What a parent should ask before paying the deposit

A deposit buys a date. The questions come before it, and these five settle most of what a parent worries about on a phinisi.

• Which life-jacket sizes will be ready for these ages and weights, and will you confirm them in writing?
• Which cabin keeps the child within reach and away from the stairs?
• Who helps the child at the transfers and the swim stops, and who stays responsible?
• Which stops will the child join, and which will an adult skip to stay aboard?
• What does the park charge for a child, quoted for these exact ages?

The fare rule is short. Children aged 0 to 2 travel free with a parent or guardian, and from age 3 the full fare applies. We set no minimum age in advance. Send us the ages and we set out in writing what we would plan for each child, including the stops, the cabin and the life-jacket size.

Life jackets are on board, next to the snorkel gear, the kayaks and the stand-up paddle boards. How many there are, and in which sizes, is not published, and we do not invent a number to reassure you.

Instead we ask for every child's age and weight on the pre-departure form, then confirm in writing that the right size will be ready. The harbour authority's guideline requires a life jacket for every passenger and a safety demonstration before departure. Ask to see both.

At the swim stops we advise a jacket for every child, and for everyone at Manta Point, where currents run. A stroller is useless on a boat. A baby carrier is not.

Stairs join the 3 decks. The height of the rails and the gaps in them are not published, so we claim nothing about either. The gallery page has photographs of the decks, and a question about one particular gap or stair gets a written answer.

The cabin plan does more for a child than any rail. A child can share a parent's cabin. A third guest sleeps only in the Master Suite Ocean, on its extra bed. The main deck has one cabin, the Master Ocean. Two Deluxe cabins are on the upper deck and two Superior cabins on the lower deck. The Sharing Cabin has two bunk beds and four single berths, and because the open trip sells it by the bunk, other guests can share it unless your party fills it.

There are five types of cabin on three decks. Engine noise is not described, so we promise no quiet cabin to a family with a baby.

A day aboard happens in four spaces. In the indoor saloon there is a long dining table, bench seating and a wall-mounted TV. The covered dining deck has a barbecue grill, so it is a place to keep hold of small hands. Cushioned loungers fill the sun deck, and on the foredeck a canopy covers bean-bag cushions where a child can lie down with a book.

At the bow, the jacuzzi is a round tub set into the deck. Its depth is not published. A parent decides who goes in, and when. Kayaks and stand-up paddle boards are for a child with an adult. At 7 to 9 knots the boat is slow, and a day on deck is a calm one.

The first moving parts of the trip are the transfers between boat and shore. There the boat's crew helps children across while a parent keeps hold of the hand and carries the bag. Swim stops work the same way. Adults take turns on deck.

A ranger leads the Komodo walk, and walking alone is prohibited. The short route is easy. The ranger sets pace and distance. We have found no minimum age published by the park, so you and the ranger decide on the day. Padar is steep. A younger child sometimes has to be carried, and an adult who stays aboard with that child misses no other stop.

Park fees for children are not fixed in advance. Ask us to quote them for the exact ages and the answer comes in writing. Caveat: mantas, dragons and calm water are never guaranteed, and the captain can change a stop for safety.