Looking for Tips/Suggestions on Port Excursions

Hi guys!! My extended family of 11 are going on a cruise soon that involves stops to the following ports in Greece

1. Athens

2. Santorini

3. Rhodes

4. Mykonos

We have already planned our excursion for Athens, but have nothing yet planned for the other 3. We definitely would like ONE beach day, and are thinking of making that beach day in Rhodes. Any advice, tips? Things to do? Must dos? Thanks in advance!!!!

Mykonos has some nice beaches, as does Santorini. However, if you haven't been to Santorini before, I would not spend the time going to the beach. Instead, I would go up to the town of Oia (about 20 minutes north). It is gorgeous. You can either take a cab (not cheap, but with a lot of people, probably the way to go), rent cars, or take the public bus.

Of the places you mention, I liked Rhodes the least. However, I DO know that there is a beach not too far from the town. I would probably use Rhodes as a beach day.

Mykonos is very pretty, and good for just wandering around.

Mykonos has some nice beaches, as does Santorini. However, if you haven't been to Santorini before, I would not spend the time going to the beach. Instead, I would go up to the town of Oia (about 20 minutes north). It is gorgeous. You can either take a cab (not cheap, but with a lot of people, probably the way to go), rent cars, or take the public bus.

 

Of the places you mention, I liked Rhodes the least. However, I DO know that there is a beach not too far from the town. I would probably use Rhodes as a beach day.

 

Mykonos is very pretty, and good for just wandering around.

Hi! Yes this will be our very first time in Greece. Santorini is the reason why I am even going on this entire cruise, so excited to see it!!! So you suggest going to Oia? Anywhere in particular in Oia??

Thanks for your advice!! May keep Rhodes as our beach day if there are nice beaches there?

Hi! Yes this will be our very first time in Greece. Santorini is the reason why I am even going on this entire cruise, so excited to see it!!! So you suggest going to Oia? Anywhere in particular in Oia??

 

Thanks for your advice!! May keep Rhodes as our beach day if there are nice beaches there?

tomsportguides.com has a good online guide for Santorini, including Oia. Basically there are two main large walkways, one upper and one lower, and only a couple places where most people enter. Therefore, it's pretty easy to just roam around. However, one place I missed before was the view of the windmills on the western side of the town. tomsportguides has pretty good information for getting down to the old fort, where you can see the windmills. It gets extremely crowded pre-sunset, though, so if you're on the island then, you may not want to go down there. (Or maybe that's where you WOULD like to be; don't know.)

Just be aware that Santorini is completely a tender port, and some ships make passengers wait for the people going on excursions to be off before they'll ask that one of the Santorini tenders (used almost all of the time) take people to the cable car location. Don't get on the wrong tender or you'll end up being kind of stuck in a place where you don't want to be (ferry port)!

I'm not much of a beach person, so I didn't go to the beach outside Rhodes. However, my husband rented a motorcycle and went there, just for fun. There may be one closer if it's too much of a production for a bunch of you to go. I don't remember a beach right there at Rhodes, but perhaps there's one. Maybe someone else knows more.

If you are not into ruins then I would use Mykonos as a beach day. Delos, off Mykonos, is a very interesting site but if not wanting to visiting the birthplace of Apollo (Greek Sun God) then Mykonos would be perfect for a beach day. You could combine the beach with a bit of wandering around Mykonos town which is charming in itself. Visit the windmills, have a gyro and a bit of shopping (great leather goods and jewelry here)

Rhodes is also my least favorite of these ports. We just wandered within the old walls…. shopped etc.

Santorini we have done Oia twice and Akritiri once. Oia is best just wandered around……. lots of fantastic photo ops…… The only drawback to this island is getting on it !!!!! Tendering is a pain, then you only have so many choices to get up the cliff face. Remember you have to reverse the process coming back :eek: But truly a beautiful place.

Sorry, came back to here and instead of reading only, I posted an unrelated question.

However, I agree that Mykonos could be a good place for both beach and wandering.

