Santorini: All RC excursions tender to Athinios (new) port?

[bgyoshi]

Hi all,

 

I'm looking at a few RC excursions in Santorini.  Some specifically says "you will be returned to athinios port" while some says "you will be dropped off at Fira with cable car ticket".

 

I'm looking at this one https://www.royalcaribbean.com/shore-excursions/jtr/santorini-greece/oia-fira-town/soc8 which does not specify (unless I missed it, please point it out to me!)

 

Does anyone know if this Oia and Fira excursion tenders to Athinios? Thus avoiding the cable car issue.

 

Thank you!

[LXA350]

This seems to be correct, in order to reduce congestion they finally started to operate shore excursions by using round trip Athinios port. Looks like this excursion as well, however it points out that due to weather conditions you might be droped off in Fira at the cable car instead.

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, bgyoshi said:

Hi all,

 

I'm looking at a few RC excursions in Santorini.  Some specifically says "you will be returned to athinios port" while some says "you will be dropped off at Fira with cable car ticket".

 

I'm looking at this one https://www.royalcaribbean.com/shore-excursions/jtr/santorini-greece/oia-fira-town/soc8 which does not specify (unless I missed it, please point it out to me!)

 

Does anyone know if this Oia and Fira excursion tenders to Athinios? Thus avoiding the cable car issue.

 

Thank you!

I've got "Oia on your own", but it goes to Fira on the backside on the way back. Same 4 hours 45 minutes. If we dont go back from Fira I read we can take the cable cars. But if we stay with the tour they drive us bsck. 

 

"

• The drive between Old Port and Oia is approximately 45 minutes each way."

Edited July 28 by firefly333

[ssb]

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I've got "Oia on your own", but it goes to Fira on the backside on the way back. Same 4 hours 45 minutes. If we dont go back from Fira I read we can take the cable cars. But if we stay with the tour they drive us bsck. 

 

"

• The drive between Old Port and Oia is approximately 45 minutes each way."

Do you walk up from port marina to Ola and how long is it . 

Edited July 28 by ssb

[firefly333]

23 minutes ago, ssb said:

Do you walk up from port marina to Ola and how long is it . 

Its the one port it is highly discouraged. The fact they have donkeys and cable cars says to me this is too steep to walk. They provide transportation that takes approx 45 minutes to drive to Oia. Someone on my roll call mentioned maybe getting a group together. To share the cost. I read Oia is as good as the post cards make it look. 

 

I believe this is the same excursion I signed up for. Except he is on a celebrity ship. He stopped 2 hours to eat dinner in Kira and almost missed the last cable car at 8:45 pm. Its offered at 7:45 am and 1:30 pm. I first signed up for 7:45 and decided that would stress me so early and now also have the 1:30 pm slot which imo this reviewer also has. Oia on your own also goes thru kira. Kira on your own does not mention going to oia. More time in Kira. I want to see both. I think this is a good review.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g482942-i10358-k6865556-Santorini_Oia_Greece_Cruise_ship_excursion_or_on_your_own-Fira_Santorini_Cyclades_South_Ae.html

 

 

[mapleleaves]

9 hours ago, bgyoshi said:

Hi all,

 

I'm looking at a few RC excursions in Santorini.  Some specifically says "you will be returned to athinios port" while some says "you will be dropped off at Fira with cable car ticket".

 

I'm looking at this one https://www.royalcaribbean.com/shore-excursions/jtr/santorini-greece/oia-fira-town/soc8 which does not specify (unless I missed it, please point it out to me!)

 

Does anyone know if this Oia and Fira excursion tenders to Athinios? Thus avoiding the cable car issue.

 

Thank you!

 

Athinios is where 99% of cruiseline bus tours begin so it's safe to assume the tour starts in Athinios. 

The description says " Roundtrip transfers: Your tour includes motor coach transportation." which leads you to believe pick up AND drop off at Athinios. 

 

I'd be inclined to believe this tour is RT Athinios which would be great!  avoids the cable car line.  

[mapleleaves]

1 hour ago, ssb said:

Do you walk up from port marina to Ola and how long is it . 

if you take a ships excursion, the bus will pick you up in Athinios and will drop you off in Oia a few blocks from the town center.   Not Oia harbor. 

[ssb]

1 hour ago, mapleleaves said:

if you take a ships excursion, the bus will pick you up in Athinios and will drop you off in Oia a few blocks from the town center.   Not Oia harbor. 

There are now water transfers to Oia from Athinios . As I understand. 

[mapleleaves]

6 minutes ago, ssb said:

There are now water transfers to Oia from Athinios . As I understand. 

You were asking about Oia marina in response to a ships excursion, so I thought you wanted info about a ships excursion location.

The water transfers aren't new.  That boat will be at the Skala dock which is where you will be tendered if you aren't on a ships tour. Skala is below Fira. The ticket is 30E and will include a boat ride to Amoudi Bay (below Oia). From Oia they will provide you a bus ride to Fira ( leaves hourly),  Then in Fira you ride the cable car down to the Skala dock.

The issue with the boat is that it holds 80-100 pax and only leaves when they decide it's full enough.  When I was there, it sat at the dock for an hour.  I still should have taken it, since the cable car line was 2 hrs!  Hindsight ...

[ssb]

3 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

You were asking about Oia marina in response to a ships excursion, so I thought you wanted info about a ships excursion location.

The water transfers aren't new.  That boat will be at the Skala dock which is where you will be tendered if you aren't on a ships tour. Skala is below Fira. The ticket is 30E and will include a boat ride to Amoudi Bay (below Oia). From Oia they will provide you a bus ride to Fira ( leaves hourly),  Then in Fira you ride the cable car down to the Skala dock.

The issue with the boat is that it holds 80-100 pax and only leaves when they decide it's full enough.  When I was there, it sat at the dock for an hour.  I still should have taken it, since the cable car line was 2 hrs!  Hindsight ...

That's why i am asking. I have transferred over  and back by bus . And cabled up and down at Skala and Fira . Our wait down was around two hours . 

[mapleleaves]

The boat drops you off at Amoudi Bay, then you walk about 100 meters up the hill to meet their shuttle van whlch takes you up the rest of the hill to the town.

[Billy Baltic]

We just left Odyssey today which is stopping at Santorini as part of the 7 day Greek islands out of Rome. 
Onboard they were selling a new (to us) Fira transfer via a tender to Athinios. It’s a very welcome addition. It’s only $20 per person and is marked on the app as “onboard sales only”. Buses take you directly from Athinios harbour to Fira and the bus ride is only 20 - 25 minutes. You can get a return bus later in the day from Fira or make your own way back to the ship. We chose to take the cable car. As Odyssey is the only ship there after 5pm the queue was very short.