Sunset watching help needed

[Karysa]

We have an all aboard time of 9:30 and hope to stay in Oia for the sunset. The sunset time for our visit in mid May is 8:15. Will we have time to get back to Fira and down to the port if we leave Oia by 8:30? We would be willing to pay for a taxi if that was the only option. We are the only ship that will still be in port in the evening which should help make the trips back from Oia and the cable car go quicker.

Seeing and photographing the sunset in Oia will likely be my DH's highlight of the cruise so any assistance you can offer would be most appreciated. Thanks!:)

[paul929207]

9:30 all aboard will mean the last tender will be at 8:30 or 9:00 pm. It is 30 minutes or so from Oia to Fira and then you have the cable car/donkey/run down the hill.

[John Bull]

:confused:

No such thing as an "all aboard" time at tender ports.

What is that 9.30 time described as, and where did it come from?

 

For berthed ports, "all-aboard" time is usually 30 mins before scheduled sailing time.

For tender ports like Santorini, "last tender" time is usually an hour before scheduled sailing time. But that's the latest time you have to be on the jetty below the cliff, not when you have to be on the ship. And if there's a line which can't be swallowed up by last tender time, the tenders will continue 'til it is.

Cruise lines usually only quote sailing times in their itineraries, you might not know the last tender time til the day before.

 

Worth checking (if possible) whether the cablecar will still be running - bear in mind most folk will be aboard much earlier.

99.99% certain there'll not be donkeys down at that time.

Plan B would be to walk down - takes 30 minutes, so wise to be at the top at least 30 mins before the last tender. The walk, if it's necessary, won't be much fun after sunset - might be worth carrying a small torch.

 

The view from Fira is just as good as from Oia, but if you want to incorporate blue domes into the sunset pictures you need to be somewhere between the two, which means a taxi. Driver will know the best spot.

 

With all the variables, you'll probably have to make your minds up on the day.

 

JB :)

Edited January 24, 2014 by John Bull

[Karysa]

:confused:

No such thing as an "all aboard" time at tender ports.

What is that 9.30 time described as, and where did it come from?

 

For berthed ports, "all-aboard" time is usually 30 mins before scheduled sailing time.

For tender ports like Santorini, "last tender" time is usually an hour before scheduled sailing time. But that's the latest time you have to be on the jetty below the cliff, not when you have to be on the ship. And if there's a line which can't be swallowed up by last tender time, the tenders will continue 'til it is.

Cruise lines usually only quote sailing times in their itineraries, you might not know the last tender time til the day before.

 

Worth checking (if possible) whether the cablecar will still be running - bear in mind most folk will be aboard much earlier.

99.99% certain there'll not be donkeys down at that time.

Plan B would be to walk down - takes 30 minutes, so wise to be at the top at least 30 mins before the last tender. The walk, if it's necessary, won't be much fun after sunset - might be worth carrying a small torch.

 

The view from Fira is just as good as from Oia, but if you want to incorporate blue domes into the sunset pictures you need to be somewhere between the two, which means a taxi. Driver will know the best spot.

 

With all the variables, you'll probably have to make your minds up on the day.

 

JB :)

 

Thank you both for your replies. I think visiting Fira, then bussing to Oia and walking down to Amoudi Bay and then taking a taxi to a sunset watching place inbetween the two towns, perhaps at Santos's winery, and having the driver wait for us and drive us back to Fira after the sunset might be a better plan. Can a taxi get us to the Cable Car or steps? Thanks:)

[John Bull]

Thank you both for your replies. I think visiting Fira, then bussing to Oia and walking down to Amoudi Bay and then taking a taxi to a sunset watching place inbetween the two towns, perhaps at Santos's winery, and having the driver wait for us and drive us back to Fira after the sunset might be a better plan. Can a taxi get us to the Cable Car or steps? Thanks:)

 

Santo's Winery is actually about a 10 min drive south of Fira - Oia is about 15 mins north of Fira. Can't tell you about the sunset view from there, but it's high on the cliff, so guessing it'll be much the same as Fira & Oia.

 

Yes, a cab can drop you by the cablecar/path - well, 50 yards at most.:)

 

JB :)

[Karysa]

Santo's Winery is actually about a 10 min drive south of Fira - Oia is about 15 mins north of Fira. Can't tell you about the sunset view from there, but it's high on the cliff, so guessing it'll be much the same as Fira & Oia.

 

Yes, a cab can drop you by the cablecar/path - well, 50 yards at most.:)

 

JB :)

 

Thanks. That's the wrong direction for me. Do you happen to know of a place on the way from Oia to Fira that DH could get sunset shots with the blue domed buildings in the shot? If not I will take some photographs from magazines and ask our cab driver to please drive us to the spot that this was taken. :)

[billrco90278]

How is the view of the sunset from the ship? We will be on the island in early June getting back to the ship for a 10:00 PM departure sounds like a tight squeeae.

[John Bull]

Thanks. That's the wrong direction for me. Do you happen to know of a place on the way from Oia to Fira that DH could get sunset shots with the blue domed buildings in the shot? If not I will take some photographs from magazines and ask our cab driver to please drive us to the spot that this was taken. :)

 

Best area we found was Imerovigli, sorry can't poinpoint the spot.

It's about a mile north of Fira, towards Oia.

 

Put Imerovigli into GoogleImages, see what you think. Mebbe print off an image or two, but your taxi driver will know the best spot

 

JB :)

[Karysa]

Best area we found was Imerovigli, sorry can't poinpoint the spot.

