Rhodes cruise excursions compared: all fifteen listings by length and cost per hour

Cost per hour is the most useful column in that table and the most easily misread, so it is worth two minutes. It is simply the fare divided by the duration the operator prints. It does what no other single number does: it puts fifteen Rhodes cruise excursions of wildly different lengths on one scale. What it cannot do is tell you what happens during those hours.

The clearest example on this site. $26 works out at about $4.33 an hour across six hours on a traditional wooden boat with three named stops, snacks and music aboard. $102 works out at $34 an hour across three — nearly eight times as much per hour — and on those three hours there is a marine biologist aboard, a snorkel stop at Stroggyli, a search for wild dolphins near Makri and underwater photos included in the fare. One of those numbers measures hours; the other measures what is standing next to you on the deck. Both listings are honestly priced and they are not competing for the same booking.

The three fares that need dividing first. $740, $797 and $1,218 are fares for the outing rather than for a seat, so their cost per hour in the table is the cost of the boat per hour. Put six, eight or twelve people on board and the per-person figure drops sharply: the twelve-guest cap that $1,218 prints in its own title works out at $101.50 a head over five hours. Comparing an undivided boat fare against a seat is the one mistake that makes this table look absurd.

What the column quietly rewards. Length. A seven-hour day will almost always look better per hour than a three-hour cruise, even when the shorter one is the better purchase for a family with small children or a group with an evening flight. Use the ranking to see the field; use the durations and the descriptions to choose.

Two and a half to three hours: the bay cruise. These are built around swimming and snorkeling stops rather than around a day out. $45 spends an afternoon along the east coast at Anthony Quinn Bay and hidden caves, rated 4.9 from 508 reviews. $56 covers three bays with an open bar including frozen strawberry cocktails, beers, wine and soft drinks, at 1,857 reviews and 4.8, and it is our price-from listing. $51 is the evening version, with fresh fruits, a snack and drinks. And $102, our top pick, fits a marine biologist, a snorkel stop at Stroggyli and underwater photos into the same three hours — which is why it costs what it costs.

Four to five hours: the half day with a craft. Here the boat stops being the point. $97 is a guided stand-up paddle adventure along the east coast with swimming, snorkeling and a hidden sea cave, in a small group, rated 4.9 from 264 reviews. $70 puts you on a fully equipped fishing vessel to learn the art of fishing with locals, with swimming and fresh food, 4.8 from 445. Among these Rhodes cruise excursions those two are the ones where you are doing something rather than being taken somewhere.

Six hours: the standard full day. Five listings, and the widest range of fares on the site. $26 is a traditional wooden boat calling at Anthony Quinn bay, Afandou beach and Kallithea bay, with snacks and music, at 165 reviews and 4.2 — the lowest fare here and the lowest cost per hour. $68 and $71 are catamaran days along the east coast with lunch and drinks, the second of them carrying 2,483 reviews at 4.8. $97 is a premium cruise on a traditional Greek caique with gourmet Greek food and an open bar. $797 is the outlier: six hours of kayaking at Symi to St. George Disalonas Bay with a picnic lunch ashore, priced for the outing.

Seven hours: the long day. Two listings. $63 is a guided full day at sea, described as suitable for all ages, with a rating of 5.0 from three reviews so far. $145 is the most expensive seat on this site and the fullest day: wild dolphin watching near Makri, snorkeling at Stroggyli with a marine biologist, unhurried time on Alimia Island and a beachside BBQ lunch with locally farmed fish, at 4.8 from 234 reviews. If the length of the day is what you are buying, that is the listing the length belongs to.