What is included in a luxury phinisi charter from Labuan Bajo, boat by boat

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.

Meals appear on every inclusion list we compared, and crew on nearly all of them. The rest splits by boat. Vela and Lamima publish park fees and airport transfers inside their rates, the Phinisi 50 agent listing leaves both out, and only Lamima lists alcohol as included. Treat each item as open until your written offer names it.

What does a typical Labuan Bajo charter rate cover?

The closest thing to a general answer comes from a Komodo operator guide. It says a typical Labuan Bajo rate covers the boat and crew, fuel for the agreed route, meals with water, tea and coffee, a guide, snorkelling equipment, life jackets, and airport or hotel transfers to the harbour. The same guide then tells readers that inclusions vary by operator and should be obtained in writing. It is one seller describing the market, so read it as a starting list and not as a rule.

Two agents describe their own ranges in similar terms. Ultimate Indonesian Yachts says its rates include crew, fuel, activities, meals and non-alcoholic drinks, with the exact inclusions set per yacht in a proposal. Barefoot Yachts says inclusions vary by yacht and that flights, alcohol, gratuities and certain specialist services may be excluded.

Taken together, these statements give you a floor to test: crew, fuel, food and soft drinks. Everything above that floor moves from boat to boat, from massages to permits. We have not found any standard that says what a luxury rate has to contain, and vessel class labels are the seller's own, so use the list attached to the boat and dates you are offered.

How do named boats compare on inclusions?

The table sets three published lists beside the general guide. "Not itemised" means the line does not appear in that source's published list. It does not mean the item costs extra, and it does not mean the item is free.

Three rows split the sources most sharply.

• Alcohol. Lamima is the only list here that counts alcoholic drinks as included. Vela and the Phinisi 50 listing put them outside the rate, and the listing also names corkage, so bringing your own may not avoid a charge.
• Spa time. Vela includes treatments up to 4 hours a day, while the Maj Oceanic listing says massages in its spa room are at additional cost. A spa room on a deck plan tells you nothing about who pays for the therapist.
• Getting to the boat and into the park. Transfers and park fees sit together on the same side of the line in this sample: both inside on Vela and Lamima, both outside on Phinisi 50.

Lamima's operator calls its rate the only fully-inclusive one in the industry. That is the operator's wording and nobody else's. What you can test is the list, including what Lamima still keeps out: crew gratuities, PADI certification, and expenses beyond its control such as flight cancellation. Our list of what sits outside the rate walks through those lines source by source.

Why can't the rates in the price table be compared directly?

They are quoted on different bases. The price table on this page carries Lamima and Vela per night, Phinisi 50 per week with a seven-day minimum, and a shared trip on a standard boat from Asik Travel per person. The Asik line is there as a contrast, and it is not a luxury rate. Our page on per-person prices explains how to convert that basis.

The inclusion lists widen the gap further. A broad list can sit behind a high figure, and a narrow list can look lower until park fees, transfers and drinks are added back. We do not add those extras up for you here, because they depend on your group, your dates and how the boat treats each item. To compare two boats fairly, get both onto the same basis first: same nights, same guest count, same tax treatment, same list. The full page of published rates carries more boats, and the page on why a quote differs from a published rate deals with tax and supplements. The table on our luxury phinisi Labuan Bajo page adds tax, minimum stay and deposit to these lines for Vela, Lamima and Phinisi 50.

Are park fees and permits part of the rate?

Usually not, going by the general guide, though two top-end boats do include them. The operator guide describes park fees as collected per person or per group, frequently in cash, and rarely part of the boat price. Vela's rate includes national park entrance fees and permits. Lamima lists park entrance and boat clearance fees as included. The Phinisi 50 listing excludes national park fees, and it also excludes port fees outside home bases.

The guide speaks about Komodo charters broadly, while Vela and Lamima are single boats with long published lists. Do not assume a large boat follows their pattern because of its size. The Phinisi 50 listing shows a boat of about 50 metres that does not.

