Santorini....Any ships (including very small) that stay for sunset..

[kathy49]

it seems most every ship leaves before sunset which frankly as someone who usually stays on the island is great....are there any ships that either overnight or at least stay until about 11pm or Midnight? Thanks.

[mapleleaves]

We were on the NCL Gem last month.  Our port time was 1:30pm to 10pm.  Sunset was around 7pm so pax could enjoy the sunset from the ship, cable car, or from the cliff.  Unfortunately it was very cloudy so there was just a brief sliver of color for a few minutes.  There was a Costa ship that left around 9pm and another small ship that stayed until 2am, Crystal something I think.

You'll need to check the Port of Santorini to find port times for whichever ships are in port on whichever days you're interested in.  And check the sunset times since they vary widely from May to Sept.

[kathy49]

1 hour ago, mapleleaves said:

We were on the NCL Gem last month.  Our port time was 1:30pm to 10pm.  Sunset was around 7pm so pax could enjoy the sunset from the ship, cable car, or from the cliff.  Unfortunately it was very cloudy so there was just a brief sliver of color for a few minutes.  There was a Costa ship that left around 9pm and another small ship that stayed until 2am, Crystal something I think.

You'll need to check the Port of Santorini to find port times for whichever ships are in port on whichever days you're interested in.  And check the sunset times since they vary widely from May to Sept.

Thank you helpful suggestions....

[CruiserBruce]

Sunset won't be at 11 or midnight...so the ship doesn't have to stay that late. Our cruise (on Holland America in August) sailed at 9pm, right in the middle of sunset. It was awesome.

[dacf]

On 10/17/2022 at 5:27 AM, CruiserBruce said:

Sunset won't be at 11 or midnight...so the ship doesn't have to stay that late. Our cruise (on Holland America in August) sailed at 9pm, right in the middle of sunset. It was awesome.

CruiserBruce - We were thinking of a cruise to the Greek islands in Aug. 2023, but what I read was to stay away because it is sooo hot that you can't really do too much of anything and also very crowded.   Since you went in August, what was the weather like?   Were you able to get out and enjoy the excursions? 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, dacf said:

CruiserBruce - We were thinking of a cruise to the Greek islands in Aug. 2023, but what I read was to stay away because it is sooo hot that you can't really do too much of anything and also very crowded.   Since you went in August, what was the weather like?   Were you able to get out and enjoy the excursions? 

It was hot and crowded. I don't mind the heat, but others in our party were uncomfortable. And there is some humidity involved as well.

 

Crowds were a mild to moderate problem...particularly at places like the Acropolis and Santorini.

 

We are looking at cruising the Med again in 2025.It will be in May, most likely.

[dacf]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

It was hot and crowded. I don't mind the heat, but others in our party were uncomfortable. And there is some humidity involved as well.

 

Crowds were a mild to moderate problem...particularly at places like the Acropolis and Santorini.

 

We are looking at cruising the Med again in 2025.It will be in May, most likely.

Thanks so much for your response.

[dacf]

Just now, dacf said:

Thanks so much for your response.

Oh gee I almost forgot to ask.    I heard that Greece can get breezy which can help with the heat.   Is this true?  Was it breezy or even windy?  What was the temp. there?

[marazul]

Breezes only help on the seashore.  When the high winds are blowing, tender ports can get canceled. 

The temps in August are usually in the high 90s. It has frequently been over 100 in the past few years.

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, dacf said:

Oh gee I almost forgot to ask.    I heard that Greece can get breezy which can help with the heat.   Is this true?  Was it breezy or even windy?  What was the temp. there?

I don't recall any notable breezes.

[dacf]

17 hours ago, marazul said:

Breezes only help on the seashore.  When the high winds are blowing, tender ports can get canceled. 

The temps in August are usually in the high 90s. It has frequently been over 100 in the past few years.

Thanks Marazul - Unfortunately, I think we better rethink this cruise.  Those temperatures are going to be way too hot for us Canadians. especially with our 86yr old parents coming along on the cruise with us.   

 

My niece is getting married in Austria on Aug. 5th.   We were planning on taking a cruise after her wedding.   Gee, I wished it was bumped appx. 4 - 6wks ahead, we could have gone mid Sept.   I think that's a good time to go to Greece and Italy?    We'll just have to return another year.

Edited October 28, 2022 by dacf

[marazul]

1 hour ago, dacf said:

Thanks Marazul - Unfortunately, I think we better rethink this cruise.  Those temperatures are going to be way too hot for us Canadians. especially with our 86yr old parents coming along on the cruise with us.   

 

My niece is getting married in Austria on Aug. 5th.   We were planning on taking a cruise after her wedding.   Gee, I wished it was bumped appx. 4 - 6wks ahead, we could have gone mid Sept.   I think that's a good time to go to Greece and Italy?    We'll just have to return another year.

