Santorini with 4 other cruise ships

[We-R-Off]

I've just checked that there will be 4 ships in port on the day we visit.  We visited Santorini just after Greece re-opened post Corona & our Ferry was the only one there that day !!!! It was amazing.  We had a bus to take us to Fira & Oia. 

What can we plan to do with so many people visiting this time?

Can we do something independently or should we do a ships trip?  

I have heard horrendous stories of queues for the cable car?

[We-R-Off]

I've just checked that there will be 4 ships in port on the day we visit.  We visited Santorini just after Greece re-opened post Corona & our Ferry was the only one there that day !!!! It was amazing.  We had a bus to take us to Fira & Oia. 

What can we plan to do with so many people visiting this time?

Can we do something independently or should we do a ships trip?  

I have heard horrendous stories of queues for the cable car?

[KKB]

On 7/15/2023 at 4:57 AM, We-R-Off said:

I've just checked that there will be 4 ships in port on the day we visit.  We visited Santorini just after Greece re-opened post Corona & our Ferry was the only one there that day !!!! It was amazing.  We had a bus to take us to Fira & Oia. 

What can we plan to do with so many people visiting this time?

Can we do something independently or should we do a ships trip?  

I have heard horrendous stories of queues for the cable car?

We, too, will have 4 ships in port.

Therefore we opted to book a ship excursion. 

We will still need to take the cable car down, but luckily we are the last ship in port, so I anticipate lighter crowds when we need to go.

(steps are a viable option...but it will be dusk so concerned about slippery donkey poo!)

Edited July 17, 2023 by KKB

[We-R-Off]

We too are going to opt for a ships cruise.  As we were there not so very long ago, we'll take the short ships tour but will take the cablecar back around midday.

This is the description:

 

 3.5-hour trip that includes the villages of Megalochori and Pyrgos — plus take a distillery tour and savor spirits tastings at Canava estate.Travel along craggy caldera cliffsides to the picturesque village of Megalochori. Stroll narrow streets past historical mansions carved into volcanic rock, where a wealth of merchants and land barons lived centuries ago. Atop the highest point on the island, the village of Pyrgos sits, exuding traditional Cycladic character with neoclassical touches — see it all on a guided walking tour of what was once the island’s capital. Moving on to the Canava estate, you’ll discover a family-owned distillery and museum all in one. Enter the barrel maker’s workshop and learn about how they’ve produced fine spirits since the 1970s. Everyday island life is depicted throughout recreated family rooms filling the onsite museum. Then sip on a selection of anise-flavored ouzo, unsweetened raki, and pine-infused mastika in the tasting room. Your final stop for the day will be the capital of Fira town, where after a short walk, you will reach the cable car station and tender to the ship.

 

 

This sounds, ideal for us.

I saw a video of going up on the cablecar & the stairs would be very difficult for my husband.

[BruceMuzz]

This summer, 5 ships in port together at Santorini is about as good as you can hope for.

Typically there will be 8 to 10 ships.

[We-R-Off]

We booked the half day ships tour & we’re happy with this decision. 

[Senga]

Since we've already done a land vacation in Santorini, we're planning on sitting on our balcony and relaxing in Santorini instead of fighting the crowds.  Should be a nice relaxing day.

[dancingfish]

Our ship does not arrive until 1pm.. I am at a loss for what to do- I do not want to spend my day waiting for cable cars. I was hoping there were alternatives.

[We-R-Off]

Which cruise company are you sailing with?  What time are you departing?

Our cruise departs at 21:00.

I noticed that RCCL offered archaelogical tours & there were other trips 

I notice that Viator offer this one, but you'd obviously have to check where the pickup is. 

 

This tour provides a stress-free overview of Santorini’s natural and historic beauty, making it ideal for first-time visitors and travelers with limited time. Board your traditional Greek Caique boat and venture out to the volcano of Santorini. Climb to the top and take in the views before sailing to the warm, sulfuric waters where you can have a dip. Visit Thirassia and enjoy free time to explore before heading back to Santorini, Stress-free overview of Santorini highlights A convenient choice for first-time visitors or travelers with limited time Travel between dispersed Santorini attractions by boat Enjoy free time to explore the island of Thirassia

Read more about Santorini Volcanic Islands Cruise: Volcano, Hot Springs and Thirassia - https://www.viator.com/tours/Santorini/Santorini-Volcanic-Islands-Cruise-Volcano-Hot-Springs-and-Thirassia/d959-21977P13?mcid=56757

 

I think that it is important though to take a ships tour here because you'd get a priority tender.  

