Does anyone know Royal Caribbean's tender boat schedule in Santorini?

I will be in Santorini on October 15, 2015 on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the sea. I have read all the horror stories about using the cable cars, but what I am trying to find out is approximately when the last tender boat will run back to the ship. We are set to arrive at 7:00 AM and the sail away is 5:00 PM. Based on my past cruising experience I believe the last tender will be 1.5 to 2 hours before the ship sets sail. Does anyone remember this information from when they were in this port? Or is anyone going soon that could bring the information back?

This is really a crazy port with the added factor of cable cars. But, it looks like a very beautiful port and we are looking forward to our visit.

Jodi

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I would expect the last tender to be about 30 minutes prior to scheduled sailing time. Not sure where RCI has cut off tenders 90 minutes prior. That doesn't make any sense at all.

If RCI is sure all are aboard, they will sail as soon as their docking equipment is secured, and start moving.

Keep in mind that although the last tender will usually leave the pier 30 min before your ship is scheduled to depart, this does not mean you can wait until the last minute. The big bottleneck in Santorini happens at the upper cable car station when lots of folks are trying to get back down to the tender pier. You can find yourself waiting in a queue for over 30 min just to get down the hill. The good news is that most cruise lines will station an employee at that upper station to monitor the situation. This often results in ships having to delay their departure. But, while it is unlikely any ship would depart while they knowingly have passengers waiting at that station, one can never be absolutely sure :).

Hank

Thanks guys, You were right Royal Caribbean was able to provide the information. Here is their response:

The tenders go back to the ship every 15 minutes and the last tender is 4:45pm!!! That's good news!

Also, there is a representative from RCI at the top of the cable car monitoring everything, but that person leaves at 4:30.

Jodi

At Santorini the longshore men of Santorini provide tender services for all cruise lines. The individual shipping lines will advise you of the time of the last tender back to your cruise boat in the caldera. On the Santorini quay you will find Ship Branded gazebos to indicated where each ships tenders depart from .

Thanks guys, You were right Royal Caribbean was able to provide the information. Here is their response:

 

 

The tenders go back to the ship every 15 minutes and the last tender is 4:45pm!!! That's good news!

 

Also, there is a representative from RCI at the top of the cable car monitoring everything, but that person leaves at 4:30.

 

Jodi

Thanks for posting this! We are there on the Serenade a few days later, and I needed this info.