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PHUKETYacht Charter

Life on board

Children on board

Is a yacht charter in Phuket suitable for young children?

The short answer

Is a yacht charter in Phuket suitable for young children?

Phang Nga Bay suits young children unusually well: the water is flat, no passage is longer than about three hours, and the caves, lagoons and kayaks are more interesting to a seven-year-old than any beach. What does not suit them is a short charter that tries to reach Phi Phi or the Similans, where most of two days is spent under way. Ask about netting on a catamaran, child-sized buoyancy aids, whether the crew have worked with young children before, and whether cabin air conditioning runs all night.

Why the bay works for children

  • Flat water. Seasickness is the thing that ruins a family charter and Phang Nga barely produces any.
  • Short passages. One to three hours between anchorages, which is a nap or a film rather than an ordeal.
  • Caves and lagoons. Paddling into a hidden lagoon under a rock tunnel beats a beach, at almost any age above about six.
  • Warm water. 29 degrees means children stay in it for hours rather than minutes.

The five practical questions

  1. 01Is there netting on the catamaran's guardrails, and can it be fitted?
  2. 02Are there child-sized buoyancy aids aboard, and for what weight range?
  3. 03Does the cabin air conditioning run all night, or only while the generator runs?
  4. 04Have this crew worked with children of this age before?
  5. 05How far is the nearest hospital from the planned anchorages, and what is aboard for a fever at midnight?

Half the national park fee applies to children, and the ranger station decides the age cut-off, not the operator. It is usually height-based and it is always cash.

What not to book

A four-night charter that includes the crossing to Phi Phi and back with a five-year-old aboard. It looks like more holiday and it is less. The same four nights in the bay, with a whole day at Koh Hong, is a better week for everyone including the adults.

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Last checked 6 September 2026. Rates, fees and regulations in this market change every season, so figures on this page are correct as at that date and not afterwards. How the figures are gathered.