Santorini & Rhodes ship-tours vs on-your-own

[DScruiser]

Hello Everyone,

 

Hubby and I will be sailing on Celebrity Galaxy in Nov. 06. First let me say that my question is not CAN we do it on-our-own, it is SHOULD we do it on-our-own.

 

On Rhodes if anyone has taken the ship-tour "Journey to Lindos" I would like some insight on what the ship-sponsored tour can offer travelers that just catching a cab and traveling on our own cannot. For instance, does the tour guide give a lecture while on the bus that gives insight into the island and Lindos itself?

 

On Santorini we want to go to Oia. Same question applies, can the ship's tour offer more than if we go it alone? Thanks.

 

DScruiser

[Queenk2]

We were in Santorini last year and rented a car. The driving was easy,however the parking was awful! I would take a bus in the future,if I ever have the chance to return. In Rhodes, we took the Galaxy walking tour. I found it to be very enjoyable because it explained the history of what we were seeing. Since it was only a few hours, we were able to stroll, shop and eat on our own. I hope that is helpful.

Karen

[DScruiser]

We were in Santorini last year and rented a car. The driving was easy,however the parking was awful! I would take a bus in the future,if I ever have the chance to return. In Rhodes, we took the Galaxy walking tour. I found it to be very enjoyable because it explained the history of what we were seeing. Since it was only a few hours, we were able to stroll, shop and eat on our own. I hope that is helpful.

Karen

 

Hi Queenk2,

 

Thank you for your insight, that actually helps alot!

 

DScruiser

[cindyMac]

DSCruiser,

 

We just returned from a Med cruise that called at Santorini. We booked the cruise's tour of Santorini and later realized we could have for much, much less on our own.

 

Another couple on the ship took the public bus (which was more like an air conditioned tour bus) for just one euro. They, very easily, visited both Oia and Fira on the bus.

 

Next time, that's the way I would do it.

 

Good luck!

 

cindy

[Sea Day Cruiser]

If you take the public bus at Santorini, do you still first have to take the cable car or donkeys up to the top of the cliff I've read so much about. We'd like to go to Fira and Oia, but one of us is afraid of heights, so I don't know if we'll be able to do it. Thanks.

[tom_uk]

Not been to Rhodes yet (next year....) but called at Santorini n Galaxy this June. We did the Oia excursion arranged by the ship.

 

There are pluses and minuses to doing the excursion. First, however, here's the timetable: we left the ship quite early (not long after 8, IIRC) and tendered to a different port, ie not the dock below Fira town. It was about 15 minutes or so in the tender. When we landed we were met by a coach and we were driven to Oia, a ride of 20 minutes or so. During the ride the tour guide introduced herself and gave us some interesting history of the island and of Oia. The coach parked a little below the centre of Oia, and the guide walked the whole group up to a central spot in the heart of the village, and then said 'meet back here in an hour and a quarter', and from then on we just wandered around the village.

 

After meeting at the end, we reboarded the coach and drove to a winery, again about 20 minutes drive or so. The winery visit was about 40 minutes, and consisted of small glasses of three different wines, plus some small snacks. After that we boarded the coach again and drove into Fira town, which was the end of the excursion. We were given tickets for the cable car down to the Fira dock. Total excursion time, 4 hours or so. In practice we then spent another 3 or 4 hours wandering around Fira town.

 

So, what are the pluses & minuses of doing the excursion:

 

Pluses: a) you avoid the donkeys or the queue for the cable car up! - a deinite plus in my mind; b) in our case, the guide was excellent - spoke good english, was enthusiastic about her home island, was charming, funny, and knew her stuff. She was able and happy to enter into conversation and answer questions; c) you're on an early tender - because you're on an excursion you get off the ship early, whereas if you're not you have to wait until all the excursion passengers are off before non-excursion passengers can use the tenders.

 

Minuses: a) cost; b) inflexibility - we might have wanted to spend more time in Oia and weren't really bothered about the winery, but had to stick to the itinerary.

