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2 hours ago, Peadar2000 said:

Hi again. So we ( husband and I) have arrived back from our cruise and here are some thoughts on our Santorini excursion. As I said before, our tour was not through Celebrity, rather through a local group called Santorini Unique Experience Tour. I found it through Viator where it’s listed as ‘5 Hours Santorini Sightseeing Tour’. It cost us €99 (roughly $108) each. It was the most expensive excursion we took (we did three independent ones) and it was pretty good, if not great.

 

The main ordeal is getting up to Fira from the tender port below. Because there were four other cruise ships in port with us we were told the night before that Celebrity Constellation would have a tender window from 8am. To avoid being lost in the crowd we got up early the next morning at 6am to get our tender tickets (we secured number 7). We then hung around until we were called at 8.15. The tender itself was quick and efficient but when we were deposited at the dock below Fira we could already see a crowd building for the cable car. Despite what Celebrity said about us having a window it seemed most of the other ships had the same window! Anyway, my husband and I decided to take to the zig-zag walking path up the side of the cliff. This also doubles as the donkey path. It was steep and tiring but it was in the shade (at least in the morning) and took us 15/20 minutes; we’re relatively young and fit but it was a real climb! Our tour wasn’t meeting until 10am at the cable car entrance so we wandered around Fira for a bit and had a coffee overlooking the caldera and the various cruise ships below. Approaching 10am we made our way to the cable car station and looked out for our guide. It’s a bit chaotic there as you have guides with sheets of paper, people spilling out of the cable car station, people milling around waiting for tours, and Fira not being known for its wide streets. We eventually located our man and then had to wait for the other passengers. Turns out one pair (from Constellation) were stuck waiting for the cable car which meant we didn’t get to start the tour until after 10.30. The late pair told us that they were up at what they thought was an early time of 06.30 to get the tender ticket. And they actually got dropped at the dock in good time. Unfortunately for them the queue for the cable car was bonkers. Different ship passengers were joining what ended up being a 2 hour wait to get up the cable car (one of them had weak knees so there was no way of walking up the path). So, basically, Santorini has the potential to be an uncomfortable and chaotic landing. But if you’re going in October things should be much calmer.

 

On to the tour. There was 5 of us in total. Our driver/guide was friendly. But his accent was very heavy and we all struggled to understand him well. I also think he struggled to understand us too. It just made things a little awkward. He dropped us at Oia and gave us not very much time to walk through. We were to meet him at the bus station (where his air-conditioned Mercedes mini-van would be parked). Oia was of course a crush but it was lovely. I would’ve liked a bit more time to browse around. I did see a Celebrity excursion coach behind us at one point (‘Highlights of Santorini’ or some such title) and our driver told us that coaches are very restricted on what routes/roads they can use on the island because of their size. So getting a small-group tour is definitely the way to go on Santorini as you have much more freedom.

 

After this - it’s still a bit vague as there didn’t seem to be a defined itinerary despite what it stated when I booked - we were driven to different parts of the island. We went to the monastery on the high peak (lovely) and, for some reason, we were brought to the archaeological site at Akrotiri. This was fine but it was an additional €12 which was not advertised. The others were willing to visit and it was interesting. But I could’ve done without it. We then went to a winery where we sampled some lovely local wines and I ended up buying one (paid €50!! The things you do and buy on holiday!) The visit to the black beach was omitted (the driver said it’s not worth it as Santorini is not renowned for its beaches) and the tour ended with us being dropped back to Fira. We said our goodbyes and my husband and I made our way back to the dock. Again we decided to use the donkey path. This time the sun shone directly on us and it was a busier walk (the passing donkeys will sometimes trot right next to you - and once I saw a young man become part of a donkey-wall sandwich) but it’s easier on the legs downhill although it can get slippery on the dry smooth paving. Definitely be mindful of your step (and the poo). At the bottom the Celebrity crew met us with water, iced towels (seriously, the greatest treat of the whole cruise!) and a sheltered covering while we waited for the tender to bring us back to ship.

 

Overall, I am glad I did Santorini. It is undoubtedly gorgeous with some stunning views and locations. The landing, if you are not on a Celebrity excursion, can be stressful and wearying. The crowds in July were pretty overwhelming (especially in Oia) and the traffic on the roads (from all sorts of motorised vehicles) was kind of surprising. It did slow us down. Our trip ended up being around 4.5 hours. It was a nice overview of the island and we liked the people we were with. But it was a little stilted with our guide’s level of English. Compared to what we paid for a wonderful tour of Ephesus (half the price) it seemed a little on the expensive side, particularly given the extra cost at Akrotiri.

 

Anyway, those are my reflections on our day in Santorini. I’m sorry if I rambled on a bit. Santorini is a jewel. I’m not sure I’d rush back on a hot July day again though. But it’s definitely worth a stop. For you in October I’m sure most of the niggles I experienced or saw will be much mitigated by your off-season timing. And presumably there’ll be fewer if any other cruise ships in port that day which will significantly simplify the cable car process. Good luck and enjoy!

Thank you for sharing this update! 
 

Did you consider taking the boat from Fira to Oia? Or did you see anyone lining up for this? 
 

I believe it’s 30 euro per person. 

Group tour 

I'll be in Capri on Sept 16 with my husband and 2 year old daughter. 

We are interested in taking a boat tour around Capri, however most of the tour companies sponsored by capri.com have bad reviews on trip advisor. 

Does anyone have recommendations?

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Can't recommend Viator...many negative experiences here. They are a broker, they don't provide the service. Yes, their prices are good, but if you have an issue, it can be very difficult to reach someone. I speak from experience.

 

The common recommendation here is to find a local, recommended vendor, and book direct.

@CruiserBruce Okay thanks for the tip! 
 

Any recommendations for Santorini? 

No we don't have priority boarding. 

This is our first time sailing with RC, I've read that you can line up for tender tickets ahead of time. We're planning to line up extra early! 

On 7/4/2023 at 12:13 AM, alpencoolcruiser said:

We went up and down with the cable car with zero queues both ways : we just went on through but it is all about the timing of choosing when to disembark. Seeing Santorini was really cheap too - the return tickets for the cable car was provided by Virgin and the bus from Fira to Oia only costed 1,60 Euros each way and what we got was a lifetime of photo memories

@alpencoolcruiser what time did you disembark from the ship? thank you! 

On 11/10/2022 at 9:46 AM, emeraldlake said:

Does anyone have any information about Karavas Travel and Santorini's Panoramic Blue Shade Tour.

Good reviews on Tripadvisor but no information on Cruise Critic.

 

Thanks

@emeraldlake did you go on this tour? I'm also looking into it. Thank you!

I'll be in Santorini on Sept 18, 2023 with RC. We're the first ship to arrive at the port at 7am, followed by a Virgin ship at 9am. 

We've decided to book a shore excursion through Viator and the options are either 9am or 11am. If we are one of the first tenders off of the ship, do you think we'll make the 9am slot? 

I've read all about the cable car line ups, but our plan is to get off the ship ASAP.