Just be aware that Santorini is completely a tender port, and some ships make passengers wait for the people going on excursions to be off before they'll ask that one of the Santorini tenders (used almost all of the time) take people to the cable car location. Don't get on the wrong tender or you'll end up being kind of stuck in a place where you don't want to be (ferry port)!

.

Thanks!! Does this mean that different tenders on the SAME ship go to different ports in Santorini?

If you are not into ruins then I would use Mykonos as a beach day. Delos, off Mykonos, is a very interesting site but if not wanting to visiting the birthplace of Apollo (Greek Sun God) then Mykonos would be perfect for a beach day. You could combine the beach with a bit of wandering around Mykonos town which is charming in itself. Visit the windmills, have a gyro and a bit of shopping (great leather goods and jewelry here)

 

Rhodes is also my least favorite of these ports. We just wandered within the old walls…. shopped etc.

 

Santorini we have done Oia twice and Akritiri once. Oia is best just wandered around……. lots of fantastic photo ops…… The only drawback to this island is getting on it !!!!! Tendering is a pain, then you only have so many choices to get up the cliff face. Remember you have to reverse the process coming back :eek: But truly a beautiful place.

Thanks for the tips!! We may make either Mykonos or Rhodes our beach day, or maybe both! Is there a beach on Rhodes that you know of?

What is the difference between Oia and Akritiri? I am assuming Oia has the best scenery? What do you mean by reverse the process coming back? Do you mean if you take the cable car up, then take the donkey ride down, etc?

Thanks!! Does this mean that different tenders on the SAME ship go to different ports in Santorini?

Yes, the ship will first let off all the ships tours at a different location (closer to Oia) where buses can get down fairly close to the water. Remember this is a large caldera and the cliffs are quite tall. The ship then leaves and anchors near the steps/cable car location at Fira.

Thanks for the tips!! We may make either Mykonos or Rhodes our beach day, or maybe both! Is there a beach on Rhodes that you know of? No, sorry. We just wandered the old town within the ancient walls.

 

What is the difference between Oia and Akritiri? I am assuming Oia has the best scenery? What do you mean by reverse the process coming back? Do you mean if you take the cable car up, then take the donkey ride down, etc?

Oia is a village on the one end of the island (west I think) Iconic views of white buildings with blue roofs etc. Lots of beautiful views. Akritiri is at the other end of the island and is the ancient Minoan ruins. Many say that the Santorini and the Minoans was where Atlantis was.

Reverse the process means you still have to come down the cliff , whether by cable car, donkey or walking and then tender back to the ship. You need to allow time for all of this. The cable car line can get quite long and the tender line too.

Thanks!! Does this mean that different tenders on the SAME ship go to different ports in Santorini?

Yes. From what I've read (and experienced, though it was in 2006), local tenders are almost always used (probably MUST be used) by all cruise ships, not the tenders from the ship. The cruise ships tell the tender people when they want tenders to go to the "old port" location where the cable car and mules are located, and when they want them to go to the ferry port, south of there, and not walkable. The people on ship excursions need to go to the ferry port, as buses can come down the cliff there to pick them up. Usually the independent travelers want to go to the other tender location, although I suppose some private tours start from the ferry port if cars are involved. Some cruise lines ask that tenders only start going to the cable car location after all people going on ship's tours have been tendered to the ferry port. However, I think most lines work at least one "independent" (cable car) run into their schedule so that the independents get ashore at a decent time.

I tell you this just to aid in planning your time there. Even if your ship anchors at, say, 7, you will be doing well to get up the cliff (by cable car or mule or a very long walk) by 8 or 9. Just how long it will take, however, depends upon your cruise line's policy on tendering at Santorini, plus how many ships get in around the same time as you.

Oh, sorry, didn't notice texan had already answered your questions.

If you haven't been to Oia or Akrotiri, I would suggest Oia (very beautiful) although the ruins at Akrotiri ARE supposed to be pretty incredible if you like ruins. Oia is mostly just for wandering, and perhaps enjoying lunch and shopping. It gets quite crowded at times, though.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice! We just want to take in the scenery when we are in Santorini. Therefore, we will go to Oia as you all recommended.

