SANTORINI - DIDN'T DO THE HOMEWORK.

[Bobal]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The ship will stop first at the place where ship tours are tendered off the ship.  Only those on ship tours can disembark here. They will get on buses and will not be using the cable car/steps at the second stop. Then the ship will move to a different location and will begin tendering off other passengers. (Those not taking ship tours -- possibly also some who are doing a ship tour of Thira only?)

 

 

 

Is this something new? In all the times we have been to Santorini (including earlier this year) we have never known a ship stop at the port where tours go from, they have always tendered ship excursions to that port and everyone else to the port below Thira.

[cruisemom42]

44 minutes ago, Bobal said:

 

Is this something new? In all the times we have been to Santorini (including earlier this year) we have never known a ship stop at the port where tours go from, they have always tendered ship excursions to that port and everyone else to the port below Thira.

 

Not sure if we are both saying the same thing or slightly different. In my experience at Santorini (2x, but on the same line), both sets of passengers are tendered off, but the ship changed its location in between. Could be that it was because of being a smaller ship (350 pax)?

 

At any rate, from everything I've experienced and read, it is only ship tours that are tendered off to the point where the buses wait. Everyone else goes to the area where the cable cars/steps up to Thira are located.

[Bobal]

18 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Not sure if we are both saying the same thing or slightly different. In my experience at Santorini (2x, but on the same line), both sets of passengers are tendered off, but the ship changed its location in between. Could be that it was because of being a smaller ship (350 pax)?

 

At any rate, from everything I've experienced and read, it is only ship tours that are tendered off to the point where the buses wait. Everyone else goes to the area where the cable cars/steps up to Thira are located.

 

Ooops sorry, I read your post too quickly and missed the word 'tendered' and thought you'd said the ship stopped (i.e. docked) first at the place tours go from. However, my experience has usually been that the ship anchors and tenders go off to two different places from that point - tours to one dock and the remainder to the dock below Thira. Perhaps it depends on the number of ships in port and the timings as to whether they switch positions having dropped of the tender boats for tours.

[shipster60]

Thanks to all of you. This completely clears it up for me. Either way, a ships tour is the only way to get off first and avoid going up the cable car or taking the ferry to Oia. 

[ShawninFL]

For those that are physically able to walk down the stairs, I highly suggest doing it, especially if the cable car line is a mile long.  There were beautiful views the entire way making for plenty of photo opportunities.  And you get to see a few mules passing by as well.  At times, you do have to watch where you are stepping.  When I got to the bottom I stopped at one of the cafes and enjoyed a drink before heading back to our ship on the tender.