Santorini??

[HalFan]

We are booked on the Encore from October 22 to November 12, 2023 for the Treasures of the Adriatic and Aegean Allure.  This is our first cruise on Seabourn, but the third time we have booked a similar itinerary after cancelling two previous bookings.  One of the ports that we really had wanted to visit is Santorini, but unfortunately, it is not included on this itinerary.

 

Since the cruise begins in Pireaus, we researched whether we could go to Santorini for the day while we get over our jet lag in Athens.  There are many flights both ways each day, so it is possible.  The cost of the round trip flight is about $180, which turns out to be similar in cost to a ship excursion.

 

My question to Seabourn cruisers is whether it’s really worth it.  The photos look beautiful, but many of the comments recently have been about the excessive crowds, the wait times for tendering  and/or the cable car.  If we flew over for the day, we would avoid the tendering and cable car issues, but not the crowds.  For those of you that have been to Santorini, would you say the day trip from Athens is “vaux le voyage” as they say in Michelin Guides?  Given all the other wonderful ports we will be visiting, is Santorini that unique and/or a place that we should not miss?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[florisdekort]

It’s worth it if you spend at least one night there. Santorini truly shines after all the cruise ships of the day have sailed away 🙂 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. I agree with florisdekort.  Dividing our time between NY and Honolulu, my other favorite cities are Venice and Santorini. Definitely worth the visit.  Notice i did not include New York. 😂

[wesport]

Santorini is my favorite place on earth. I would at least go for one night. Watch the sunset over the caldera while sipping Greek wine. I am going for three nights at the end of my Seabourn cruise later this year. Flights are cheap and only 55 minutes.

[lincslady]

I have only been to Santorini from a ship - lovely but hectic.   I would definitely agree that it would be worth staying a night or two, to see it without the crowds who have probably had to return to their ships by 4 or 5 p.m. at the latest.  The same applies to Venice!

[jdk-atlga]

Following.

My wife and I are on the Sept 17 sailing - 14-day Aegean Allure & Turkish Treasures. It will be our first-time to Greece, but our 5th SB cruise (no time like the present). We will be stopping at Santorini on Friday, Sept 29 from 8a - 11p. It is also a full moon that night. For research I also used Cruisemapper to see what other ships will be there on the same day - only one, HAL ms Nieuw Statendam (with ~3000pax). Given all that, I "think/hope" that we will have a great day there.

Best, jdk

[lincslady]

You could be in luck there - there are usually around 3 to 6 ships in port on any day.  It might be good to have dinner ashore, which would be really lovely.  I feel sure someone on here will know of a restaurant to recommend.   (Assuming the cable car continues during the evening, or some other way to get back to the ship.)

[alainciao]

I’m sure dinner in Santorini in a nice restaurant would be great.  However, when we visited on the Mariner in 2015 , Regent had the barbecue on deck with all the flags out fluttering in the wind.  The scene in the caldera with Santorini lights along the ridge was magical.

[HalFan]

Thanks for your suggestions!  We had originally thought about going straight to Santorini to get over our jet lag, but then were concerned that the air routing might be too complicated (and too lengthy) from the west coast.

 

It looks like a day trip might still work, and we could stay there for sunset if we took that last flight back to Athens.  There are two flights between 9 and 10 PM which would allow us to view the sunset but maybe not enough time for a leisurely Greek dinner.  Wine and snacks might be in order.

[suewheldon]

Santorini is a pretty island. We stayed there a few years ago for three nights as part of an island hopping trip. Because you get off at the ferry dock this cuts out the need for cable car.  Not busy at all and loved it.  We were there for a day last June with Azamara. Did not have a good time. Line for cable car was ridiculous so we took the local boat straight to Oia. Then by bus to Fira. This was very badly organized. Both towns were absolute zoos. Unable to take photos with the crowds. This meant a return by cable car to the ship. Queue to get down was two and a half hours in searing heat. We decided to walk down the donkey path. I fell on the slippy cobblestones and ended up at the ship medical centre and spent two days in a wheelchair and missed the following two ports. Three other people on our ship did the same. Can’t comment on a day trip by plane. Our ferry back from Santorini to Piraeus was 8 hours. If I was going to do this I personally would arrive

three days pre cruise. Just my thoughts and comments. 

