Santorini on our own

[sghetrick]

We will be on Santorini the 2nd of November, and our ship is in port from 1 pm to 8 pm. We have rented a car for a day (interested in driving to Oia) but now i'm getting nervous about it when hearing about 2nd tendering, cable car waits, etc. I was wondering if anyone had an option on whether we should stick to our rental car, go with a ship excursion (there are only 2 offered), or try to find a private tour. Thanks!!

[CruiserBruce]

November will be relatively quiet, and the various lines and choke points will be much better. I think the limiting thing on your cruise is the short visit, and the sunset time.

 

I would catch a cab to Oia, spend a couple hours, cab back for dinner in Fira, then back to the ship for sunset and sailaway. You will have time.

[KirkNC]

I would stick to the rental car, you should be able to get three hours in Oia. It is only about a 15 minute ride from Fira. If you opt to do the taxi, pay the driver to stay and wait for you. I have heard stories that it can be tough sometimes to find a taxi to take you back. On advantage you have is the time of year, it should not be super crowded.

 

Kirk

[kadey]

Although not the most economical of choices,we choose to pay for the ship excursion.We were off with the first tenders and took the tour bus to Oia. At that point we left the tour and did Santorini on our own! It was great!!

[sghetrick]

Thanks for everyones responses.

 

Kadey - did you just inform the guide you would go on your own? I like your option as we can be on the first tenders, have a ride to oia, and then have plenty of time to make it back to fira.

[Hlitner]

You will have not have much waiting time in November. The reality is that this is off season, not many folks go to the Greek Islands in November, and you will not have to deal with the summer crowds. On the other hand, you are going to find that there are also disadvantages to being in a place that is off season. Some shops will already be closed for the season, the weather may not be wonderful, etc. Up until recent years very few cruises even went to those waters in November, but now, there seems to be a new trend to sell off-season cruises at off-season prices. Renting a car is the best way to truly see Santorini since much of the island is pretty rural.

 

Hank

[kadey]

Hi Sgetrick, We did tell our tour guide we were going on our own. We know that they take a count of people before they leave and we didn't want to group to wait for us thinking we were just late. We didn't make the decision to go on our own until we were in Oia and realized we wanted more time there then was allotted. It was very easy to grab a taxi or take a bus from there to Thira where the cable car was. Our guide even gave us our tickets for the cable car and we didn't even ask for them! Also, we felt the excursion money was well spent to be able to get off the ship quickly and to have the informative guide give us great information all the way up the beautiful ride to Oia.We learned in Greece that all tour guides have to pass a class on being a tour guide and they were the best in all our travels! This was not the first time or the last time we have left a guided tour and finished on our own!-kade

[kenya84]

Hi,

We are going to be in Santorini on the May 22nd tour and plan to rent a car again.We did that on our last cruise and had fun exploring. Oia is worth getting to and walking around; great photo ops there. You should have plenty of time to get around the island and get back in time. Have a great trip.

[debldp]

We will be on the same cruise. Where are you renting a car? Do you have to reserve the car ahead of time?

[kenya84]

I rented on line from Santorini Car Rental. They meet you at the port and the cost is 33 euros or about $45 dollars for the day. Are you interested in sharing a private tour from Sammyis Tours in Kushadasi. I'll share the itinerary. They have good reviews.

EPHESUS TOURS (P05) MILETUS + DIDYMA + TEMPLE Of ARTEMIS + EPHESUS

 

You will be met by your guide at the Port of Kusadasi where you will begin your Private Tour. First we will visit Miletus, an ancient city located near the present Akköy at the mouth of the Buyuk Menderes (meander) River. Miletus owed its importance to its position on the trade routes. It was one of the largest cities in Anatolia with a population of between 80.000 and 100.000. Highly prosperous, it founded many colonies and was

the home of the 6C BC philosophers Anaximander, Anaximenes and Thales, the town planner Hippodamus and architect Isidorus. Having a prominent position, Miletus became the most important port in this area and it was the most active member of the twelve cities of the Ionian Confederation. In the 7th century BC Lydians besieged the city. The city was then controlled in turn by the Persians, Roman and Seljuk Turks. The next visit after Miletus will be Didyma. The world Didyma meant "twins" and it was associated by some as being the meeting place of Zeus and Leto to have their twins Apollo and Artemis. Didyma was famed as a prophecy center dedicated to Apollo, which served a similar purpose as the Delphi of Anatolia. It was not a city but a sanctuary linked to Miletus by Milesians with a 19 km/12 mi sacred road. Then we will drive the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world where your guide will explain to you the significance of this important site. Following this we will make our way to Ephesus which was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient word. We will visit the Ephesus ruins, Odeon, Celcus Library and the Theatre which is still in use today for concerts and has an amazing capacity of 25,000. As we walk through this ancient site you will notice the streets paved with marble which gives a hint to this city's great wealth many years ago. Once the tour has finished some free time for shopping facilities and you will be returned to the Port of Kusadasi.

 

INCLUDED = Pick up & drop-off at Port of Kusadasi, A/C private transportation, Professional guide, Entrance fees.

DURATION = approx 8 Hours

PRICE PER PERSON =

2 pax= USD-$ 175

Tour price just for 2 of you per person USD 175.00 X 2 people = USD 350.00 (We require 25% deposit USD 90.00 and the balance USD 260.00 is to be paid on the day)

4 pax= USD-$ 95

5 pax = USD-$ 90

6 pax = USD-$ 80

7-8 pax = USD-$ 75

9-11 pax = USD-$ 70

12-14 pax = USD-$ 65

15+ pax = USD-$ 60

(Age 0-6 Free 7-12 %50 Link to Booking Form: https://www5205.ssldomain.com/samyelitravel/samyelicom-booking/cruise-excursion.htm

 

Let me know if your interested and if you want to share email addresses.

