Princess Lala
The long table
The indoor dining room, where everyone on board sits down together and the tea and coffee station waits at the end of the table.
Princess Lala Phinisi
Walk through Princess Lala Phinisi, from the stern table to the bow sundeck
Updated 11 October 2026
Princess Lala is a timber phinisi with blue sails, based in Labuan Bajo. She has an indoor dining room with a long table, a second table at the stern, six air-conditioned cabins for up to 18 guests and five crew, a chef among them. She carries masks and snorkels but no fins, tanks or satellite internet.
Two tables, and the places in between
Start where the day starts, at the table. The indoor dining room holds one long table with sea-view windows along it and the tea and coffee station at the end, where the kettle is, and this is where you eat your first lunch once the cabin keys are handed out and the safety briefing is done. Walk aft and you reach the second table. It stands in the open air at the stern under a timber roof, with the water an arm's length away.
Go forward and the boat changes. The bow sundeck is laid with green turf and scattered with bean bags, and there is a sofa under the awning for the hours when the sun is high. Along the shaded side deck stand two canvas deck chairs. That is the place we would give a grandparent with a book, or a small child who needs to come out of the sun; for a proper nap, every cabin is air-conditioned.
Above all of it are her blue sails. A karaoke set and a sound system come with a private charter, not with the open trip.
The photographs below go space by space: the long table, the plates from the galley, the stern table, the bow sundeck and the side deck. Look at them with the people you are bringing in mind, and tell us where each of them would sit.
Each space, photo by photo
From the galley
From the galley, as our photographs show it: grilled whole fish, prawns and calamari with corn, sambal ground in a stone mortar, fried banana with cheese.
Stern table
The second place to eat, in the open air under a timber roof, with the sea right beside it.
Bow sundeck
Bean bags on green turf at the bow, and a sofa under the awning for when the sun is high.
Canvas deck chairs
Two canvas deck chairs in the shade, for a book and the islands going by.
The five people who look after you
Princess Lala sails with five crew: a captain, a cruise director who keeps the day in order, a chef in the galley and two deck crew. With the boat full, that is 1 crew per 3.6 guests. The table below works out the same figure for a boat that is two-thirds and one-third full.
On an open trip two more people come along, and both are part of the fare. One is a local guide. The other is the photographer, who carries a GoPro, a mirrorless camera and a drone, so the pictures of you on the Padar ridge are somebody else's job. On a private charter neither is in the fare; ask, and we quote them separately.
What does not change is who decides. Where the boat goes and where she lies for the night is the weather's and the captain's decision, and the day's plan moves with the sea, the park quotas and what you agree on board. If you are travelling with someone who needs a slower pace, a hand at the tender or an early dinner, tell us before you sail and we pass it to the cruise director.
| Guests on board | Crew to guests |
|---|---|
| Full · 18 | 1 crew per 3.6 guests |
| Typical · 12 | 1 crew per 2.4 guests |
| Small group · 6 | 1 crew per 1.2 guests |
Cabins by deck
All six cabins sit above the waterline, three on each level, and none is below deck. Each has air conditioning, a sea-view window, power sockets, bed linen and a bath towel.
Upper deck
- Cabin 1, the master: windows on three sides, a private balcony with a bean bag, its own bathroom, a double bed and a single.
- Cabin 2: a double and a single, its own bathroom.
- Cabin 3: a double and a single, and a shared bathroom outside the cabin. It has the lowest fare on board.
Main deck
- Cabins 4 and 5: a double and a single, each with its own bathroom.
- Cabin 6, the second master, rebuilt in 2026: one double bed, its own bathroom and a private balcony with a bench. It sleeps two on open trips, and a single berth is added on private charters.
These are boat cabins and not hotel rooms: a double bed, a single alongside, and little floor beyond them, which is why we ask you to pack a soft bag and leave the hard suitcase at your hotel. The plan below counts the beds, cabin by cabin, to 18 in all.
| Cabin | Rooms | Beds | Sleeps | with the single bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin 1 · Master with balcony | 1 | 1 double + 1 single | 2 | 3 |
| Cabin 2 · Private | 1 | 1 double + 1 single | 2 | 3 |
| Cabin 3 · Private, shared bathroom | 1 | 1 double + 1 single | 2 | 3 |
| Cabin 4 · Private | 1 | 1 double + 1 single | 2 | 3 |
| Cabin 5 · Private | 1 | 1 double + 1 single | 2 | 3 |
| Cabin 6 · Master with balcony | 1 | 1 double; a single berth is added on private charters | 2 | 3 |
| Berths in total | 6 | 12 | 18 |
What is fitted, and what is not
Everything that is fitted is in the table below, from the air conditioning in all six cabins to the life raft. Three lines in it decide some trips, and each is a thing she does not carry.
