Santorini

[stephaniefullhart1]

We are cruising to Santorini and deciding between the cruise's Oia excursion or simply getting a high speed boat at Old Port to Oia.  We are trying to find the fastest, least croweded way to get to Oia.  We have heard that by booking the cruise's excursion, you tender to a different port and may be able to leave the ship quicker.  There is then the 45 min bus ride to Oia.  If we do the high speed boat to Oia ourselves, some are saying there may be a delay getting a tender with everyone else and then we may have to wait a while before the boat to Oia fills to capactiy.  Then there is another bus from Oia port to town.  Which would you recommend?

[Hlitner]

You have done your homework and properly framed the situation.  There is no right or wrong, and no best solution fits all.   I do think the size of your ship (the smaller the better) and what other ships are in port about the same time all have a major impact on decision making.  Tendering 600 passengers is much different than tendering 5000!  

 

Hank

[CruiserBruce]

The Greece board, where Santorini is discussed extensively, is here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/463-greece-ports/

 

Which one I would do depends on several variables. How long are you in port? How many other ships? How comfortable are you traveling on your own in another country?

 

On our visit we tendered into Old Port, up the tram after about 20 minutes waiting, then took the local public bus over and a taxi back, after several hours wondering around and lunch. We came down the tram about 4pm with no line (only one other ship in port) and enjoyed the sunset on the ship.

[cruisemom42]

If your goal is to get to Oia as soon as possible, and you are not on a small ship, my estimation would be that taking a ship tour in order to get off at the earliest time point would be fastest. Tendering operations for ship tours will take a fair amount of time, and then you have to wait for the changeover to the other tender spot PLUS potentially waiting to get tender tickets unless you have some kind of priority status (e.g., suite passenger or high level loyalty). That plus knowing that the boats that "taxi" you to Oia will wait until they have a full payload....

 

 

[Host Kat]

8 hours ago, stephaniefullhart1 said:

We are cruising to Santorini and deciding between the cruise's Oia excursion or simply getting a high speed boat at Old Port to Oia.  We are trying to find the fastest, least croweded way to get to Oia.  We have heard that by booking the cruise's excursion, you tender to a different port and may be able to leave the ship quicker.  There is then the 45 min bus ride to Oia.  If we do the high speed boat to Oia ourselves, some are saying there may be a delay getting a tender with everyone else and then we may have to wait a while before the boat to Oia fills to capactiy.  Then there is another bus from Oia port to town.  Which would you recommend?

 

@stephaniefullhart1

 

Howdy and welcome to the Cruise Critic message boards!

 

Thank you for your new thread on the Ask a Cruise Question forum! However, it is the forum for general questions regarding cruising. Your inquiry concerns a specific port and is off topic there.

 

To help you out I have moved your thread to the Greece Ports forum where it will be on topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have been there frequent this forum and can provide feedback here. Browse through the thread titles on this forum looking for threads of interest. You may find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.

 

Hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard the Cruise Critic message boards!

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[John Bull]

Hi Stephanie and welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

There are several threads about Santorini in this forum - read thro them, they're mainly about the thorny subject of getting on and off the island.

 

There's nowhere for even the smallest cruise ship to berth, all cruise ships moor in the caldera and passengers are tendered ashore.

 

Independent cruisers are tendered to the quay (known as the "Fira Old Harbour" though it can hardly be called a "harbour") at the bottom of the cliff below Fira. There's no road down to the quay.

From that quay you go up the cliff by cablecar, or by donkey up the zig-zag path, or you walk up the zig-zag path. Cablecar is easiest, but there can be a long line.  By donkey will probably be a shorter line, the cost is about the same as the cablecar and is fun for most, but not for others. Most folk would shy away from walking up the zig-zag path - even the fittest spring chickens would find it hot and tiring, not the best way to start the day.