[land64shark]

I was there last month when we were 1 of 4 ships in port and one of them was pretty small. I am here to tell you the queue for the cable car was scary. I actually got married that day in Santorini. When my groom and I got off our tender, my heart sank as I saw the line up. It was literally hours long. Fortunately, I decided I had nothing to lose and marched up near the front of the line with my updo hair style and makeup and carrying my wedding gown and grooms outfit in our arms. I pleaded for someone to take pitty on us as it was our wedding and instantly two very nice ladies let us in line with them. I also must note that nobody else in the line seemed to mind either. I don't know what I would have done otherwise. I knew there would be a line, but not THAT much. All of our other guests had wisely taken early ship tours to assure they got ashore in time ("Oia on Your Own" was their tour.) I couldn't do that as my salon appointment was at 9:00 am on the ship.

 

So, yes. Definitely book a ships tour and do it early since they sell out.

Edited July 25, 2023 by land64shark

[sofietucker]

You don't *have* to do the cable car! NOR the donkeys (do they still even do that? Lol). When you get to the tender pier at Fira, you can take a water taxi around to the other (non-cliff) side of the island. There will be regular-transportation buses, taxis, etc. to take you to towns, beaches, wineries, sites such as Akrotiri, and "up top" to Oia (at the opposite end of the crescent island from Akrotiri, btw) and to Fira, the town where the cable cars end up. Check out some maps, etc.

[Vineyard View]

We are also in port with 4 ships. Ours is smaller, but there are a couple large ones so approx 10k cruise pax! We are not excursions people. This is our first time to Santorini. We are in port 1000-2100. I have done some research and would like to see Oia but if it’s a complete zoo that just changes the dynamics. I which we had an Oia on your own, but that is not offered. I would do that if so.
I have narrowed it down to three choices:

1)Excursion that goes to a winery and Oia. 4 1/2 hrs so I don’t think there would be much free time in Oia

2)Taking the water taxi and bus back with hopes the cable car isn’t insane

3) Taking a ship sponsored yacht 4 1/2 hrs around the island and caldera - with end time 0f 2:30 and possibly catching a water taxi to Oia with his back 

 

Maybe these thoughts could bring ideas to OP as well.  I am not sure I would battle these crowds and probably stick with the yacht if we had visited before. I get the feeling that excursions sell out in advance so likely OP and we should determine our plans sooner than later. 
 

land64shark - very cool story! 

 

 

 

[amypintx]

We were just there last week.  I had really low expectations for Santorini based on what I'd read and was pretty happy with how our day turned out. We did the NCL Perivolos Beach Transfer. We have no priority status with NCL and I never do the ship excursions but I’d read such horror stories about Santorini that I didn’t want to mess with the stress of tenders and cable car at the beginning of the day. I was pleasantly surprised with the tour. You don’t have to mess with tender tickets on the way to port. They take you to the other port and then you take a bus up. There was a tour guide who talked the whole way to the beach telling us all kinds of stuff about the island. Chairs and umbrellas at the beach were included with the tour. There were several restaurants and little shops along the street.

 

It does drop you off at the top of Fira at the end of the tour. We got a free ticket for the cable car with the tour but after seeing the line, we decided to walk the stairs down. They honestly weren’t that bad. My 17 year old son did them in 20 min. We walked with my 76 year old mother and it took us about 40 minutes with breaks. We just took it slow. There are plenty of places you can move over out of the way if you need a break. She walked on the sides to hold on to the wall as needed (there aren’t hand rails). The steps are very wide. You just have to watch your feet the whole time because some of the rocks are so smooth they’re slippery (we saw several kids who were racing down them fall but we were careful and didn’t have a problem) and also you have to watch for donkey 💩. But even that wasn’t too bad. All in all, I’d definitely walk down it again vs waiting in that cable car line. My mom agrees.

[Vineyard View]

Does anyone know how the crowds in Oia are from mid afternoon to early evening?  I have to believe better than morning. Also, do the one way water taxis to the Oia access point run all day? 

[CanuckCurlers]

I can not find any information about coming back from Oia by water taxi. Am I missing something? We do not want to deal with the cable car lines or walk down the steps. 

[mapleleaves]

50 minutes ago, CanuckCurlers said:

I can not find any information about coming back from Oia by water taxi. Am I missing something? We do not want to deal with the cable car lines or walk down the steps. 

there is no return trip on the boat.

