Ha-pealady

There's your answer.

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We have dined in Qsine a couple of times and love it and did the Baltic last year but despite the ship having children on board there were none in the restaurant. We were in there for nearly 3 hours so would not recommend it with a child under 10 years. I think it is adult only

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The Celebrity Guidelines state that there will be 2 Evening Chic nights on a cruise of over 7 days, but I have read posts on another thread that say there were 3 Evening Chic nights on their Baltic Cruise on Eclipse (July 3rd )

How many Evening Chic nights can we expect on our July 31st Baltic Cruise on Eclipse?

We too are on this cruise! I am going to end up with far too many clothes at this rate as the lines have become very blurred and I simply cannot decide what is "chic" and what is "smart casual". I think I always wear "chic" on an evening and generally go for black and a bit of bling on formal nights! Think there will be a lot of people watching from now on!!

Sorry about the delay in getting this update posted. Everything below is based on our experience at Santorini on July 17, 2015.

 

There were 5 cruise ships anchored off Santorini that day, with over 10,000 passenger load. Our ship Celebrity Equinox was one of the early arrivals, and we were on the first tender boat at 7 am and it took about 10 minutes to reach the pier. When the tender docked, it was right in front of a store for "Speedboat to Oia" for 15 euro pp. It is toward the left end of the pier. A couple stores to its right, I saw another sign for similar service at 8 euro, but the guy there told me that due to safety concern with the heavy traffic, their boat was not running (go figure). So I bought the ticket for 15 euro and found out that the first boat wouldn't depart until 8 AM. Around this time, the gondola line was running with little waiting, so there weren't a lot of people for the speedboat.

 

 

Around 8:10, the speedboat departed. It wasn't crowded so we sat on the upper deck. Nice scenery and ride.

 

 

It took about 20 minutes to get close to the pier below Oia. Then we saw a sail/motor boat there re-fueling and took the pier space. Our boat waited for until that sail boat pulled out and we docked. That's around 8:40. After walking up a short distance, a bus was waiting there taking us up to Oia. At this time, I counted 36 tourists who got on this bus. Before the bus reached its stop to let us off, it passed the main parking lot and I saw about 6 or 7 tour buses already there. We got off the bus and someone from the bus/tour company pointed us in the right direction for touring the town. The problem is, those narrow streets already had a lot of people, I guess from the tour buses and those who took taxi or local bus from Fira while we were waiting for the speedboat.

 

After touring the town, including a photo stop at the Oia Castle and a break at a coffee/ice cream shop on the edge of the cliff, we went back to where we got off the bus (see photo below) for the first bus to Fira at 11 AM. Natually, the crowd had gotten even bigger.

 

 

Overall, no compliant for the "Speedboat to Oia service". However, my main goal of reaching Oia before the crowd was hardly met. I used to think the shore excursion from the ship might stop at a winery before going for Oia. That's why I wanted to take the speedboat. It seemed to me that one of the excursion from Celebrity started at 7 AM and went to Oia as the first stop. With the on board credit we had, taking the excursion from the ship wouldn't have cost us much anyway.

 

Well, maybe next time.

Thanks so much for the update, confirms what I suspected, the boat DOES still run but the tour companies do not want you to know this!

Very useful information Jollyfish. Thank you.

 

We are the opposite to you in that we are planning to go to Oia later in the day since our ship doesn't leave until 10pm so wanted to get there after the morning crowds have dispersed.

 

Did you happen to notice whether the boat to Oia runs all day - or at least until around lunchtime?

 

Thanks

Last year I seem to recall that the boat to Oia departed at either 7.45, 8.45 or 9.45am. That was the last boat that went to Oia - the later boat took you to the other port. They only run in the mornings, or did last year

My guess is that those "several tour companies" know that once you decide to go with the boat to Oia, it's a business opportunity they lost. ;)

 

The ship I will be on will tender at Santorini on June 17th at 7 am along with two other cruise ships at the same time, and one more at 9 am. Taking a speedboat to Oia is my plan. I will give an update afterward. I plan to pay the boat fare when I get there instead of making an advanced reservation.

 

Disclaimer: This is my first visit to Santorini, so the above opinion is the result of my homework and judgement call.

 

P.S. If you will be touring a place where the holy month of Ramadan is observed, such as Istanbul, between June 18 and July 19, 2015, you may want to read a thread I started recently - Holy month of Ramadan: June 18 - July 16 (up to 19), 2015

I suspect your guess is probably accurate; there is certainly something amiss here with the conflicting story. I would appreciate your feedback when you return from your trip. We are there early October so we have plenty of time to get feedback from this thread. Santorini, in my opinion, is Oia and there is nowhere else on the island that appeals so we just want to get there as quickly as possible and spend most of the day there before returning to Fira by bus so this service is perfect for us. Most tour companies want to take you all over the island which only gives limited time in Oia and want exhorbitant prices to do that. Island round trips in my opinion are better spent on other Greek Islands but that is only my opinion of course. Oia is spectacular and not to be missed. We are also starting and finishing our cruise in Istanbul so Ramadan is not a problem for us this time. Enjoy your trip!

