Santorini - Fira on your own excursion

[emp244]

Hi - we are thinking of the Fira on your own excursion for Santorini. It looks like a bus from the Athenios (shore excursion) port up to Fira. But it says  to get back from Fira, "your comfortable ride back to the port awaits, allowing you to depart at your convenience." Is this a bus back down to the port?  I am concerned about being stuck in a 3 hour line to go down the cable car. It does NOT mention anything about cable car tickets in the description. Any insight would be very much appreciated! 

[Purplsmurf]

When we did that excursion the tender took us to Oia and we were bussed up to the top. We had free time to look around, shop, etc. After that we were bussed to Fira where the guide left us and we were on our own. Ours did come with a tram ticket so not sure why yours doesn’t. We had no wait at all for the tram down. The guide didn’t do a whole lot of talking. She was mostly there to get us on the bus and up to Oia and then to Fira. We would definitely do it again.

[pokerfaceleon]

I reserved the same excursion. Do you mean that they will not bring you back to the ship with a bus?

 

The excursion text tells this about the trip:

• Upon arrival, board a motor coach for a scenic transfer to the island's capital, where whitewashed buildings and cobblestone streets beckon exploration.
• Wander through the narrow alleys adorned with bougainvillea, browse boutique shops offering handmade crafts and souvenirs, and immerse yourself in the laid-back ambiance of this iconic Greek destination.
• Enjoy the freedom to design your own itinerary, whether it involves savoring a traditional Greek coffee at a quaint cafe, sampling local delicacies at a charming taverna, or simply soaking in the breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea.
• Escape the hustle and bustle of the town's rush hours and embrace the leisurely pace of Santorini life, knowing that your comfortable ride back to the port awaits, allowing you to depart at your convenience.

[KKB]

1 hour ago, emp244 said:

Hi - we are thinking of the Fira on your own excursion for Santorini. It looks like a bus from the Athenios (shore excursion) port up to Fira. But it says  to get back from Fira, "your comfortable ride back to the port awaits, allowing you to depart at your convenience." Is this a bus back down to the port?  I am concerned about being stuck in a 3 hour line to go down the cable car. It does NOT mention anything about cable car tickets in the description. Any insight would be very much appreciated! 

 

18 minutes ago, pokerfaceleon said:

I reserved the same excursion. Do you mean that they will not bring you back to the ship with a bus?

 

The excursion text tells this about the trip:

• Upon arrival, board a motor coach for a scenic transfer to the island's capital, where whitewashed buildings and cobblestone streets beckon exploration.
• Wander through the narrow alleys adorned with bougainvillea, browse boutique shops offering handmade crafts and souvenirs, and immerse yourself in the laid-back ambiance of this iconic Greek destination.
• Enjoy the freedom to design your own itinerary, whether it involves savoring a traditional Greek coffee at a quaint cafe, sampling local delicacies at a charming taverna, or simply soaking in the breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea.
• Escape the hustle and bustle of the town's rush hours and embrace the leisurely pace of Santorini life, knowing that your comfortable ride back to the port awaits, allowing you to depart at your convenience.

No...you are given a cable car voucher & return when you choose to.

[emp244]

That's what I was afraid of. Hoping to avoid the cable car altogether. Any suggestions?

[cruisestitch]

See my reply to your other thread

[Lastdance]

We actually got off the ship’s tender and walked past the furnicular to the boat that was taking people to Oia, purchased our tickets and enjoyed the lovely scenery on the way.  This also included a choice of times to return by bus.  This was our third time visiting, so sometimes the third time is the charm.  We were on the first or second tender with only 15 or so people on the boat.  Getting there early allowed for some great photos, shopping and time for a snack.  We took an earlier bus back, missing the crowds and enjoying a very short line for the funicular down where a tender was waiting.  The total island tour was too long, not to mention we saw so many homes in progress that were just left unfinished, not to mention the long lunch. Personally, I love simple!   Just thought I’d share this for anyone who can get an early tender.  I actually tried to everything by boat, but my research at that time never found that type of excursion🤷‍♀️.

Edited June 3 by Lastdance

[pokerfaceleon]

Is looks like they will also take you back by motor coach:

 

"Escape the hustle and bustle of the town's rush hours and embrace the leisurely pace of Santorini life, knowing that your comfortable ride back to the port awaits, allowing you to depart at your convenience."

 

Can some one explain if I'm right?

[CCJack]

On 6/4/2024 at 1:55 AM, pokerfaceleon said:

Is looks like they will also take you back by motor coach:

 

"Escape the hustle and bustle of the town's rush hours and embrace the leisurely pace of Santorini life, knowing that your comfortable ride back to the port awaits, allowing you to depart at your convenience."

 

Can some one explain if I'm right?

Hard to say for sure, there is some "excursion description" text in there that needs decoded !   "Depart at your convenience" sounds like they are taking you back to Fira, and if so you would need to take cable cars down to old harbor.   Maybe they are referring to Fira as the "port".    

[Hlitner]

An absolute waste of good money.  If you simply want to see Fira you can just take the tender to the island (which lands you below Fira) and take the cable cars or donkeys up to Fira.  Once in Fira, you simply walk everywhere.  If you take an excursion to Fira your guide will walk you as a group and say intellectual things like "this is a jewelry store,"  "this is a cafe,"  etc.

 

Like most Santorini excursions, it leaves you in Fira to get back on your own.  From Fira you can wait in the queues (which can be very long) to take the cable car down to Gialos (the small port below Fira) where you catch a shore-based tender back to your ship.  If you don't want to take the cable car you can walk down the donkey train (about 600 steps) or, some folks will actually take a donkey down (last month we watched a cruiser fall off his donkey and injure himself).

 

Speaking of Fira, it is a clifftop town where the ony way to get around is on your feet!  The town has hundreds of jewelry shops, plenty of eating venues and can be charming if not full of cruisers (and other tourists).

 

Hank