Short answer. On the published Lady Grace rates, a 3D2N private charter at IDR 123,000,000 beats buying cabins individually once your group passes roughly fifteen to sixteen full-fare guests, depending on cabin mix. Below that, an open trip is cheaper; above it, the whole boat is both cheaper and better.
Most people choose between an open trip and a charter on feel. The feel is usually wrong, because the arithmetic depends on your cabin mix rather than on head count alone. Here is the calculation done properly, with published numbers.
What the two options actually are
On an open trip you buy a cabin, or a berth in a cabin, on a scheduled departure, and you share the boat with other guests up to its capacity. The route and timings are fixed. On a private charter you take the whole vessel: every cabin, the crew, and a schedule that can be adjusted within the constraints of tide, weather and park rules.
| Cabin grade | Cabins on board | View / extras | Per person, 3D2N |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suite Ocean View | 2 | Private balcony + jacuzzi | IDR 8,500,000 |
| Junior Suite Ocean View | 1 | Private balcony | IDR 8,000,000 |
| Grand Deluxe Ocean View | 2 | Sea-view window | IDR 7,750,000 |
| Deluxe | 4 | Porthole view | IDR 5,750,000 |
| Superior | 1-2 | Bunk bed, interior | IDR 5,250,000 |
| Duration | 1-10 guests | 11-20 guests | Each additional guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D1N | IDR 94,000,000 | IDR 100,000,000 | IDR 4,000,000 |
| 3D2N | IDR 123,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | IDR 5,500,000 |
| 4D3N | IDR 157,000,000 | IDR 165,000,000 | IDR 7,000,000 |
The break-even calculation
Take the 3D2N charter at IDR 123,000,000 for one to ten guests, rising to IDR 129,000,000 for eleven to twenty. Compare it against buying cabins at open-trip rates. Because cabin grades differ by nearly IDR 3,250,000 per person, the answer moves with what you book.
| Group size | Open trip if all in Deluxe (IDR 5,750,000 pp) | Charter cost | Which is cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | IDR 46,000,000 | IDR 123,000,000 | Open trip, by a wide margin |
| 12 | IDR 69,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | Open trip |
| 16 | IDR 92,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | Open trip |
| 20 | IDR 115,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | Open trip, narrowly |
| 22 | IDR 126,500,000 | IDR 129,000,000 + extra-guest fees | Roughly level |
| Group size | Open trip if all in Suite Ocean View (IDR 8,500,000 pp) | Charter cost | Which is cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | IDR 68,000,000 | IDR 123,000,000 | Open trip |
| 12 | IDR 102,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | Open trip |
| 15 | IDR 127,500,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | Roughly level |
| 16 | IDR 136,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | Charter |
| 20 | IDR 170,000,000 | IDR 129,000,000 | Charter, decisively |
Two conclusions fall out of that. If your group is happy in mid-grade cabins, the open trip stays cheaper almost all the way to capacity. If your group wants suites, the charter overtakes at around fifteen or sixteen people. In both cases the crossover is far higher than most people assume, and charter is rarely the cheaper option for a party of eight.
Then why charter at all?
Because price is not the only variable, and for most charter guests it is not the deciding one.
- Schedule control. Ashore at Padar before anyone else, or a longer stop at Pink Beach, or a later start after a heavy night. On an open trip the clock is shared.
- Children. A family with young children on a shared boat is stressful for everyone, including the family.
- Privacy. Honeymooners, corporate groups and anyone who does not want to make small talk over breakfast for three days.
- Group cohesion. A wedding party or a company retreat is the reason the trip exists; splitting it across two boats defeats the point.
- Dietary and cultural requirements. Far easier to provision for one aligned group than for a mixed manifest.
How a whole-boat booking is structured, and what can and cannot be changed, is set out on the private phinisi charter page.
And why join an open trip?
The obvious reason is cost for small parties: two people cannot rationally charter a 34-metre boat. The less obvious reason is that some people want the company. Solo travellers, couples in their twenties, and repeat divers frequently prefer the mixed manifest, and a good crew makes the shared table work.
Open trips also run to a published calendar, which means you can book a specific weekend without assembling a group first. Departure dates and what to confirm are on the sailing schedule page, and the standard shared route is on the 3D2N open-trip page.
The middle option people forget
If your group is ten to fourteen people, ask about taking a block of cabins on an open trip rather than the whole boat. You get most of the group cohesion at open-trip pricing, and on a quiet departure you may effectively have the boat anyway. It is not advertised because it is not a product; it is a conversation with the booking desk.
Larger family and corporate groups working at the top of the capacity range should read the family and group charter page, which covers how 20-plus guests are handled on one hull. Alternative vessels sized for smaller parties are listed across the wider Flores sailing programme.
Arithmetic, not a quotation. All figures are the operator’s published rates read 31 July 2026, used to illustrate the structure of the decision. Park fees, extra-guest charges above twenty and any seasonal adjustment sit outside these numbers. Ask for a written quote for your exact group and dates.
Sailing with Lady Grace
Tell the booking desk your group size and preferred cabin mix, and ask for both quotes side by side.
WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 · [email protected]
Lady Grace is operated by Komodo Luxury in Labuan Bajo. Quotes, availability, deposit terms and cancellation terms are issued by the operator in writing before payment.
