Thira, Santorini

[all-afloaty]

Can anyone tell me when you dock at Thira is the only way out in the cable car? I notice that if you take the Thomson excursion to Oia you leave by boat but you still have to get the cable car back down to the ship. My friend doesn't like small boats or cable cars so I'm trying to find an alternative for her ;) Any advice very much appreciated!

 

 

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[kruzseeka]

Can anyone tell me when you dock at Thira is the only way out in the cable car? I notice that if you take the Thomson excursion to Oia you leave by boat but you still have to get the cable car back down to the ship. My friend doesn't like small boats or cable cars so I'm trying to find an alternative for her ;) Any advice very much appreciated!

 

 

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When you say 'dock' in Thira, I assume you are referring to the tender service dock. The cruise ships are too big to dock. They don't use their own tenders either. They are provided by the port authority and I would say are larger than the ship's tenders (lifeboats) - but not much.

 

These tenders dock at the base of the cable car. It's by far the best way to get up to the town on top of the cliff and takes literally only a few minutes and pretty well hugs the cliff - you don't get huge stretches where you are suspended over giddy drops. You can walk up the zig-zag path but you share that with the donkeys and not really to be recommended. The other way is to travel up by donkey but again many would not advise this either on animal welfare grounds or for safety.

 

So it's a bit of a dilemma given your friend's dislike of small boats or cable cars!

 

The Thomson trip to Oia takes you from the ship again via a tendering service to a different docking area where buses can get down to sea level. You then use the bus to go to Oia but on your return they drop you in Thira with your cable car ticket to get down to the dock area where the general tendering service leaves to get back to the ship. You need the ticket to get down to the tender unless you walk or take the donkeys.

 

So method 1. Tender off, cable car/walk/donkey up, cable car/walk/donkey down, tender to ship

method 2. Tender off, coach, cable car/walk/donkey down, tender to ship

 

There's no alternative as far as I am aware. Personally I'd say walking up or down the zig-zag or riding a donkey is far more dangerous than the cable car. We've heard of some nasty accidents to passengers - in fact I think everyone we've been someone has come to grief.

 

There is absolutely no way you can get onto Santorini without tendering.

 

I do hope your friend can overcome her dislike of small craft and cable cars as it is one of the most iconic, beautiful and memorable places I've ever seen. It would be an awful shame not to get off the ship and experience this amazing destination.

Edited June 18, 2014 by kruzseeka

[all-afloaty]

When you say 'dock' in Thira, I assume you are referring to the tender service dock. The cruise ships are too big to dock. They don't use their own tenders either. They are provided by the port authority and I would say are larger than the ship's tenders (lifeboats) - but not much.

 

These tenders dock at the base of the cable car. It's by far the best way to get up to the town on top of the cliff and takes literally only a few minutes and pretty well hugs the cliff - you don't get huge stretches where you are suspended over giddy drops. You can walk up the zig-zag path but you share that with the donkeys and not really to be recommended. The other way is to travel up by donkey but again many would not advise this either on animal welfare grounds or for safety.

 

So it's a bit of a dilemma given your friend's dislike of small boats or cable cars!

 

The Thomson trip to Oia takes you from the ship again via a tendering service to a different docking area where buses can get down to sea level. You then use the bus to go to Oia but on your return they drop you in Thira with your cable car ticket to get down to the dock area where the general tendering service leaves to get back to the ship. You need the ticket to get down to the tender unless you walk or take the donkeys.

 

So method 1. Tender off, cable car/walk/donkey up, cable car/walk/donkey down, tender to ship

method 2. Tender off, coach, cable car/walk/donkey down, tender to ship

 

There's no alternative as far as I am aware. Personally I'd say walking up or down the zig-zag or riding a donkey is far more dangerous than the cable car. We've heard of some nasty accidents to passengers - in fact I think everyone we've been someone has come to grief.

 

There is absolutely no way you can get onto Santorini without tendering.

 

I do hope your friend can overcome her dislike of small craft and cable cars as it is one of the most iconic, beautiful and memorable places I've ever seen. It would be an awful shame not to get off the ship and experience this amazing destination.

