NCL star shore excursion to Oia in Santorini or stay in port?

[Mnm0676]

Hi all!

 

We are going on our very first NCL cruise August 19-26. We understand that this is a very busy time. We are stopping in santorini from 2pm-10pm. We are traveling with grandparents (70) and young children ( 2 and 9). We are becoming extremely overwhelmed and wondering what’s the ideal thing to do that day.

Should we stay on the ship?

 

Should we take an exercusion offered by the ship, will there still be a que for the cable car? I’ve noticed some Cruise tours offered the bus to tender option but not sure if it’s both ways or not. I don’t see that option on NCL

 

Are there speedboats or other means of transportation other than the cable car to get around santorini? Then make our way to oia or another village?

 

Willing to pay extra money. We would like to have the option to go back to the cruise as easily as possible, i understand that it might not be.

 

I apologize for the long post and if I have left anything out. Open to all suggestions!

Thank you!

Edited March 6, 2018 by Mnm0676

[Nelsj099]

Santorini is a tender port so first question can everyone walk independently?

 

Oia is up on top of the mountain so you will need to take either the cable car or a bus to get to the city. When I got off the tenders were all going to the bus stop for tours. I suppose we were let off first.

 

The line to get back to the ship was long when I was there in October we were the only ship in port and we waited maybe 30-45 minuets at the end of the day.

 

It’s not the easiest place to get off in the Mediterranean but worth a visit. I did the opa tour where you get to throw plates and visit 3 towns. It was a nice day. I wouldn’t want to go all the way there and not see the blue roofs by staying on the boat.

 

 

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[Mnm0676]

Santorini is a tender port so first question can everyone walk independently?

 

Oia is up on top of the mountain so you will need to take either the cable car or a bus to get to the city. When I got off the tenders were all going to the bus stop for tours. I suppose we were let off first.

 

The line to get back to the ship was long when I was there in October we were the only ship in port and we waited maybe 30-45 minuets at the end of the day.

 

It’s not the easiest place to get off in the Mediterranean but worth a visit. I did the opa tour where you get to throw plates and visit 3 towns. It was a nice day. I wouldn’t want to go all the way there and not see the blue roofs by staying on the boat.

 

 

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Yes, we can all walk independently. The grandparents depending on how many hours the walks and wait times would be. The 2 year old would probably have to be carried at some point or a stroller (if possible)

 

 

on the way back from the tour did your bus take you back to the tenders or you had to take the cable car/walk?

 

 

are there tours that offer bus service from and to the tenders or is it only one way?

 

 

I imagine the lines to get back to the ship will be ridiculous when we are going as I saw from a site recommended here that it will be super busy that day.

 

 

I’m sorry if the questions are ridiculous. Trying to figure out the best way for us to explore a little of santorini.

[Nelsj099]

Well I would assume that you won’t be out until ten with a two year old. Going back earlier will cut down on the return time.

Our tour did not return to the place we got the bus. You can look to see if one does not include the cable car. That would probably mean that they go back down the mountain by bus.

 

I would bring a stroller.

 

 

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[fabnfortysomething]

this is experience with NCL but think will be same with other lines

 

2 tender boat lines operate at same time from 2 separate areas on ship-in other words no preferential treatment for ships tours over independent other than bagging an early tender ticket

 

ships tours tender to Athionos where big buses can wind their way down cliffs via zig zag road to pick up passengers and take them to Oia

 

DIY you tender to port at base of cliffs where you can book onto what they call a speedboat but is actually a boat holding 20-30 people and sails when fills up with people

this takes you to Oia and includes bus ticket to make way back to Fira at your leisure from where you have to get down to sea level via cable car or walk down donkey path[few donkeys take passengers back down]

 

or you tender to base of cliffs and to get to top you have choice of cable car donkey or walk

at the top you can hire car,use bus service or meet your pre arranged private tour guide

 

but whatever you do everyone ends up back at top of cliffs at Fira and need to get down to bottom to catch tenders back to ship

especially with several ships in port this is why there is such a long line of people for cable car on return

the ships tours do not reverse arrangements with bus to Athionos and tender back to ship-you are dropped off at top of cliffs in Fira along with everyone else

[old nutter]

With an afternoon/evening there, the return down from Fira will be less of a problem because most other ships will probably leave at about 5pm. If you just want to go up to Fira after the first rush has gone on the tender you will be able to avoid the crush both ways and the highest heat of the day. You can stay to see the sunset from Fira before going back down on the cable car after the queues have died down.

