To take tour in santorini or not?

[DonRobertoSanJuan]

We are on the Equinox next May and will be tendered in Santorini from 2PM to 10PM (May 23).

 

What kind of wait can we expect to get on the tender and is it much better when we take a tour? I guess everybody wants to get off after a day and a half at sea.

[billie5]

Santorini is one of the easiest port on the Mediterranean, if not in the world, to tour on your own. I can not imagine wasting money on a tour. Even if you want to go to Oia, and don't want to do the interesting walk (more a hike), catching a bus there and back is trivial; just ask any of the natives where the terminal is.

[mike x ftc]

We were there on the Equinox in October and tendering is easy, they do not use the lifeboats, there are larger boats that come from the shore so people move very quickly, there was a queue after breakfast for tender tickets but again that moved swiftly. We didn't do a tour. Fira is spectacular and really nice to wander around. Whatever you decide i'm sure you'll enjoy it:)

[pete_coach]

You don't need a tour but you do need to get to Ioa for sunset. It is gorgeous.

The unfortunate thing is that you are not getting much time on the island.

I would wander about in Thira first then get to Ioa for sunset. In my opinion, don't take the donkey ride up the hill. They stink, we could smell the people who took the donkeys LOL.

The only benefit of taking the ships tour is you get off first and take a different tender to a different dock and don't have to wait for the funicular with a thousand other people.

You will get tender tickets to get off the ship. It can take as much as an hour and a half.

[Chunky2219]

I've never been to Santorini, but I can report a conversation with a long serving member of staff at a Capain's cocktail party once. I asked "of all the places you have been to and seen, what was the most amazing and where you would choose to go back to?".

 

The answer was Santorini. On that basis alone, I'd be tempted to take a tour to get the maximum time on dry land.

[lovestx]

You don't need a tour but you do need to get to Ioa for sunset. It is gorgeous.

The unfortunate thing is that you are not getting much time on the island.

I would wander about in Thira first then get to Ioa for sunset. In my opinion, don't take the donkey ride up the hill. They stink, we could smell the people who took the donkeys LOL.

The only benefit of taking the ships tour is you get off first and take a different tender to a different dock and don't have to wait for the funicular with a thousand other people.

You will get tender tickets to get off the ship. It can take as much as an hour and a half.

 

Pete, we will be on the Equinox in June with our first stop being Santorini from 2 to 10 p.m. Have you been on the Equinox and had to wait 1 1/2 hours to get off?

 

Also, does anyone think that the funicular will be crowded if we are the only ship to arrive in the afternoon? I realize there are close to 3000 people on our ship, but was hoping that the staggered arrival might be a help.

[richsea]

We are on the Equinox next May and will be tendered in Santorini from 2PM to 10PM (May 23).

 

What kind of wait can we expect to get on the tender and is it much better when we take a tour? I guess everybody wants to get off after a day and a half at sea.

 

Hi DonRobertosanJuan. I can't help you with the answer to your question; in fact, we're wondering what to do in Santorini also. We are on the same sailing as you. Please come & joi the Roll Call here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1395522

We were leanig towards booking a ship's tour in order to get off the ship in a timely manner, but now we're not so sure.

 

Pete_coach, can you tell more about the Ioa sunset?

[Thechats]

We visited Santorini in October while aboard the Constellation. As someone else mentioned, the wait for tenders was relatively short because larger boats were used (note: if you are CC you'll get priority boarding passes with little to no wait). You can easily and economically explore Santorini on your own. From Fira, we took the public bus over to Oia and back for 1.60 euros each way (they run frequently). We then took a cab ride over to Santo Winery for 10 euros each way and enjoyed a spectacular view looking back across the water at Oia. I've heard the sunset views are spectacular but we were departing at 6pm so that'll have to wait until next time. My wife and I agreed that Santorini is one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited so enjoy!

[Hawaiidan]

I am a do it my self sort of person and experienced traveler.

2pm to 10 pm is a very short stay and time is of the essence.

I was there in October 7 am to 6pm. The tour passengers get off at a different port and are bussed up but get to come down the cable way.

 

Non tour passengers will get off at the main port and there wil be a long wait to get the cable way, or the horrible smelly walk in the late afternoon will gag a maggot. Not only that but the donkeys will push and shove you !

This is one port that is so complex that for a short visit the ship tour is totaly worth it. You can see a tiney bit on your own, and save $$$$$ but why the heck did you fly half way around the world... It would be penny wise and pound foolish to think you can show yourself around a whole place you have never been, ( and might never get back to) and really see anything in the 4 hours of daylight you have....

 

A terrible waste of time to save $75.00

[Azulann]

i totally agree with Hawaii Dan. You have only four hours or so of daylight.

The tenders are not the problem, it is the cable car or the walk up or down the switchback along with herds of donkeys and angry donkey handlers.

take a ship tour and you will get dropped off back in Fira after the tour. You only need to get down the cliff.

