Santorini: Beware time in port

I wanted to share my recent experience in Santorini aboard the Jewel. We were scheduled to arrive at 1:00 and depart at 8:00. So in theory 7 hours in port.

The ship was cleared a bit late, then they needed to start the tenders running, then we needed to wait for our tender number to be called. This may be handled differently on other ships. I was lucky that we were on tender #8.

Once docked on the island, we needed to find our way to Oia. I researched this on CC ahead of time, and we chose the speedboat, but then needed to wait for that boat to fill before departing. There were multiple speed boat companies, and we chose the one whose boat was nearly full (after choosing the wrong one first), but even still there was a wait until the boat filled up.

Once we docked again, we needed to find the bus to take us up to Oia. Again, we were lucky we made the first bus, but there is no way everyone on that speedboat made it on to that one bus, which means they would need to wait for another. We finally made it up to Oia at 3:15, but then needed to wait in line to reserve our return bus to Fira. Last bus at 5:00, so 7 hours in port =1.45 hours in Oia, and we were lucky with our timing. People on later tenders / later speedboats would have even less time in Oia.

Once back in Fira after taking the bus, we had just enough time to stop for a few minutes at a gift shop and walk to the cable car line, which was already very long and waited over an hour to get down to the tenders. Within about 10 minutes of us arriving at the cable car line, the queue behind us nearly doubled. We were back onboard by 7:00.

We loved the beauty of Santorini and I definitely plan to go back one day. Just we aware that this port isn't as easy to "tender and tour" as some of the others.

I followed your other thread and made some notes. I find trying to plan for Santorini more difficult than any other port I have ever been to. The whole thing with losing time with tenders, boats and buses filling up makes it sound like the amazing race! After what you have experienced are you able to give a clear cut opinion as to what you believe the most expedient option is? I am not even talking cost here because for us it will most likely be the only time we will be there. I have read about the speedboats, taking taxi's etc. At the end of the day i have a bunch of notes with no clear cut plan :rolleyes:

Hopefully someone else can advise you re: taxis. I was thinking about just taking a taxi back from Oia to Fira so we could have stayed in the town longer, but did not know if they were reliable etc. I did not want to risk getting stuck.

Your ship may offer an excursion that just gets you to Oia, but to be quite honest those usually involve a lot of waiting around too. Friends booked the RCCL Oia excursion which also took them to a winery and they had very little time in Oia. They were also on Tender #7, so certainly not off the ship first.

I felt exactly as you do prior to my trip, and I think my advance planning let me get as much time as I did in Oia. I know some people on the ship that skipped Oia altogether as it was too late by the time they tendered in.

For me the variables you can control are:

1. Getting an early tender - make sure you wait in line early to get one of the first tenders, if that is the process your ship uses.

2. Find a speedboat operator whose boat is there and preferably nearly full. You can ask at the ticket office which boat is theirs, and you can see for yourself. There are several operators all next to one another.

3. Once off the speedboat, try to get on the first bus up the hill. It was a bit chaotic trying to find the right bus, but we asked until we found it.

4. Book your return bus from Oia to Fira as soon as the bus up the hill lets you off.

There may be private tours that circumvent all of this, but I don't know of any. I am sure someone here will speak up if there are though :D

2 years ago we had a similar time in port

as frequent cruisers we had priority disembarkation so could get one of the first tenders

we had booked a private tour with santorini taxi tours

we had to queue for the cable car but if had been fitter could have walked up the donkey path to meet our guide at the top

we had a comprehensive tour of the island including Oia and dropped off 5 hours later to make our way back down

well recommend this company

We have been to Santorini twice; once on a big ship (RCCL) and once on a small tallship (Star Clipper). Both times we rented a car. The first time from a shop on the main drag of Fira (can't remember the name). Last year, we rented from Tony's Rent-A-Car (search this forum) from Fira and drove to Oia. The drive may be 25 minutes, and was pretty easy. The hardest part was finding Tony's store coming back from Oia, but other than that it was a piece of cake. Both times we had plenty of time in Oia plus a stop at Santo Winery for a winetasting platter plus the beautiful sunset. Fabulous days.