Or you can take the boat (speedboat is a bit of an exaggeration 😏) from the tender pier direct to Oia in about (?) 25 (?) minutes. At Oia a road goes down to the little harbour (harbour is actually called Ammoudi, but to the visitor Oia and Ammoudi are one and the same) and a short bus ride up to Oia is included in the boat fare. Whilst this seems the most obvious choice if Oia is your intention, the boat doesn't run a timetable, it goes when it's full. You might have just missed it, you might have to wait an hour,, you might time it just right - all a matter of luck.

 

Those on ship's excursion are tendered to a different harbour - Athinios - used by inter-island ferries. Here a road goes down to the harbour so excursionists go from tender to bus.

 

I'm 95% certain that two sets of tenders are used by all ships on Santorini - ship's own tenders for the short hop to Fira Old Harbour, and locally-contracted tenders for the longer tender ride  for ship's' excursion passengers to Athinios. So unlike many other tendered ports, there's no delay before tendering starts for independent cruisers, altho as per cruisemom's post there's the hassle of trying to be amongst the first to get tender tickets - and somebody has to be last.

 

But whereas Oia is north from your moored ship, Athinios is south - hence the long 45 minute bus ride.

So the boat direct to Oia might be quicker, or might be slower - or even missed.

If you want to be sure, it makes sense to bite the bullet & take ship's excursion.

 

Check where the ship's excursion ends.

Some Celebrity excursions, and now perhaps other cruise lines, offer the option of ending at Athinios for the same excursionists-only tender back to the ship. That would avoid the grief of crowds to get back to the ship

But most tours - even most of Celebrity's tours - end at Fira, where their excursionists have to go down to the quay at Old Harbour along with everyone else, including passengers from any other ship/s leaving at about the same time.

This is where lines for the cablecar can be horrendous.

My advice to those who are tolerably mobile is to get to the top cablecar station about 45 minutes before "last-tender time". If there's only a short line, you can figure how long before it takes you to the tender pier. If you're not going to make it in time, walk down the zig-zag path - it's not arduous, it takes about 25 minutes, steps aren't deep or steep, and there's a solid waist-high wall.

 

Remember, "last-tender time" is  not when you have to be back on the ship, or even when you have to be sat in a tender.. As long as you're at the pier in time, no worries. If there's a line on the pier, the tenders will continue past last-tender time until they've mopped-up the line.

 

JB 🙂

 

[cruisemom42]

58 minutes ago, John Bull said:

I'm 95% certain that two sets of tenders are used by all ships on Santorini - ship's own tenders for the short hop to Fira Old Harbour, and locally-contracted tenders for the longer tender ride  for ship's' excursion passengers to Athinios. So unlike many other tendered ports, there's no delay before tendering starts for independent cruisers, altho as per cruisemom's post there's the hassle of trying to be amongst the first to get tender tickets - and somebody has to be last.

 

This has not been my experience although it may be true on some lines. I've visited Santorini where the ship actually drops anchor nearer the Athinios port, tour parties depart on the tenders, then the ship moves into its position closer to Fira for its own tendering operations to shore. All of this takes some time. This is why I suggest a tour is the better bet for getting to Oia fastest.

 

I can't vouch for all ships, but I have been to Santorini twice on two different lines and this is how it was handled. 

 

Edited to add:  Maybe only smaller ships do it this way?  Heaven knows, the first time I visited Santorini was on Aegean Odyssey which, at 350 pax, is about the size of one of Gigantosaurus of the Seas' tenders....

Edited February 16, 2023 by cruisemom42

[John Bull]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

This has not been my experience although it may be true on some lines. I've visited Santorini where the ship actually drops anchor nearer the Athinios port, tour parties depart on the tenders, then the ship moves into its position closer to Fira for its own tendering operations to shore. All of this takes some time. This is why I suggest a tour is the better bet for getting to Oia fastest.

 

I can't vouch for all ships, but I have been to Santorini twice on two different lines and this is how it was handled. 