If you want to go to Oia, go on the circuit described by fabandfortysomething. You will still avoid the queues because you need not go down the cable car until the other ships have sailed. Do not forget your drinking water and a sun hat - it can get pretty hot.

[Failure2communicate]

According to the Santorini port website the water taxi in no longer an option which disappoints me as that was my plan for my cruise in May.

https://www.santoriniport.com/santorini-water-taxi/

[MeHeartCruising]

Personally, if it were me, with my parents (70s) and 2 children at the age of yours, I would find a ship excursion that takes you to Oia plus a winery and then back to Fira. This assumes NCL offers it. I'm pretty sure it's a standard tour that all lines offer. The reason I suggest this one is:

 

1. The excursion will take care of getting you up to the top of the cliffs in a timely fashion. You will be tendered as a group to a location where you will easily get on a bus that then drives up the road to the top. No stress. You go from your excursion meeting location on ship to the bus escorted as a group.

 

2. You'll drive to either Oia or the winery first (it varies). Oia is a great place to casually walk around and explore the streets. When I took the excursion, the guide took us from the bus to a central location and then pointed us in a few directions and then said "let's meet back here in xxx hours". I think we might have had 90 minutes or so to explore on our own. Perfect for your family to walk around at you own pace.

 

3. At the winery, you'll have time to look at the beautiful views of the water and cliffs and taste some wine if you want. If you're not into wine, it's a nice place to sit and soak it all in for a while. Again, easy and stess-free.

 

4. Then you get back on the bus and get driven to Fira. You will be turned free by your guide and given a ticket to ride the cable car back down to your ship. You will probably have a few hours before you need to be back on the ship. You can walk around Fira or go back to the ship as desired. You can gauge the line for the cable car to determine how long you might need to wait in line. The line might be the most annoying part of the day, but it's not awful. If you wait too long, then the line might get longer as sail away time gets closer.

[littlelulu01]

I would search to see how many ships are in port the same day and the times. If you’re the only ship till 10 pm, or if only one other smaller ship till 10 pm, I’d wait for the rush and leave a little later. If you want to see oia, a little more quaint than Thira, then when you get off the ship tender they have another, basically a tender operation, where you can purchase boat over to the base of Oia and then take a bus up to Oia, then bus back to Thira and cable car ticket back to ship tender. Water is really important to bring along.

 

If there’s going to be a couple of large ships in port till 9 or 10 pm then the lines for the cable car are excruciating. Unless you’re able and willing to walk down or ride a donkey it’s the only option to get back to the ship tender.

 

We’ve booked Alex boat tours in the past and it’s a pretty fabulous day. He’s on trip advisor- I think the number one rated. The owner, Panos and his friend, Demetrius, will pick you up at the tender drop off. He’s the only one with access to the tender drop off area. It’s not cheap but it’s a perfect day. Might want to take a look at trip advisor and email him. We swam in the warm volcano water, he made us an incredible meal, he’s a wealth of information, you can snorkel, he will take you to base of Oia for pictures... and then at the end he drops you right back at the tender line so no need to ever mess with the logistics of going up or down to Thira.

 

You do miss out on the towns above but honestly with crushing crowds and summer heat it was not worth it the time we were in that mess. My day with Panos on Alex boat tours was far more memorable than the other times we went up to Oia or Thira.

 

I’ve also done the NCL Oia trip and they tender you to a further area where busses wait, fill, and take you to Oia for about an hour. Then you are bussed back to Thira and given a tender ticket. The local purchase option was better because we got more time in Oia and didn’t tender to an area so far away. Views are great. Otherwise it’s mostly a lot of t shirt shops and souvenirs and thousands of cruise passengers crammed in Thira. Oia is much prettier but still basically a ton a cruise passengers. The sunset from the ship is also beautiful with the sun hitting the town. They say every year that the local Oia transfer option is going to be canceled but every year it’s still available.

 

One more thing- if you end up with Panos and Alex boat tours he does take credit card or euros. You have to tell him in advance of credit card. We didn’t have to pay him till end of day. You do have t reserve him way out though. Since he’s the only gig in town he’s popular. His boat is about a 30 foot. Has a bathroom on board.