NCL - Santorini Excursions

[Dawn_F]

We will be in Santorini in late September.

Has anyone taken this NCL excursion in Santorini?

LET'S TAKE A SELFIE – SANTORINI

 

If so, what did you think?

[MeHeartCruising]

I did not take the excursion.  But upon reading the description on the NCL site, I have to ask, do you really need instructions and equipment on how to best take a selfie?  I would see this as unnecessary stuff added to a short excursion that will take away from valuable sight-seeing time.  I would look for an excursion that visits places you want to see and experience.  And then take your own pictures using your own existing selfie skills.  That's just my opinion.

 

I'm not even certain what "the Aroma Avlis" is.  As near as I can tell from Google search it is a winery/restaurant.  And it doesn't appear to really have all that great of a view.  The stops in Oia and Fira would be nice locations, however.  But I think other excursions would give you more time there.

 

From NCL's site:  

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Santorini! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site as many of the stops will include wi-fi in real time. Professional photographers & selfie experts will teach you how to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination. 

 

Your tour will start with a scenic drive from the ship to the Aroma Avlis. Your walking tour will have designated selfie stops at: • Aroma Avlis 
• The Blue Domes Churches of Oia 
• Church Bells in Fira 

To make this experience even more fun, you will be provided with a selfie stick and utilize our Selfie Station in order to help catch the perfect picture. While at Aroma Avlis, you will enjoy a wine tasting and explore one of the most famous wineries on the island.

Edited February 26, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[LGinPA]

Has anyone taken this: NCL Let's Take A Selfie in Santorini?  

 

I called NCL shore excursion to get more details. They said it's a small group excursion, and besides the driver they send a cell phone photo expert along.  At each stop they get you to the best places to take pictures. 

 

You are at:

• Aroma Avlis for wine tasting for 45 minutes. This is a highly rated winery, and the tasting fee is included. 
• Then Oia for 45 minutes. 
• Then FIra for 30 minutes with the guide.

 

You then have the option to:

A. Stay in Fira as long as you like, taking the cable car down. Or...

B. Take the bus back to the Athinos port. No cable car involved.  This gives you no free time to wander in Fira. 

 

It seems expensive for what you get, but the smaller group is nice. And if getting great pictures is important to you, knowing you'll be taken to the best spots for photos is nice also. But it leaves no time for wandering in Oia. 

 

So just wondering if anyone has done this? If so is what I was told correct? Thanks!  

Edited March 6, 2023 by LGinPA

[pdmlynek]

On 2/26/2023 at 7:39 AM, Dawn_F said:

We will be in Santorini in late September.

Has anyone taken this NCL excursion in Santorini?

LET'S TAKE A SELFIE – SANTORINI

 

If so, what did you think?

I did not, so I am not able to comment on it, except that during our planning of what we will do on Santorini, I've gotten some ideas from the "Let's Take a Selfie" of where to go.  

 

[LGinPA]

1 minute ago, pdmlynek said:

I did not, so I am not able to comment on it, except that during our planning of what we will do on Santorini, I've gotten some ideas from the "Let's Take a Selfie" of where to go.  

 

 

Will you be renting a car for the day, or getting a private guide? 

 

We usually do independent touring or with a private guide. But given our hours in port (1 - 10), and wanting to eat dinner on the ship, and with the other ships in port we've decided to succumb to taking an NCL excursion to avoid the wait for the cable car up. 

 

 

[pdmlynek]

5 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

 

Will you be renting a car for the day, or getting a private guide? 

 

We usually do independent touring or with a private guide. But given our hours in port (1 - 10), and wanting to eat dinner on the ship, and with the other ships in port we've decided to succumb to taking an NCL excursion to avoid the wait for the cable car up. 

 

 

 

During our cruise, on some Greek Islands we rented cars or boats, but on Santorini we just used buses.  We actually took two separate bus trips; one to Oia, and one to Akrotiri.  I recommend both, but there are plenty of other places on Santorini to visit.  

 

As far as eating on the ship, that should not be a problem.  The sunset is at 19:46 in early September, at 19:03 in late September, so you'll have plenty of time to watch the sunset from the cliffs in Fira, and then walk down to the ship.  You can be on board by 20:00, and have dinner by 20:45.

 

Enjoy it!

 

[truel1111]

was there long wait for cable car in Sep ?

[mapleleaves]

36 minutes ago, truel1111 said:

was there long wait for cable car in Sep ?

You need to find out how many ships are in port with you that day, their arrival & departure times, and # of pax.  (google for the port info )

 

I was there on Sept 28. We were on Tender #4 and had a 2hr wait to go up in the cable cars.   No wait going down tho.

[SpacemanSpiff]

15 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

You need to find out how many ships are in port with you that day, their arrival & departure times, and # of pax.  (google for the port info )

 

I was there on Sept 28. We were on Tender #4 and had a 2hr wait to go up in the cable cars.   No wait going down tho.

We will be there in mid-September on the Viva (sunset about 7:24).  The other major ship in port that day is the NCL Jade (plus a small ship of about 300 pax).  However, the other two ships are set to depart at 9pm, and we are at 10pm, so I'm not too worried -- going to enjoy a nice dinner on the cliffs and bail out just as the sun gets low.

 

We've also booked the ship's trip to Oia to avoid the hassle of the cable cars going up.

Edited March 7, 2023 by SpacemanSpiff

[LGinPA]

58 minutes ago, SpacemanSpiff said:

We've also booked the ship's trip to Oia to avoid the hassle of the cable cars going up.

 

We just booked this today on NCL since it's been known to sell out for the same reasons you booked it. We decided against Let's Take a Selfie.   

[fifisav]

On 3/6/2023 at 11:47 PM, pdmlynek said:

 

During our cruise, on some Greek Islands we rented cars or boats, but on Santorini we just used buses.  We actually took two separate bus trips; one to Oia, and one to Akrotiri.  I recommend both, but there are plenty of other places on Santorini to visit.  

 

As far as eating on the ship, that should not be a problem.  The sunset is at 19:46 in early September, at 19:03 in late September, so you'll have plenty of time to watch the sunset from the cliffs in Fira, and then walk down to the ship.  You can be on board by 20:00, and have dinner by 20:45.

 

Enjoy it!

 

Could you tell me the name of the bus tour operators you used in Santorini?  I would be interested in doing something similar.

Thanks!

[pdmlynek]

3 hours ago, fifisav said:

Could you tell me the name of the bus tour operators you used in Santorini?  I would be interested in doing something similar.

Thanks!

KTEL

 

The best guide to Santorini and its buses that I've found is https://santorinidave.com/santorini-buses 

[Shellyrv]

We booked our Santorini shore excursion through Shore Excursions Group website  instead of the NCL options. Not sure that helps you but it does give you more choices.