[curmudgeon98]

Everyone is a bit different, of course, but I don't think I would do Santorini as a day trip flying in.  Staying a couple of nights might be ok, but it's a pretty touristy place.

 

We were there twice last June on Azamara (one of those could easily have been the time Sue refers to).  I looked at the port schedules, and noted that our first stop there had only two cruise ships in port that day, while the second had five.  A light bulb went off, and the less busy day we visited the villages and had no problems with the crowds or cable car.  The day with five ships in port, we did a boat tour of the caldera and never even went up the hill.  

   

[BasandSyb]

We’ve done quite a bit of travel here over the years but pre COVID. Spend a few days, and enjoy the restaurants, people and places around the island without the madhouse knock on from the cruise industry. Stay at Oia, 20-25 mins by taxi from the airport - visit Fira for an afternoon (preferably when there are fewer ships, it’s a complete tourist trap). Oia without the hoards is amazing. Within an hour of their departure the real locals come out from hiding and it’s a totally different place. You’ll find art galleries and little restaurants - order local food and enjoy the caldera sunsets. While flights are frequent I would never rely on them for a day trip. We have had many cancelled and delayed. Luggage being on the same plane is another topic…

[Fletcher]

15 hours ago, suewheldon said:

We were there for a day last June with Azamara. Did not have a good time. Line for cable car was ridiculous so we took the local boat straight to Oia. Then by bus to Fira. This was very badly organized. Both towns were absolute zoos. Unable to take photos with the crowds. This meant a return by cable car to the ship. Queue to get down was two and a half hours in searing heat. We decided to walk down the donkey path. I fell on the slippy cobblestones and ended up at the ship medical centre and spent two days in a wheelchair and missed the following two ports.

Apart from that Mrs Lincoln . . .  I think some places these days are best avoided and Santorini is high on the list.  Dubrovnik also. Possibly Kotor. One of the (very few) advantages of being old is that you visited these places before the age of mass tourism.  Angkor, Bora Bora, Agra, Ephesus, Petra and a few others spring to mind.  

[galeforce9]

1 hour ago, Fletcher said:

Apart from that Mrs Lincoln . . .  I think some places these days are best avoided and Santorini is high on the list.  Dubrovnik also. Possibly Kotor. One of the (very few) advantages of being old is that you visited these places before the age of mass tourism.  Angkor, Bora Bora, Agra, Ephesus, Petra and a few others spring to mind.  

Only Bora Bora left on my list there Fletcher 😁

[BasandSyb]

Spot on Fletcher. Sad, but true.

[Fletcher]

18 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

Only Bora Bora left on my list there Fletcher 😁

I think it's best visited on a cruise ship.  Just for the day.  It's all gone downhill since they started building hotels on the motus, ruining one of the most staggeringly beautiful places on Earth.  

[Mr Luxury]

On 1/14/2023 at 3:54 PM, Fletcher said:

Apart from that Mrs Lincoln . . .  I think some places these days are best avoided and Santorini is high on the list.  Dubrovnik also. Possibly Kotor. One of the (very few) advantages of being old is that you visited these places before the age of mass tourism.  Angkor, Bora Bora, Agra, Ephesus, Petra and a few others spring to mind.  

Edinburgh,Windsor,York.

[galeforce9]

3 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Edinburgh,Windsor,York.

University of York so had a few years there 😁

[Ovener]

Have been to Santorini a lot, first time when I was 19 and the accommodation was £2 a night (admittedly it was inland and the hostel owner locked away our passports and then went missing).
 

Sadly the island has lost its charm.  Unless you are flying in and out of Santorini directly and out of season, give it a miss. On the last two cruises with Santorini as a stop we stayed on board for a relaxing day at sea. Everyone we spoke to regretted going on shore and they waited hours for the funicular/cable car.
 

OK, so it’s a blown out volcano. But the beaches are black and hard to access, Fira is packed with tourists and Oia is full of five star cave hotels with staff dressed in white suits like henchmen in 1990s Bond films. I know, I’ve stayed in one of them…and done the mountainside walk from Oia to Fira accompanied by wild dogs. But there are much better Greek islands without the Disney feel…and if you want a great view of the Aegean, just climb up a hill on any one of them. The view of the island from the ship is great in any event. 
 