[cp556]

We will be on the same cruise. Where are you renting a car? Do you have to reserve the car ahead of time?

 

 

In 2008 we rented from Tony's and are renting from him again. Good clean cars, and his offices are a short walk from the cable car.

[ILoveScotland]

Both times I went to Santorini, I walked over to the bus station and took the bus to Oia - cost about $1, exact change needed. Once I took bus back and once took a taxi which I shared with some others from the ship.

 

Oia is a great place for lunch, for window shopping and even buying and just walking around.

[jpver]

Indeed, the public bus to Oia from the Fira busstation is intresting,comfortable and cheap roughly 20 minutes only. When you come up with the cable car it is right and close to the Ortodox Cathedral.

Oia is worthwhile to visit immediately in the morning visit Fira afterwards. So you can estimated the moment to go down again for the tender.

In july 2009 we were lucky that only the Nautica of Oceania was at Anchor.

 

ps. In our case the Nautica did tender first all ships excursions a bit further in the bay where car buses were standing. After we moved a bit further close to the pier where other tenders dropped us next to the cable car. Advantage was that we had no big waiting cues to get up.

[4774Papa]

We will be on Santorini the 2nd of November, and our ship is in port from 1 pm to 8 pm. We have rented a car for a day (interested in driving to Oia) but now i'm getting nervous about it when hearing about 2nd tendering, cable car waits, etc. I was wondering if anyone had an option on whether we should stick to our rental car, go with a ship excursion (there are only 2 offered), or try to find a private tour. Thanks!!

 

We did an NCL excursion and it was great. I highly recommend an excursion. Renting a car is a possibility, but parking would be a pain. Finding a taxi on the island is very hard, there are few.

If you do rent a car, park at the bus park in Oia, just east of the town. Be sure to go to the south end of the island.

[shakespeare]

Does anyone know the approximate cost of a taxi r/t from Fira to Oia? I know we don't want to rent a car and would like to compare taxi cost to a private tour cost.....I know the tour will be higher, but just want to have an idea.

 

Liz

[H2Otstr]

Does anyone know the approximate cost of a taxi r/t from Fira to Oia? I know we don't want to rent a car and would like to compare taxi cost to a private tour cost.....I know the tour will be higher, but just want to have an idea.

 

Liz

 

We took the bus from Fira to Oia and a taxi back. The taxi driver offered to take 4 of us back for 15 Euros. There was no meter running, just a negotiated price.

[sghetrick]

We did an NCL excursion and it was great. I highly recommend an excursion. Renting a car is a possibility, but parking would be a pain. Finding a taxi on the island is very hard, there are few.

If you do rent a car, park at the bus park in Oia, just east of the town. Be sure to go to the south end of the island.

 

We do enjoy the ease of booking excursions however for our cruise there are only 2 excursions for Santorini. This leaves us with little options and definitely knowing we will be with lots of crowds.

[shakespeare]

We took the bus from Fira to Oia and a taxi back. The taxi driver offered to take 4 of us back for 15 Euros. There was no meter running, just a negotiated price.

 

Thanks...that will help me in making a decision!

 

Liz

[pogachkey]

We will be traveling in April to the Greek Islands, and have three children. We'll be with another family - four children there. If we take a ship tour, it is expensive, but if we try to take taxi's I'm afraid we'll need several taxi's and may not end up being able to easily stay together. Any advice?

[shakespeare]

We will be traveling in April to the Greek Islands, and have three children. We'll be with another family - four children there. If we take a ship tour, it is expensive, but if we try to take taxi's I'm afraid we'll need several taxi's and may not end up being able to easily stay together. Any advice?

 

As far as Santorini, one of the companies I contacted has minivans that can hold up to 15...that might work for you. The company is Private Santorini Tours...

http://www.privatesantorinitours.com/santorini-excursions.html

 

What islands are you visiting?

 

Liz

[CruisinManiac]

Although not the most economical of choices,we choose to pay for the ship excursion.We were off with the first tenders and took the tour bus to Oia. At that point we left the tour and did Santorini on our own! It was great!!

 

Did you get to do the wine tour, or was that the tours next stop (after you left the tour)? Also, what cruiseline? We are thinking about doing the same because we arrive at 2:00pm.

[pogachkey]

Hi Liz,

Thanks for the information about mini-vans. Having so many kid with us, we don't want to split the group up, but it would be nice to have flexibility to stop where we want, when the kids need to. So, a private tour or car rental sounds perfect.

[margord]

We will be in Santorini in October and are concerned about times and lines and gettng back to the ship. We want to go between Fira and Oia. Any suggestions on the best way to do it? Can you rent a driver for half a day. Any suggestions on who to contact?

[martyap]

We will be in Santorini in October and are concerned about times and lines and gettng back to the ship. We want to go between Fira and Oia. Any suggestions on the best way to do it? Can you rent a driver for half a day. Any suggestions on who to contact?

 

We took the public bus...if I remember correctly the bus terminal was about a ten minute walk in Fira....bus ride was about 20 minutes....was pretty easy

[margord]

We took the public bus...if I remember correctly the bus terminal was about a ten minute walk in Fira....bus ride was about 20 minutes....was pretty easy

 

 

I don't mind taking the bus at all my concern is coming back. I keep reading how it can be very crowded and the last thing I want to do is miss the ship.