Depending on how many ships are in port with you, and their departure/arival times, the cable car line might not be an issue.  It certainly wasn't for us . (going up was a 2hr wait tho)

Edited August 3, 2023 by mapleleaves

[djfunk]

Did Santorini on Breakaway the other week (july 18thish) and it was a zoo since our ship was coming in at 1pm.  There are water taxi's that'll take you to other parts of the island but getting back is a pain.  There should be no reason why any cruise line that has a ship greater than 2k pax should port here.  my brother and i ended up walking up the steps (I a 250 pound guy), and then walking back down when we saw the lineup of 2.5+ hour wait. It's 1312 vertical feet (400 meters), which is equivelant to walking to the tippytop of the eiffel tower (81 story building).  If you are going to do it, take a rest at each hairpin and bring lots of water.  My brother and i finished it in ~30 minutes but give yourself an hour

 

After getting back to the ship, i watched the timing of the cable cars.  It takes 2.5 minutes for one side to enter the top, exit, and get to the bottom.  That means for MAX 36 pax (not always full), * 24 runs = 864 hourly capacity.  when there are 3-4 cruise ships including a megaship, that could be a 4 hour wait.

[Vineyard View]

We might just stay with the shore excursion of a private boat ( described  as a yacht) for 4 1/2 hours and skip the whole land portion based on all this feedback. We’ve never been to Santorini, but after reading what this can be like, I think I would rather have a good memory that misses what I had hoped to see, rather than a miserable time fighting a 2+ hr cable car ride or donkey trail walk filled with those poor animals or their droppings. Santorini sounds like a fairly greedy port authority that allows the experience of a beautiful place to be completely ruined. That is sad. 
I still would like to explore Oia in the afternoon if the crowds are manageable by then, but these descriptions sound pretty miserable. 

[We-R-Off]

5 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We might just stay with the shore excursion of a private boat ( described  as a yacht) for 4 1/2 hours and skip the whole land portion based on all this feedback. We’ve never been to Santorini, but after reading what this can be like, I think I would rather have a good memory that misses what I had hoped to see, rather than a miserable time fighting a 2+ hr cable car ride or donkey trail walk filled with those poor animals or their droppings. Santorini sounds like a fairly greedy port authority that allows the experience of a beautiful place to be completely ruined. That is sad. 
I still would like to explore Oia in the afternoon if the crowds are manageable by then, but these descriptions sound pretty miserable. 

I don't think that the authority is greedy but being a volanic island there's really not a lot of scope to get the thousands of people up to see Oia.

I'm not convinced that the afternoon will be much better as many people will want to go up in the late afternoon to watch the sunset.  

We arrive early morning but have opted for a different half day island tour. 

If the cable car is so busy, what is the donkey trail like going down?

I don't suppose there are rails are there? We will be done by midday so, we were hoping that crowds could be less. I'll check the schedules for ETA's over the other ships.

[We-R-Off]

1 minute ago, We-R-Off said:

I don't think that the authority is greedy but being a volanic island there's really not a lot of scope to get the thousands of people up to see Oia.

I'm not convinced that the afternoon will be much better as many people will want to go up in the late afternoon to watch the sunset.  

We arrive early morning but have opted for a different half day island tour. 

If the cable car is so busy, what is the donkey trail like going down?

I don't suppose there are rails are there? We will be done by midday so, we were hoping that crowds could be less. I'll check the schedules for ETA's over the other ships.

I just checked & we're first at arrive but earliest to leave.  I only see 3 ships listed now & one gets in at midday, when we will be descending.  

Its looking better.

[ninjacat123]

5 hours ago, We-R-Off said:

I don't think that the authority is greedy but being a volanic island there's really not a lot of scope to get the thousands of people up to see Oia.

I'm not convinced that the afternoon will be much better as many people will want to go up in the late afternoon to watch the sunset.  

We arrive early morning but have opted for a different half day island tour. 

If the cable car is so busy, what is the donkey trail like going down?

I don't suppose there are rails are there? We will be done by midday so, we were hoping that crowds could be less. I'll check the schedules for ETA's over the other ships.

I read on another Greece thread that there are no rails.

[We-R-Off]

Thanks. I looked at some photos & it looked quite slippery especially with the donkey excrement. Hopefully the queue won’t be too bad to descend with the cable car. 

[ninjacat123]

Just now, We-R-Off said:

Thanks. I looked at some photos & it looked quite slippery especially with the donkey excrement. Hopefully the queue won’t be too bad to descend with the cable car. 

I hope the same for DH and myself come Oct 23 when we are in Santorini🤞

[We-R-Off]

Did you check how many ships are in port. 

[ninjacat123]

Yes, Four ships will be porting at 8am then two more at 9am.  We are booked on a ship excursion, tendering to Athinios at 8:15am and taking a bus from there to Oia.  There is a bus back to Fira then we are on our own to get down to the Old Port.  Yikes, it's going to be a busy island!

PS I just looked back at cruisemapper dot com and one of the ships is a small vessel with maybe a couple hundred passengers. MSC Musica will be with Carnival Pride (my ship) at 8am then Resilient Lady and Norwegian Jade arrive at 9am.  So maybe not as crowded as I thought😎

Edited August 3, 2023 by ninjacat123