Nusantara Karya: what we check before we sell a seat on a partner boat

Before we sell a seat on a partner boat, I go through it cabin by cabin, with the cabin list in one hand and the pictures in the other. I'm Jewel, and this is that check for Nusantara Karya.

The check has six parts:

• Beds, bathroom, air conditioning and window in each cabin.
• The equipment on board: GPS, radio, life vests and extinguishers.
• The shared decks: dining, karaoke, sundeck and bow.
• The bathrooms, looked at on their own.
• The ceiling of guests against the number of beds.
• The seat fare of each cabin, so every bed has a price you can compare.

Here is what I found on Nusantara Karya: five cabins, a bathroom in each, 14 beds in total and a seat fare for every cabin.

The Master Cabin Balcony has a double bed, a private balcony and its own bathroom. Out on the balcony there are two chairs, a small table, a white railing and a sliding wooden door to the bed. The seat fare is IDR 5,350,000 (≈ USD 328).

Next comes the Deluxe Cabin Sea View, with a double bed and a teal scalloped headboard and a wall air conditioner above it. The Private Cabin Sea View is also a double with its own bathroom, and its air conditioner sits above the headboard too. The two seat fares are IDR 4,650,000 (≈ USD 285) and IDR 4,250,000 (≈ USD 261).

The two Share Cabins sleep 4 each and have a private bathroom. The first has two double bunk beds. The second has one double bed and two single bunks. In both, the upper bunk sits close under the ceiling, with a wall air conditioner at its head end.

A Share Cabin seat is IDR 3,350,000 (≈ USD 206), the lowest fare on the boat. The reason is plain: bunks and no balcony. I count beds, not square meters, because a bed count is what a group splits. The five cabins sleep 2, 2, 2, 4 and 4 guests, which makes 14, the ceiling we sell.

Nusantara Karya carries GPS, a radio, life vests and 2 portable fire extinguishers. It is 27 m long and 4.2 m wide, and its tender takes guests ashore at the islands.

Two details I noted. A life ring hangs outside the window of one Share Cabin. White handrails run down both sides of the steps to the bow.

Snorkeling gear and a life jacket for every guest are in the fare. A seat fare also includes the tour guide and documentation. A private charter leaves the guide and documentation out, and both are on request, quoted separately.

For the evenings the boat has Starlink Wi-Fi, a Smart TV and a karaoke set, and for a group of friends that is a full evening.

Dining is covered, with open sides and screens rolled up at the top. The long wooden table is set for every meal.

Up top, the sundeck has a shade net, folding chairs, a table, a daybed and bean bags in front of the wheelhouse. The karaoke area has a wall TV, speakers and a dark lounge sofa, open to the sea. At the bow, the bowsprit walkway starts at the top of a short flight of steps.

Bathrooms

All five cabins have a private bathroom. They are wet rooms: the shower and the toilet share one tiled room. The finishes differ from cabin to cabin, with painted walls, wood-effect panels or wooden planks.

Three cabins have a window with a view of the water: the Master Cabin Balcony and the two Sea View cabins. Weigh that if your group splits cabins by view.

The boat is easy to place. Groups are harder. Settle these points before anyone pays.

• Who takes the bunks. Two of the five cabins are bunk cabins for 4 each, so eight friends can share them at the lowest seat fare.
• Who takes the balcony. There is one Master Cabin Balcony, so it is one decision.
• Which cabins sit together. Ask for a cabin near the deck when you book.
• Whole boat or seats. At 14 guests the whole boat is IDR 3,430,000 (≈ USD 210) per person, against IDR 3,350,000 (≈ USD 206) for a Share Cabin seat. On this boat the whole boat is never cheaper per head than the bunk seat.

Fourteen guests is the ceiling. You pay 50% to book, and the rest 30 days before departure. Park tickets are extra.

One way to lower the share. If four friends are happy with bunks, a Share Cabin is the lowest seat fare on the boat. Ask for the two Share Cabins together and eight of your group sleep in one place at that fare.