Symi Island & St George's Bay Full-Day Cruise from Rhodes

Symi itself lived up to every picture-postcard promise — genuinely one of the loveliest islands we've visited. The boat trip over, however, deserves its own review entirely. We'd booked "Doll" but somehow ended up on "Doll 2" — an older, smaller vessel that greeted us with a robust waft of diesel fumes by way of welcome, setting the tone nicely for what turned out to be the star of a very different kind of holiday memory. The sea was rough, the top deck was rationed out to a lucky few, and within minutes of leaving port the first casualty of seasickness went down — helped along, no doubt, by a complimentary top note of fuel. It was less a boat trip after that and more a slow-motion domino effect — by the time we docked, we'd counted at least 10 passengers who had personally tested the structural integrity of the blue sick bags provided, in what can only be described as a masterclass in nautical resilience training, with several of the remaining passengers wearing the unmistakable pale, glassy-eyed look of impending illness, quietly wondering if their turn was next. Through all of this, the young woman running the bar remained magnificently unbothered. The soundtrack was less "holiday playlist" and more a running audio reel of black-and-white "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content" stickers come to life — the F-word doing some very heavy lifting across a boat full of families with young children. She could regularly be spotted dancing and vaping at the stern — a picture of total serenity amid the chaos, while the rest of the crew sprinted about with mops and buckets like they were bailing out the Titanic. To her credit, hygiene wasn't entirely forgotten — she did manage a quick spray of the bar counter with cleaning fluid mid-chaos, and showed real dedication to keeping the drinks fridge from toppling over whenever she wasn't busy with her dance routine. Meanwhile the captain, apparently on a strict timetable, pressed on regardless, sending anyone brave enough to stay up top back down looking like they'd lost a fight with the Aegean. Somehow we survived, and honestly — we still talk about it. If you want a scenic ferry ride, this isn't it. If you want a story you'll be telling at dinner parties for years, "Doll 2" delivers. The return crossing, mercifully, was calmer — we finally got the top deck experience we'd been promised, with only a light spray for company. We also swam at St George's Bay, which was pleasant enough — dramatic cliffs, if a little overrun with boats and disappointingly short on marine life. After the crossing, frankly, it felt like a spa day. Bottom line: go to Symi. Just maybe pack sea bands, a sense of humour, and low expectations for whichever "Doll" you end up on.

Fantastic boat and the crew were extremely helpful and polite.

It’s the most touristic thing you can ever do. Extremely overpriced for the experience itself. When in St. George’s bay We were obliged to swim nearby the boat - not allowed to reach the shore. Also, it takes 2hrs each way so the trip is longer than expected. Not recommend at any point. Better to take a private tour or the simple ferry.

Disappointing experience Unfortunately, our excursion to Symi was a big disappointment. Despite the rough sea, the trip went ahead, only for us to be unable to return with the original boat due to the coast guard's decision. We then spent hours waiting on Symi for a replacement boat, without food, drinks or proper access to toilets. The replacement boat only arrived around 9:30 p.m., and even then no refreshments were provided. We expected much better organisation and communication from an experienced boat company. Very disappointing.

Lovely boat. Very bumpy ride but fun

We booked the Symi cruise with Mediterranean Sea Cruises for our family (3 adults and 2 children). Unfortunately, our experience was very disappointing. We completely understand that the weather was beyond the company's control and that passenger safety must always come first. However, one of the main advertised highlights of the trip, St. George's Bay, was cancelled, which significantly reduced the experience. What disappointed us most was the way the situation was handled. We spent several hours waiting on board with very little information about what was happening. No complimentary drinking water or refreshments were offered during the long delay, despite the extreme heat. Because of the delay, we also missed dinner at our hotel and had to buy food for our family. After the trip, I contacted the company to request a refund. My initial request was refused, and despite sending several follow-up emails, the company stopped responding completely. I understand that weather cannot be controlled, but customer service and communication can. Unfortunately, our experience after the excursion was just as disappointing as the disruption itself. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this company.

awful, crew smoke whilst travelling the boat doesn’t smell pleasant whatsoever, vibes are very low on this boat considering your on it for 1hr 45, this boat is nothing special would do trip again with different company

Staff smoke on board... wasn't told you could leave a towel on seats and reserve. Got told to move to another area. Plenty companies do the trip. Don't do with these cowboys

Excellent day trip to Symi with swim stop at St Paul’s Bay, the crew was super friendly and professional. Really nice new boat and facilities , very comfortable and fun day.

Did not went to George Bay due to weather. Did not get ( partly) money back. Went back to Rhodes with another boat wich we waited 9 hours. The boat was not luxioures