We were on the Equinox in Sept. There were three other ships and a small luxugy ship there for the day. If the three big ships hold 2-3 thousand people... the cable car line especially toward the end of the day is long, 30 minute wait at least.

[pete_coach]

Pete, we will be on the Equinox in June with our first stop being Santorini from 2 to 10 p.m. Have you been on the Equinox and had to wait 1 1/2 hours to get off?

 

Also, does anyone think that the funicular will be crowded if we are the only ship to arrive in the afternoon? I realize there are close to 3000 people on our ship, but was hoping that the staggered arrival might be a help.

We were on the Solstice, Sister to equinox.

On our first time to Santorini, we took the ship tour and our friends took the tender. It took them quite a while to get up the tram (off the ship and up to Thira) but then again, there was other ships in harbor.

We were the only ship in harbor the last time and it did not take too long but, it was well over an hour from time getting on tender and up to town.

Perhaps that is why you are arriving at 2PM, to prevent overcrowding.

On our recent cruise, it took some people quite a while to get off in Villifranche. We were in a suite so we had priority tender but they had about 45 tenders taking people to shore. That takes a while.

[zelker]

I also concur with Hawaiidan's assessment as we experienced this ourselves on our very first cruise. You waste an awful lot of time waiting to get up top. We'll be there a few weeks prior to the OP on the Equinox and this time around, we're doing the ship's excursion to Oia just to get on the island and get going. Sunset is around 8:15 and we want to maximize our daylight hours being able to experience Santorini rather than waiting ... and waiting ... and possibly waiting some more. :p

[ondeckatsea]

Hawaiidan is right on. If you have the time, take the tram and bus....but when we were there in September on the Solstice there were 8 other ships in port and the mobs of people were terrible. It took us over an hour to get up the "hill" (standing in line for a ticket) and the crowds in Fira were so thick we couldn't wait to get back to the ship. Check out how many ships will be in port. If there are a lot I would take a ship's tour. It will be money well spent if the crowds are bad.

[bbappel]

Santorini is one of the easiest port on the Mediterranean, if not in the world, to tour on your own. I can not imagine wasting money on a tour. Even if you want to go to Oia, and don't want to do the interesting walk (more a hike), catching a bus there and back is trivial; just ask any of the natives where the terminal is.

 

Interesting - I don't agree, and we take a mix of private tours, getting around on our own, and ship tours. We heard nothing but complaints from the people who didn't book the ship's tour because they were delayed not only by the tender, but again by the tram to the top and down. The lines getting back were very long and slow - and we had been told and told and didn't listen and ended up walking back so we could make it to dinner. As a result, I could barely walk in Athens (our stop the day after Santorini) and was using a walking stick. I thought my knees would never recover, but they did. Now, I'm heavier than I ought to be and made the mistake of taking the weight-bearing step on the same foot just about every time. The steps are spaced so it takes effort not to do that. So if you decide to walk back be sure to switch the down step and not make it the same foot. We didn't take the donkeys because they had quit for the day. Except for that, and the donkey droppings, the walk back was nice because you overlooked the water and it was lovely.

 

The ship tour drops you off in Oia and you take a bus to the winery then to Santorini. I thought it was a worthwhile trip, and Celebrity shore excursions are generally reasonably priced.

[k9x8]

AFAIK, even ship's tours require riding the funicular back down. Our guide said to be in line thirty minutes before the last scheduled tender. Ha! Only two ships in port, and we waited in line almost two hours. Large groups of people were breaking line and it got quite ugly.

 

I'm thankful we'll be watching the sunset from the ship this time around. We've even debated leaving the ship at all. The view looking up at Santorini is as spectacular as looking down. It's a geologist's dream.

[Lsimon]

We were in Santorini five years ago. We booked a short morning tour with the idea we'd tour around Fira and Oia on our own in the afternoon. This worked out really well. We did this on advice we read on these boards to avoid a long wait to tender and get up the cliff. It turns out that wasn't an issue on our cruise as we were the only ship in port but we still really enjoyed the format for the day.

 

Note that the ship tenders for ship tours go to a different tender port where buses pick you up for the ride up the cliff. They drop you off in Fira at the end of the tours where you take the tram down and the regular tenders back. If you are not on a ship's tour you take a different tender to the tram base below Fira. If you are not on a ship's tour you should not try to get on one of the tenders to the other dock as there is no public transportation available nor a way up the cliff if you are not on a ship's tour from there.

 

We took a short morning tour which went to the highest vantage point on the island with spectacular views. It then stopped in the town of Pyrgos which was very nice. Afterwards we stopped at a restuarant for wine tasting and a sample of different appetizer type dishes before being dropped off in Fira before noon. We walked around Fira a bit and had some coffee then took a taxi to Oia to wonder and have a late afternoon lunch.

 

Our ship stayed late enough to see the sunset from Oia but we didn't want to stay on land late and return in the dark so we re-boarded late afternoon. They had a great outdoor buffet option around the pool deck with Greek food being served for dinner. That was a great option and one of the rare times we've ever had local ethnic food on Celebrity - even if it was produced on the ship and probably made with supplies sourced far from Greece. I don't know if they still do this buffet or not but it was very nice.