Fins. Not supplied: bring your own, or rent a pair in Labuan Bajo. Every guest gets a mask and a snorkel.
Satellite internet. None. The Wi-Fi is the crew's hotspot on the mobile network, which works where a phone works and drops between islands.
Scuba tanks and a compressor. None: she is a snorkelling boat, and divers book a day with a dive centre in Labuan Bajo.
If one of those three decides your trip, better to learn it today than on the jetty. Anything the table does not list, ask us about.
| System | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| Air conditioning in every cabin | Fitted | All six cabins |
| Private bathroom | Fitted | Cabins 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Cabin 3 uses a shared bathroom |
| Sea-view window in every cabin | Fitted | All six cabins; none is below deck |
| Power sockets in cabins | Fitted | |
| Tender boat | Fitted | For beach landings |
| Life jackets and life buoys | Fitted | |
| Life raft | Fitted | |
| AIS transponder | Fitted | |
| First-aid kit | Fitted | Basic first aid; the nearest hospital is in Labuan Bajo |
| Mask and snorkel | Fitted | One set per guest |
| Karaoke and sound system | Fitted | Private charter only, not on the open trip |
| Local Wi-Fi | Fitted | Crew hotspot on the mobile network; it drops between islands |
| Fins | Not fitted | Bring your own or rent in Labuan Bajo |
| Satellite internet | Not fitted | The Wi-Fi is the crew hotspot; there is no satellite link |
| Scuba tanks and compressor | Not fitted | A snorkelling boat; divers book a day with a dive centre in Labuan Bajo |
Safety, and the facts in one box
Safety first, because a parent will ask. Princess Lala carries life jackets and life buoys, a life raft, an AIS transponder and a basic first-aid kit, and every trip begins with a safety briefing before the first lunch. For a hospital you go back to Labuan Bajo, which is one reason we recommend travel insurance to every family.
The rest fits in a few lines. Princess Lala is a timber phinisi under the Indonesian flag, based in Labuan Bajo, with six cabins on two decks and room for up to 18 guests. Reservations and payments are handled by PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia.
Seen enough of the boat? Tell us who is coming and we will suggest where each of you sleeps.
- Length
- 23 m
- Cabins
- 6
- Max guests
- 18
- Crew
- 5
- Year built
- 2020
- Class
- Superior
FAQ
Is there Wi-Fi on Princess Lala?
There is local Wi-Fi from the crew's hotspot, which runs on the mobile network. It works where a phone works and drops between islands, and there is no satellite link on board. Tell the people at home that you will be in and out of reach for the days you are at sea. All six cabins have power sockets, so phones and cameras stay charged.
Does Princess Lala supply fins or diving equipment?
Every guest gets one mask and one snorkel. Fins are not supplied, so bring your own if you swim with them, or rent a pair in Labuan Bajo. There are no scuba tanks and no compressor on board: she is a snorkelling boat, and divers book a separate day with a dive centre in Labuan Bajo.
Where is there shade on deck during the day?
In four places. The stern table stands under a timber roof, the bow sundeck has a sofa under an awning, the side deck with its two canvas deck chairs is shaded, and the indoor dining room is out of the sun altogether. For a child's nap or a rest after Padar, all six cabins are air-conditioned.
How do we get from the boat to the beach?
By tender. Princess Lala carries a tender boat for beach landings, so at Kelor, Pink Beach and the other stops the crew takes you ashore and brings you back. Wear shoes with grip for the climbs on Kelor and Padar, and tell us before you sail if someone in your group needs a steadier hand getting in and out; five crew are on board.
How many people sleep on board when the boat is full?
Up to 18 on a private charter. Cabins 1 to 5 each have a double bed and a single bed, and in Cabin 6 the single berth is added on private charters, which makes 18 beds in all. Two to a cabin, the boat sleeps twelve. On open trips Cabin 6 is sold for two guests, so the open trip carries up to seventeen.
Check availability — Princess Lala
Princess Lala is sailed by her own crew; bookings and payments are handled by PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia.