King Cirox 2 inspected: the twelve checks I make before we list a boat

I am Jewel, a Komodo Explorer guide and vessel surveyor. Before the company sells a boat, I inspect it, and a boat that fails is not listed. King Cirox 2 passed before she appeared on this site. The twelve checks below are the ones I run on every vessel, and under each one stands what she has. The charter and open-trip booklets and the official ship sketch from KSOP Labuan Bajo back the answers as supporting documents.

I run the checks in the order a guest meets the boat: the door first, then the stairs, then the kit that matters in an emergency, then the extras. A check passes when the item is on board and does what its name says. A check that fails ends the listing.

First, the basics. She is 24.8 m long, built in 2024 and finished in 2025, with 6 cabins, 6 crew and room for 23 guests; the last place is an extra bed in Gresik. And because the names are close: King Cirox 2 is not King Cirox 1, which is a different boat.

1. Six doors, six East Java cities

I start with the cabin list, because the cabin is what a guest actually books. King Cirox 2 has six. Each is air-conditioned and has sea-view windows, power sockets, towels and linen. They are named after East Java cities: Malang, Surabaya, Gresik, Kediri, Jember and Madiun. Malang, Kediri and Madiun take up to four guests, Surabaya and Jember up to three, Gresik up to five, and those six maxima add up to the 23 on the boat. Private cabins are sold to two paying guests at least.

2. One bunk, sold on its own

Gresik is the share cabin: four single bunks in two double-deckers, with an extra bed for a fifth guest. It is sold bed by bed, IDR 3,350,000 (≈ USD 206) per bunk on the 3-day open trip, so a solo traveller pays for one bunk and not for half of a private cabin. It is the door I point single guests to.

3. Five private bathrooms, one shared

I match the bathroom count to the cabin count. Malang, Surabaya, Kediri, Jember and Madiun each have a private bathroom. The sixth bathroom is shared, and it serves Gresik alone. That is the trade for the bunk price.

4. Two cabins with a balcony

Malang and Madiun keep their own balcony. Madiun's carries an outdoor wooden bathtub, the only tub on board. Both cabins take up to four guests, so they suit a family of four as well as a couple.

5. Three levels joined by stairs

I count the levels and look at what joins them. King Cirox 2 has three. The main deck holds Malang, Surabaya, Gresik and the dining room; the upper deck holds Kediri, Jember and Madiun; the roof deck sits above both. Stairs connect them, and no lift is fitted. Anyone travelling with small children, or with a bad knee, should book from the main-deck three.

6. Bow nets and the roof deck

Two places fill the hours between meals. At the bow, rope nets stretch over the water on both sides, with cushions laid on them. On the roof, bean bags sit on artificial turf around a low wooden table. A covered side-deck lounge with more bean bags is a third option when the sun is high, and a karaoke and sound system is fitted for the evenings.

7. Jackets, ring, raft and first aid

Before I look at any view, I look for the kit that matters when something goes wrong. King Cirox 2's facility list names life jackets, a life buoy, a liferaft and a first aid kit, and all four are fitted. Every other check on this page ranks below this one.

8. Two engines and AIS

She is a young boat, and she runs on two Mitsubishi engines of 90 PK and 190 PK. AIS is fitted. An AIS set sends a vessel's position to other vessels and to stations ashore, so other ships can see where she is.

9. A tender for the landings

A tender boat is fitted. It is the small boat that carries guests between the phinisi and the shore. With up to 23 guests aboard, it is the piece of kit that sets the pace of every landing, which is why I check it on every vessel.

10. Mask and snorkel, no fins

The snorkel kit is a mask and a snorkel. Fins are not carried. Pack your own pair, or rent one in Labuan Bajo before the pickup. A canoe or kayak is on board, and on the open trip a paddle board as well.

11. Starlink Wi-Fi, no speed promised

Starlink Wi-Fi is fitted. I record the fact and promise nothing beyond it: coverage follows the satellite link, and we publish no speed. Plan your work calls with that in mind.

12. 6 crew for 23 guests

The crew is six: a cruise director, a chef, and four who work as captain and boat crew. The chef cooks aboard. Meals are served in the dining room on the main deck, and mineral water, tea and coffee are free-flow. On a full sailing, that is one crew member for every three or four guests.

The twelve checks end in a booking decision, and it comes down to who is travelling. Our concession, plainly: she carries no fins, and Gresik's bathroom is shared. Neither changes the fare. The open trip starts at IDR 3,350,000 (≈ USD 206) per head; the whole boat for 3 days and 2 nights, one to five guests, is IDR 47,500,000 (≈ USD 2,914).

• Travelling alone. A Gresik bunk, IDR 3,350,000 (≈ USD 206) on the 3-day open trip.
• A couple wanting privacy. Madiun or Malang, each with its own balcony.
• A family of four. Malang, Kediri or Madiun, each a double bed plus two extra beds.
• A group of up to 23. The whole boat, all six doors.

On the open trip the fare covers the pickup from your hotel or the airport in Labuan Bajo, all meals, linen and a bath towel, the local guide, and photo and video documentation. Pickup falls between 10:00 and 11:00. Park entrance fees and the ranger fee, airfare, insurance and tips are not in the fare. On a private charter the guide and the photo and video crew are quoted separately, on request. Send us your party size and your dates, and ask us which doors are free.

An inspection tells you what is fitted and how the boat is kept. It does not tell you the weather. Routes and stops change on the day with sea conditions, currents and decisions from the park and port authorities, and park fees and ranger fees sit outside every fare. Wi-Fi comes with no speed promise. Fins are not on board. No inspection can promise a dragon on the trail or a manta at the cleaning station either; those depend on the animals and the day. What I can promise is narrower and firmer: every item named in the twelve checks is on the boat. The next open-trip sailing is Monday, 12 October 2026.