However, with tendering being such a pain, do you guys advise that we do a quick mini ship excursion first thing in the morning so we can get to the port faster? And then use the rest of the day to roam around?

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice! We just want to take in the scenery when we are in Santorini. Therefore, we will go to Oia as you all recommended.

 

However, with tendering being such a pain, do you guys advise that we do a quick mini ship excursion first thing in the morning so we can get to the port faster? And then use the rest of the day to roam around?

I think the tendering process depends on your cruise line. Our experience was very different from the descriptions here. I cruised to Santorini on Princess, and the ship stayed in one place while some tenders took passengers on ship excursions to the new port to meet buses, and at the same time, other tenders took passengers not on excursions to the old port with the cable car and mules.

Hi there. We did the 3 Greek island ports last month. We actually enjoyed exploring Rhodes. We went to the palace & found it interesting to be wandering in a place that used to house knights. Enjoyed the whole experience of being in a castle. In Santorini we used the speedboat (it is located at the tender pier) to get to Oia. For 8 Euros each we got a boat ride over to Oia & it included a bus tranfer ticket back to Fira. You get about 1 and a half hours in Oia. I would recommend that you use Mykonos as your beach day as once you get your pictures of the windmills there is not much else to do except wander, shop, eat or go to the beach.

You have made my day. Earlier, there were reports that the speedboat to Oia had been discontinued. It's great to hear it hasn't been - or at least wasn't when you were there! I'm really hoping it's running in very early October, as I would love to get to Oia early and have sufficient time there to do some nice photography and exploration. I imagine the boats to Oia time their arrival to when the cruise ships pull into the caldera (and yes, I think most cruise ships stay anchored in one spot), but do you remember what time it was when you got on one? Did you have to wait long? Did you have to go to a kiosk and buy a ticket, or did you just buy a ticket onboard? There's info on this on other older posts, but knowing your experience would be helpful.

Yes, as Chloe says, the tendering process at Santorini varies from ship to ship. I just wanted to alert people that not all cruisers would be able to get on a tender boat first thing in the morning and get to Fira in 10 minutes!

Hi roothy123. As I recall we left the ship between 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. We had to buy our ticket in a small office/kiosk located in the tender area. I checked my pictures & the sign for the Speedboat office is there indicating 12 minutes to Oia and a fee of 8 Euros for the package with the bus back to Fira. When we boarded, I would say that boat was half full (it has a lot of room on it) & we probably waited at least 20/25 minutes while they filled it up. Not sure that it runs on a schedule or they wait till they feel it is full enough to go. We caught their bus up to Oia from the dock below Oia and then had 1 and a half to 2 hours to explore Oia. The transfer back to Fira probably took another 1/2 hour as the road back is single lane & it was busy. Hope that this info was of some help to you.

Hi roothy123. As I recall we left the ship between 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. We had to buy our ticket in a small office/kiosk located in the tender area. I checked my pictures & the sign for the Speedboat office is there indicating 12 minutes to Oia and a fee of 8 Euros for the package with the bus back to Fira. When we boarded, I would say that boat was half full (it has a lot of room on it) & we probably waited at least 20/25 minutes while they filled it up. Not sure that it runs on a schedule or they wait till they feel it is full enough to go. We caught their bus up to Oia from the dock below Oia and then had 1 and a half to 2 hours to explore Oia. The transfer back to Fira probably took another 1/2 hour as the road back is single lane & it was busy. Hope that this info was of some help to you.

Thank you very much. That's quite helpful. Do you remember if there were other ships with you in port that day? I'm just wondering how long I would have to wait if I did it. I can't see any other ships scheduled to be there the same day we are, although I know sometimes that changes. We're also on a ship that provides a free excursion, and I'm guessing not that many people will choose to go off on their own, thus we might end up waiting a while.

We were the only ship in Santorini that day. We were on the Zuiderdam which holds around 2,000 passengers & was sold out for this cruise.

