Crew and service ratio on a luxury Komodo charter

The crew list of Voyage 1 has 8 names: 7 crew and a cruise director. At full load, 16 guests divided by 8 gives 2.0 guests for each member of the list. The crew list of Voyage 2 has 13 names: 12 crew and a cruise director. 16 guests divided by 13 gives 1.2.

The list is fixed. A party of four still has 8 people looking after it on Voyage 1 and 13 on Voyage 2, because the crew list is set for the yacht and the route, not for the number of guests who happen to be aboard on a given sailing.

The ratio is a count of the people aboard who look after the party.

The crew list names crew and a cruise director on both yachts. The cruise director is your point of contact on board. Menus, diets and allergies are passed to the crew once you send the brief.

The Lamain crew works for the owner; PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia (NIB 1805260128363) books, takes payment and arranges pickup.

A principal who travels with staff should send their names in the brief. They count among the 16 guests and share the suites like any other guest.

An assistant booking for a principal should ask these before any deposit is paid:

• Menus: how the menu is agreed, and by which date.
• Diets and allergies: we pass them to the crew, and the reply names what the kitchen will prepare.
• Languages: the languages the crew speaks on your dates.
• Contact during the charter: our office is open every day, 08:00 to 20:00 WITA. Aboard, local Wi-Fi is available, so agree a contact route for the party before sailing.
• Transfers: airport, hotel and harbour pickup is free; the time and meeting point come with the booking.

Each answer comes back in writing before you pay.

Meals each day and snacks are in the rate, with soft drinks, fresh juices, coffee and tea. Alcohol is not in the fare.

Say in the brief if the party has young children. Diets and allergies are passed to the crew once you send them in the brief.

Voyage 1 has outdoor dining under an awning and an indoor dining room. Voyage 2 has outdoor dining under a canopy and a saloon with a bar and an indoor dining table. Where the party eats on a given day is the captain's and the weather's decision, as with the stops.

A guide, photo and video documentation, decoration, a special dinner, a photographer or a drone are each quoted separately, and nothing is added to the fare without a written quote. A drone needs a park permit, and the permit is a park matter and not a crew matter. For a party of 16, ask for all of these in the one brief, so the quote arrives as one document.

Crew gratuities are paid by you on top of the rate. Their amount and the way they are handed over are your decision. A principal's assistant should budget for them separately, together with the park ticket and any guide.