Choosing a Cabin on a Komodo Phinisi: Balcony or Window?

On a Komodo phinisi, choose a cabin by outlook (private balcony or window), bed layout, whether the bathroom is en-suite, and where the cabin sits on the boat. On Ayvara Cruise all seven cabins are above deck, sea-view, air-conditioned and en-suite with a 160 × 200 cm queen bed, so the real choice is a private balcony (one Master, two Deluxe) or large panoramic windows (four Superior). 2027 open-trip publish rates, from the rate sheet dated 11 September 2026, run from IDR 6,750,000 (USD 450) per person in a Superior to IDR 8,500,000 (USD 570) per person in the Master for the 3D2N voyage; Komodo National Park fees are not included.

What differs between cabins on a Komodo phinisi

Phinisi come from the boatbuilding tradition of South Sulawesi, which UNESCO added to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. There is no standard cabin plan. The VIP-class boats listed by Komodo Luxury alone run from three to ten cabins, and across Labuan Bajo the range is wider: budget open trips often sell bunk or twin beds in shared cabins, sometimes with shared bathrooms, while higher tiers sell private en-suite cabins.

Before comparing prices, check five things on any boat:

• Outlook: private balcony, large window, small window or porthole.
• Bed: one double or queen, twins or bunks, and whether an extra bed fits.
• Bathroom: en-suite, or shared with other guests.
• Air conditioning: in every cabin, or only in some.
• Position: which deck, and how far from the bow.

Ayvara Cruise, the VIP-class phinisi with seven above-deck cabins that Komodo Luxury owns and operates from Labuan Bajo, is a useful worked example because the queen bed, private bathroom and air conditioning are the same in every cabin. That leaves outlook, capacity and price to decide.

Ayvara’s Master, Deluxe and Superior cabins compared

Ayvara carries a maximum of 15 guests in seven above-deck, sea-view cabins: one Master, two Deluxe and four Superior. Every cabin has air conditioning, a private bathroom and a queen bed measuring 160 × 200 cm.

Cabin	On board	Sleeps	Bed	Outlook	Open trip 2027, per person, 3D2N
Master Cabin	1	3	Queen 160 × 200 cm + 1 extra bed	Private balcony, sea view	IDR 8,500,000 (USD 570)
Deluxe Cabin	2	2	Queen 160 × 200 cm	Private balcony, sea view	IDR 7,750,000 (USD 530)
Superior Cabin	4	2	Queen 160 × 200 cm	Large panoramic windows, sea view	IDR 6,750,000 (USD 450)

These are 2027 publish rates from the rate sheet dated 11 September 2026, charged per person for the whole 3D2N voyage. Komodo National Park fees are not included and follow government regulations at the time of the trip. The open-trip sheet also prints an additional pax rate of IDR 4,500,000 (USD 330); the reservations desk confirms how it applies to a given booking. The full figures are on the rates page, and photos of each room are on the cabins page.

Balcony vs window: what the price difference buys

Moving from a Superior to a Deluxe costs IDR 1,000,000 (USD 80) more per person, so IDR 2,000,000 (USD 160) for a couple across the voyage. Moving from a Deluxe to the Master adds a further IDR 750,000 (USD 40) per person.

What the money buys is private outdoor space. Ayvara’s common areas are a 360° rooftop deck, a shaded sundeck and an indoor dining area, and up to 15 guests share them. A balcony gives its occupants a place of their own for coffee before the 06:00 Padar trek on day two, or for a quiet hour while the boat moves between islands.

The window cabins give up less than the names suggest. A Superior has large panoramic windows, a sea view, and the same queen bed, private bathroom and air conditioning as the Deluxe and the Master. In the rainy months, roughly December to March, a balcony may get less use and a wide window does much of the same job from indoors. For guests who plan to spend the daylight hours on deck, in the water or ashore, which is how the 3D2N itinerary is built, the Superior is the rational choice.

Bed types and who each cabin suits

Every Ayvara cabin has one queen bed. No twin-bed layout is listed, so two friends who would rather not share a bed should raise that with the reservations desk before paying a deposit.

• Couples: a Deluxe is the balcony cabin for two. Couples planning a celebration can read the honeymoon cruise guide.
• Three travelling together: the Master is the only cabin that sleeps three, with a queen bed plus one extra bed. It suits parents with one child, bearing in mind that children aged 3 and above are charged the full rate. Larger families can book several cabins on one departure, as the family trip guide explains.
• Value first: a Superior costs the least and gives up only the balcony.
• Solo travellers: rates are quoted per person by cabin type, and the published details do not spell out single occupancy. Ask the desk how a solo booking is handled.

