Santorini @ nite

[evgal/nj]

has anyone ever docked @ santorini @ nite we'll be on the gem docking 4pm-11pm. the cruise is 2010 so no excursions are listed yet, we prefer to do our own thing if possible. i assume it will be dark by 6ish. any suggestions?

karen

[Hlitner]

Very interesting port times. It is unlikely you will "dock" in Santorini, but rather you will probably be tendered into the small port just below Fira (there is a cable car or donkeys that can get you up to town). At that time of day, all the stores will still be open in Fira if you want to do some shopping, and they do have an area that rivals Rodeo Drive for high quality (and very high price) fashions. You will have the opportunity to see the sunset on Santorini, and this can be a very special experience. Many like to go to Oia (about a 25 min bus ride from Fira) for sunsets.

 

Hank

[VonChap]

has anyone ever docked @ santorini @ nite we'll be on the gem docking 4pm-11pm. the cruise is 2010 so no excursions are listed yet, we prefer to do our own thing if possible. i assume it will be dark by 6ish. any suggestions?

karen

 

Hi Karen,

 

We are on the same cruise on the Gem departing on April 24th. Our roll call has booked a private tour that will pick us up in Fira, at the cable car, show us around and then take us to a restaurant for a sunset dinner. We picked the restaurant and the tour company did the rest of the planning. Check out our roll call for the 24th and we have a web site set up describing our tours and who we are using. (you can find the link to the web site in Kate's posting signature)

 

Have a great cruise!

[texancruzer]

Just a note: all ships tender at Santorini......and just because you get there at 4:00 doesn't mean everyone gets off at 4:00 !!! Most cruiselines use a tender ticket system so the "getting off" is done in a civilized manner. Be sure and get in the tender ticket line E-A-R-L-Y if you want to get off within a decent amount of time after the ship anchors.

 

We were there from 2 pm until 10 pm this past May. DH and I did not get in the line early and when we did get our tickets - we had to wait until about 3:45 to get off the ship. The tickets began being handed out at 9 am....we were there at 10 am. And.... they were definately checking each and every one of the tickets too..... and not letting anyone off out of their turn. So - bottom line - everyone can't get off at the same time....... get in line early or be prepared to wait. Just an FYI to save you some stress :D

[evgal/nj]

thanks for all the replies, didn't realize santorini is all tender port.what time of the year were you there? what time did things close?

karen

[texancruzer]

We were just there in early May. We were there from 2 -10 pm.

All aboard was 9:30 pm and remember you have to tender out.....plus you have to get back down the "hill" (LOL) either by walking or the cable car. Walking in the dark (and the donkey poop) would not be a particularly pleasant experience......so the cable car is the only other way. We got in line at @ 8:15 as the line was L - O - N - G. You cannot pre-purchase your tickets and skip the line either (we tried :o). I believe the cable car operates as long as a cruise ship is in the harbor - even past their posted closing time. So basically we were not there past 8:30 and most stuff was still open in Fira and we were the only ship still left in port that late.

 

This is one port that has alot of ships visit with weird timetables..... we wish we had of had the whole day here...... oh well next trip.

[JohnoClark]

We were just there in early May. We were there from 2 -10 pm.

All aboard was 9:30 pm and remember you have to tender

 

 

We will be on the same Cruise it looks like. How long did you have to wait for the long line at 8:15 pm?

[texancruzer]

Even though it was LONG, it did go fairly fast. Remember that even once down at the bottom you MAY have to wait in line for a tender. We got lucky and walked almost right on. Seems like from the time we got in line....to the time we got back to the ship was approximately 35-40 minutes. Our plan was to eat dinner at the edge of the caldera and watch the sun set. However, right after we finished eating, we saw the line getting longer and longer and decided to get in it before it reached out of sight. We saw most of the sun going down but caught the actual final part as we were descending the cliff face in the cable car. Got some good pics :D

[evgal/nj]

hi all, thanks again for all the replies, its good to know to expect long lines & a wait for the tender ship.

 

dh will be in a wheelchair, he can walk a bit, balance & endurance are his ms issues, but he has tendered before, is the cable car big enough to accomadate a wheelchair? if we take a cruise tour do we have to go back to the ship by cable car?

 

i'm assuming it will be dark by the time we reach the island. we dock @4pm, & it will be late oct., by the time we reach the top of the caldra i'm assuming 6p, had planned to rent a car but since driving in corfu during the day not sure what driving in the dark will be like ie street lights,road signs ect.

 

those of you who have docked late, what did you do in the dark? now that doesn't sound right lol. please, no x rated replies lol, well maybe on the other hand........ lol

[tom_uk]

dh will be in a wheelchair, he can walk a bit, balance & endurance are his ms issues, but he has tendered before, is the cable car big enough to accomadate a wheelchair? if we take a cruise tour do we have to go back to the ship by cable car?

 

That does complicate things quite a bit, I'm afraid. While the cable cars are a fair size and could accommodate a wheelchair, they could only do so in lieu of passengers, so that will be a problem. (Each car takes 6 people, three abreast facing each other.) Also there are steps at each of the cable car stations, and (IIRC) quite steep ramps.

 

If you take a cruise tour you will indeed be dropped at Fira at its end and given a cablecar ticket for the journey back.

 

I would think that your best course would be to discuss this with the cruiseline - you can't be the first passengers at Santorini with these issues. One thought that comes to mind is to see how much it would cost to hire a small boat from a Santorini boat man to tender you to and from Athinios port, where there is a narrow very windy road that comes down to the waterside (this is the harbour that excursions get tendered in to). I believe there are car hire facilities at Athinios, so if you can get to Athinios then you get to a car, and then you can get around the island. The big issue will be getting back from Athinios to the ship.

[texancruzer]

Whew.... Santorini with a wheelchair. IMO quite a challenge.

 

OK.... lets tackle first things first. Tendering is your first obstacle. Can be done with wheelchair as you know. It is after you arrive that will be the biggie. Anywhere you go on Santorini the walking is up and down inclines, steps, uneven areas etc etc..... so a wheelchair would be a challenge just to move. Even if you take a ship tour - most leave you in Thira with a ticket for the cable car to return to the ship. Once past the ticket counter where you get on the cable car there are steep steps and small cars....... wheelchair would have to be smaller side to fit in the door and the car for that matter. Now.... the last item.....all this in the dark.

 

Hmmmm I would definately contact your cruiseline (special needs dept) and inquire. Good luck.

[evgal/nj]

thanks again for the replies, didn't realize there will be steps involved in the cable cars! maybe i'll post on the disable board, see if anyone over there has gone to santorini. before i call ncl, so.... sounds like we have the a few challenges, lol, steps, small cable car, all in the dark, lol