is charged on, and whether the total on the quote already carries it.

What are repositioning and port charges?

Repositioning is the cost of getting the boat to where you want to start. It arises because these boats move: Navelia says most yachts shift between Komodo and Raja Ampat with the season, and Vela's FAQ says its charters usually depart from Labuan Bajo, Sorong and Ambon. The Phinisi 50 listing excludes repositioning fees and notes that relocation fees may apply depending on the point of departure. So the first question is where the boat will be on the night before your charter starts.

Port charges have a similar logic. The same listing excludes port fees outside its home bases, which means the charge depends on the route as well as the boat. The neptuneliveaboards.com guide adds that boats pay a daily vessel ticket scaled by engine size, and that the harbour authority charges per trip by gross tonnage. It describes these as charges on the boat. Whether a given provider absorbs them or passes them on is for the quote to say.

Two related lines deserve a direct question. We could not confirm a separate conservation fee or a per-person harbour fee at the park, so if one appears on your quote, ask what it pays for and whether you will see a receipt. Fuel surcharge rules are just as open: the komodoresort.com guide speaks of fuel for the agreed route, which leaves open what happens when the route changes. The ticket tariffs themselves are covered on Komodo park fees on a charter.

What does diving add beyond the rate?

Diving has four separate cost layers, and a rate can cover one without covering the others:

• The dives. Vela's rate covers diving for certified divers and Lamima's lists scuba diving, while the komodoresort.com guide treats diving as a usual exclusion on the wider fleet.
• Training. Vela leaves out PADI courses and Lamima leaves out PADI certification, so a beginner on either boat should expect a separate bill.
• Insurance. Vela says diving insurance is required for all divers and sits outside its rate.
• The park's dive charge. The neptuneliveaboards.com guide calls diving the one activity with its own charge on top of the daily entry fee, per diver per day, while Kompas also names fishing and drones among activities with their own tickets. The diving figure is in the price table on this page.

The komodoresort.com guide also warns that plenty of charter boats are not set up for diving, lacking a compressor, tanks or a qualified leader. On those boats, an exclusion may mean the activity is not available at any price. Full detail is on diving costs on a charter.

What about tips, connectivity and getting to the boat?

Treat gratuity as a budget line even though it is voluntary on the sources we compared. The amounts suggested vary, and the crew tipping guide sets those sources side by side.

The Phinisi 50 listing puts telecommunication charges outside the price, while Vela and Lamima both publish Starlink, and Vela warns that coverage can slow or drop in remote anchorages. If you need to work on board, ask whether data is capped and who pays once a cap is reached.

Flights and visas sit outside Vela's rate, and Lamima's terms leave you carrying costs beyond its control, with flight cancellation as its example. A missed connection can therefore cost you twice: the replacement flight, and a charter night you have already paid for. Land expeditions, listed as excluded on Phinisi 50, belong in the same conversation if your plan includes time ashore beyond the anchorage stops. A drone is its own paperwork, since the park authority requires a permit application to fly one inside the park.

Are photography and other small extras charged separately?

On some lists, yes. Phinisi Trip marks documentation as an additional cost, along with personal dive gear, which it says is available for rent. Visit Labuan Bajo Komodo adds premium coffee and underwater photography to its list of possible extra fees, beside the park entrance, drone permit, diving equipment, alcohol and gratuities. Neither page gives a rule for the market, and neither describes a named flagship. So ask one direct question: is a photographer or videographer on board, and does any photo, video or drone footage carry a charge? A drone also needs the park permit mentioned above. Have the answer written into the quote.

How do you turn this list into written questions for a quote?

Copy these questions into your reply to any provider and ask for an answer against each one in writing:

1. Does the total include VAT and regional tax? At what percentage, and on what amount?
2. Are park tickets included for every guest on every day? If not, how and when are they paid?
3. Are port and clearance fees included for this route?
4. Where is the boat the day before departure, and is there a repositioning or relocation charge?
5. Which drinks are included, and is there a corkage charge if we bring our own?
6. Is diving included? Who supplies tanks and a dive guide, and which courses or insurance must we buy?
7. Are airport and hotel transfers included for all guests on both days?
8. Is internet included, and is there a data limit?
9. Are massages, laundry and land excursions included, or charged per use?
10. Is anything else payable on board, and in what form?

Then read the reply against the original rate. A quote that answers these lines can be compared with another that does; a published rate cannot, which is the subject of published price versus quote. A request through this desk can end in a contract with one of our companies, so put any offer that reaches you from us through the same ten questions. How to book shows where the answers go in a written quote, choosing a provider tests the seller behind them, and our luxury phinisi overview shows how far three boats' tax, deposit and inclusion lines can sit apart.

What do guests ask most about charter exclusions?

Are Komodo park fees included in a luxury phinisi rate?

Sometimes. Vela and Lamima list park entrance fees as included, the Phinisi 50 listing excludes them, and the komodoresort.com guide says they are rarely in the boat price across the wider fleet.

Is alcohol extra on a luxury phinisi charter?

Often, but not on every boat. Vela and the Phinisi 50 listing leave alcohol out, the latter naming corkage too, while Lamima's private charter rate lists alcoholic beverages as included.

Is VAT included in published phinisi rates?

Not always. Lamima adds 11% and Vela applies 12% on top of the published rate, while the Phinisi 50 listing says its price already includes government taxes of 10%.

Do I need diving insurance if the rate includes diving?

Yes on Vela, which covers dives for certified divers but requires separate diving insurance for all divers. On any other boat, ask the provider, because the terms we compared do not share one rule.

How can I avoid hidden costs on a phinisi quote?

Ask for a written answer against each likely exclusion before you pay anything, then compare that answer with the rate. Anything the quote does not name should be treated as an open question.

Which sources support this page?

Each link below was checked in November 2026. Operator and agent terms describe one boat or one business, and they can change without notice.

• komodoresort.com, Komodo yacht charter guide (operator)
• Vela, rates page (operator)
• Lamima, rates and schedules (operator)
• Boatbookings, Phinisi 50 listing (agent)
• Barefoot Yachts, private charter (agent)
• Ultimate Indonesian Yachts, Maj Oceanic listing (agent)
• Tiare, schedule and rate (operator)
• Navelia Indonesia, fleet page (agent)
• neptuneliveaboards.com, park fees and visa guide (operator)
• Vela, FAQ (operator)
• Komodo National Park authority, drone permit (official)
• Kompas: Komodo park ticket rules
• Phinisi Trip: Phinisi Labuan Bajo (seller page)
• Visit Labuan Bajo Komodo: costs of a luxury phinisi trip (seller guide)

How do I reach the desk?

Send the boat name and the quote line you want to ask about to WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or bd@juaraholding.com. Add your dates and group size if you also want to ask about an offer through the desk.