En-suite and air conditioning: check, never assume

Over two nights on board, a private bathroom matters at least as much as the view. Some Komodo boats, mainly in the lower price tiers, have one or two bathrooms shared by all guests, and air conditioning quality varies from boat to boat. When a cheaper boat advertises a “private cabin”, confirm that the bathroom is inside the cabin, and ask about the air conditioning.

On Ayvara the answer is the same for all seven cabins: private bathroom, air conditioning and a sea view. Electrical capacity is listed as 20 KVA + 20 KVA, and fresh-water capacity as 6,000 litres.

Cabin position and seasickness

As a general rule on any vessel, motion is strongest at the bow and higher up, and weakest low down near the middle. The CDC Yellow Book lists avoiding the bow of a ship among the ways to reduce motion sickness, and the travel-clinic group Passport Health advises cruise passengers that a lower cabin towards the middle of the ship moves least.

On boats where the balcony cabins sit on an upper deck, outlook and stability pull in opposite directions. On Ayvara all seven cabins are above deck, so no category is a lower-deck cabin and the general rule comes down to how far from the bow a cabin sits. The published details do not give each cabin’s position along the boat. Guests prone to seasickness should ask the Komodo Luxury desk which cabin sits closest to the middle and request that specific cabin, not just a category.

Open trip or private charter: how cabins are priced

Cabin category affects the price only on the open (share) trip, where each guest pays per person by cabin type. Departures run Friday to Sunday and Monday to Wednesday, every week of the year. With one Master and two Deluxe, there are only three balcony cabins on each departure, so guests set on one should enquire early.

On a private charter the group pays for the whole boat and decides who sleeps where. At 2027 publish rates (rate sheet dated 11 September 2026), a 3D2N charter is IDR 104,000,000 (USD 6,200) per charter for 1–8 guests and IDR 118,000,000 (USD 7,000) per charter for 9–15 guests. Cabin category does not change that figure, and Komodo National Park fees are not included.

What stays the same in every cabin

The cabin choice changes the room and nothing else. Every open-trip guest follows the same itinerary and receives the same inclusions: meals, mineral water, coffee and tea, a guide, snorkelling gear, a life vest, drone, GoPro and mirrorless documentation delivered as raw footage, and pick-up and drop-off within the Labuan Bajo mainland area near the harbour. Starlink high-speed internet is listed as a facility of the boat, not of any cabin category.

Frequently asked questions

Which Ayvara Cruise cabins have a private balcony?

The Master Cabin and both Deluxe Cabins have a private balcony, which makes three balcony cabins on each departure. The four Superior Cabins have large panoramic windows instead. All seven cabins are above deck, sea-view, air-conditioned and en-suite with a 160 × 200 cm queen bed.

How much more does a balcony cabin cost than a window cabin on Ayvara?

On the 3D2N open trip a Deluxe balcony cabin is IDR 7,750,000 (USD 530) per person and a Superior window cabin is IDR 6,750,000 (USD 450) per person, a difference of IDR 1,000,000 (USD 80) per person. The Master Cabin is IDR 8,500,000 (USD 570) per person. These are 2027 publish rates from the rate sheet dated 11 September 2026, and Komodo National Park fees are not included.

Which Ayvara cabin is best for a family of three?

The Master Cabin is the only one that sleeps three, with a queen bed plus one extra bed, a private balcony and a private bathroom. Children aged 3 and above are charged the full rate. Larger families can book several cabins on the same departure or take the whole boat as a private charter.

Which cabin is best to avoid seasickness on a Komodo phinisi?

As a general rule, a cabin low down and near the middle of a vessel moves least, and the bow moves most. All seven Ayvara cabins are above deck, so the difference between them is position along the boat, which the published details do not give. Guests prone to seasickness should ask the Komodo Luxury reservations desk which cabin sits closest to the middle and request it before booking.

Does the cabin type change the price of an Ayvara private charter?

No. A private charter is priced per charter for the whole boat, by duration and guest band, and the group decides who sleeps in which cabin. At 2027 publish rates (rate sheet dated 11 September 2026) a 3D2N charter is IDR 104,000,000 (USD 6,200) per charter for 1–8 guests and IDR 118,000,000 (USD 7,000) per charter for 9–15 guests, with Komodo National Park fees not included.

Sources

• ich.unesco.org
• cdc.gov
• passporthealthusa.com
• climatestotravel.com
• betakomodo.com
• phinisilabuanbajo.com
• komodoluxury.com
• Vessel facts and rates: Komodo Luxury, Ayvara page and the 2027 rate sheet dated 11 September 2026