Ask three things in writing: who pays the park fees, in what form and at what point in the trip, and whether "permits" stretches to diving or a drone. Ticket amounts, the diving charge and guiding costs are set out on our page about Komodo park fees on a charter.

Are meals and non-alcoholic drinks always covered?

Meals, yes, on every list we compared, though that is a small sample of a large fleet. Drinks need closer reading because the wording changes. The guide says water, tea and coffee. Vela and Ultimate Indonesian Yachts say non-alcoholic drinks. The Phinisi 50 listing says soft drinks. Those phrases are not equal, and if your group expects fresh juice or sparkling water on the rate, say so and have the answer written down.

Food has one practical trap. The operator guide says allergies and special diets should be told at booking, because a small galley cannot improvise. A mention at the gangway is too late on a boat that loaded its provisions before you arrived. Alcohol has its own page, on what boats publish about wine and spirits, including the corkage line on the Phinisi 50 listing.

How do you confirm the list for your own boat?

Use the offer itself, not a brochure or a rate page, and work through it in this order.

1. Ask for the inclusion list and the exclusion list in the offer, tied to your dates and your guest count.
2. Go through the rows of the table above and mark each one as included, excluded, or charged on board. Any row left blank is a question to send back.
3. For each included item, ask for its limit. Vela states a daily limit on spa time and limits diving to certified divers, which shows that "included" can carry conditions.
4. Ask who holds the cash for anything paid locally, and what happens if the amount changes between booking and departure.
5. Check the direction of each transfer, in and out, against our page on airport and harbour transfers.
6. Read the list against the rate basis and the tax line, so that nothing is counted twice or missed.

One interest to declare: a request sent through this desk can lead to a contract with a company in our group. Put any offer of ours through the same six steps. The booking guide shows what else a written quote should state, and choosing a provider covers the seller.

What do buyers ask most about inclusions?

Are meals included on a luxury phinisi charter?

Yes, on every list we compared, including Vela, Lamima, the Phinisi 50 listing and the general operator guide. The sample is small, so check that your offer says the same, and tell the boat about allergies when you book.

Do luxury phinisi charters include a captain and crew?

Yes, in the sources that itemise it: the operator guide, Vela, the Phinisi 50 listing and Ultimate Indonesian Yachts. Lamima's published list does not itemise crew, and it does list crew gratuities as an exclusion, so tips are a separate question.

Is snorkelling equipment provided on luxury phinisi trips?

Usually, going by these sources. The operator guide and the Phinisi 50 listing name it, and Sanctuary's operator names snorkelling equipment among its gear. Vela and Lamima speak of activities and water toys without itemising masks and fins, so ask if you need specific sizes.

Is internet included on a luxury phinisi?

Only Vela and Lamima publish Starlink among the boats compared here, and Vela warns that coverage can slow or drop in remote anchorages. The Phinisi 50 listing excludes telecommunication charges, and other boats need asking.

Does a longer inclusion list mean a better value charter?

No, not by itself. It depends on whether your group would use what is listed. Diving, massages and alcohol carry little weight for a group that does none of them, so compare the lines you would use on the same number of nights.

Which sources support this page?

• Komodo operator guide on yacht charters (komodoresort.com)
• Vela rates page (sailvela.com)
• Vela FAQ (sailvela.com)
• Lamima rates and schedules (lamima.com)
• Phinisi 50 agent listing (boatbookings.com)
• Ultimate Indonesian Yachts (ultimate-indonesian-yachts.com)
• Maj Oceanic agent listing (ultimate-indonesian-yachts.com)
• Barefoot Yachts private charter page (barefoot-yachts-indonesia.com)
• Sanctuary operator page (oxoliving.com)
• Asik Travel on phinisi boats (labuanbajotourism.com)

How do I reach the desk?

Send your dates, guest count and any boat you are weighing, along with the lines above you want read against an offer. The desk answers on WhatsApp 6281139414563 and at bd@juaraholding.com. A chat reply fixes no boat and no date.