 

So that's it. I'm undecided as to which would be better. It was certainly good to be wandering around Oia so early - not long after 9am, when it was very quiet, the light was beautiful, and not too hot. Given the usual tender issues for non-excursion passengers, and then the time to get to Oia from Fira town (having first queued for a cable car or braved the donkeys), I doubt if you would get there as early if you did it yourself.

 

Here are some pictures I shot in Santorini, including a number in Oia:

http://www.*****/travelpage/aspgallery/view_ad.asp?Ad_ID=2515

[DScruiser]

Not been to Rhodes yet (next year....) but called at Santorini on Galaxy this June. We did the Oia excursion arranged by the ship.

 

There are pluses and minuses to doing the excursion... http://www.*****/travelpage/aspgallery/view_ad.asp?Ad_ID=2515

 

Thank you very much tom_uk!

 

That is exactly the type of information that I was looking for! Your pictures are stunning also!:eek: You've been very helpful.

 

Thanks again,

DScruiser

[Susan-M]

 

On Santorini we want to go to Oia. Same question applies, can the ship's tour offer more than if we go it alone? Thanks.

 

DScruiser

 

If you have a full day on Santorini, I would recommend renting a car (very inexpensive and an easy island to drive on .... and parking was not a problem at all for us last September, so November should be even better.)

You can see the whole island in a day, and there is so much more to see than Fira and Oia - head to the south west point of the island, to the lighthouse for amazing views of the Caldera, and then to the east side to some beaches, and to the centre where the town of Pyrgos http://www.travel-to-santorini.com/place.php?place_id=6 provides amazing views of the whole island, plus a maize of alley ways to walk through as you head to the top of the town. If you leave Oia till later in the day, many of the tour buses will have left.

 

Here's a map of Santorini - there really are very few roads, but boy, do they take you to some great places!! http://www.frommers.com/images/destinations/maps/jpg-2006/1647_santorini.jpg .... so when you ask SHOULD you do it on your own.... if you enjoy exploring on your own, then this is a great island to do it on!

[DScruiser]

If you have a full day on Santorini, I would recommend renting a car...

 

Hi Susan-M,

 

Thank you for your advice. However, I promised my Hubby that he would not have to do any driving on this vacation, and quite frankly NOBODY wants to see me behind the wheel in a foreign country.:eek: So that takes us back to either taking a cab or hiring the ships tour.

 

DScruiser

[Susan-M]

Hi Susan-M,

 

Thank you for your advice. However, I promised my Hubby that he would not have to do any driving on this vacation, and quite frankly NOBODY wants to see me behind the wheel in a foreign country.:eek:

 

DScruiser

 

We found that by the time we got to Santorini, we were ready to venture off to quieter places, and a rental car was a great way to do it ... it turned out to be one of our best port days .... and of all the foreign countries we've rented cars in, I would have to say this was the easiest place to drive:)

[Hlitner]

I wanted to reply to the original post with some personal philosophy. We have been traveling internationally for over 30 years and never take an organized tour unless it does something that we can not possibly do on our own. Why? Simply because we want to do what we want, when we want, with who we want. We also like to spend time sitting in wonderful outdoor cafes sipping some wine or beer, meeting some locals, etc. Getting back to the original question, the answer is yes, its pretty easy to see both Santorini and Rhodes on your own. As to Lindos, you can get there with a taxi, rental car, or even local buses. However, it is a crime what has happened to Lindos in that when you walk up the road to the ruins you run a gauntlet of cheap trinket kisoks. IMHO it take something away from the ruins....but its certainly worth a visit.

 

Hank

[DScruiser]

I wanted to reply to the original post with some personal philosophy... Hank

 

Hi Hank,

 

Actually I was originally wondering if we can get more insight into the city of Lindos by going on a ship tour than we could if we go on our own. Is there a lot of history surrounding Lindos that we would miss if we did the city on our own? Does anyone know if the ship tour just drops you off at the city gates or if they bring the tour inside?

