Two king cabins upstairs, and a date worth keeping

This page is for three sorts of pair. A couple with an anniversary to mark, a proposal to make or a second honeymoon in mind. Two couples who would like the two best cabins and a deck with no strangers on it. Or friends travelling two by two and splitting the bill per pair. Just married? Start with the honeymoon page; this one is built for four guests and a date on the calendar.

For the boat, four guests are hardly different from two. The band still covers 1 to 6 guests, so four of you pay exactly what two would. And there is the case for travelling as two couples in a sentence: one hull, one dinner, and the bill halved once more.

Each cabin takes 2 guests in one bed, so one couple needs a cabin and two couples need two. Who gets which is for you to sort out between you. No one ends up sharing a bed or a bathroom with anybody but their own partner.

Sky note. A full moon washes out the Milky Way, while the nights either side of new moon are the darkest of the month. Worth knowing before you settle on dates; we can look up the phase for you.

The two cabins on the upper deck, Jasmine and Lily, both have king beds. Jasmine is the Master Cabin and has panoramic glass; Lily, the Suite, has an ocean view of its own. En-suite bathroom, hot and cold shower and air conditioning in each. One cabin per couple, and neither pair has to go downstairs to wash. That part is easy.

Charter the boat and the two cabins cost the same, which leaves the wider window as something to settle over a drink. On the open trip they are priced differently, and we check live whether both are still free on your date.

Bring a third couple and they go into a Deluxe cabin below, with a double bed and a bathroom to themselves, though no sea view is stated for the four Deluxe cabins. Six people, and you are still in the 1 to 6 band.

You are juggling two dates, and they seldom line up. Yours is the day you want to mark. Ours is the day the boat leaves. When an anniversary lands on a Monday or a Friday, the open trip can sail on it. A private charter leaves on whatever day you and the boat settle.

The sample 4D3N route puts the beach dinner on day 3. If the anniversary itself is day 2 or day 4, tell us in your first message. We put the question to the captain and answer in writing, since weather and tide can shift the dinner and nobody can guarantee the beach.

A proposal, a cake, a cabin decorated for the occasion: we can arrange any of them. Quoted, not promised. You get a price, you agree to it, and only then does it join the booking. Nothing appears that you did not ask for, and nothing appears on the bill that you did not agree.

Give us the following about a month before you sail, or sooner if you can.

• The sailing date and how flexible it is.
• The number of guests, and who sleeps in which cabin.
• The trip length, 3D2N or 4D3N.
• Your hotel in Labuan Bajo or your flight into Komodo Airport.
• Tell us about food needs and any allergy before departure.
• Anything you would like quoted, from flowers to a photographer.

Passport or ID details reach us seven days before sailing, for the park and the harbour. Your 50 percent deposit secures the date, and the balance comes 30 days before. A clear sky on the big night is not ours to promise. The boat will be at anchor under whatever sky turns up.