 

Edited to add:  Maybe only smaller ships do it this way?  Heaven knows, the first time I visited Santorini was on Aegean Odyssey which, at 350 pax, is about the size of one of Gigantosaurus of the Seas' tenders....

 

Thanks for that cruisemom - clearly different routines for different ships

I was going to ask what size ship, but your edit confirmed what I was thinkin'.

We've sailed there with RCI and Princess, mid-size ships.  

 

JB 🙂

[dani negreanu]

On 2/15/2023 at 10:23 PM, stephaniefullhart1 said:

We are cruising to Santorini and deciding between the cruise's Oia excursion or simply getting a high speed boat at Old Port to Oia.  We are trying to find the fastest, least croweded way to get to Oia.  We have heard that by booking the cruise's excursion, you tender to a different port and may be able to leave the ship quicker.  There is then the 45 min bus ride to Oia.  If we do the high speed boat to Oia ourselves, some are saying there may be a delay getting a tender with everyone else and then we may have to wait a while before the boat to Oia fills to capactiy.  Then there is another bus from Oia port to town.  Which would you recommend?

 

This.

[ninjacat123]

On 2/15/2023 at 10:42 PM, cruisemom42 said:

If your goal is to get to Oia as soon as possible, and you are not on a small ship, my estimation would be that taking a ship tour in order to get off at the earliest time point would be fastest. Tendering operations for ship tours will take a fair amount of time, and then you have to wait for the changeover to the other tender spot PLUS potentially waiting to get tender tickets unless you have some kind of priority status (e.g., suite passenger or high level loyalty). That plus knowing that the boats that "taxi" you to Oia will wait until they have a full payload....

 

 

In your opinion, arriving October 23 with a potential 5,500 passengers in port accessing the cable car, will I be waiting a long time for the cable car?  TIA!

[ninjacat123]

On 2/16/2023 at 8:10 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

This has not been my experience although it may be true on some lines. I've visited Santorini where the ship actually drops anchor nearer the Athinios port, tour parties depart on the tenders, then the ship moves into its position closer to Fira for its own tendering operations to shore. All of this takes some time. This is why I suggest a tour is the better bet for getting to Oia fastest.

 

I can't vouch for all ships, but I have been to Santorini twice on two different lines and this is how it was handled. 

 

Edited to add:  Maybe only smaller ships do it this way?  Heaven knows, the first time I visited Santorini was on Aegean Odyssey which, at 350 pax, is about the size of one of Gigantosaurus of the Seas' tenders....

In your opinion, arriving October 23 with a potential 5,500 passengers in port accessing the cable car, will I be waiting a long time (defined over 30 minutes) for the cable car? I'm gritting my teeth not wanting to spend $160 for the two us us for a ship excursion when it's the end of the tourist season. TIA!

[mapleleaves]

15 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

In your opinion, arriving October 23 with a potential 5,500 passengers in port accessing the cable car, will I be waiting a long time (defined over 30 minutes) for the cable car? I'm gritting my teeth not wanting to spend $160 for the two us us for a ship excursion when it's the end of the tourist season. TIA!

You need to google for the port schedule to see which ships are in port with you, the number of pax on each, when they arrive and when they depart.

ie if 3000 pax arrive at 9am and you arrive at 10am, you'll have a long wait for the cablecars. 

 

Another option to consider is .... the boats that leave from the tender dock. The downside is that they have no schedule and you can sit for an hr waiting to fill up before they leave. 20-25E pp.  If I had known we were going to wait 2 hrs for the cable cars, I would have gone on the boat , but my first preference would have been a ships excursion (sold out).  I was there at the end of Sept.

p.s. the tender tickets will probably be available at 8am the day before Santorini.  Plan on being in line by 7

[ninjacat123]

Just now, mapleleaves said:

You need to google for the port schedule to see which ships are in port with you, the number of pax on each, when they arrive and when they depart.

ie if 3000 pax arrive at 9am and you arrive at 10am, you'll have a long wait for the cablecars. 

