In Santorini, do shore excursions through Celebrity ferry you to Oia?

[Nebr.cruiser]

We've been to Santorini before and really disliked the wait to get on the cable car.  If we book an excursion through Celebrity, do they ferry you to the Oia area instead?  Also, we get priority for the tenders then.  We'd probably only do the on your own in Oia, because we have another specific place on the island we want to see, and we would book a local tour for that.  (Kamari, since my sister lived there back in the 60's.)

 

Our ship is in port from 8-10 pm, so we do have plenty of time, at least.

[Jim_Iain]

I believe it depends on the Excursion.    We took a tour and were ferried to Oia where we met out bus.   After visiting Santorini we had the option of eitehr returning to Oia and shuttle back to the ship or walk down the hill or taking Cable Car and meet a shuttle near the foot of the cable car.   If I recall the shuttles were at Port of  Fira.     We visited pre-covid so not sure if things have changed.

[Fly and Sail]

I bought a ticket for this independently once off the ship/tender. It wasn't expensive, something around 25 Euro. For something that simple there is really no reason to overpay on an excursion booked on board.

[doccide]

Tendered to the ferry port then by bus

[Les43]

We have just returned from a cruise on Reflection that visited Santorini.  We had visited before and experienced the cable car issues on a Celebrity excursion so we decided to stay on board this time. From what I can gather from others, this was the picture last week:

• there were 5 ships in port and Fira was very very busy.
• the queues for the cable car up and down were very long at peak times and it was very hot with little shade
• there are a very small number of Celebrity excursions that will pick up by coach from the main port and return you there. They book up very quickly though. All other excursions have at least a return by cable car or stairs.
• There are 560 steps and these are also used by the donkeys. The walk up / down can be done but is not recommended. The strong advice is NOT to use the donkeys. 
• you can reach Oia by speedboat from the old port but the return is by shuttle bus back to Fira and the cable car. There is no return boat from Oia to the tender area. 
• in terms of priority for the tenders, that only happens when you leave the ship. On return it’s every person for themselves. 
  
  Hope this is helpful 

[jackaboo]

How long is the ship in Santorini for? If you are in for a long time, get off the ship in the afternoon!

 

I was also just on Reflection and the ship was in port until 10pm. With 5 ships in port I thought there is no way I am getting off in the morning. So we got off at 1pm - no queue at cable car at all! (but once we got to the top there was a huge queue waiting to go back down at this time.) We took a bus to Oia, and spent some time there. It was about 7pm when we got back to Fira for the cable car back down and again no queue. 

 

So well worth it if you can avoid peak times!

[budmeister]

38 minutes ago, jackaboo said:

How long is the ship in Santorini for? If you are in for a long time, get off the ship in the afternoon!

 

I was also just on Reflection and the ship was in port until 10pm. With 5 ships in port I thought there is no way I am getting off in the morning. So we got off at 1pm - no queue at cable car at all! (but once we got to the top there was a huge queue waiting to go back down at this time.) We took a bus to Oia, and spent some time there. It was about 7pm when we got back to Fira for the cable car back down and again no queue. 

 

So well worth it if you can avoid peak times!

Hi, I have similar timing coming up, and have been wondering at lines around 7 pm. Were the other ships still there at that time? Our day, ship leave at 8,9,10, and 11. We are 10 .

[jackaboo]

1 hour ago, budmeister said:

Hi, I have similar timing coming up, and have been wondering at lines around 7 pm. Were the other ships still there at that time? Our day, ship leave at 8,9,10, and 11. We are 10 .

 

One left at 7 and the other left at 9 - I didn't spot when the others went,

[Nebr.cruiser]

4 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

I bought a ticket for this independently once off the ship/tender. It wasn't expensive, something around 25 Euro. For something that simple there is really no reason to overpay on an excursion booked on board.

Was this for a water ferry to Oia?  Probably a good option for us, as we don't have to get off the ship really early, due to our long time in port.  (having been there before, getting on tenders early if not on a ship tour is not easy).  It probably would work for us.  I have found a tour company that would pick us up in Oia and take us where ever we wanted.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Nebr.cruiser

[Fly and Sail]

21 minutes ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

Was this for a water ferry to Oia?  Probably a good option for us, as we don't have to get off the ship really early, due to our long time in port.  (having been there before, getting on tenders early if not on a ship tour is not easy).  It probably would work for us.  I have found a tour company that would pick us up in Oia and take us where ever we wanted.

It included the boat, a Mini Bus up the hill and another bus to drive ticket holders to Fira. I wanted to take the cable car down but the lines were horrible (in Sep 2022). So I ended up walking down the stairs, a decision I severely regretted halfway.

[hcat]

we  were tendered off to a  sep bus boarding area... steep hill.

 

got to Oia very early..before many of the other tour buses ..great for pics.  We then had our tour..visit to winery, quick snack. We  got back to  upper port area in time for exploring / shopping in the heat  We took the cable car down early..no lines!  And  a very short wait for the tender..quick snack area.

[Nebr.cruiser]

1 minute ago, Fly and Sail said:

It included the boat, a Mini Bus up the hill and another bus to drive ticket holders to Fira. I wanted to take the cable car down but the lines were horrible (in Sep 2022). So I ended up walking down the stairs, a decision I severely regretted halfway.

