Alakeam

13 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

ugh, that's a nasty port schedule! 

Odd that NCL isn't offering the Oia tour.  What is the tour you're looking at ?

 

Here's an option to consider.  Sunset will be around 8:30pm.  If there's a long line at the cable car to go down to the tender dock would you be willing to walk down the donkey trail during daylight, say 8pm?  

If so, ask if your tour would meet and wait for you in Oia.   Take the water taxi to Oia, $30 IIRC.

It doesn't have a fixed time so you might have to wait an hr at the dock but it would eliminate the cable car wait going up to Fira and also that expensive ride to Athinios.

NCL is offering an Oia trip (Charming Oia and Winery) but only in Spanish and German.  We are looking into a private tour.  This is the condensed description of it: 

This is the information via cruisetimetable for May 21 when we will be arriving on NCL Viva at 2pm (last in port and one hour behind the 4200 passenger Epic).

MSC Divina

a 0800 d 1800

3502 pax

Seven Seas Voyager

a 0800 d 1800

708 pax

Sun Princess

a 0900 d 2200

4300 pax

NCL Epic

a 1300 d 2200

4200 pax

NCL Viva

a 1400 d 2200

3100 pax

We are traveling with another couple and doing private excursions for all of our other ports through our travel agent.  Our private options here state meeting the guide at the top of the cable car station at 2pm.  I expressed my concern over how long it would take us to get up to the top of Fira to our agent and she sent me the reply from the tour company:

"Santorini can be tough but we have never had a problem where guests have an issue meeting the guide. Of course the private guides do understand that when dealing with tendering along it is impossible to predict exactly what time you’re going to get to shore. Adding the cable car on top of that creates for what appears to be a bit of a messy morning. But the guides are patient and will wait if needed.

 

Alternatively, we have a couple of options which might help.

 

• We can adjust the start time on the private tours to whatever time you would like if you would like some extra time when you arrive
• We can provide a private tender boat that takes you from where the ship tender drops you off to the New Port in Fira. This is just a short distance down the coast line and alleviates you having to take the cable car as vehicles can come right to that port. We usually only offer this for groups since you have to pay for the whole boat to go over there but we can offer it at an additional cost of $385.00 total.

NCL only offers 2 ship excursions - one to a winery in either German or Spanish so that's out and the second one is a volcano hike (we are not interested in that). So we are thinking that we will pay for the private tender to Athinios to meet the guide and then figure out how much time to plan for the return trip down from Fira.  Part of me is thinking we don't even get off the boat at all, but I wonder if I'm just letting too much anxiety build up over this particular port.

Thoughts?

,

My husband and I and another couple were on the Getaway last week also. We were in front of you and a bit to your left in the Illusionarium. I remember y'all being there because of the room card thing. My friend held up the nail file/emory board for the mind reader to guess.

We are sailing on the 11th of July. I would love to have the dailies in advance. Thanks so much. keamonson@comcast.net