 

Thanks,

DScruiser

[Tina G]

If you take the public bus at Santorini, do you still first have to take the cable car or donkeys up to the top of the cliff I've read so much about. We'd like to go to Fira and Oia, but one of us is afraid of heights, so I don't know if we'll be able to do it. Thanks.

 

The ship is in the harbor. The island is straight up. If you schedule a Princess tour, they will take you by ferry to a part of the island where they can load you onto a bus, and it will drive you around. This is on the opposite side of the island from the towns you want to see. The only way back to the ship is straight down. Take the cable car, and close your eyes. My husband insisted on walking down - that's right!:eek: Through the donkey-poo. He was sore for a week! DO NOT RIDE THE DONKEYS IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!:eek: Do not miss this beautiful island.

[TheMiz]

Santorini was our second favorite stop on our Med Cruise.

 

 

What made it the second best stop?

We hired a guide and we sure were glad we did

Our guide was Nikos from santoriniprivatetours.com

He took us places you are not going to drive yourself too!

 

He is also a professional photographer and he brought his camera and took tons of photos of our group and as a gift at the end he gave each of us our own CD of the photos he took Money well spent !

[Andym]

We too had a friend with us that was afraid of heights. The donkeys are a no no and walking up was never an option for us. Just get on the cable car and close your eyes, its a very smooth journey and it lasts less than a minute. Once you are up there, you wouldn't know you were high up.

I would never entertain a tour in Santorini, the busses are a great adventure and only 1 euro, best value in the Med. You will find that the buses stop at the beach on the way back from Oia if you want to get off and have some time there.

[MercedMike]

We have been traveling internationally for over 30 years and never take an organized tour unless it does something that we can not possibly do on our own. Why? Simply because we want to do what we want, when we want, with who we want. We also like to spend time sitting in wonderful outdoor cafes sipping some wine or beer, meeting some locals, etc.

 

It is interesting to me how travel philosophies differ. We have also been cruising for over 30 years, and we almost ALWAYS take organized tours in every port, frequently the ship's excursions and sometimes independent tours with a local guide. Why? Simply because the eight hour port call is probably all we will ever see of that city, maybe that country, and we want to see the major tourist sites. They ARE the major tourist sites because they are the things most people want to see in that place!! Spending part of our eight hours there sitting in a bar sipping beer just is not why we came to that exotic foreign port. I can do that at home!

 

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. We like doing it our way. Glad you like doing it your way.

[12B@C]

If you take the public bus at Santorini, do you still first have to take the cable car or donkeys up to the top of the cliff I've read so much about. We'd like to go to Fira and Oia, but one of us is afraid of heights, so I don't know if we'll be able to do it. Thanks.

 

On Santorini you have to take either the cable car, donkeys or walk up to the top of the crater rim to Fira. There are no busses or taxis from the dockl it is impossible.

When you get to the top you have the choises explained by others to get around the island.

We took the donkey ride and at the top took a taxi to Oai to get there as quickly as possible and beat the crowds. Three ships were at anchor! $15 for four of us. Then we took the local bus back. The "local" bus is better than you see in many large US cities. So don't be afraid to do that. You will agree.

[12B@C]

Although this is a "cruise critic" forum, I don't think a debate on travel "philosophy" is what was asked for.

 

Yet, I have to add one more opinion which I think most cruisers will except.

When we look at the shore excursions offered by the ship, we select those that we think have something to offer, something of interest and something that makes it worth the money and time we have to spend.

On Santorini we felt we wanted to see the island, see Fira and Oia and not take a tour going across to another island that has some warm baths and volcanic sights. Doing Santorini on your own is the only way to go.

But to go from a port such as Sorrento to see Pompeii, by all means take a tour with a knowledgable guide. Then when all is done, sit down and enjoy a glass of wine or beer. Why rush, you are on vacation.

