Komodo family boat trip: the cabins that sleep four, and children under 3 free

Three cabins sleep four: Malang and Madiun, the two balcony cabins, and Kediri. Each has one double bed and room for extra beds, a private bathroom and air conditioning. Surabaya and Jember stop at three, which suits two parents and one child. Gresik is the odd one: four single bunks in two double-decker stacks, with a shared bathroom.

For a family the deck matters as much as the bed. Malang is on the main deck, the same level as the dining room, so a small child never climbs stairs between the cabin and the table. Kediri and Madiun are on the upper deck. All decks on King Cirox 2 are reached by stairs; there is no lift.

A family of four can also take all four Gresik bunks. The sum is four bunk fares instead of two cabin fares plus extra beds, and you give up a private bathroom to save money. Read the bed plan below with your children's ages next to it, then choose the door.

Children aged 0 to 2 travel free when they share with a parent or guardian. From age 3 a child pays like any other guest, at the price of the bed or extra bed they use.

Open-trip cabin fares are per person: Malang IDR 5,150,000 (≈ USD 316), Kediri IDR 4,300,000 (≈ USD 264), Madiun IDR 5,400,000 (≈ USD 331), all for 3D2N. Two adults pay that twice. The extra-bed fare for each cabin is printed in the fare table below and on the cabin card.

A whole-boat charter changes the arithmetic for bigger families. Six to ten guests pay IDR 51,000,000 (≈ USD 3,129) for 3D2N, which is IDR 6,380,000 (≈ USD 391) each for a party of eight. Grandparents, cousins and a nanny all fit inside that band. On a charter, the guide and the camera crew are not included; both come on request, quoted separately. Count heads by age, then read the per-person table below.

The safety list in the boat's booklet has five items: a liferaft, life jackets, a life buoy, a first aid kit and AIS. Sizes of the life jackets are not printed. If your child is small, tell us the age and weight when you book and we confirm in writing whether a child-size jacket is aboard; if we cannot confirm it, bring one.

A parent's eye is needed in two places. The stairs between the main deck, the upper deck and the roof are the only way up. And the bow nets, two rope platforms either side of the bow, hang directly above the sea.

The snorkel kit on board is a mask and a snorkel, and children tire faster at Pink Beach and Taka Makassar without the fins the boat does not carry; pack a pair for each child or rent them in Labuan Bajo.

Three days, ten stops, two treks that children feel in their legs. Kelor on day one is a short, steep hill of 15 to 30 minutes. Padar on day two takes 25 to 45 minutes up a path that is loose in places. The ranger walk on Komodo is easy underfoot but short of shade, and lasts 45 to 120 minutes.

The water is kinder. Pink Beach has reef from 1 to 8 metres with a mild current, Taka Makassar sits at 1 to 5 metres, and the sandbar appears at low tide. Manta Point is the exception: a strong current and a guided drift, for confident swimmers or for a child in a life jacket held by an adult.

On day three the boat calls at Seture for a beach and a snorkel and has you ashore in Labuan Bajo between 10:00 and 11:00. If three days are too long for your youngest, the 2D1N fare in Kediri is IDR 3,900,000 (≈ USD 239) per person and leaves after day two, at Manta Point, where a small transfer boat takes you to the pier in Labuan Bajo. Pick the length, then the date.