The all-inclusive catamaran: lunch, open bar and the Blue Lagoon

Every other boat sells the ticket cheap and the day expensive: 24 euro to board, then drink by drink, snack by snack, until the real cost is double the sticker. This Spirit of Malta cruise inverts that. The 89 euro fare includes a buffet lunch and an open bar of wine, beer and soft drinks, so the number you pay is close to the number the day actually costs. For anyone who eats lunch and drinks through a day at sea, that predictability is the whole appeal.

The catamaran itself is a large sailing vessel built for cruising rather than dashing: flat, roomy, and genuinely pleasant under sail. The absence of a fixed programme is a feature, not a fudge. The crew reads the weather and sails to whichever bays are calmest, with the Blue Lagoon on the itinerary when conditions allow. On a rough day that flexibility finds you a flat, empty bay while the fixed-route boats pitch across the channel.

Board at Sliema for the 10:30 departure. The day unfolds at sailing pace: swimming and snorkelling stops in scenic bays around Malta and Comino, the buffet lunch served during one of the stops, and the open bar flowing throughout. The famous Blue Lagoon is the headline stop, weather permitting, and the crew is candid when the sea sends them elsewhere.

The buffet is more generous than the snack counter on a group boat: cold cuts, a selection of cheeses, several salads and bread, with vegetarian and vegan options among them. This is a day to arrive hungry and in no hurry. The pace is unhurried and adult, closer to a private charter in spirit than to a packed group cruise, which is exactly what the higher price buys.

Two things to understand before booking. First, the access pass: going ashore on Comino at the Blue Lagoon needs the free government registration on blcomino.com, which returns a QR code, capped at around 4,000 visitors a day. It applies to landing, not to swimming from the boat, and since this cruise is about swimming and eating aboard, most passengers never need it.

Second, the honest caveat we would not soften: because the Spirit of Malta sails without a fixed programme and goes to the calmest bays on the day, the Blue Lagoon is very likely rather than contractually guaranteed. If setting foot in that exact turquoise is the single non-negotiable of your trip, a fixed-route boat serves you better. If you want a relaxed all-inclusive day at sea and the lagoon as the probable highlight, this is the boat.

The 89 euro fare includes the catamaran cruise, a buffet lunch (cold cuts, cheeses, salads, bread, with vegetarian and vegan choices) and an open bar of wine, beer and soft drinks. Not included: hotel pickup and drop-off, and tips. Spirits are not part of the open bar.

The value math is entirely about your appetite. Add up a 30 euro group ticket, lunch and a day of drinks and you land near 89 euro anyway, so for anyone who eats and drinks aboard this is smarter than it looks. Teetotal light eaters should take the plain catamaran and pocket the difference. Rate checked 2026-07-13; the live calendar below shows your date, and because the programme flexes with weather, treat the lagoon stop as very likely rather than promised.

Two audiences. First, anyone who was always going to eat lunch and drink through a day at sea: for you the open bar makes 89 euro competitive with a 30 euro ticket plus a day of bar tabs, with none of the running cost or queueing. Second, couples and groups who want the day handled: no queueing at a counter, no rationing drinks, no math. It is the relaxed, grown-up end of the Blue Lagoon market, well suited to a special occasion or a slower holiday day.

Skip it if you are counting every euro, if you do not drink and eat little, or if you travel with young children who will not touch the buffet or the bar, since the value case collapses without an appetite. It is also the wrong boat if a guaranteed Blue Lagoon stop is essential, given the weather-led programme. But for the right traveller, the all-inclusive format turns a good day at sea into an effortless one.

June to September gives warm swimming and the highest chance of the Blue Lagoon stop running as planned, since the weather-led programme is most likely to reach Comino in settled summer conditions. A sailing catamaran wants a breeze, so it is at its best on the bright, moderately windy days that make other boats roll. Book ahead in peak summer, as the all-inclusive format fills faster than the pay-as-you-go boats. In the shoulder months the cruise still runs beautifully, though the crew may favour sheltered Malta bays over the open channel to Comino on cooler or windier days.

For what to bring: this is an all-inclusive day, so you need very little beyond swimwear, a towel, a hat and reef-safe sunscreen. The buffet and open bar are covered, but a refillable water bottle is still sensible in the heat. Bring your own mask and snorkel if you want to explore the swim stops, and arrive hungry to get value from the lunch. Since there is no hotel pickup, plan your transfer to Sliema in advance, and aim to board a little early to claim a good spot on deck before the boat fills.

Departure is from Sliema (open in Google Maps) at 10:30, walkable from most Sliema and St Julian's hotels and served by buses from across the island. There is no hotel pickup, so plan your own transfer; your confirmation names the exact berth. For area context and transport, the official Visit Malta site is the reliable source.

Arrive hungry and pace the open bar to last the day rather than the first hour. Bring a hat and reef-safe sunscreen; the catamaran has shade but the best seats are in the sun. If the Blue Lagoon matters more than anything, ask the crew at boarding about the day's likely route, and hold the plan loosely: the flexibility that sometimes moves the lagoon stop is the same flexibility that finds you a flat, empty bay when the channel is rough. Because there is no hotel pickup, sort your transfer to Sliema in advance. And if a guaranteed lagoon swim is your priority over the all-inclusive comfort, the Sliema day cruise from the same dock focuses squarely on that for a quarter of the price.