How many people fit on a phinisi: the bed count behind 14 and 21 guests

You can't read a phinisi's capacity off its hull. The headcount comes from the beds in its cabins, because every guest on a charter sleeps aboard, so we count beds first and leave the extras till last.

The two boats give two totals. Carnaby 1 has 6 cabins and takes up to 14 guests, 15 with the extra bed in the Master Cabin. Carnaby 2 has 10 cabins and takes up to 21 guests. Those two figures are all there is to go on.

With 12 friends the sum is quick: six couples need six double beds, and both boats have them. It gets tighter at 14, 15 and 21, where a boat starts running out of cabins. What follows is that sum, cabin by cabin, so you can check it against your own guest list before you write to us.

Carnaby 1 is 26 m long and 5.5 m wide. Its 6 cabins sit on three levels, and each has its own bathroom and air conditioning. The cabin list reads like this:

• Master Cabin, upper deck: a double bed plus an extra bed. 2 guests, or 3 with the extra bed. Ocean view and a private balcony.
• Deluxe, 2 cabins, main deck: a double bed in each, 2 guests each, 4 in total.
• Superior, 2 cabins, lower deck: a double bed in each, 4 in total.
• Sharing cabin, lower deck: two double beds, 4 guests.

Add it up: 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 14. A 15th guest sleeps on the Master Cabin's extra bed. The rate list stops at 14 guests; a 15th guest on the extra bed is priced in your written quote.

Carnaby 1 has a single balcony, on the Master Cabin, so if three couples each want one, this boat can't oblige.

Carnaby 2 measures 32 m by 6.5 m. All 10 cabins are air-conditioned with an en-suite bathroom and a hot and cold shower. The cabin list reads like this:

• Master, 2 cabins (Bira and Tanaberu), upper deck: double bed, private balcony with a bathtub, 2 guests each.
• Suite, 2 cabins (Takalar and Bantaeng), main deck: double bed, private balcony with a bathtub, 2 guests each.
• Deluxe, 1 cabin (Bulukumba), upper deck: double bed, 2 guests.
• Superior, 4 cabins (Gowa, Maros, Sinjai and Bone), lower deck: double bed, 2 guests each, 8 in total.
• Family, 1 cabin (Wajo), lower deck: a double bed and a single bed, 2 or 3 guests.

The first four types give 4 + 4 + 2 + 8 = 18 beds in nine cabins. The Family cabin lifts that to 20 or 21, depending on whether it sleeps two or three. The maximum is 21 guests, and that is the figure we publish.

Whether the 21st guest is the Family cabin's single bed is confirmed in writing before you pay, so plan your list around 20 and fill the 21st place last.

For 12 friends on Carnaby 1, five double-bed cabins hold ten guests, and the last couple takes one of the two double beds in the Sharing cabin. The whole boat for 3D2N is IDR 75,000,000 (≈ USD 4,601), which is IDR 6,250,000 (≈ USD 383) per person. The 11 to 14 guest band covers up to 14.

Eighteen guests on Carnaby 2 fill the nine double cabins exactly, leaving the Family cabin free as a spare. That is IDR 140,000,000 (≈ USD 8,589) for the boat, or IDR 7,780,000 (≈ USD 477) per person. The 17 to 21 guest band covers up to 21.

Twenty-one guests use all ten cabins with three in Wajo. Per person that is IDR 6,670,000 (≈ USD 409). Twenty-one is the published maximum.

At 13 and 14 guests both boats fit. Carnaby 1 costs IDR 75,000,000 (≈ USD 4,601) for 14 and Carnaby 2 costs IDR 129,000,000 (≈ USD 7,914), so Carnaby 1 is the lower whole-boat rate.

The organiser's note: once the headcount is firm, send us the names in pairs against cabin types. Knowing who shares with whom saves a round of messages and lets the crew make up the right beds.

Who pays for what: the fare covers the boat, crew, harbour transfer, meals, coffee, tea and water, snacks and fruit, towels, life jackets and snorkelling gear. You pay the park fees, flights, hotel, insurance and crew gratuities. A guide and documentation on a private charter are on request, quoted separately.

The boats give beds and cabin types. They don't give cabin sizes in square metres, deck seat counts or how many people fit at the bow, and we won't guess.

The Carnaby 2 photos show a long dining table with white linen under a canopy, sun loungers and parasols on the sundeck, and an indoor saloon with an L-shaped sofa. An aft lounge adds cushioned benches and a covered daybed. None of them comes with a seat count.

Carnaby 1 has an outdoor dining table, a lounge with TV and karaoke, and a sundeck with sun beds and bean bags, also without counts.

So for a toast with 21 on deck, plan on standing room rather than chairs until the written answer comes back. Ask us for the deck seat count of the boat you pick and we confirm it before you pay.

Children under 3 travel free with a parent or guardian under KEXI's terms. Whether a free child counts toward the 14 or the 21, and whether a toddler needs a bed of their own, is confirmed for your boat and date.

The guest of honour counts as a guest like anyone else. If the group is covering their share, divide the per-person figure above among the others.

At twenty-two, one boat is no longer enough, and we won't promise a 22nd place on Carnaby 2. A party that large needs both boats on the same dates, and the availability of two boats is confirmed.

If the booked Carnaby cannot sail for a reason beyond our control, we arrange a boat of the same class on the same date at no extra cost. Or we refund you in full within 14 days.