Two boats go to the same island from the same coast, and their prices are written in different units. A seat on the shared catamaran is $97 per adult. A private catamaran is $1,495 — for the boat, not for you. Everything people argue about afterwards follows from that one difference, so the useful question is not which is dearer but from how many guests the second stops being dearer.
- Two prices, two units, and what each one actually buys
- The crossover point, counted per head at every group size
- Who carries the mandatory $20 fee and who does not
- Four hours against five, and what an extra hour costs
- Where the private boat genuinely wins
Important
Every figure below comes from the operator's own page and was checked in September 2026. Prices per boat are quoted as the operator quotes them; the per-head figures are that number divided by the number of guests the operator allows.
Two prices, two units
Cancun Sailing sells a seat on the Full Experience catamaran at $97 per adult — five hours, with a snorkel stop at El Meco reef, lunch and an open bar aboard, an hour of open bar at IXI Beach and two and a half hours of free time on Isla Mujeres.
Moana Catamaran Cancun sells the whole catamaran at $1,495 for four hours, for up to fifteen guests, with crew, an open bar, wine, a snorkel stop with gear and life vests, and optional time in the island's downtown on services of five hours or more.
Where the two lines meet
The shared price does not move with group size: two friends and twelve pay $97 each. The private price does nothing but move — it is one number divided by however many of you show up. Set them side by side and the answer is sharper than the usual advice.
| Guests | Private, per person | Shared seat, per person | Which is cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | about $748 | $97 | shared, by a wide margin |
| 4 | about $374 | $97 | shared |
| 6 | about $249 | $97 | shared |
| 8 | about $187 | $97 | shared |
| 10 | about $150 | $97 | shared |
| 12 | about $125 | $97 | shared |
| 15 | about $100 | $97 | shared, but barely |
The line never crosses. At the operator's own maximum of fifteen guests the private catamaran comes to roughly $100 a head, which is still a few dollars above the shared seat — and the dock fee is on top of that. Anyone who says a private boat pays off «from about ten people» has not divided.
What each price carries
Cancun Sailing puts the mandatory federal dock and reef surcharge of $20 per person inside the ticket, together with round-trip hotel transport, snorkel gear, food, the Privilege open bar aboard and an hour of open bar at IXI Beach. Outside it: tips, photos, transport and activities on the island itself, and an umbrella or chair at the beach club. Bringing your own bottle costs $10 per bottle plus tax.
Moana states the opposite on the dock fee: the mandatory dock fee is not included in the tour price, and the amount is not published. Food cooked on board carries an extra charge on the group charter; on the Luxury Service for up to eight, a two-course meal cooked aboard and a premium open bar are part of the price at the same $1,495 for four hours.
So the two numbers are not comparable line for line even after dividing. The shared seat is a door-to-door day with a fee already paid; the private charter is a boat with a crew, to which transport and the dock fee still have to be added.
Four hours against five
The shared catamaran runs five hours with several check-in times through the day, from 8:00 in the morning to 14:00. The private charter is four hours at the base price, six hours at $1,830, and each additional hour is $360.
That extra hour is the honest way to read the gap. Buying the private boat up to the shared tour's five hours brings it to $1,855, which is about $124 a head at fifteen guests — further from $97, not closer. Time on a private boat is bought by the hour, and the hour has a price tag.
Where the private boat genuinely wins
On a bigger hull, and only there. Moana's own fleet list has a 43-foot catamaran for up to 25 guests at $1,670 for four hours: split among 18 people that is about $93 each, and among 25 it is about $67. A 44-foot boat for up to 30 guests is $1,890, which is $63 a head at capacity. The arithmetic turns when the boat is bigger, not when the party is enthusiastic.
The second case has nothing to do with the number. A private charter is the only way to set your own pace — where to stop, how long to snorkel, when to eat — and it is the only way to sail with a group that will not fit a schedule: a celebration, small children, guests who need quiet. Moana also sells a three-hour sunset cruise with tapas for 10 to 15 people at $150 per person, which is a private boat priced by the head.
Booking ahead and calling it off
Cancun Sailing rewards planning: eight or more days ahead the seat drops 40% to $77 per adult and $53 per child aged 5 to 11, with children under five free. That pushes the crossover on the 43-foot private boat past twenty guests.
Cancellation on the shared tour is generous outside 24 hours and firm inside it: a full refund 24 hours ahead or more; inside 24 hours you can reschedule, with a refund only on a medical certificate; and no reschedule inside 24 hours carries a 30% penalty. Weather is decided by the Harbor Master alone — a forecast on your phone is not a reason, a closed port is a full refund.
Questions people ask before booking
From how many people is a private catamaran cheaper?
On this boat, never: fifteen guests is the maximum, and at fifteen it is about $100 a head against the $97 seat. On the 43-foot catamaran from the same fleet the turn comes at about eighteen guests.
Is the shared tour crowded?
It is shared, so the boat is full and the schedule is fixed: a set snorkel stop at El Meco, a set lunch aboard and two and a half hours on the island. What you buy for the lower price is somebody else's timetable.
Can children snorkel on the shared catamaran?
Not under ten. Cancun Sailing also does not allow snorkelling for guests over sixty, and life vests are mandatory for everyone in the water. Children under five travel free, and children must be accompanied.
Where can I compare the rest of the boats?
The shared departures are in the boat trips section for Cancún, and the whole-boat charters are in sailing charters in Cancún.