It's about a mile north of Fira, towards Oia.

 

Put Imerovigli into GoogleImages, see what you think. Mebbe print off an image or two, but your taxi driver will know the best spot

 

JB :)

 

I will google it. Thanks for the information.:)

[John Bull]

How is the view of the sunset from the ship? We will be on the island in early June getting back to the ship for a 10:00 PM departure sounds like a tight squeeae.

 

I suspect that at sea-level you'll not see the sun set over the sea - I think other islands will be in the way.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nea_Kameni_seen_from_Fira_-_Santorini_-_Greece.jpg

 

Plenty of other opportunities for sunsets over the sea,:)

 

JB :)

[librarylady19]

Check out this blog post from a fellow CC member (great blog btw) detailing how they watched the sunset from the ship...sounds less stressful and will be choice when we are there in May.

 

http://www.wetooktheroadlesstraveled.com/2013/06/the-evolution-of-santorini-sunset.html

[Karysa]

Check out this blog post from a fellow CC member (great blog btw) detailing how they watched the sunset from the ship...sounds less stressful and will be choice when we are there in May.

 

http://www.wetooktheroadlesstraveled.com/2013/06/the-evolution-of-santorini-sunset.html

 

DH wants a sunset picture that as soon as anyone looks at it they will know that it was taken in Santorini. It's the background of those beautiful white buildings with the blue domes that he wants in his sunset pictures. That is why this is proving to be so difficult.:)

[John Bull]

DH wants a sunset picture that as soon as anyone looks at it they will know that it was taken in Santorini. It's the background of those beautiful white buildings with the blue domes that he wants in his sunset pictures. That is why this is proving to be so difficult.:)

 

I dug thro' some Imerovigli websites.

I think this is the view you want.

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jtref/2561083310/

 

Ask your driver to take you to Skaros church, Imerovigli.

It's just over a mile north of the cablecar/cliff path at Fira.

 

JB :)

Edited January 26, 2014 by John Bull

[Karysa]

I dug thro' some Imerovigli websites.

I think this is the view you want.

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jtref/2561083310/

 

Ask your driver to take you to Skaros church, Imerovigli.

It's just over a mile north of the cablecar/cliff path at Fira.

 

JB :)

 

 

That's it. That's the one. Thanks so much for taking the time to find this info for me. I really do appreciate your effort. We will stop here on the way to Oia via taxi and scout out where he wants to take the pictures and then head to Oia. On the way back from Oia around 6:30-7 we will take a taxi back to the perfect spot and have our driver wait for us and take the pictures DH wants and then head back to Fira. If we get back to the cable car or path by 8:15 we should have plenty of time to get to the tender port and back to the ship.

 

Thanks again.:)

[John Bull]

That's it. That's the one. Thanks so much for taking the time to find this info for me. I really do appreciate your effort. We will stop here on the way to Oia via taxi and scout out where he wants to take the pictures and then head to Oia. On the way back from Oia around 6:30-7 we will take a taxi back to the perfect spot and have our driver wait for us and take the pictures DH wants and then head back to Fira. If we get back to the cable car or path by 8:15 we should have plenty of time to get to the tender port and back to the ship.

 

Thanks again.:)

 

Glad to help.

 

A recce on your way to Oia makes sense.

 

10pm sailing time, yes?

Which hopefully means last tender at 9pm.

Not much wiggle time if the cable car has stopped running, cos you'll need to be heading down the path at 8.30.

 

JB :)

Edited January 26, 2014 by John Bull

[Karysa]

Glad to help.

 

A recce on your way to Oia makes sense.

 

10pm sailing time, yes?

Which hopefully means last tender at 9pm.

Not much wiggle time if the cable car has stopped running, cos you'll need to be heading down the path at 8.30.

 

JB :)

 

Not much wiggle room is right and that's why we need to have a plan in place instead of just winging it. It's the late time of the sun setting in May that is putting a kink in our plans here.

 

Of course we will check with the previous Jade cruisers and bring a flashlight in case we have to walk down the donkey path after sunset. We will also double check the all aboard time once prior to leaving the ship.

 

If we are happy with the driver that we have from Fira to Oia, is this driver allowed to meet us in Oia at a set time for our trip back? For the trip back to Fira we will want to hire the taxi and driver for 2 hours. Do you think that this option will be available to us in mid-may ? Thanks, I am finally starting to feel better about our plans at this port.

[gosport11]

here is a link to the cable car web site http://www.nomikos.org.gr/ gives prices and time tables

Edited January 26, 2014 by gosport11

[John Bull]

 

If we are happy with the driver that we have from Fira to Oia, is this driver allowed to meet us in Oia at a set time for our trip back? For the trip back to Fira we will want to hire the taxi and driver for 2 hours. Do you think that this option will be available to us in mid-may ? Thanks, I am finally starting to feel better about our plans at this port.

 

I see no reason why both should not be OK.

And the cable car timetable supplied by Gosport looks good too :)

 

JB :)

[Karysa]

here is a link to the cable car web site http://www.nomikos.org.gr/ gives prices and time tables

 

Thank you. This is good info to have.

[Karysa]

I see no reason why both should not be OK.

And the cable car timetable supplied by Gosport looks good too :)

 

JB :)

 

I just found out that since we have gold status with NCL, priority tender tickets will come with this. Since the NCL excursion passengers don't use the cable cars we should not have too long of a wait to get up to Fira. Things are falling in to place nicely.

Thanks a lot John for all of your help on this one.:)