1. Getting an early tender - make sure you wait in line early to get one of the first tenders, if that is the process your ship uses.

Hi Jacquelyn

I really appreciate your post!!! I'm on the Jewel next week. And Santorini is the only port I don't know how to plan. I was thinking of doing the same as you did, with the speed boat to Oia. But the short time in Oia and the rush makes me worring. I'm always afraid to miss the ship.

What time do you suggest to go in line for an early tender ticket? Where do we have to get in line? At guest service?

And where did you get the bus tickets for Fira? Is it possible to book an exact time and get an assured place in that bus?

And a RCCL excursion does not give more time in Oia, as your friends reported. And you still have to wait at the cable cars.

Thank you again for your review of Santorini!!

Manuela

We had read many reports like this and decided to use the ship's transportation even though it was more expensive. We had an early tender to a different location where we boarded a bus and went to the winery and then to Oia (arrived before it became crowded). We had about two hours in Oia and then went on to Fira. We still had to wait on the cable car line to get back to the ship.

Hi Jacquelyn

 

I really appreciate your post!!! I'm on the Jewel next week. And Santorini is the only port I don't know how to plan. I was thinking of doing the same as you did, with the speed boat to Oia. But the short time in Oia and the rush makes me worring. I'm always afraid to miss the ship.

 

What time do you suggest to go in line for an early tender ticket? Where do we have to get in line? At guest service?

 

And where did you get the bus tickets for Fira? Is it possible to book an exact time and get an assured place in that bus?

 

And a RCCL excursion does not give more time in Oia, as your friends reported. And you still have to wait at the cable cars.

 

Thank you again for your review of Santorini!!

Manuela

Hi Manuela,

I suggest finding out the day before what time they will be distributing tender tickets. On our sailing, tickets were only available at 12:30, and people started lining up around 11:30. It was on Deck 5 or 6 of the Centrum - they announce it. On subsequent trips I heard they started distributing the tickets earlier. Best to know when they plan on starting, and be there at least an hour prior. It was chaos on our trip, with people snaking all around the Centrum and pushing in line, so maybe they have found a better process.

The bus ticket reservation desk for Fira was right across from where the bus let us off in Oia. The return bus was included in the speedboat price, just be sure to keep your receipt. We were told that there were only 2 times to return: 4:00 or 5:00. We arrived at the bus stop at 4:45 (did not want to be late) and there was a full bus just about to depart. I guess there was a 4:30 bus after all? I hope it was not the 4 o'clock bus. There were 2 spots on the bus and we were allowed to take them. I honestly did not get the impression that things were very well organized and scheduled, so I would not count on a "guaranteed" spot. Be sure to reserve your return ticket as soon as you get o Oia, and arrive early to be sure you get a seat. Of course that means even less time in Oia :eek:

Hi

We did the ferry to Oia and bus to Fira, and it was all great, yes, some queues, particularly at the cable car going down, so you must plan for that, but the ship staff were managing the queue to ensure boats leaving first had their passengers down. Going around to Oia by ferry is definitely the way to go, as it eliminates the going up issue, and we found the buses to be very organised, I guess it just depends on the demand on the day. We booked our ferry tickets online before we left, but I wouldn't do that again, as you can judge the earliest leaving ferry and buy those tickets. You can't miss it when you get off the tender.

A ship tour goes to a different drop off point, so I guess the less hassle getting off, but they all come back down the cable car, so you cannot allieviate that. Just go with the flow, and enjoy, it is a beautiful island.

Pat

We are on a cruise in October.....Santorini was my problem too. We arrive at 9.30 and are gone at 2.30 so we only have five hours in port. After reading and searching for options for hours on end I bit the bullet and have booked my one and only cruise shore excursion through the ship. A bit of a rip off, but probably cheaper than potentially missing the ship :)

We are on a cruise in October.....Santorini was my problem too. We arrive at 9.30 and are gone at 2.30 so we only have five hours in port. After reading and searching for options for hours on end I bit the bullet and have booked my one and only cruise shore excursion through the ship. A bit of a rip off, but probably cheaper than potentially missing the ship :)

Even with the ship tour you might have to deal with the cable car line (we did). However, the other logistics are all taken care of for you.

