santorini help

My first cruise involved a visit to Santorini, which was absolutely gorgeous. I went with my extended family, and no one really planned anything in advance (and I've learned from that and found this wonderful forum). Disembarking in Santorini was a nightmare, with long lines for both the donkey and cable car early in the morning. I'd like to go back, but now have small children. I was wondering if you book a private tour, do they normally pick you up from the tender port so you don't have to wait in line? Or is there any other way you'd recommend we could easily reach the top?

unfortunately only the ships tours drop off at tender port of Athionis where coaches take you up the cliff face and they don't drop off at that same place but at top of cliff in Fira so you still have to make your way down via cable car or walk donkey path

private tours meet you at top in Fira so still have to contend with cable car/donkey path to get up

however at base of cliff in Fira where independent cruisers are tendered to there are boats which sail you to Oia and include bus back to Fira and again only way down is cable car or walk donkey path

Fabn40+'s reply is spot-on.

Only ship's tour tenders go to the inter-island ferry harbour at Athinios, where the road comes down to the harbour.

Everyone else is tendered to the jetty at the base of the cliff below Fira.

(But ships' tours don't finish at the ferry harbour, they finish at the cliff-top in Fira and their excursionists have to mix it with everyone else to get down from Fira to the regular tender jetty.)

The alternative to going up by cablecar or donkey (mule) is to take the little ferryboat from the tender jetty to the jetty below Oia - this too has a road and the ferry fare includes a shuttle up to Oia (though these days I don't think it includes a bus back to Fira).

But you'd have great difficulty planning a meet-time for your tour.

And it's a one-way ferry, you can't use it to return to the tender jetty though I'm very surprised that no enterprising boat owner offers that service.

If you've not returned down the zig-zag donkey path to the tender jetty before, it's not that difficult unless you have walking difficulties. Glorious views and a very refreshing breeze. The path has a solid wall (no fear of arriving at the jetty head-first :D), it isn't steep & the steps are wide - though best to keep a hand on the wall as some of the paving is smooth & shiny & slippery. Few if any donkeys that time of day and in good weather no piles of donkey doo-doos, though dried poo can waft around a bit.

The walk takes 25 mins & avoids frequently-horrendous lines for the cablecar. Get to the top cablecar station at least 30 mins before last-tender time. If the cablecar line is short enough that's fine, if not continue past it & down the path. Plenty of cruisers do.

JB :)

Thanks so much for all of your helpful replies. Details like this are so important to navigate prior to booking when traveling with small children, so I'm glad I'll know what I'm facing in advance.

We have just returned (last week) and thanks to the many reviews etc on here we managed to see Fira by ourselves by getting off the ship at 8.30 we went straight up in the cable car we walked around for a couple of hours, had a drink and then took the cable car down at around 11.30 again getting straight on. By the time we arrived at the bottom the queue to go up was horrendous I heard people saying 1 1/2 hours. There were I think three ships in port at that time, a further ship was due to dock in the afternoon for me it was plenty of time and probably would be for small children unless aiming to visit elsewhere on the island. Hopefully some one else who has been may have had a similar experience to confirm if this is normal for these times.

We were just there (got back last week) and had no problem in the morning: we caught the first tender off the ship at 7 am (we were in line already at 7 am along with lots of other people with small and elementary-school-aged children!) and there was zero wait for the cable cars. We had a few minutes to wander Fira and take some photos before we met our guide, and then we were immediately off to Oia . . . which I recommend. Oia got noticeably (even impossibly) crowded between the time we arrived and the time we left. In fact, leaving Oia, our guide had to take us down the side alleys as the main walkways were too narrow for the crowds.

Everywhere else that day, the crowds were reasonable . . . until we got back to Fira mid-afternoon and the line for the cable car, which was enormous (we couldn't even see the end). I would have guessed 1.5-2 hours, based on what I heard? So we walked down the donkey stairs, which took about 20 minutes. Smelly. A little slippery. (Wear good shoes. The girl ahead of us on the path did not and provided us -- and her friend -- with some well-needed entertainment on the way down.) And watch for donkeys! There aren't many going up or down in the afternoon, but they expect you to dive out of their way. And there are several places where you have to navigate your way around waiting donkeys and their mess. It's still preferable to actually riding the donkeys, though: I remember the twenty-something guy who passed us on charging/skidding donkey-back (obviously talked into it by a significant other), screaming, "This is how I diiiieee!"