Thanks.

Viranpooja, sorry if I hijacked your thread!

Thanks.

 

Viranpooja, sorry if I hijacked your thread!

I am glad you hijacked my post! I learned new stuff just from you asking great questions

Did not know about the speed boat either! Great idea. The one port that I truly wanted to see was Santorini, so I am thinking I may do an excursion with the cruise line to ensure that I get out in time?

Is one and half hour enough time in Oia?

It's really hard to tell you the best way to have adequate time on Santorini, as all the cruise lines do not seem to be consistent in how they do the tender process. You might want to ask on the appropriate cruise line board (Royal Carib, Princess, whatever) how fast people got to where they wanted, but of course, there's always a risk that the info you get is dated and the situation you'll find is different.

In any case, unless you have a really short day in Santorini, you should be able to get to and see Oia, with an adequate amount of time to wander around there. I'm a photographer, so I'm mostly interested in taking pictures, and preferably get there as early as possibly when the light isn't as harsh. However, there are other things to do - a bunch of pretty neat shops, some restaurants, etc. I think an hour and a half, by ship's excursion or on your own, would be enough for most people unless they really want to do a lot of shopping plus eat lunch. Just leave in plenty of time to get back down to Fira and then back down the cliff (cable car, mule, walk), as the cable car line can be long.

I forget what I mentioned before, but here's some more info that might help you:

The ride from Fira (at top of cable car) to Oia is maybe 20-30 minutes, although from the ferry port, start of ship excursions, I'm guessing it might be 5-10 minutes more. If you take the bus from Fira to Oia, you would want to add time for that. To get to the bus area in Fira is maybe a 10 minute walk once you get up the cliff to Fira.

Cable car ride is fast and relatively inexpensive, but the cars are small and so there's usually some waiting involved to get on one. How long the wait is depends upon how many people are there at once (multiple shiploads all arriving in morning, or more calm?)

On the cruise ship I'll be taking (Viking Star, new), all the people on ship excursions will be dropped off at Fira after their tour, and will use a provided ticket to get down on the cable car to the tender spot. I think this is standard for all cruise lines (although the return trip may not be free), but I'm not sure. In any case, regardless of whether you're on a ship excursion or doing the day on your own, it's likely you'll be taking the cable car down (or walking or taking a mule) since I think the only tenders that run in the afternoon are those that go from the cable car area.

There are public buses to/from Oia, but I've never used one. Some people have reported they can be a little bit unreliable, so if you take one, factor in plenty of time.

If you're on a ship's excursion to Oia or get there on your own (bus, rental car in Fira or at ferry port) you'll have to do a little bit of walking, as Oia is pretty much a pedestrian, hilly town with paths rather than real "streets." Parking is in a few places above the town. Everyone pretty much ends up at the big church up top and then people fan out in a few directions. Once you start walking around, it's pretty much wandering and exploring, although if you want to go to a specific place (for example, see the old windmills on one side of the town, or see the fort, or get down to where the boat to Oia goes), you might want to get a good map.

Whether you should just book an excursion from the ship or DIY it, I can't really say. We're planning to rent a car, but if your primary goal is to see Oia, that's probably more trouble than it's worth for you. You can spend a good amount of time in Oia (plus allowing the time also see Fira before heading back down the cliff. If the ship offers an excursion with an hour and a half in Oia, though, that's great. Ours only offers a half hour, which won't be enough for me!

I was on the tomsportguides dot com site the other night. He has updated the Rhodes guide, so you might want to take a look.

The drive back from Oia to Thira last week took over 50 minutes due to traffic gridlock. My blog contains lots of info. Santorini was Day 5 I think.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2221851&highlight=not+quite+live#

If you are not into ruins then I would use Mykonos as a beach day. Delos, off Mykonos, is a very interesting site but if not wanting to visiting the birthplace of Apollo (Greek Sun God) then Mykonos would be perfect for a beach day. You could combine the beach with a bit of wandering around Mykonos town which is charming in itself. Visit the windmills, have a gyro and a bit of shopping (great leather goods and jewelry here)

 

Rhodes is also my least favorite of these ports. We just wandered within the old walls…. shopped etc.