Even with the ship tour you might have to deal with the cable car line (we did). However, the other logistics are all taken care of for you.

Agreed. Friends booked a ship excursion and it ended in Fira. They needed to wait in the cable car line with everyone to get down to the tenders.

What a hassle....we will stay onboard to relax and be catered too!!! Who needs lines and aggravation?

I wanted to share my recent experience in Santorini aboard the Jewel. We were scheduled to arrive at 1:00 and depart at 8:00. So in theory 7 hours in port.

 

The ship was cleared a bit late, then they needed to start the tenders running, then we needed to wait for our tender number to be called. This may be handled differently on other ships. I was lucky that we were on tender #8.

 

Once docked on the island, we needed to find our way to Oia. I researched this on CC ahead of time, and we chose the speedboat, but then needed to wait for that boat to fill before departing. There were multiple speed boat companies, and we chose the one whose boat was nearly full (after choosing the wrong one first), but even still there was a wait until the boat filled up.

 

Once we docked again, we needed to find the bus to take us up to Oia. Again, we were lucky we made the first bus, but there is no way everyone on that speedboat made it on to that one bus, which means they would need to wait for another. We finally made it up to Oia at 3:15, but then needed to wait in line to reserve our return bus to Fira. Last bus at 5:00, so 7 hours in port =1.45 hours in Oia, and we were lucky with our timing. People on later tenders / later speedboats would have even less time in Oia.

 

Once back in Fira after taking the bus, we had just enough time to stop for a few minutes at a gift shop and walk to the cable car line, which was already very long and waited over an hour to get down to the tenders. Within about 10 minutes of us arriving at the cable car line, the queue behind us nearly doubled. We were back onboard by 7:00.

 

We loved the beauty of Santorini and I definitely plan to go back one day. Just we aware that this port isn't as easy to "tender and tour" as some of the others.

We always take the tender, take the cable car and now we walk to the car rental. We have never had the problems that you had. We have gone to Oia on the bus once and worried about getting on the bus to return to Fira. We now rent a car and have so much fun, no worries and never rushed to make it back to the cable car and down to the ship on time. It is one of our favorite places to visit.

What a hassle....we will stay onboard to relax and be catered too!!! Who needs lines and aggravation?

Rather than staying on the boat you can just go to Fira and head back early before the cable car line gets long. Of course, if you are adventurous (not me), you can always walk down the donkey path (skipping the cable car line).

We have been there 2x and never had a problem with lines- I think the problem that lies there in is mega ships- on Seabourn it is quite manageable. That said we have no interest in going again so maybe the ship will open the Marina!

This is when taking a ship's excursion is worth the extra $$. You get off on one of the first tenders and are on your way. The tenders for the excursions bring you to another part of the island where buses can pick you up. No dealing with the cable car going up. Going down one needs to know the schedule of the other ships. If you're leaving later don't go on line for the cable car until after the other ships depart. Also be prepared to walk down if necessary. Oia is incredible you should not miss it.

Reading this thread, I'm thinking I won the Santorini port call lottery. We are visiting on Azamara Journey, September 2. We are the only ship in port that day, according to one of the unnameable web sites with port calendars.

In contrast, September 1 has four large ships in Santorini.

I would like to be able to say that I am a savvy traveler and purposefully chose an itinerary with only one ship calling Santorini that day. Alas, it was not savvy planning - it was dumb luck. I didn't even notice until several months after booking.

For those of you who have not picked a cruise, you might want to look at the port calendars and consider this as part of your decision process.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

You might want to check out The Travel Insiders. I received a quote for next June for a private tour to Oia, Pyrgos, Venetsanos Winery, Kamari Beach and Fira. For a 5 hour tour it's 89 euros per person. They pick you up where the cable car drops you off.