Was in Santorini last week. The Boatmen's boat was running, but it was only once a day leaving at 9 AM. There is a shop right when you get off that sells the tickets. For now they are only 8 euro, but all I have read in the past is $25, but maybe that's in the summer. We saw the boat sitting there at 8:30 when we got off the tender, bought our tickets, and hopped on. There was only one bus back to Fira/Thira, at 11 AM, so we had about an hour and a half in Oia. I assume the schedule will change soon as visitors increase to the two boats and more bus return opportunities that I have seen in previous posts.

That is really confusing news as I have been told by several tour companies that the boat service was illegal and has been stopped and there is a court action going on! Now, I am unsure what to do as we were hoping to get this boat service again this year and have been looking at other alternatives but it looks like it is still running, albeit a small schedule at the moment.

I have been informed by a local tour company on Santorini that the boatmen are no longer offering thewater taxi from Fira to Oia. It has been stopped. We used it last year and were intending to use it again as it worked so well but are now having to think again.

I have been informed by a tour company on Santorini that the boat to Oia that was running last year has been stopped as apparently it was illegal and the companies that were running the service have sued each other through the Greek courts. So, that should put the subject to bed I suppose which only leaves hiring a private tour boat as the only option of getting to Oua by boat. This information was given to me by Private Santorini Tours who have quoted 140 euros each way for a water taxi which can accommodate all guests in comfort but does not state maximum capacity. Hope this information helps.

As far as I know this Capt Stathis owns a couple of boats so its only boat tours but he does drop you off and arranges the transport for you I think up to Oia. The alternative way as mentioned in my earlier post is just to get the boat from the tender at Fira and that includes the fare up to Oia and a bus back to Fira. We have been to lots and lots of Greek Islands and we are not really interested in touring the island as there is not that much to see compared to other Greek Islands. Its best known for Oia and the spectacular Caldera. We were on the cruise out of Rome early September last year so if you want any other tour company names for the other ports inbox me shirley@tlwilkins.com and I will be pleased to pass on the information for you. The Reflection is a beautiful ship and you will have the most fantastic time. We are on the Constellation this year out of Istanbul on 30 September. Kind Regards Shirley

Ha-pealady,

Thanks so much, will check out that tour. I think I have looked at this website before, but thought it would be cruising only and since we have not been to Santorini before, we would like to tour the island too. is that possible with this guy do you know? My husband was excited by the look of their website.

We are on the celebrity Reflection sailing from Rome on Sept. 11 and in Santorini

 

on the 17th. Are you by any chance on the same cruise? That would be neat!

Thanks for your help!

Some people organised a tour last year with Captain Stathis https://www.santorini.com/sailing/anemos-boat/ We did not join them as the tour was full but they had a good time apparently. We ended up doing our own thing and it worked fine but this year on our stop at Santorini I am going to arrange the same guy myself as a variation to just simply going to Oia and back to Fira with cable car down. You may be interested in this tour guy who has good reviews on TA. I too was very cautious about organising any tours myself but once I took the plunge it was really good fun. This will be our 3rd cruise with Celebrity in September and I have organised several tours now and they were all enjoyed by everyone so I would encourage you to have a go!

The roll call for our cruise is not very active at all, and as first time cruisers I am hesitant to take the lead on shared excursions, but I may have to. What you have booked sounds perfect, would you mind posting the details of your Santorini tour and water taxi. Sounds perfect!!

Thanks so much.

Helen

looks like a few are looking at the option to get a boat to oia and bus back lets hope someone who has recent experiance can post a reply to help us all out ! maybe worth putting a post on some of the current roll calls asking for help

Hi, as I have posted above, there is definitely a kiosk on the harbourside where you can purchase tickets for the boat to Oia. As far as I know this is a permanent service run by local boat men but last year it was possible to prior book seats via Santorini Planet but this has now been stopped. It is by far the best way to get to Oia quickly once you arrive by tender. The boat ticket will include a minibus up to Oia and a ticket by bus back to Fira. This boat service only runs to Oia in the morning and there are buses on the hour back to Fira until about 2.00pm. There was a very long queue in Fira for the cable car back down and it was complete chaos but took about 30 mins. We did book online before they stopped doing this online service and I was worried that our ticket would not be honoured but we did not encounter any problem on the day and they honoured the tickets. We ended up going on an earlier boat than the one we had booked as this was not full. You should have no trouble getting on if you buy on the day. We shall be using this service again ourselves in October when we visit Santorini again.

It really depends on how long your ship is in port. Allow 45 mins each way to get up and down the cable car as when we came back in he afternoon it took us 45 mins queing to reach the cable car which was at about 3.00pm Fira was heaving. You need at last 1 hour in Oia to appreciate its beauty and the bus journey takes about 20 minutes or so. It is possible to charter a boat to take you round to the port at the bottom of Oia and then minibus up. If you can get a party together to join you that would be your quickest method of getting there. It is also possible to walk along the scenic path but allow 2-3 hours I think. Oia is so beautiful, we are visiting again in October on Constellation.

I think we will just make other plans and not depend on the boat.