 

Another option to consider is .... the boats that leave from the tender dock. The downside is that they have no schedule and you can sit for an hr waiting to fill up before they leave. 20-25E pp.  If I had known we were going to wait 2 hrs for the cable cars, I would have gone on the boat , but my first preference would have been a ships excursion (sold out).  I was there at the end of Sept.

p.s. the tender tickets will probably be available at 8am the day before Santorini.  Plan on being in line by 7

Thank you mapleleaves!  I feel you are confirming my need to book a ship excursion.  My DH said "if it reduces stress, do it" so I have it booked.  Oh well, we can't take it with us, right?🤑

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

In your opinion, arriving October 23 with a potential 5,500 passengers in port accessing the cable car, will I be waiting a long time (defined over 30 minutes) for the cable car? I'm gritting my teeth not wanting to spend $160 for the two us us for a ship excursion when it's the end of the tourist season. TIA!

 

Unfortunately a lot of cruise ships continue to sail the Mediterranean until at least the end of October and it's the cruise ships that will determine how long you'll wait for that cable car. 

 

At one point Santorini said they had plans to limit the total daily load of cruise passengers, but it doesn't seem like they've followed through.

 

If your goal is to get to Oia early, I think the best recommendation is probably to take that excursion. If you can find out what other ships are in port with you, you could try to stagger your timing, but even that isn't foolproof...

 

The other option, as mentioned above, is that boat round to Oia. Even if you have to wait half an hour, it may be faster than a long wait for the cable cars.

 

[ninjacat123]

11 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Unfortunately a lot of cruise ships continue to sail the Mediterranean until at least the end of October and it's the cruise ships that will determine how long you'll wait for that cable car. 

 

At one point Santorini said they had plans to limit the total daily load of cruise passengers, but it doesn't seem like they've followed through.

 

If your goal is to get to Oia early, I think the best recommendation is probably to take that excursion. If you can find out what other ships are in port with you, you could try to stagger your timing, but even that isn't foolproof...

 

The other option, as mentioned above, is that boat round to Oia. Even if you have to wait half an hour, it may be faster than a long wait for the cable cars.

 

I bit the bullet and booked the ship's excursion.  I appreciate your insight and with a 5:00 port departure, this more than likely guarantees we will see Oia.👍

[Postcards]

Thank you for the helpful info JB!  We will b in Santorini sept 9.  Three cruise ships in port that day.  Priority on +off ship (which is why we book penthouse on Norwegian), so tender order, not an issue.

the other port, Athinios,,, is any one aware of other tours that leave from here, not just ship booked tours.

Just avoids the lines coming back to ship.

:))))

[marazul]

3 hours ago, Postcards said:

Thank you for the helpful info JB!  We will b in Santorini sept 9.  Three cruise ships in port that day.  Priority on +off ship (which is why we book penthouse on Norwegian), so tender order, not an issue.

the other port, Athinios,,, is any one aware of other tours that leave from here, not just ship booked tours.

Just avoids the lines coming back to ship.

:))))

The problem is that the cruise lines only tender excursion people to Athinios.  Independent travelers are tendered to the other port.  Very few excursions are taken back to Athinios to be tendered back to the ship. Most excursions are dropped off at the cable car and do not returne from Athinios.  The exceptions might be for special tours for impaired persons, such as walking impaired.  But you can ask your cruise line . . .

[Postcards]

Thank U.

was thinking of booking a day swim and cruise and most leave from there, just wouldn’t be a “ship booked excursion”.

   Cheers

[marazul]

7 hours ago, Postcards said:

Thank U.

was thinking of booking a day swim and cruise and most leave from there, just wouldn’t be a “ship booked excursion”.

   Cheers

Ask if they would pick you up at the cable car port.

Also search for day cruises to the volcano that leave from there.

[Postcards]

Great suggestions, thank you for your input.

 

    Opa ;))))