06-Oct Santorini 8656 people in port, Windstar 8-9 CostaDeliziosa 730-230 CelebReflect 7-6 Koningsdam 8-6

We've booked an excursion the HAL for this port because of the reported issues but even at the end I think we are stuck having to do the cable car (most expensive tour in all our port stops). Our tour goes is 6.5hr, leaves at 815am - Essence of Santorini - Tender to Athinios, 25min drive to Profitis llias Mountain, Oia w free time, winery, Panagia Episkopi Church, Kamari (black sand beach) > lunch, Pyrgos, back to Fira then free time and make way back.

My biggest concern is I would like to have some free time (looks like we'd only have an hour or so if tour ends 245pm and ship leaves 6pm) before returning to the ship, so maybe I am wrong wasting time booking the excursion hoping that then they can't leave without us since we were on their excursion.

Am I correct that the only option for getting back to the ship (FROM Fira, if tour ends in Fira) is the cable car or a 30+ minute walk on a donkey path? (I'd consider the donkey path at my leisure, say 1hr down? to ensure not wasting time in line for hours for the cable car)

I have mobilitiy issues (cane).

I made note that on our day there appears to be two ships (CelebRef and us on Koningsdam) that would be all trying to get back down around the same time and Celeb arrived in port an hour before us, but leaves at the same time.

Am I correct that the only option for getting back to the ship (FROM Fira, if tour ends in Fira) is the cable car or a 30+ minute walk on a donkey path? (I'd consider the donkey path at my leisure, say 1hr down? to ensure not wasting time in line for hours for the cable car)

 

I have mobilitiy issues (cane).

 

Sounds like you have done your research.

As far as I know, the only ways down are either the cable car, riding a donkey, or walking the donkey path. People have reported that the stairs are slippery, so that would be something to be wary of. I wonder if you could also take a taxi down? I have never heard it mentioned, maybe someone else could advise whether that is an option.

Sounds like you have done your research.

 

As far as I know, the only ways down are either the cable car, riding a donkey, or walking the donkey path. People have reported that the stairs are slippery, so that would be something to be wary of. I wonder if you could also take a taxi down? I have never heard it mentioned, maybe someone else could advise whether that is an option.

no there is no road down from top of cliff to water front so taxi not an option

The ships excursions tender to another port ?Athinios? where coaches can drive up and down

However at least on NCL that is only on the start-at the end of the excursion everyone is dropped off near the cable car so only options are as above cable car or walk/ride the donkey path

I seem to recall that some folks have mentioned that some cruise lines offer an easy tour for those with limitations. It was a bus ride with a few photo ops and then the bus brought you back to where it picked you up at the other tender spot. I would inquire at the shore excursion desk about any tours in Santorini for those with physical limitations.

I thought I would come back and share our experience... not the best to be honest...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50744032&postcount=45

I wanted to share my recent experience in Santorini aboard the Jewel. We were scheduled to arrive at 1:00 and depart at 8:00. So in theory 7 hours in port.

 

The ship was cleared a bit late, then they needed to start the tenders running, then we needed to wait for our tender number to be called. This may be handled differently on other ships. I was lucky that we were on tender #8.

 

Once docked on the island, we needed to find our way to Oia. I researched this on CC ahead of time, and we chose the speedboat, but then needed to wait for that boat to fill before departing. There were multiple speed boat companies, and we chose the one whose boat was nearly full (after choosing the wrong one first), but even still there was a wait until the boat filled up.

 

Once we docked again, we needed to find the bus to take us up to Oia. Again, we were lucky we made the first bus, but there is no way everyone on that speedboat made it on to that one bus, which means they would need to wait for another. We finally made it up to Oia at 3:15, but then needed to wait in line to reserve our return bus to Fira. Last bus at 5:00, so 7 hours in port =1.45 hours in Oia, and we were lucky with our timing. People on later tenders / later speedboats would have even less time in Oia.

 

Once back in Fira after taking the bus, we had just enough time to stop for a few minutes at a gift shop and walk to the cable car line, which was already very long and waited over an hour to get down to the tenders. Within about 10 minutes of us arriving at the cable car line, the queue behind us nearly doubled. We were back onboard by 7:00.

 

We loved the beauty of Santorini and I definitely plan to go back one day. Just we aware that this port isn't as easy to "tender and tour" as some of the others.

Thanks for the info!

It was nice to meet you this morning!