Thanks for this.   Sounds like a good possibility for us.  No walking down the stairs for us, but we will probably be back to Fira quite late; cable car was not a problem at that time on our last stop. It was dark, and no line for cable car or tender.

[Random Cruizer]

My experience a couple weeks ago was this:  walked up the stairs about 9 am, not bad at all because it was completely in the shade and the donkey rides had barely begun.  Walked down at about noon, and it was much, much worse.  Full sun, almost no shade, saw a woman who looked fit enough in her late teens or early 20s being tended for heat stroke about 3/4 of the way up.  Biggest donkey problem was station at the bottom--just so many donkeys heading both ways and almost no way to get through them at the bottom, seemed unsafe.  I think they are actually mules--some wore muzzles (must have been biters), but never saw one kick.  The problem at the bottom was just the sheer number of them.  If I ever go back, I'd never climb that hill in the summer at noon or later--it really requires shade if it's hot.

[Nordica]

5 hours ago, Les43 said:

 

• you can reach Oia by speedboat from the old port but the return is by shuttle bus back to Fira and the cable car. There is no return boat from Oia to the tender area. 

I was counting that to be one of the return options.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Nordica
Typo

[Nebr.cruiser]

Well, three of us are in our late 70's, one late 60's.  I'm the oldest at 78 and probably the only one that *could* do the walk, but I'm not going to!  LOL.  Sometimes you have to be smart.  If I was younger, maybe.

[budmeister]

14 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I believe it depends on the Excursion.    We took a tour and were ferried to Oia where we met out bus.   After visiting Santorini we had the option of eitehr returning to Oia and shuttle back to the ship or walk down the hill or taking Cable Car and meet a shuttle near the foot of the cable car.   If I recall the shuttles were at Port of  Fira.     We visited pre-covid so not sure if things have changed.

Hi,

 

Were you ferried directly to Oia? I read on the boards that on passengers are ferried to the old port and then bused to Oia. I am on the Infinity on the Oia  on your own excursion.

[Les43]

2 hours ago, Nordica said:

I was counting that to be one of the return options.

Fraid not. We researched it and it’s one way only. 

[smtcan]

23 hours ago, Les43 said:

Fraid not. We researched it and it’s one way only. 

I was surprised  when we took the ‘speed’ boat.  Surely it returns to Fira for its next trip, so I wonder why it didn’t take passengers.  When we took the bus back, we found a bar with a view of the queue for the cable car and kept an eye out for a less crowded time.

Husband suggests that the boat people have a deal with Fira to make sure everyone has a chance to spend money there!

[CaribbeanBound]

We were in Santorini in 2018 (so prices herein reflect that time).  Santorini was the only port where every ship has to tender. And not only must you tender into the small port, you then need to find a way to the top of the 700-foot cliff that greets you upon arrival. Of course, once you're up there, you also have to find a way down. You have four choices:

• Ride the cable car (€6 pp, one-way, 3 minutes after you've boarded). There are only two sets of cars (one going each direction) with six cars per set, each seating six passengers. Upside: quickest option, and they offer great views. Downside: can be scary, and the lines are known to reach over two hours (especially coming back down in the afternoon) since they can only service about 600 passengers in each direction per hour.
• Walk the 588 steps (Free, about 15 to 25 minutes). I understand it's not as bad as it sounds as long as you watch your step and take it slow. There are lots of opportunities to rest. Upside: cost, exercise, and great photo opportunities. Downside: you're taking the exact same route as the donkeys, so you need to avoid the donkeys and their droppings.
• Ride the donkeys (€5 pp, one-way, 10 to 15 minutes). There are dozens of healthy-looking donkeys and mules that allow you to ride in the old traditional way. Upside: it might be better than standing in a long line, or walking. Downside: can be frightening, uncomfortable, and you'll smell like the donkey you rode in on. (Our ship's cruise director vehemently discouraged passengers from riding the donkeys).
• Take speedboat to Oia and bus back to Fira. (~€25 pp, one-way, over 60 minutes). Upside: avoids all of the above. Downside: might only be one way, takes a long time, is costly, and you still have to get down. This is really only a good option if all you want to do is visit Oia and Fira.

According to the ship's officers, the heaviest tender time was expected to be between 8:30 am and 11:00 am. We avoided prime time and simply went straight to Deck 2 at 7:00 am when the ship was cleared and caught the first tender to shore. From there we waited about 5 minutes to board the cable car.
 

Once up top we explored a little then met our tour guide. We joined a fellow traveler's tour that he set up in advance with Santorini Tours. It was a private 6-hour Santorini sightseeing tour in an air-conditioned minibus with a driver and a tour guide for only €42.50 pp (plus tip) for the 12 of us. Our guide provided us a lot of good information about the island and its history. She took us to lots of picturesque lookouts and photo opportunities.
 

We started in Fira and in no particular order, we enjoyed stunning caldera views from the cliff-terraced villages of Imerovigli and Oia; visited the Prophet Ilias Monastery at Santorini’s highest view point; saw the famous blue dome churches; visited the old towns of Emporio, Megalochori, and Pyrgos; and saw both Red Beach and Black Beach. We covered the island pretty thoroughly. By mid-afternoon the group was hungry and opted to enjoy lunch at Forty One which is located on the black sand beach --- instead of doing a wine tasting (€10 pp); and we ran out of time to check out the Akrotiri excavations (€12 pp).