Well, consider a cruise in northern Europe. It will be perfect then.  The Norwegian fjords are wonderful.

And go to the Med in mid-September another time.

[MamaFej]

20 hours ago, dacf said:

Oh gee I almost forgot to ask.    I heard that Greece can get breezy which can help with the heat.   Is this true?  Was it breezy or even windy?  What was the temp. there?

 

20 hours ago, marazul said:

Breezes only help on the seashore.  When the high winds are blowing, tender ports can get canceled. 

The temps in August are usually in the high 90s. It has frequently been over 100 in the past few years.

We had significant wind on Mykonos in July of 2017, so much so that our kayaking adventure turned into a tour of a local farm (and one of our best travel days ever).

 

We had no trouble with very hot Santorini that year, but did miss it this May, due to the winds. It was simply not safe to run tenders.  

 

@marazul has great advice. The Norwegian fjords are indeed phenomenal. In August, you could also consider a river cruise and/or land time in Central Europe. You'll already be there. I highly recommend the Glacier Express train in Switzerland. 

[marazul]

3 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

 

@marazul has great advice. The Norwegian fjords are indeed phenomenal. In August, you could also consider a river cruise and/or land time in Central Europe. You'll already be there. I highly recommend the Glacier Express train in Switzerland. 

Thanks.

I would be concerned about a river cruise in August.  Because of climate change Europe has had severe droughts the past few summers and the rivers are running low.  Some cruises have had to bus passengers between ports.  I think Spring is a better time for a river cruise.

Your idea of land travel in Switzerland and Austria is great. 

[dacf]

On 10/28/2022 at 10:39 AM, marazul said:

Thanks.

I would be concerned about a river cruise in August.  Because of climate change Europe has had severe droughts the past few summers and the rivers are running low.  Some cruises have had to bus passengers between ports.  I think Spring is a better time for a river cruise.

Your idea of land travel in Switzerland and Austria is great. 

My parents suggested a river cruise, even though they did one before and they said the evenings were boring - no entertainment like what you find on the mega ships.  I looked into it watching a youtube video of it and I've come to a conclusion that neither my husband and I who are active and like to do a lot (even in the evening) don't want to be stuck on a (what I call) a Snooze Cruise LOL!!   Basically, in the evenings there is nothing to do.

 

We are considering a land travel so we can also tour Germany and France.   However, not 100% bought on the idea as we are big cruisers and love the idea of unpacking once and seeing many countries.

 

The Norwegian route is a consideration, but since we live near the Canadian Rockies and when we saw Alaska, we didn't think it was anything special as it's very similar to home, we were wondering would we feel this way about Norway, Sweden, etc.?

 

I saw a Spain, Portugal and France cruise.   Maybe we'll do that.

[dacf]

9 minutes ago, dacf said:

My parents suggested a river cruise, even though they did one before and they said the evenings were boring - no entertainment like what you find on the mega ships.  I looked into it watching a youtube video of it and I've come to a conclusion that neither my husband and I who are active and like to do a lot (even in the evening) don't want to be stuck on a (what I call) a Snooze Cruise LOL!!   Basically, in the evenings there is nothing to do.

 

We are considering a land travel so we can also tour Germany and France.   However, not 100% bought on the idea as we are big cruisers and love the idea of unpacking once and seeing many countries.

 

The Norwegian route is a consideration, but since we live near the Canadian Rockies and when we saw Alaska, we didn't think it was anything special as it's very similar to home, we were wondering would we feel this way about Norway, Sweden, etc.?

 

I saw a Spain, Portugal and France cruise.   Maybe we'll do that.

Alaska was our only non tropical destination we've ever taken and I  didn't consider it much of a holiday.  We prefer to go where it's more tropical.   That's why we think maybe Spain and Portugal - warm weather combined with history.  However my husband is still thinking of Greece LOL!!  Our hottest temp we get here is 35c!  So we can handle it that heat.

[marazul]

23 minutes ago, dacf said:

My parents suggested a river cruise, even though they did one before and they said the evenings were boring - no entertainment like what you find on the mega ships.  I looked into it watching a youtube video of it and I've come to a conclusion that neither my husband and I who are active and like to do a lot (even in the evening) don't want to be stuck on a (what I call) a Snooze Cruise LOL!!   Basically, in the evenings there is nothing to do.

 

We are considering a land travel so we can also tour Germany and France.   However, not 100% bought on the idea as we are big cruisers and love the idea of unpacking once and seeing many countries.

 

The Norwegian route is a consideration, but since we live near the Canadian Rockies and when we saw Alaska, we didn't think it was anything special as it's very similar to home, we were wondering would we feel this way about Norway, Sweden, etc.?

 

I saw a Spain, Portugal and France cruise.   Maybe we'll do that.

Well, your parents do have a point...

 

The Norwegian fjords are very different from Alaskan fjords.  More dramatic landscapes, no glaciers.  Beautiful towns, such as Bergen. Plus you get to visit Copehangen, Oslo and/or Stockholm.

