Rotterdam Splashtour, 60 minutes: subtract the harbour cruise and price the plunge itself

The Splashtour in Rotterdam is a bus that genuinely drives into the Maas. It loops through the city past the architecture first, reaches the slipway at Parkhaven, and then goes straight down into the water and carries on as a boat. The whole thing lasts 60 minutes, boarding is at Parkhaven 9, 3016 GM Rotterdam, and the booking page shows 4.5 out of five from 709 reviews with a from-price of 29,50 euro; 30 and 31 August and 1 September are currently showing 29 euro. Live commentary runs in English and Dutch.

One sum is worth doing first. On the same water, Spido's 75-minute harbour tour costs 18,75 euro for adults and 10,55 euro for children aged four to eleven on the operator's own site. Two adults and two children of that age come to 58,60 euro for 75 minutes, all of it afloat. The Splashtour at 29 euro each comes to 116 euro for 60 minutes, half on the road and half on the water, with the plunge in between. The gap is roughly 57 euro, and what that money buys is not extra time on the water, it is the thirty seconds of going in. Whether a child will remember a whole day because of those thirty seconds is something you know better than any review. Put the two numbers side by side and the choice gets much easier.

One restriction sits lightly on the booking page but is a hard condition for families with toddlers: there is no room on board for suitcases or pushchairs, and each guest may bring only one bag up to hand-luggage size. A pushchair therefore cannot come with you, so you need somewhere to leave it, or a child who can sit still for a full hour. The booking is also nonrefundable and cannot be rescheduled, and you check in ten minutes before departure.

Where

Parkhaven 9, 3016 GM, Rotterdam

When

60 minutes in total, with check-in ten minutes before departure

Price

From 29,50 euro; 30 August to 1 September currently show 29 euro

Booking

Pick a date and slot online, board with your phone

Note

No space on board for pushchairs or suitcases, one bag per guest; nonrefundable and not reschedulable

• The sum: multiply your party size by 29 euro for the Splashtour, subtract the same party on Spido's 75-minute harbour tour at 18,75 euro per adult and 10,55 euro per child aged four to eleven, and the difference is what the plunge itself costs
• Time, place and price: departure from Parkhaven 9, 60 minutes in total, from 29,50 euro, live commentary in English and Dutch included
• Who it suits: school-age children and adults who can sit for a full hour; families with a pushchair need to solve where it goes before they book
• Limits and next step: nonrefundable and not reschedulable, check-in ten minutes ahead, so confirm a slot is still open on the day you want before fixing a departure time

Hokimi field note: The booking link on this page is a partner link. Booking through it earns Hokimi a share, and the price is exactly what it is on the booking page.