 

 

 

 

 

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[davecttr]

Your best bet would be to take the Thomson excursion. That way you only use the cable car once! It would be a pity to miss going ashore at Santorini because it is one of the jewels of the Aegean

[all-afloaty]

Aww thanks for that Kruzseeka you went to so much trouble! She definitely wouldn't do the donkey thing and her mobility isn't too good so walking isn't an option! We did get her on the cable car on Gibraltar, so fingers crossed, as you say it would be an awful shame if she missed Oia ;)

 

Thanks again, All-afloaty

 

 

 

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[all-afloaty]

Your best bet would be to take the Thomson excursion. That way you only use the cable car once! It would be a pity to miss going ashore at Santorini because it is one of the jewels of the Aegean

 

 

Thanks Dave! I think the Thomson excursion is best for her too. If it was just me and my oh we would get the cable car and go to Oia on the bus but I think the excursion would be money well spent for her!

 

Cheers

 

 

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[kruzseeka]

Aww thanks for that Kruzseeka you went to so much trouble! She definitely wouldn't do the donkey thing and her mobility isn't too good so walking isn't an option! We did get her on the cable car on Gibraltar, so fingers crossed, as you say it would be an awful shame if she missed Oia ;)

 

Thanks again, All-afloaty

 

 

 

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You're welcome All-floaty. :) Well if she managed the cable car in Gibraltar, the one at Thira is a doddle! Much shorter no huge drops and definitely not strung out like a washing line! ;)

[davecttr]

Thanks Dave! I think the Thomson excursion is best for her too. If it was just me and my oh we would get the cable car and go to Oia on the bus but I think the excursion would be money well spent for her!

 

Cheers

 

 

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If the excursion is the same one i was on you go to Oia first, pronounced hiya apparently as Greeks ignore the 'O'. Then to the co-operative winery for nice views, free wine and large bowls of olives - bliss:D then to Santorini itself where you have free time and a cable car ticket.

[shinycruiser]

Please do not walk down the steps which have the donkeys on. I did this 2 years ago. We had to walk through a lot of donkeys. The steps were steep and slippy. I did slip although not badly hurt, but very embarrassed.

[shinycruiser]

I am visiting Santorini again this year and will use the excursion with the coach, then the cable car. I too am a bit scared of the cable car, but everyone else uses it and they seem fine afterwards.

[all-afloaty]

I am visiting Santorini again this year and will use the excursion with the coach, then the cable car. I too am a bit scared of the cable car, but everyone else uses it and they seem fine afterwards.

 

 

Thank you shinycruiser we are going to take the cable car up and down! :))

 

 

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[slhw]

Dont, however tempted, walk up or down to Thira. My sister in law attempted to walk down when she was there 3 weeks ago and slipped and broke her ankle. She was on an MSC cruise and, unlike Thomson, was not warned that the path could be dangerous with the donkey droppings etc. She tells me also that she saw two other women being attended to by medics - one woman was on a stretcher having her head put in a brace. Both the Destination Services staff on Celebration and the CD warned us about the hazards on the path.

 

We had been there, with Thomson, the week before. We went up and down in the cable car - it was fun and not even a little bit hair raising. Santorini is absolutely beautiful, we loved it. Because I had managed to fall over and hurt my back just before we were going away, we didnt book a Thomson trip in Santorini. However, after we had had a stroll around Thira, we went for a coffee and they were offering mini bus trips to Oia for 15 euros each. We decided to go and had to wait about 30 mins for the next trip. However, nobody else booked so, for 20 euros, myself and husband were the only passengers on the mini bus and had a wonderful time with the extremely attentive and knowledgeable driver - Nicholas. Oia is so beautiful it takes you breath away and we really felt that we had had a very personal tour.

 

Again, don't walk up or down, it's far too beautiful a place to have bad memories of.

 

Sandie

[all-afloaty]

Thanks so much for the info Sandie :)

 

 

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[all-afloaty]

Sandie, were you on Celebration?

 

 

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