And talking of Bora Bora, I have never been anywhere more disappointing. By the time you’ve had your eighth plateful of tuna marinated in coconut, received 200 mosquito bites, had a three legged gangrenous hound use your laundry as an overnight dog basket, and had a lizard do its business on you all night from your villa’s rafters, you’ll never want to go back. Many thanks to Lonely Planet for your recommendation as to the best hotel there back in 2004. 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, Ovener said:

Have been to Santorini a lot, first time when I was 19 and the accommodation was £2 a night (admittedly it was inland and the hostel owner locked away our passports and then went missing).
 

Sadly the island has lost its charm.  Unless you are flying in and out of Santorini directly and out of season, give it a miss. On the last two cruises with Santorini as a stop we stayed on board for a relaxing day at sea. Everyone we spoke to regretted going on shore and they waited hours for the funicular/cable car.
 

OK, so it’s a blown out volcano. But the beaches are black and hard to access, Fira is packed with tourists and Oia is full of five star cave hotels with staff dressed in white suits like henchmen in 1990s Bond films. I know, I’ve stayed in one of them…and done the mountainside walk from Oia to Fira accompanied by wild dogs. But there are much better Greek islands without the Disney feel…and if you want a great view of the Aegean, just climb up a hill on any one of them. The view of the island from the ship is great in any event. 
 

And talking of Bora Bora, I have never been anywhere more disappointing. By the time you’ve had your eighth plateful of tuna marinated in coconut, received 200 mosquito bites, had a three legged gangrenous hound use your laundry as an overnight dog basket, and had a lizard do its business on you all night from your villa’s rafters, you’ll never want to go back. Many thanks to Lonely Planet for your recommendation as to the best hotel there back in 2004. 

Very graphic descriptions. Thank you.  

[Astride]

3 hours ago, Ovener said:

Have been to Santorini a lot, first time when I was 19 and the accommodation was £2 a night (admittedly it was inland and the hostel owner locked away our passports and then went missing).
 

Sadly the island has lost its charm.  Unless you are flying in and out of Santorini directly and out of season, give it a miss. On the last two cruises with Santorini as a stop we stayed on board for a relaxing day at sea. Everyone we spoke to regretted going on shore and they waited hours for the funicular/cable car.
 

OK, so it’s a blown out volcano. But the beaches are black and hard to access, Fira is packed with tourists and Oia is full of five star cave hotels with staff dressed in white suits like henchmen in 1990s Bond films. I know, I’ve stayed in one of them…and done the mountainside walk from Oia to Fira accompanied by wild dogs. But there are much better Greek islands without the Disney feel…and if you want a great view of the Aegean, just climb up a hill on any one of them. The view of the island from the ship is great in any event. 
 

And talking of Bora Bora, I have never been anywhere more disappointing. By the time you’ve had your eighth plateful of tuna marinated in coconut, received 200 mosquito bites, had a three legged gangrenous hound use your laundry as an overnight dog basket, and had a lizard do its business on you all night from your villa’s rafters, you’ll never want to go back. Many thanks to Lonely Planet for your recommendation as to the best hotel there back in 2004. 

My comments will not help HalFan but I'd like to share what I experienced in 1985 on a small Greek cruiseship visiting several islands in the Aegean. I had a bad experience climbing up a steep hill on a donkey trail to visit a tourist site on another island. The poor donkey was looking for shade on the narrow trail to the top & stuck to the wall of the trail in so doing. I was terrified since I'm afraid of heights. And my right leg was badly scratched from it rubbing against the stone wall. Our next stop was Santorini so I decided to skip it since the only way to the top at the time was either the donkey trail or the funicular. My husband went alone & loved it. After lunch, when all the passengers except for me had left by tender for Santorini, I witnessed something inconceivable in our day. The crew in the outdoor dining venue cleared the tables of all dishes, glasses & cutlery & then proceeded to gather all the foods remnants & beer & wine bottles in the table cloths & throw them overboard. I am not kidding you. The Aegean must be full of glass bottles.