The Spain, etc cruise will be just as hot as the Greek cruise if it is all in the Med. If it goes from Spain to Portugal and the Atlantic coast of France, it could be better weather wise.

Edited October 29, 2022 by marazul

[marazul]

8 minutes ago, dacf said:

Alaska was our only non tropical destination we've ever taken and I  didn't consider it much of a holiday.  We prefer to go where it's more tropical.   That's why we think maybe Spain and Portugal - warm weather combined with history.  However my husband is still thinking of Greece LOL!!  Our hottest temp we get here is 35c!  So we can handle it that heat.

Well, I thought you were trying to avoid the heat.

Quite frankly, we often go to Greece in August. Yes, it is hot, but it is Greece.  

And we have spent many summers travelling in France,  Spain  and Italy. 

If you want hot weather, the Med in August will do it. Heat, architecture, history, food - it has it all.

Edited October 29, 2022 by marazul

[dacf]

11 hours ago, marazul said:

Well, I thought you were trying to avoid the heat.

Quite frankly, we often go to Greece in August. Yes, it is hot, but it is Greece.  

And we have spent many summers travelling in France,  Spain  and Italy. 

If you want hot weather, the Med in August will do it. Heat, architecture, history, food - it has it all.

Yes, we want to avoid the extreme heat.   We were in Vegas appx. 12 yrs ago and it was HOT!!!  That's the extreme heat we want to avoid.  If it's mid 30's, we'll be ok.   However, if it's mid 40's we won't be.  Someone I know was in Italy early August of last year 2021 and she told me they had to miss most of their excursions cause the heat was 45c!!  However, they did say it was very unusual heat at that time.

We're currently looking at 9 night NCL Getaway Aug. 8th departure out of England.  Goes to Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal.  

[marazul]

6 hours ago, dacf said:

Yes, we want to avoid the extreme heat.   We were in Vegas appx. 12 yrs ago and it was HOT!!!  That's the extreme heat we want to avoid.  If it's mid 30's, we'll be ok.   However, if it's mid 40's we won't be.  Someone I know was in Italy early August of last year 2021 and she told me they had to miss most of their excursions cause the heat was 45c!!  However, they did say it was very unusual heat at that time.

We're currently looking at 9 night NCL Getaway Aug. 8th departure out of England.  Goes to Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal.  

That cruise is mostly on the Atlantic.  That should meet your requirements. 

Do stay in Lisbon for a couple of days at the end

 

[dacf]

8 hours ago, marazul said:

That cruise is mostly on the Atlantic.  That should meet your requirements. 

Do stay in Lisbon for a couple of days at the end

 

Thanks!!  Have you been to any of these ports before?  Any recommendations on what to see?  I forgot to mention when we were in Vegas it was early July.  Just a last question before I completely abolish the idea regarding Greece and Italy.  Is it that hot like Vegas in July?

[marazul]

2 minutes ago, dacf said:

Thanks!!  Have you been to any of these ports before?  Any recommendations on what to see?  I forgot to mention when we were in Vegas it was early July.  Just a last question before I completely abolish the idea regarding Greece and Italy.  Is it that hot like Vegas in July?

Nothing is as hot as Vegas in July. Not even Hades.

 

As for the ports, you would have to post them

 Chances are that I have been there.  We lived in that part of the world for a few years and travel back often. 

[dacf]

5 minutes ago, marazul said:

Nothing is as hot as Vegas in July. Not even Hades.

 

As for the ports, you would have to post them

 Chances are that I have been there.  We lived in that part of the world for a few years and travel back often. 

Ahhh Ok .......mmm......I was thinking it was as hot as Vegas in July.   So how hot can Greece get?  When was the last time you were in Greece in August?

 

[marazul]

16 minutes ago, dacf said:

Ahhh Ok .......mmm......I was thinking it was as hot as Vegas in July.   So how hot can Greece get?  When was the last time you were in Greece in August?

 

Last year. We were there for 2 weeks. 

It got to the  high 90sF. About a 100 a couple of times. Muggy.

So we went to the beach or adjourned to a taverna for a cold beer.

 

If you go, do your outdoors sightseeing early in the morning.  Save the museums, etc for later in the day. Enjoy a long relaxing lunch in the shade or A/C.

[pdmlynek]

We did NCL Jade in June, and we watched the sunset from Santorini.  The sunset was at 20:40, and our ship left at 21:30 (with the last tender running at 21:00).  So, yes, it could be done, but depending on the sunset time, you do not want to waste too much time getting down to the tender pier.

 

And, as @mapleleaves wrote, the sunset times vary.  Here are the sunset times at Santorini:

1 Apr 19:40

1 May 20:06

1 Jun 20:30

1 Jul 20:40

1 Aug 20:24

1 Sep 19:46

1 Oct 19:02