Phi Phi Speedboat vs Big Boat vs Catamaran from Phuket

Take a speedboat if you want the most stops for the least money, and a catamaran or big boat if you get seasick, want space on deck or prefer a slower day. The shared speedboats cross from Phuket to Phi Phi in about an hour and carry 35 to 70 guests; the speed catamarans take about as long with a steadier deck; the cruising catamarans and the sunset big boat take up to an hour and 40 minutes and trade stops for slides, paddleboards and Maiton Island. The classic speedboat day is from US$42 a person in current promotion (usually US$56) (checked October 2026).

Illustration: a small white speedboat throwing spray beside a wider two-hulled catamaran on the open sea, limestone islands on the horizon — Illustration. Same crossing, different ride: the speedboat is faster, the catamaran sits steadier on the swell.

The four ways across

Boat	Crossing	Group	Best for	Example
Shared speedboat	About 1 hour	35 to 70 on the classic day	Most stops, lowest price	One Asia classic day, US$42 in current promotion (usually US$56)
Speed catamaran	About 45 minutes to 1 hour	28 on V. Marine’s	A steadier deck, smaller groups	V. Marine catamaran, US$98
Cruising catamaran or big boat	Up to about 1 hour 40 minutes	Not stated	Slides, paddleboards, Maiton Island, sunset	Seven Plus luxury catamaran, US$121 in current promotion (usually US$128)
Public ferry	About 2 hours	Not stated	Getting to Phi Phi Don only	Phi Phi Cruiser ferry, US$15 one way

On a phone, swipe the table sideways.

Crossing times, group sizes and prices from the GetYourGuide listings, checked October 2026.

The speedboat: fast, full and bumpy

Speedboats are how most Phi Phi days run, and the reason is time: an hour each way leaves room for Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, Monkey Beach, lunch on Phi Phi Don and a long swim on Bamboo or Khai Island. The cost is the ride. These boats cross open sea fast with guests seated in rows, and on a choppy day it is a pounding. In the newest 350 reviews of Sea Angel’s speedboat, most guests rated it 5 stars, but the unhappy ones describe being “packed shoulder to shoulder like sardines” and a return “1hr 20, miserable, wet roller-coaster, people vomiting”. One wrote, in Russian, that on a long trip a bigger boat or catamaran is better.

If you are prone to seasickness, take the pills the crew offer before you board, sit towards the back, and pick a calm month. The best time for Phi Phi has the sea by month.

The speed catamaran: the same day, steadier

A speed catamaran runs on two hulls and keeps much of the speedboat’s pace: about 45 minutes across on One Asia’s premium catamaran, an hour on V. Marine’s, which takes 28 guests on a boat built for 40. The stops are much the same: Bamboo Island, Phi Phi Don, Viking Cave, Pileh Lagoon and Maya Bay, with Maiton Island on the way back on some. They cost about twice a speedboat seat.

The cruising catamaran and the big boat: slower, with toys

The bigger catamarans and the big boats are a different kind of day: fewer stops, more time on board. Seven Plus Travel's luxury catamaran takes about 1 hour 40 minutes to Pileh Lagoon, stops at Maya Bay and Phi Phi, then spends an hour at Maiton Island with kayaks, paddleboards, a water slide and a photographer. Love Andaman's sunset boat, a premium big boat with a slide, ends the day at sea at sunset and gets back late in the evening; it is not for anyone with a same-day flight.

The ferry is transport, not a tour

Map of Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands: Rassada Pier on Phuket's east coast, an orange dashed loop south-east to Phi Phi Le with Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave, north to Phi Phi Don and Ton Sai pier, on to Bamboo Island, and back by the Khai Islands; Royal Phuket Marina, Ao Po and Chalong also marked — The day tours loop round Phi Phi Le, Phi Phi Don and Bamboo Island; the ferry goes only to Ton Sai pier on Phi Phi Don. The route is schematic.

The big passenger ferries from Phuket go to Phi Phi Don’s Ton Sai pier and back, and that is all. Phi Phi Cruiser leaves Phuket at 8:30 and arrives about 10:30, returning at 14:30; Andaman Wave Master leaves at 8:30 and 13:30 and comes back from Ton Sai at 11:00 and 14:30. That leaves a few hours on Phi Phi Don, and Maya Bay is a separate boat from there. The ferry is the right boat if you are staying on Phi Phi, not for a day of the bays.

Pick by the kind of day you want

Choose the boat that suits you:

Most stops

Classic Speedboat Day

From US$42 in current promotion (usually US$56) · 21,909 reviews · about 1 hour across

Maya Bay on foot, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave, lunch on Phi Phi Don and 1.5 hours on Bamboo Island.

Check dates →

Steadier, up to 28

Limited-Group Speed Catamaran

From US$98 · 368 reviews · about 1 hour across

Bamboo Island, Phi Phi Don, Pileh Lagoon and Maya Bay, with a resort lunch; park fee extra.

See the catamaran day →

Slower, ends at sunset

Sunset Big Boat

From US$115 in current promotion (usually US$127) · 115 reviews · about 10 hours

Pileh Lagoon, lunch on Phi Phi, snorkelling and paddleboards at Maiton Island, and the sunset from the boat.

See the sunset day →

Prices and review counts from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026; operators change prices, so treat them as a guide, not a quote.

Boats, crossing times, group sizes, stops and ferry timetables from the GetYourGuide listings, read on 29 October 2026; review quotes from the newest 350 reviews of Sea Angel’s speedboat day, read the same day.