Elbark Cruises
Elbark Cruises
From a first message to a confirmed boat in three steps
Updated 27 October 2026
How to book a Komodo phinisi charter on Elbark Cruises, in three steps: a WhatsApp with the head count and dates, a 50% deposit that reserves the boat, and the balance 30 days before departure. Fourteen guests on 5 days, for example, pay IDR 224,000,000 (≈ USD 13,742), and the plan is in writing before any money moves.
First, a WhatsApp naming who is coming and when
Open WhatsApp and tell us five things. How many are coming. How many days you want. The month, or the exact dates. The ages of anyone under 12. And the earliest flight anyone in the party has booked. From that we send back a cabin plan and a single price you can pass straight on to the group.
We are online every day, 08:00 to 20:00 WITA. Write at midnight and the reply comes the next morning. Nothing is owed at this point: you are asking for a plan, not signing up to one.
If the length is still open, say so. Write 'four or five days' and we price both. Fourteen people looking at IDR 192,000,000 (≈ USD 11,779) and IDR 224,000,000 (≈ USD 13,742) next to each other settle it over one dinner.
- Answered on WhatsAppSend dates, group size and route
- 50 percent of the totalDeposit confirms the date
- 30 days beforeBalance before sailing
Second, a deposit that reserves the boat for your dates
Once the party is happy with the plan, a 50% deposit secures the boat for your dates. Before it arrives, nothing is reserved. After it arrives, the dates belong to you and the written cabin plan stands.
Dates can move if Elbark has the new date open. A change is free up to 30 days before departure and costs IDR 500,000 from then until 14 days out, and the switch is confirmed in writing. A cancellation at least 60 days ahead returns 50%. Between 30 and 59 days ahead, the return is 25%.
The table underneath gathers the deposit and the cancellation steps for a private charter in one place, so the organiser can forward a single screenshot to the family. Shared-trip cabins follow the same rule: confirmed in writing, then paid.
| Deposit | 50 percent of the total |
| Balance | 30 days before |
| Bookings inside 30 days pay in full | |
| Children | Under 3 free, accompanied by a parent |
| Prices include 11 percent VAT · Passport details 7 days before sailing |
Third, the balance, passport names and the pickup point
Final payment lands 30 days ahead of sailing. For eighteen guests on four days that is half of IDR 214,000,000 (≈ USD 13,129), so give whoever is paying fair warning, and agree early who sends it. Accepted payment methods are in the block below.
A few weeks out we ask for every guest's name exactly as the passport spells it, and for the pickup point. A charter's pickup hour is fixed along with the date; the shared trip collects at 08:30. City-area pickup and drop-off are included either way.
Park tickets are paid separately and sit in neither the deposit nor the balance. Should you want a guide or photo and video work, we quote those on their own.
Payments we accept
Secure payment by Stripe, Airwallex, American Express, Visa, Mastercard.
Collecting passport names, ages and money from relatives or friends
Whoever organises has the hardest job: names, ages and money from a dozen relatives. Keep a single list with a name, an age and a passport spelling for each guest, plus who shares which cabin. Send it once, and gather any changes into one message.
Agree early who sends the money to us, and name that person when you write, so the invoice matches the payment. Each person's share is plain division: on five days for fourteen it is IDR 16,000,000 (≈ USD 982), the same for every guest, including children from 3.
Infants up to 2 sail free in the care of a parent or guardian. At 3 the full fare begins. Send us every age, and the cabin plan and head count come back in writing ahead of payment.
Should Elbark be unable to sail
Elbark is a working boat, and working boats occasionally stay in port. If engine trouble, a harbour order or a park order is the cause, your party keeps its dates on another phinisi, no lower in class. You pay nothing extra. Alternatively you can ask for your money back, refunded in full within 14 days.
That is the whole guarantee. It protects the boat and the dates, not the weather on the day: the captain judges what the sea allows, and the stops move while the dates hold.
For 2027, today's list applies until a new one is published, and you get the price in writing before paying anything.
FAQ
How much is the deposit?
It is 50% of the booking, and it reserves the boat or the cabin for your dates. You pay it only after we have confirmed boat, dates and cabin plan in writing; before that nothing is held and nothing is owed. The balance follows 30 days before departure.
When is the balance due?
30 days before departure. A charter starting in the first week of a month is settled in the first week of the month before. We send a written reminder in good time, together with the final cabin plan and the pickup point, so the organiser can collect the money calmly.
Which payment methods do you take?
They are in the payment block on this page; the account details follow in writing when the deposit falls due. If your party needs a method that is not listed there, ask before paying anything, and we reply in writing.
Can we change the date?
Yes, provided Elbark is free on the date you want instead. A change is free up to 30 days before departure and costs IDR 500,000 after that, and the new date is confirmed in writing. Cancelling is different: 50% is refunded from 60 days before departure, and 25% between 30 and 59 days.
Check availability for Elbark Cruises
Elbark Cruises is booked through PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia. We confirm your cabins, take the payment and arrange the pickup. The boat sails with its own crew.