This doesn’t really answer your question but thought I’d share what my family and I did. We were there in May and traveled with a 2 and 5 year old and my parents in their 60s. Not sure how small your children are, but I would not recommend a stroller due to the cobble stones and steps everywhere and especially if you decide to take the donkey stairs down. I carried the 2 yr old in a carrier, and 5 yr old was only carried when necessary.

We were there with 4 other ships so I researched all the different options available. I opted to take the speed boat from the old port to Oia since we really wanted to visit the town. There are 2 companies that provide the speed boat service from the old port to Oia for about 15 euros, which also includes a bus ticket and ride back to Fira. It does not include the cable car down to the old port.

I am glad we went this route. The tendering process was super fast and easy considering there were 4 ships tendered at the same time. I made advance reservations for the speed boat to Oia but it didn’t seem necessary when we arrived. It took a few minutes to fill the speed boat, but once full, we were off to Oia. We got off the speed boat, walked up a small hill, and were loaded onto a bus to go to Oia. The bus driver told us the times and location to catch the bus back to Fira. The only complaint was finding the exact bus and trying to get the family on the bus with the hordes of people! Fira is a cute little town to walk around but super crowded and the cable car line wound all throughout the streets! We decided not to wait the 2+ hrs and took the donkey stairs with 2 young kids and elderly parents. If you decide to go this route, make sure you are wearing closed toe shoes with great traction. The stairs are super slippery and covered in donkey poop!

We have often posted about the horrors of the cable car...in the afternoon. On many days the ships will arrive at various times during the morning which serves to meter the number of crusiers trying to use the cable car to get up to Fira. But in mid-afternoon you can often get a bad situation when passengers, from several large ships, are all trying to get down to the tender pier located under Fira. Even those who went ashore on morning tours will generally be dropped in Fira and have to make their way down to the tender pier. The only way down is the cable car, Donkeys, or a long walk (part of which is on the same path strewed with Donkey poo. The cable car can only handle 600 persons per hour (in one direction) so you can imagine what happens when there are 2-3000 (or more) all trying to get down to the tender pier. This is the reality of Santorini and there is currently nothing that can be done..other then to limit the number of ships/cruise passengers in port.

We have no solution that would help cruisers other then to be prepared for a long wait to get down. The good news is that the ships do not strand their passengers on the island and will usually have a staffer at the top cable car station...monitoring the situation. When we started cruising (over forty years ago) the typical cruise ship carried fewer then 1200 passengers. Now, with many ships carrying 4000+...something has to be done about several popular ports that simply do not have the infrastructure to support these numbers.

Hank

Does anyone have any insight to what the cable car is like for those ships that arrive at 2 PM? We have just booked the Norwegian Jade for next year and we are there from 2 PM - 10 PM. As of now our thoughts are just to see either just Fira or also Oia, but since my knees aren't great I need to plan around hordes of people. Any info greatly appreciated.

At the end of our Celebrity “Oia on your own” tour, we were dropping off back at the Athinios ferry harbor and were picked up by ferry to go back to the ship. ThIs is one of only two ports that I take a ships tour, because it is easiest to get off the ship quickly. I know that this was an experiment on Celebrity’s part to see how it worked, and I certainly hope they continue this because it made the whole day stress-free.

This is the first we have seen on this board where it is mentioned that return to ship was from Athinios port. Thats a great option especially when there are more than 2 ships in port.

Last month, we took the recommended fast ferry option to Oia from the tender port. There are some negative points that one should be aware of:

1) It is NOT a speed boat. Just a ferry boat

2) It is NOT a 10 min boat ride. More like 20

3) Big Negative: :Boat is leaving soon: is the standard lie, You may end up waiting 30-40 minutes while they fill the boat

4) While getting off at the Ammoudi bay at the base of Oia, there is a small steep hill to climb. May be a challenge for some people.

5) Boat carries more people than BUs. SO people getting off last from the boat may have to stand in the bus.

6) Another Big Negative: "Included" Bus back to Fira may stop running prematurely forcing you to arrange your own transport back. Taxi is not easy to find at Oia (depends on how many are taken away by private tours)

7) Oia bus station is a big chaotic mess.

If ship price excursion half decently and include transfer via Athinios port (both ways) then it is certainly better way to do it

Does anyone have any insight to what the cable car is like for those ships that arrive at 2 PM? We have just booked the Norwegian Jade for next year and we are there from 2 PM - 10 PM. As of now our thoughts are just to see either just Fira or also Oia, but since my knees aren't great I need to plan around hordes of people. Any info greatly appreciated.

