How to read a per-person price on a phinisi from Labuan Bajo

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.

A per-person phinisi price applies to a shared trip or a cabin on a scheduled cruise, while one Komodo operator guide says charter prices are per boat. Some luxury flagships do not sell cabins at all: Vela says it charters privately only. Compare the two only after converting both to the same group, nights and inclusions.

What does a per-person price cover?

It covers one guest's place on a trip that someone else has scheduled, in a stated cabin type, for a stated length. The figures in the price table on this page show what that looks like. They do not come from the flagships discussed further down, so read them as examples of the pricing basis and not as a level for the top of the market. Asik Travel publishes a shared three-day, two-night trip priced per person, in a Deluxe or Family suite on the boat Ballona, which we label a standard-tier example and not a luxury one. Tiare's schedule prices a seven-night Komodo liveaboard from Labuan Bajo per person, for a cabin in double or twin.

That Tiare wording holds the first trap. A price per person in a double or twin cabin means two guests pay it once each. A solo traveller should ask what happens to a cabin with one occupant, because the published line does not answer that.

The second trap is what sits beside the headline. Tiare lists park and port fees separately for the same cruise, and both figures appear in the table. Asik Travel says its shared trips cover harbour transfers within the city area. Those two facts come from different businesses with different terms, which is why each per-person price needs its own checklist:

• Which cabin type does the figure apply to, and at what occupancy?
• How many nights does it cover, and on which schedule?
• Are park tickets, port fees and transfers inside it?
• Is diving inside it, and does the price change for non-divers?
• Who sets the route, and can it change after you pay?

How does a base group change a boat total?

On Asik Travel's standard boat, the total stays flat up to 10 guests; other rate cards step up by band, per one operator guide. So the price each guest effectively pays depends on how many of you there are. Asik Travel prices its private charter per boat, with a base group of up to 10 guests and a maximum of 21, and it says extra guests cost more. Its two-day, one-night and three-day, two-night tiers are in the table, again for a standard boat. The step between those two rows looks small for an extra night, so we print them as published and you should check both on Asik Travel's page before relying on either. The source gives no rate per extra guest, so ask for it.

The charter guide on komodoresort.com says charter prices are per boat and that many rate cards step up by group band. It goes further and argues that group size, more than boat class, usually decides whether a charter is good value per person. That is the guide's opinion, though the arithmetic behind it is easy to follow. On a base group of up to 10, four guests pay the same total as ten, and each of the four carries a much larger share of it. The reverse also holds: the guest who tips a group over a band can raise the total for everyone.

Three questions follow from this. What group size does the total assume? What does the next guest cost, and does that figure change at a further band? Does a child count as a guest for this purpose? Treat a stated maximum as a seller's figure until the boat's own papers support it, as covered in the documents to ask for.

Do luxury boats sell single cabins?

Some do not, and a per-person enquiry may simply have no answer on those boats. Vela states that it is only available for private charter bookings and does not sell trips by the cabin. Lamima's published rate is a private charter rate per night, and Sanctuary's operator describes its boat as offered for private charter. We cannot speak for every flagship in the region, so ask about any boat you have in mind.

This changes the calculation for small parties. A couple on a boat that charters privately pays for the whole boat, and an empty cabin earns them nothing except space. Families and groups of friends who fill the cabins meet the same total with far more people to share it. The trade-offs by party type are set out in families versus couples on a charter, and whole-boat rates for named boats are on the published prices page.

There is a further limit on the sum. Vela says it cannot take more than 12 adults, including maids and personnel, so any per-head figure you work out for that boat has a floor set by that number. If your maid or nanny travels with you, that person counts toward the limit.

At what group size does a whole boat beat a shared cabin?

Two sellers put the crossover at different numbers. Pirate Journey says that across its own fleet a three-day charter usually starts beating cabins somewhere around ten to fourteen guests, with one ten-guest boat flipping at ten and a fourteen-guest boat at fourteen, and that shared almost always wins for one to three people. Hello Flores calls a private charter highly cost-competitive once the price is split among 6 to 12 guests. We do not blend these into one range: each seller is describing its own fleet, and neither figure covers flagships that sell no cabins. Run the sum on your own boat using the cheapest cabin you would really accept, since Pirate Journey's shared column fills the cheapest cabins first. Our Luxury Phinisi Labuan Bajo overview describes how the two products differ beyond price.

How do you compare the two fairly?

Asik Travel's own advice is to compare total boat prices with per-person cabin rates carefully and to request a quote for the actual group. These steps put that into practice:

1. Fix the group. Use your real headcount and do not plan around the boat's full capacity.
2. Turn the per-person figure into a total. Multiply it by your headcount, and add anything the source lists separately, such as Tiare's fee line.
3. Find the right boat total. Use the band your group falls in, plus any charge for extra guests.
4. Match the length. Compare the same number of nights, or convert both to a total per night. A seven-night cabin price and a three-day charter tier cannot be compared as they stand.
5. Match the inclusions. Add tax, park fees and any other item one side leaves out, using the exclusions checklist.
6. Match the currency. Some rates in the table are in rupiah and some in dollars. Convert on one date and note the rate you used.
7. Weigh what the money buys. A shared trip follows a fixed schedule with other guests, while a charter is yours to plan within the rules. A lower total is not automatically the same product.

Komodo Trips is a useful reminder that one seller can use both bases on the same site, so the word "price" alone tells you very little. If one of the totals you are comparing came from our desk, run it through the same seven steps as the others.

What else do readers ask about per-person pricing?

Can I book a single cabin on a luxury phinisi?

Not on every boat. Vela states that it does not sell by the cabin, while scheduled liveaboards such as Tiare do price a cabin place per person. Ask about the specific boat.

Is a per-person price the same as a per-cabin price?

No. Tiare's line is per person for a cabin in double or twin, so two guests sharing that cabin each pay it. Check the occupancy before you multiply anything.

What happens if my group is larger than the base group?

The total goes up. Asik Travel says extra guests cost more above its base of up to 10 on a private charter, with a stated maximum of 21 guests on that standard boat.

Is a private charter better value than a shared cabin?

It depends mostly on your group size. The komodoresort.com guide argues that group size usually decides value per person more than boat class does, and that is one source's opinion.

Are park fees part of a per-person price?

Not always. Tiare lists park and port fees separately from its per-person cabin price, so check each source and add any such line before comparing totals.

Which sources support this page?

Rates and terms below were checked in November 2026. The Asik Travel figures describe a standard boat and appear here only to show how the basis works.

• Asik Travel, phinisi boats in Labuan Bajo (operator)
• Tiare, schedule and rate (operator)
• komodoresort.com, Komodo yacht charter guide (operator)
• Vela, FAQ (operator)
• Lamima, rates and schedules (operator)
• OXO Living, Sanctuary page (operator)
• Komodo Trips, terms and conditions (operator)
• Pirate Journey: shared trip or private charter (operator guide)
• Hello Flores: shared cruise versus private charter (seller guide)

How do I reach the desk?

To ask about your actual group, write to WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or bd@juaraholding.com with your headcount, children's ages and nights. A reply from us is an answer and not a price.