Reviewer
Aliza Knox from Singapore & Sydney.
Cruise Line
Ship
A classic Indonesian two-mast schooner, the 14-passenger Mutiara Laut.
Destination
Northern area of Raja Ampat, in West Papua, Indonesia.
# of Nights
7.
Departure Port
Sorong Bay, West Papua, Indonesia.
Date of Cruise
March, 2025.
Ratings
(5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=poor, 1=terrible)
-Overall Experience Rating: 5
-Food Rating: 5
-Service/Crew Rating: 5
-Cabin Rating: 4
-Itinerary Rating: 5
Subscribe to our monthly small ship cruise email
Subscribe to QuirkyCruise.com for monthly curated newsletters highlighting our top small cruise ship reviews, round-ups & offers!
WRITE A REVIEW: If you’d like to tell us about a small-ship cruise you’ve taken, under 300 pax, we’d love to hear from you!
The 14-pax Mutiara Laut. * Photo: Aliza Knox
Mutiara Laut Cruise Review
This was a leisurely diving trip on a beautiful, traditional-style sailboat (though it mostly relied on its engines and we only went under sail one day).
We wanted to explore Raja Ampat (often referred to as the Four Kings) primarily for its marine life and ecology, but also in order to get great island views, swim, SUP, kayak, and do a bit of walking.
Hiking around the Raja Ampat islands (the author and her husband). * Photo: Bev Postma
Hike to waterfalls in Raja Ampat islands. * Photo: Aliza Knox
We were also hoping to see a few exotic birds. We spotted the common paradise kingfisher, but not the famed Bird of Paradise (though friends on a similar trip did).
We dove, on average, twice per day — as opposed to some more intensive dive trips in the area which do four dives per day — including night dives.
Nothing really prepares you for the spectacular colours of the reef. * Photo: Bev Postma
Seeing sea turtles while diving. * Photo: Bev Postma
Day 1 — Departed from Sorong Bay; overnight at anchor in Waisai
Day 2 — Overnight at anchor in Yenbuba
Day 3 — Cross overnight to Wayag
Day 4 — Overnight at anchor in Wayag
Day 5 — Overnight at anchor in Wofoh island
Day 6 —Overnight at anchor in Batanta island
Day 7 — Overnight at anchor in Sorong Bay
Map of our 7-night Raja Ampat cruise. * Map: Mutiara Laut
On two occasions, the crew set up amazing beach resorts for us — carrying beach chairs, umbrellas, cold drinks and more to a nearby deserted stretch of sand.
Mutiara Laut’s capacity is 14 guests, and there were 9 of us on board our week.
My husband and I had booked with 3 other friends, and there were 4 other guests. We were a motley group of Americans, Australians, Dutch, French and Singaporeans.
Dining on deck. * Photo: Aliza Knox
The crew was outstanding — over 2:1 ratio to guests. We had an incredible chef who produced a wide variety of fresh food from a tiny kitchen and a courteous steward crew.
Lunch! * Photo: Bev Postma
Mornings started with espresso, fresh fruit, bread baked on board and more other food than we could cope with. With the exception of twice when it was raining, all meals were served on deck in a spectacular set-up.
And one night we had a BBQ on a nearby beach.
Dining against this gorgeous backdrop of Raja Ampat Islands at sunset. * Photo: Bev Postma
Wine and alcohol were available, though pricey. There was also the option to bring our own and pay corkage.
The captain and the head of the journey were very accommodating.
One diver developed ear issues so only wanted to snorkel, and they made sure she could do this. We changed routes and dive sites as needed to deal with weather and passenger desires to see a variety of marine life. Dive and snorkel sites, hikes, etc were reached via dinghies so that the ship was never anchored on or near coral (so as not to destroy the coral).
We could either rent our dive equipment from the ship or bring our own. The ship also carried standup paddle boards (SUP) and a kayak.
The author on a SUP. * Photo: Bev Postma
The rooms varied in size, but all were elegant and had their own bathrooms and air conditioning.
Our cabin was the smallest and a bit cramped, hence the 4 rating, but overall the facilities were lovely.
The Mutiara Laut’s Master Cabin (not the author’s smaller one). * Photo: Mutiara Laut
RELATED: A review of a Dewi Nusantara liveaboard dive adventure in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat Islands.
How many small-ship cruises under 300 pax have you been on?
2.
Hope you enjoyed this Mutiara Laut cruise review!
We learned about the Mutiara Laut from the folks at Blue Sky Escapes; our contact was alaina@blueskyescapes.co. (Let them know you read about them on QuirkyCruise.com!)
To get there, you basically have to fly via Singapore or Sydney, or another major city, and then fly on to Jakarta or Bali (Denpasar), in Indonesia, and then finally fly to Sorong.
The beautiful Raja Ampat islands of Indonesia. * Photo: Bev Postma
Contribute to our pool of honest reviews by real passengers. QuirkyCruise wants to hear about your latest small-ship cruise for our Reader Reviews, a growing reservoir of opinions by small-ship cruise lovers around the world. We don’t edit or sugarcoat, we just present QuirkyCruise reader reviews straight from travelers to you.
SUBMIT a QuirkyCruise Reader Review, click here to access the FORM.
And here’s an INDEX of ALL our Reader Reviews. Have a look at what fellow travelers have to say and see what floats your boat.
Don’t miss a post about small-ship cruising, subscribe to QuirkyCruise.com for monthly updates & special offers!
© This article is protected by copyright, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the author. All Rights Reserved. QuirkyCruise.com.
HEIDI SARNA