As we have posted, the cable car can move approximately 600 persons an hour (in one direction). So perhaps you could do a little math. Assume you are the only cruise ship arriving that time of the day. Your ship carries about 2400 passengers. The tendering process means that it can take a long time to get everyone ashore so that serves to meter the number of folks trying to use the cable car at the same time. But assume that only 1800 passengers will want to get down to the tender pier around the same time to get back to the ship. If all those folks wanted to use the cable car it would take at least 3 hours just to get them all down to the tender pier. This is all part of the experience :).

Hank

The more I read, the more I start to think is it worth it.

The more I read, the more I start to think is it worth it.

Yes, it is worth it :). And that is why so many ships and land travelers have this island on their itinerary. The scenary is stunning, the island is very tourist friendly, the shopping is good, and it ranks up there as one of DW's favorite places (and you do not want to argue with her). Just be prepared for some queues and hassles when it comes to tendering and the cable car. And remember, you do have some alternative options to that cable car. There are the donkeys (argh) or you can walk the steps and trail up or down (just keep one eye down watching for donkey poop.

In a lifetime of extensive around the world travel, one of our favorite moments happened at Santorini :). It is a special place.

Hank

The more I read, the more I start to think is it worth it.

I would say it is worth it, but with careful planning as to timing and checking which other ships are in port and at what time.

The first time we visited we took a ship's excursion which called in a winery first. By the time we got to Oia we were walking down the narrow streets in crowds akin to visiting a busy football game at home - moving at a very slow pace because of the sheer number of people. We managed to take some nice photos and found a spot for lunch. When we got back to Fira some of our party decided to shop and a couple of us offered to take all our 6 kids back to the ship. Big mistake!!! There were two Costa ships heading back around the same time and (with all due respect) Italians do not queue ;p There were hundreds of people in line and no semblance of any queuing - it was every man for himself. My husband had to leave me with the kids to go and help a poor lady with a husband in a wheelchair who kept being pushed out of the way by the animals in the line. They were even climbing into the funicular terminal building through the windows to jump in line . There were no officials and no attempt to help

Now this may be an extreme example but it is something that could happen.

We have been to Santorini many times since. We've had nice visits there when there weren't many other ships in, or their timing fitted in well with ours. We've had times where we've stayed on the ship because we knew we would encounter problems. We've taken a boat trip from the dock to the Caldera on one occasion. I would definitely get the boat to Oia again, just because it cuts out the line to go up in the cable car but, as others have pointed out, there's no easy way down unless you are fortunate to be there on a day when your ship is leaving at a favourable time to the other ships in port.

On one occasion we decided to stay onboard and heard via some people onboard that their friends had got off and the lines up were horrendous (this is before they started running the boats to Oia). They had also opted to stay onboard although they'd never been before. A couple of hours later their friends messaged to say there were virtually no lines and that they really shouldn't miss out, so they decided to go. So sometimes it's worth holding back until the initial rush has gone - but always bearing in mind which other ships are in port and at what times. You can check this on cruisetimetables

The more I read, the more I start to think is it worth it.

Yes! Maybe its a Jersey thing - but nothing is worth standing 3+ hours in the sun.

I would for sure have to cart a foldable stool with me or sit on the ground-lol

I know there is less than no way I am taking donkey transportation. Lol that is not going to happen.

The steps could be tempting, however when push comes to shove I know we will rely on the cable cars. I’ve broken a leg in the recent past from an accidental fall. I was out of commission for 6 months due to a slip and fall.

I am considering one of the tours where the boat takes us there and later we go to a winery later.

Yes! Maybe its a Jersey thing - but nothing is worth standing 3+ hours in the sun.

 

I would for sure have to cart a foldable stool with me or sit on the ground-lol

In Jersey you don't mind sitting in traffic for hours! Standing around Santorini is a better idea :). But in all seriousness, it is a real shame that Santorini has become a victim of its own popularity. The only solution (regarding cruises) is to limit the number or size of visiting cruise ships. Those that visit the island for a few days or longer would probably prefer if they totally banned cruises. What we find impressive is that the island has not lost its charm...despite all the visitors.

Hank

In Jersey you don't mind sitting in traffic for hours! Standing around Santorini is a better idea :). But in all seriousness, it is a real shame that Santorini has become a victim of its own popularity. The only solution (regarding cruises) is to limit the number or size of visiting cruise ships. Those that visit the island for a few days or longer would probably prefer if they totally banned cruises. What we find impressive is that the island has not lost its charm...despite all the visitors.