There were only boats in the morning to Oia last Sept. 8.45 and 9.45am. If you are not there very long I would get a taxi from the top

We used this service on August 27th having purchased vouchers on line in early May. We were travelling on Celebrity Reflection which docked at 2pm so were booked on the 3 pm boat. We went into the first office we saw after leaving the tender and immediately came across Gianluca who had sold us the tickets via Santorini Planet. He took our vouchers and said they were not valid because he had not received the money. I gave him my recept from PayPal and also pointed out that I had emailed him twice regarding the service after reading concerning reports on this website. He continued to insist the voucher was not valid but my husband and I gently stood our ground. He then walked away from us and passed the voucher to the cashier without further communication with us. This was very uncomfortable as he was rude and charmless.

We got on the 3pm boat but had failed to appreciate that the boat went to Athinos and not Oia. We were bused from Athinos to Oia which took about 45 minutes on a bus with no air con. We arrived in Oia at 4.20 pm and the buses back were 5pm, 6pm and 7pm.

The whole thing was pretty chaotic and most people like us did not appreciate that they were going via Athinos.

Hi, sorry to hear you did not fare well with your boat transfer. I noticed on the booking website when we booked that the only boats that went direct to Oia were the 8.45am and the 9.45am. When we got to the office as I have stated in my post above, the girl at the desk did look a little doubtful and went off into the back but soon reappeared and just gave us the boat tickets. She did not look very happy!

Having just returned from our magical trip to Santorini as part of our Eastern Med cruise I can happily report no problems experienced with the boat transfer. We had pre-purchased tickets online and were lucky to get an early tender so went straight to Santorini Planet kiosk on the dock side (1st booth), presented our ticket voucher to the lady behind the desk. She then produced some tickets for us. We got straight on the boat at 8.25am (our tickets were in fact for the 9.45am departure). The boat left at 8.45am and was not full. The coach transfer up to Oia was waiting for us (beware there is quite a steep short climb up from the water side to the bus). We arrived in Oia at approx 9.20am. Oia is so beautiful and we were lucky to arrive early as there were not too many crowds. We got the 12 Noon bus to Fira. This is where we encountered our first problem. There was such a long queue we decided to get in it. Fira was so packed by this time it was not enjoyable trying to look around. It took approx 45 mins to get on the cable car down. We were safely back on ship by 2.00pm and thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Oia. A must see sight.

Is the price list the same or different than the one from their website (post #6 above...) The one above also had lower prices for port days.

"Shampoo, Cut & Blow Dry" "Short Hair $51 (port day $39) Medium-Length hair $60 ($45) and Long hair $69 (52)."

I now have in my possession via email an up to date Menu of Prices. Significantly cheaper on port days and can prebook via email. :)

Hi, was wondering if any fellow cruisers have used Canyon Ranch since they took up residence and if so, were they happy with service and price? I was disappointed to see that Elemis are no longer the spa provider as I am a fan of their products. Also, are they still offering a tour of the spa services on embarkation day? We are in Aqua Class this time round and not really sure how the "personal Spa Concierge to arrange spa treatments" actually works in practice. :)

I think previous posts have mentioned about 100 people so it will not be an actual "speedboat" in the true sense of the word, more like a pleasure boat I should think. If it seats 100 there should be no problem with your friend's back but the seats will probably be hard plastic. If the waves are high enough to toss you about I doubt very much whether the boat would go and I for one would not be on it if it did! I get seasick on a massive cruise ship so no chance!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2074184

Thanks for the info on your thread but I was actually wondering if anyone recently in the last couple of weeks has been let on to the boat with their voucher or if it has been refused as evidence of payment? As I have paid 100 euros for 4 people via Paypal I am getting a bit worried that I will have to pay again. I think Paypal would possibly cover this but as I have never claimed from them I am not really sure what I would do in the event that the voucher is invalid.

My credit card companies both require advanced notification

Ha-pealady

Please forgive this misplaced post. I have not yet figured out how to to post appropriately.

I am newly choosing this cruise and am wondering if your scheduled tours are full. Thanking you for your response in advance.

 

(I assume I will find your answer at the end of this post -- I can also check roll call. With much appreciation)

 

The information on this site is invaluable.

Hi, I have just realised that you are not posing your questions to me on my roll call for the cruise I am doing but on the onboard expenses thread!! Follow the advice in the post above and when you have found the roll call for your cruise you should be able to go from there. Hope this helps

Does anybody know if it is still possible to book online for the speedboat service as our friends wish to do this. The original link with Santorini Planet has disappeared. We have our voucher but would like to get one for them before we travel if possible.

Ha-pealady

Please forgive this misplaced post. I have not yet figured out how to to post appropriately.

I am newly choosing this cruise and am wondering if your scheduled tours are full. Thanking you for your response in advance.

 

(I assume I will find your answer at the end of this post -- I can also check roll call. With much appreciation)

 

The information on this site is invaluable.

Our tours to Ephesus and the Amalfi Coast are actually full but I may be able to add you on if you are interested. How many are in your party? If you want further information email me shirley@tlwilkins.com and I will give you further details, cost etc :)