Where the wet fins go: Raffles Cruise's six cabins checked the way a snorkeller would

I look at boats the way a snorkeller does, from the gangway down. Where do wet things go? Who has a private outdoor space? How near is the sea to the bed? I ask all three before anything else, and I ask them quickly.

So here are the six cabins of Raffles Cruise, one by one, with what each gives a guest who spends the day in the water.

First the frame. She is a 33 m phinisi built in 2023, with a crew of 8 and 6 cabins on two decks. Every cabin is air-conditioned, faces the sea, and has its own bathroom with a hot shower. Twelve sleep in the cabins, and two extra beds make 14. That is the most she ever carries.

Six cabins, four names. I read them as a snorkeller would: balcony or none, tub or none, upper deck or main.

Upper deck

• Malacca I (one cabin, master). Private balcony with a round jacuzzi on a teak platform and a teak railing. Inside, a double bed, a cream bench at its foot, a navy and white rug, an armchair, balcony doors and a glass-walled bathroom beside the bed.
• Borneo (two cabins, deluxe). No balcony. A double bed with a grey patterned runner, a blue rug and a wide window onto the sea.

Main deck

• Malacca II (one cabin, master). Private balcony. A free-standing oval bathtub with a wooden tray stands under two large windows facing the sea, and the bed is a double, like the rest.
• Java (two cabins, deluxe). No balcony. A double bed with towel folds, a wood-panelled wall, wall lights, an air conditioner and a dressing shelf.

Only the two Malacca cabins have a balcony. If someone in your party wants to sit outside the cabin in swimwear, choose those two. They carry the two highest seat prices on the open trip.

The short answer: the bathroom. Every cabin has its own, with a hot shower, and that is where the salt comes off you and your things after each swim. Snorkelling gear, life jackets and two stand-up paddleboards belong to the boat, so you carry little of your own.

The bathrooms have marble-look wall tiles, and one has a hand shower beside a teak panel. Another has a rain shower with a window over the water. A hand shower is the plain tool for rinsing sandals or a snorkel strap before they go anywhere near the bed.

On deck there is a covered wooden area beside the rail, with a bean bag and a round log side table, and a curved sofa with navy cushions under cover. Indoors, the saloon has glass doors that open to the foredeck. Rinse first, then sit down dry; that order keeps the cushions kind to the next guest.

The balconies are the other outdoor space. Malacca I has a teak platform and railing outside its balcony doors, and Malacca II has a private balcony of its own. Bring a small dry bag for anything you want to keep away from the spray.

The three-day route is built around snorkelling, and that is why I read the cabins this way. Day one is Sebayur for snorkelling, then Manta Point and Taka Makassar. On day two, Pink Beach is done by snorkel or by paddleboard. On the third morning there is free time at Kelor: a walk, a swim, a paddleboard or the beach.

Manta Point is on the route. Whether mantas are there is the sea's decision, and the crew and guide choose the time to go in.

A life jacket is worn by anyone who is not a confident swimmer. The crew decides when and where you go in, since the water has currents. On the open trip the guide swims with the party; on a charter, ask for a guide or stay aboard at Manta Point. For a non-diver in a party of mixed confidence, that is the rule that counts, more than any cabin feature.

Across three days that makes several water stops, and each ends with a guest coming back aboard wet. That return is why the bathroom matters more to a snorkeller than the bed.

Book Malacca I if you want the jacuzzi on your own balcony, and Malacca II if you want a bathtub and a balcony one deck lower. Both are master cabins, and only these two have outdoor space of their own.

Book Borneo for the upper deck at a deluxe price, or Java for the lowest seat on the boat. Both have a double bed, a window onto the sea and the same hot shower. Neither has a balcony, and on a snorkelling trip you will hardly miss one, because the deck is shared by everyone.

For a party of more than twelve, two extra beds take the boat to 14, and the cabin for each is confirmed in writing before you pay. Bed sizes are on request in the same way. Every cabin sails the same route, eats the same meals and meets the same crew.

Whichever you choose, pack light, bring a small dry bag for wet things, and rinse in your bathroom before you sit down to lunch.