 

Hank

I agree- and I would not get so close and not experience some of it. The problem is some of us do have physical ailments that cause concern. So a portable seat it is- my husband is going love carrying that around......

I agree- and I would not get so close and not experience some of it. The problem is some of us do have physical ailments that cause concern. So a portable seat it is- my husband is going love carrying that around......

We hear ya (we are seniors) with the portable seat which is not a bad idea anywhere :). DW and I would be back in Santorini tomorrow whether on a cruise or just one of our extended DIY land trips. We encouraged our DD to go there for a week (they stayed at an upscale place in Oia) and they fell in love with the island. As retirees without having to deal with job schedules we now try to cruise to that part of the world off season (usually in the spring) before it becomes a total zoo. Just keep in mind that the Cable Car stations (upper and lower) are not in isolated areas so there is access to rest rooms, food, and drink.

Hank

We hear ya (we are seniors) with the portable seat which is not a bad idea anywhere :). DW and I would be back in Santorini tomorrow whether on a cruise or just one of our extended DIY land trips. We encouraged our DD to go there for a week (they stayed at an upscale place in Oia) and they fell in love with the island. As retirees without having to deal with job schedules we now try to cruise to that part of the world off season (usually in the spring) before it becomes a total zoo. Just keep in mind that the Cable Car stations (upper and lower) are not in isolated areas so there is access to rest rooms, food, and drink.

 

Hank

We are retired as well - and I thought booking the later part of September was somewhat off season. I have since read it is still very hot in September. That is good information to know about the Cable Car stations - Thanks! I still have lots of reading to do. We have not been any further East than Italy.

The thing is it doesn't matter whether we do a ship sponsored tour or not - we will still have to deal with the Cable Car lines coming back. I may just decide to go to Oia on our own so we can go at our own pace (for me slow-lol). Since I now know what to expect I will be able to better cope with it all (and the portable seat will save my back and knees)

I know there is less than no way I am taking donkey transportation. Lol that is not going to happen.

The steps could be tempting, however when push comes to shove I know we will rely on the cable cars. I’ve broken a leg in the recent past from an accidental fall. I was out of commission for 6 months due to a slip and fall.

I am considering one of the tours where the boat takes us there and later we go to a winery later.

Hi Karen...great minds think alike as it looks like we are doing the same research. We were set to take a catamaran ride in the morning before heading to Oia; but the more I read, the more it looks like we need to get to Oai early and plan other activities afterwards. We are totally confused about the two different ports in Santorini and how to get from point A to point B. After reading this thread, I have lots more questions!

See you in Roma.

Susan

It is interesting to hear the Celebrity has been able to try out a ferry back from Althinios!

I understand that Santorini strictly controls all access.

Unfortunately, we are looking at sailing on the HAL new-build.

And, I don't think that they would do anything like this at all.

I have contacted one of the recommended tour operators.

He did say that if we arranged to take the ferry from the cruise ship docking area over to Ammoudi, below Oia, that they could meet us there. That would put us at OIa early!

But, getting back to the ship is a real issue at Santorini!!!

Does anyone have any insight to what the cable car is like for those ships that arrive at 2 PM? We have just booked the Norwegian Jade for next year and we are there from 2 PM - 10 PM. As of now our thoughts are just to see either just Fira or also Oia, but since my knees aren't great I need to plan around hordes of people. Any info greatly appreciated.

I was on that cruise a few years ago. We took a shore excursion and tendered to Althinios and took a bus up so I am not sure how the 2 pm arrival affected the cable car getting up to Fira. But coming back was no problem. There was a line going down but it was not bad - we already had cable car tickets which were included with the excursion. We had time for a leisurely dinner with sunset views from Fira before getting the cable car. I would just say monitor the port for the number of ships and the time they are scheduled to leave. We were the last ship to leave that day.

I was on that cruise a few years ago. We took a shore excursion and tendered to Althinios and took a bus up so I am not sure how the 2 pm arrival affected the cable car getting up to Fira. But coming back was no problem. There was a line going down but it was not bad - we already had cable car tickets which were included with the excursion. We had time for a leisurely dinner with sunset views from Fira before getting the cable car. I would just say monitor the port for the number of ships and the time they are scheduled to leave. We were the last ship to leave that day.

Thank you - that makes me a little more at ease. I have searched for port schedules but they could change in 13 months. I will continue to monitor.