Guides & answers

Booking a Santorini boat tour at the last minute

5 min read

A last-minute Santorini boat tour is possible with us to 24 hours before departure, and no deposit is taken. Whether seats remain is another matter: shared cruises carry 15 guests and fill first in July and August. WhatsApp is the fastest way to hear what is actually free — we answer through the day in season.

This page is for the traveller whose plans firmed up late: what our notice rule really is, what tends to be free at short notice, and how to ask so you get an answer in minutes rather than hours.

The rule is 24 hours. The constraint is the calendar.

Our booking rule is simple: 24 hours' notice is enough, and no deposit is taken when you book. You send a request, a person reads it, and you get a real answer the same day — usually much faster on WhatsApp.

The honest caveat is capacity. A shared cruise sells 15 seats and no more, because that is the whole point of it. When those seats are gone, the rule does not conjure new ones. A private charter is one booking for the whole boat, so it is binary: the day is free or it is not.

So treat this page's promise precisely. We can take your booking late. We cannot promise the boat has room until you ask. The asking costs one message.

What is honestly still possible, by how late you ask

A rule of thumb from how our season actually runs — not a promise of availability on any given date.

When you ask	Shared cruise (15 seats)	Private charter	Water taxi & RIB
A week out	Usually fine outside July–August; good odds even inside them	Most dates still open	Almost always arrangeable
2–3 days out	Often possible; sunset fills before morning	Depends on the date — ask before you plan the day around it	Usually possible; routes are priced per job
24 hours out	The rule allows it; peak-season seats are luck	Occasionally free after a cancellation	Often possible — this is what a taxi is for
Same day	Below our notice rule — message us and we will say what is true	Rarely, but a cancellation can open a boat	Ask; short point-to-point runs are the most flexible thing we do

One thing never changes with timing: the price. A late seat costs the same €100 as an early one, and nothing is added at the boat.

How to ask so the answer comes fast

Lead with the date and the count. "Tomorrow, 4 adults, morning or sunset" is a message we can answer instantly. "Do you have availability?" needs two more round trips before anyone can help you.
Name your hotel or village. The road transfer is included from anywhere on the island, and knowing where you are lets us confirm the pickup time in the same reply.
Say if the time is flexible. When the 15:00 sunset cruise is full, the 10:00 morning one often is not. Flexibility at short notice is worth more than any other card you hold.
Use WhatsApp, not email, when it is urgent. We answer WhatsApp through the day in season. Email is read and answered, but not at harbour speed. The number is +30 698 977 1888, and every button on this site opens it.

Booked late and the wind came up?

The weather rule holds however late you booked: the captain decides on the morning whether the sea is safe, and if we cancel you move to another date or take a full refund. On a semi-private cruise, your own cancellation is free down to 7 days before departure — inside that window, message us and we will tell you what we can do. Private charter terms come with your booking confirmation.

The last-minute traveller's best friends

Two of our boats exist for exactly this kind of day. The water taxi is a private boat for your group, priced per route, and short runs can often be arranged the day before. The RIB tour starts when you like and is built around your day rather than a timetable.

And if you are here on a cruise ship with hours rather than days, the shore excursion by boat is planned backwards from your all-aboard time — tell us the ship and the date and we do the arithmetic.

Ready when you are

Ask about tomorrow — the answer costs nothing

Send the date, the number of guests and where you are staying. If there is space, we hold nothing back; if there is not, we say so and suggest what is free.

Check availability & book

Call the harbour office+30 698 977 1888

Common questions

Can I book a Santorini boat tour for tomorrow?

Yes — our minimum notice is 24 hours and no deposit is taken. Whether seats remain depends on the date: shared cruises carry 15 guests and sell out first in July and August. Send the date and your group size on WhatsApp and we answer with what is actually free, usually within the hour in season.

Do you charge more for last-minute bookings?

No. A seat booked 24 hours out costs the same €100 as one booked in March, and a private charter's published price does not move with the calendar. There are no late fees, no surge prices and no deposit. The price you read on this site is the price, whenever you book.

Can I book a same-day cruise?

Same-day is below our 24-hour rule, so we cannot promise it — but message us anyway. A cancellation sometimes opens seats on the day, and short water-taxi runs are the most flexible thing we operate. The worst outcome of asking is a fast, honest no and a suggestion for tomorrow.

What is the fastest way to reach you?

WhatsApp, on +30 698 977 1888. We answer through the day in season, and a message that leads with the date, the guest count and your hotel usually gets a complete answer in one reply. The booking form on this site works too and sends us the same details; it is simply not as fast as chat.

If I book late and the weather turns, do I lose my money?

No. The captain decides on the morning of the cruise whether the sea is safe, and if we cancel for weather you move to another date or take a full refund — the same protection whether you booked months out or the day before. The route or stop order may also change on the day for the same reason.

Santorini Boat Tour - Water Taxi is a catamaran cruise and water taxi operator based in Fira, Santorini.

Updated August 2026