 

Santorini we have done Oia twice and Akritiri once. Oia is best just wandered around……. lots of fantastic photo ops…… The only drawback to this island is getting on it !!!!! Tendering is a pain, then you only have so many choices to get up the cliff face. Remember you have to reverse the process coming back :eek: But truly a beautiful place.

Is it easy to get to Mykonos town to walk around? Meaning, will we need transportation from the ship?

It's really hard to tell you the best way to have adequate time on Santorini, as all the cruise lines do not seem to be consistent in how they do the tender process. You might want to ask on the appropriate cruise line board (Royal Carib, Princess, whatever) how fast people got to where they wanted, but of course, there's always a risk that the info you get is dated and the situation you'll find is different.

 

In any case, unless you have a really short day in Santorini, you should be able to get to and see Oia, with an adequate amount of time to wander around there. I'm a photographer, so I'm mostly interested in taking pictures, and preferably get there as early as possibly when the light isn't as harsh. However, there are other things to do - a bunch of pretty neat shops, some restaurants, etc. I think an hour and a half, by ship's excursion or on your own, would be enough for most people unless they really want to do a lot of shopping plus eat lunch. Just leave in plenty of time to get back down to Fira and then back down the cliff (cable car, mule, walk), as the cable car line can be long.

 

I forget what I mentioned before, but here's some more info that might help you:

 

The ride from Fira (at top of cable car) to Oia is maybe 20-30 minutes, although from the ferry port, start of ship excursions, I'm guessing it might be 5-10 minutes more. If you take the bus from Fira to Oia, you would want to add time for that. To get to the bus area in Fira is maybe a 10 minute walk once you get up the cliff to Fira.

 

Cable car ride is fast and relatively inexpensive, but the cars are small and so there's usually some waiting involved to get on one. How long the wait is depends upon how many people are there at once (multiple shiploads all arriving in morning, or more calm?)

 

On the cruise ship I'll be taking (Viking Star, new), all the people on ship excursions will be dropped off at Fira after their tour, and will use a provided ticket to get down on the cable car to the tender spot. I think this is standard for all cruise lines (although the return trip may not be free), but I'm not sure. In any case, regardless of whether you're on a ship excursion or doing the day on your own, it's likely you'll be taking the cable car down (or walking or taking a mule) since I think the only tenders that run in the afternoon are those that go from the cable car area.

 

There are public buses to/from Oia, but I've never used one. Some people have reported they can be a little bit unreliable, so if you take one, factor in plenty of time.

 

If you're on a ship's excursion to Oia or get there on your own (bus, rental car in Fira or at ferry port) you'll have to do a little bit of walking, as Oia is pretty much a pedestrian, hilly town with paths rather than real "streets." Parking is in a few places above the town. Everyone pretty much ends up at the big church up top and then people fan out in a few directions. Once you start walking around, it's pretty much wandering and exploring, although if you want to go to a specific place (for example, see the old windmills on one side of the town, or see the fort, or get down to where the boat to Oia goes), you might want to get a good map.

 

Whether you should just book an excursion from the ship or DIY it, I can't really say. We're planning to rent a car, but if your primary goal is to see Oia, that's probably more trouble than it's worth for you. You can spend a good amount of time in Oia (plus allowing the time also see Fira before heading back down the cliff. If the ship offers an excursion with an hour and a half in Oia, though, that's great. Ours only offers a half hour, which won't be enough for me!

 

I was on the tomsportguides dot com site the other night. He has updated the Rhodes guide, so you might want to take a look.

Thanks for all the update! We have decided to go with a rental company that provides a driver as well to take us to Oia. Since you have mentioned Oia it's definitely the place where we wanted to go!

Is it easy to get to Mykonos town to walk around? Meaning, will we need transportation from the ship?

Depending on whee your ship is you will either be tendered by the cruise line or pay €2 pp each way for the water bus to the town.