Forty-five to eighty-eight — two hulls, and a decision about the evening
The band where a cruise programme stops being simple. Two vessels sail in company, two coordinators run in parallel, and the awards evening needs a decision that most operators leave until it is too late to change.
The cost step at guest 45, in full
This is the most important paragraph on the site for anyone planning a group in the forties. Guest forty-five does not add one guest's worth of cost. Guest forty-five adds a ship.
- A second hull for the full duration: crew wages, fuel, harbour dues, galley provisioning, port clearance.
- A second coordinator, because a coordinator on the other vessel is unreachable once the ships separate.
- A second coach, because a 45-seat coach carries 44 guests plus a guide.
- A second set of activity equipment and a second safety boat allocation at the anchorage.
- Duplicated catering: identical menus cooked in two galleys, which limits how elaborate the menu can be.
A group of 46 can have a higher total cost than a group of 44, not merely a higher cost per head. If your list is at 45 to 48 and two of those people are optional, cutting to 44 saves more than any negotiation on rate will. We will point this out at brief stage rather than after you have signed.
Once the second hull is on the water, cost per person falls steadily as it fills. At 80 to 88 guests the per-head figure is close to what it was at 44 — the pain is concentrated entirely at the step.
What changes operationally
| Element | One vessel | Two vessels |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinators | One | One per hull, always. Not one per fifty guests. |
| Communication | Face to face | VHF between vessels; mobile is unreliable at the outer anchorages |
| Catering | One galley, one sitting | Two galleys, identical menus, simpler dishes |
| Activity | One block, one location | Staggered blocks, or two locations, to avoid congestion at the cave |
| Gala | The deck | See below — this is the real decision |
| Cabin allocation | Straightforward | Political. Somebody notices which hull the executives are on. |
| Departure | One clearance | Two clearances, and both must be granted |
On a two-vessel programme, guests notice who is on which ship. We ask for the allocation logic from you rather than inventing one — by team, by department, by mixed seniority — because whichever we choose without asking will be read as a statement.
The evening, and when to decide
| Guests | Recommended evening | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 45 – 70 | One deck, everyone crosses over | The larger hull's deck seats about 70. Guests tender or raft across for dinner, return to their own hull to sleep. Works well, needs calm water and a fallback. |
| 70 – 88 | Ashore | Does not fit one deck. Two parallel dinners defeats the point of an awards evening. A shore venue is the honest answer. |
This decision has to be made at quote stage, not at D-14, because a shore gala needs a venue held and a tender schedule agreed with the port authority. Operators who leave it open are leaving it to become your problem.
Questions we are asked most often
Can the two vessels be different classes?
Yes, and often they should be — a Premium hull for 44 and a Deluxe for the remainder is usually cheaper than two half-full Premiums. The quote names both hulls.
Will everyone get the same cabin standard?
Within a class, yes. Across two classes there is a real difference and you should decide the allocation logic rather than leaving it to us.
Can both ships anchor together?
Yes, normally within a hundred metres, and they can be rafted with a gangway in calm conditions with harbourmaster approval. Rafting is a plan, not a guarantee — build the evening so it works either way.
Is 88 a hard limit?
It is the limit of two Premium hulls. Guest 89 needs a third vessel, and at that point the programme becomes a fleet operation with a shore gala. See 89–200 guests.
Where to go next
Four fields and you can send
Tell us the basics and we will come back within eight working hours with feasibility — including how many hulls your headcount actually needs — and within three working days with a detailed quote.