[TheMiz]

 

 

On Santorini we felt we wanted to see the island, see Fira and Oia and not take a tour going across to another island that has some warm baths and volcanic sights. Doing Santorini on your own is the only way to go.

But to go from a port such as Sorrento to see Pompeii, by all means take a tour with a knowledgable guide. Then when all is done, sit down and enjoy a glass of wine or beer. Why rush, you are on vacation.

 

Our tour of Santorini was only of the island itself and we never went off the island that was over 6 hours in itself.

Sorrento was great we enjoyed it and wish we had more time there. I would have gladly passed on Pompeii to explore more of Sorrento

[tom_uk]

On Santorini you have to take either the cable car, donkeys or walk up to the top of the crater rim to Fira. There are no busses or taxis from the dockl it is impossible.

 

Not 100% true.

 

If you're on an excursion, eg Oia, you will get tendered to Athinios Bay, a couple of miles to the south of the landing for Fira town. At Athinios there is a narrow, very wind-y road down to the dock, and you will get met there by your coach for the excursion. Typically, the excursion will end with you being deposited at Fira town and given a cable-car ticket. At least, that's how Celebrity did it in June.

 

I agree that it isn't possible to choose to be tendered to Athinios other for an excursion, and I don't believe there are any normal bus services that call there, but that's what happens if you're on an excursion.

[Miata6]

Hi Hank,

 

Actually I was originally wondering if we can get more insight into the city of Lindos by going on a ship tour than we could if we go on our own. Is there a lot of history surrounding Lindos that we would miss if we did the city on our own? Does anyone know if the ship tour just drops you off at the city gates or if they bring the tour inside?

 

Thanks,

DScruiser

 

Our guide (ship's excursion) accompanied us thru the quaint town of Lindos all the way up to the Acropolis at the top, explaining the history and answering questions the whole way. I feel it was very worthwhile. Lindos represents several historical eras sort of piled on top of one another. I wouldn't want to make that climb without explanation.

[greasyregs]

We found that by the time we got to Santorini, we were ready to venture off to quieter places, and a rental car was a great way to do it ... it turned out to be one of our best port days .... and of all the foreign countries we've rented cars in, I would have to say this was the easiest place to drive:)

 

Susan - Which rental car agency did you use?

[Susan-M]

Susan - Which rental car agency did you use?

 

Tony's : http://www.travel-to-santorini.com/rentacar/fira/tonys/

 

(some people had difficulty getting an automatic here, but we can drive either)

[tommui987]

If you take the public bus at Santorini, do you still first have to take the cable car or donkeys up to the top of the cliff I've read so much about. We'd like to go to Fira and Oia, but one of us is afraid of heights, so I don't know if we'll be able to do it. Thanks.

 

To get to anywhere in Santorini from the harbor, you have to either walk/take the donkey or take the cable car. Fira is the town that you see on top of the cliff/mountain from the harbor.

 

Once you are up there in Fira town, it is easy enough to catch the bus to Oia or book a tour up there (cheaper than the ship's tour).

 

A cable car is just another elevator going at an angle!

 

Walking up/down the pathway is a possibility if you (1) don't mind the heat and (2) the donkey's merde and it can get slippery.

 

If you don't use the cable car or walk, or take the donkey, you won't be able to enjoy Santorini. Of course you can always book the tour at the base of the hill - by the cable car/donkey stop but that only goes to some of the beaches of the island and not to Fira/Oia.

 

Take the cable car - it's only a couple of minutes and you always can close your eyes!

[DScruiser]

Our guide (ship's excursion) accompanied us thru the quaint town of Lindos all the way up to the Acropolis at the top, explaining the history and answering questions the whole way. I feel it was very worthwhile. Lindos represents several historical eras sort of piled on top of one another. I wouldn't want to make that climb without explanation.

 

Hi Miata6,

 

Thank you for your reply! This is the type of information that I am looking for. Is Lindos a working city or is it just ruins?

 

DScruiser