 

I have a short review with some great photos on my photo site. It includes some photos which show the cliffs and the transportation up the main route below Fira as well as the road the buses follow up the cliff if you are on a ship's tour. http://simon-pics.smugmug.com/Cruises/Europe-Sept-07-Millennium-Med/Santorini-Greece/3581223_sqcQ7j#!i=203440923&k=yZeic

[suec12]

It seems you are getting a variety of responses. It may be that the timeframe of 2 - 10 works in your favor. I would think the other ships would be arriving and leaving earlier so that the line to go up or to come down will not be so long. I'd advise checking that out.

 

The advantage to the private tours is to skip that line, at least going up as often the tours end and you are on your own back to the ship. On one tripwe took the donkeys up BECAUSE the cable car line was super long. It was actually a pretty wild experience - I expected them to plod wearily up the hill but instead it was a free for all - there must be food waiting for them up top. They were totally uncontrollable as far as speed, bumping against the side, other donkeys and the brave brave souls who were walking on the path. I spent most of the experience shrieking and laughing.

 

Whatever you decide I am sure you will enjoy Santorini - on one trip we took the bus to Oia, another time we went to the red beach - our last trip we walked along the edge of the crater - it's all good!

[Lsimon]

In my response above I missed the original point that the OP's port time was from 2 to 10, so the early morning tour idea I presented isn't on target. However, if there is a short tour that ends late afternoon it still might be a good option allowing one to get quickly ashore, have an interesting tour of a couple areas they might not normally visit and then time to self tour around Fira and Oia.

[kat228]

This past October we were on the Equinox and docked in Santorini. We had tender ticket number 12 and it took us quite a while to get off the ship. We were the only ship in port. And we almost missed our independent tour that we had booked.

 

If you chose to not do a ship tour, I would recommend making sure you have one of the first tender tickets. I have a review of our cruise linked in my signature...with pictures! Posts 12-14 are about Santorini.

[k9x8]

This past October we were on the Equinox and docked in Santorini. We had tender ticket number 12 and it took us quite a while to get off the ship. We were the only ship in port. And we almost missed our independent tour that we had booked.

 

If you chose to not do a ship tour, I would recommend making sure you have one of the first tender tickets. I have a review of our cruise linked in my signature...with pictures! Posts 12-14 are about Santorini.

 

I was on that same cruise, and there was also an MSC ship in port. An elderly passenger from that ship was in front of us in line for the funicular down. She was using a cane and obviously very exhausted. We were very annoyed by healthy youngsters who wouldn't allow her to pass to the front of the line, even when we finally got close to the boarding point.

 

In this case, I do believe everyone watched the sunset, then bee-lined to get back all at once.

[Lois R]

This past October we were on the Equinox and docked in Santorini. We had tender ticket number 12 and it took us quite a while to get off the ship. We were the only ship in port. And we almost missed our independent tour that we had booked.

 

If you chose to not do a ship tour, I would recommend making sure you have one of the first tender tickets. I have a review of our cruise linked in my signature...with pictures! Posts 12-14 are about Santorini.

 

Thanks for the the tip:) I am going on a private tour...only 8 of us

and the company is picking us up at 9:30am...we arrive very early.

We plan to meet at 7am in Cafe Al Bacio....I certainly hope we will

be off and up the cable car long before 9:30:eek: what time was your

tour? OH, I read your wonderful review! You didn't arrive till 2......

we get in early in the morning.

Belated Congratulations on your marriage!

[4774Papa]

Santorini is one of the easiest port on the Mediterranean, if not in the world, to tour on your own. I can not imagine wasting money on a tour. Even if you want to go to Oia, and don't want to do the interesting walk (more a hike), catching a bus there and back is trivial; just ask any of the natives where the terminal is.

I disagree. Santorini is my favorite port. We wanted to maximize our time on the island, so we took a tour that included a winery. We saw most of the island and it was great. My Daughter and her family, as well as others in our party did the island on their own. They never left Fira. The island was very crowded, taxis were very hard to find and the buses were always full. Who wants to spend their time waiting for a bus.

Sure, you can do the island on your own and save some Euros, but I loved my tour.

[snow bunny]

What if you took a tour with Celebrity in the morning that didn't go to Oia and then took the bus when you were done with the tour?? We arrive at 7am and can take a tour from 8:15 for 3.5 hours and then we would like to hop the bus to Oia. Is this possible?

 

Snow bunny

[opa&oma]

You MUST see Oia!!!

[Lsimon]

What if you took a tour with Celebrity in the morning that didn't go to Oia and then took the bus when you were done with the tour?? We arrive at 7am and can take a tour from 8:15 for 3.5 hours and then we would like to hop the bus to Oia. Is this possible?

 

Snow bunny

 

That is exactly what we did and what I'd recommend - see my first post above.

We just missed the bus so we took a taxi instead.