Santorini, Greece Port Reviews

We booked NCL’s “Charming Oia & Winery” excursion, which we enjoyed very much. I wanted to see the island, but my daughter wanted to see a winery, and this was a nice happy medium. We didn’t spend too much time at the winery, and the views from there were incredible. After that our bus took us to Oia, which has the amazing blue & white buildings you see in so many Greece pictures, and after some time there took us to Fira, where we had the option of taking the cable car down to the ship tender (2-hour wait), riding donkeys (DON’T—it’s cruel!), or walking (we did that). I had read that Santorini is ridiculously crowded, and that was true. Even though this was the location I had most been looking forward to on the cruise, once was definitely enough because I don’t have the patience for that many people. However, I’m glad I went, and the tour we chose was a good fit for us. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history and customs on Santorini, and I was never bored during the ride. I was surprised how “not green” the island looked; I didn’t realize rain is such a rare occurrence there. After we got to Fira my husband and daughter were ready to go back to the ship, but I wanted to stay in Fira for a little shopping, plus watch the sunset from there. I watched part of the sunset, but then decided I also wanted a bit of light while walking down, and it was beautiful watching the sun set the rest of the way on my journey down the hill. As far as the steps go, even though our tour guide had advised against walking, it really wasn’t bad and we were all glad we’d gone that way. You have to dodge a few donkeys and a bit of donkey dung, but there’s plenty of room. Each step is around 4 feet deep and at least 5 feet wide. They do all slant a teeny bit downhill, so I recommend some type of closed-toed shoes. I was wearing Croc flip flops, which are usually my most comfortable walking shoes, but my feet kept sliding down into them since the steps slanted down. TIP: Make sure you have euro coins for restrooms! (Actually, this applies everywhere we went.) And keep in mind that some of the restrooms are just holes in the ground. I paid 0.50 euro for that privilege.

Visited: Aug 18, 2019

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We did an excursion to Oia. The city was beautiful and we did some independent touring by walking about 10 miles on cliff trail. Great day!! There are a couple of little bars at bottom of cable car to enjoy some drinks before rendering. Try Santorini white whine. Yummy!! Side Note, there were 2 ships in port and it seemed crowded. Tour guide said in summer there can be up to 10 ships. I can’t imagine. Recommend doing Mediterranean trip during shoulder season.

Visited: Sep 30, 2019

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Santorini!! Where were all the blue domes? (like in the pictures) Still a beautiful little island With friendly people. A tiny bit too commercialized for me. We did an excursion through Norwegian cruise line called Greek style Celebration OPA Which I would highly recommend. We had a delicious dinner at an authentic Greek restaurant with Greek dancing and plate breaking. I loved Santorini.

Visited: Aug 22, 2019

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No need for a excursion cable car to the top and come down by donkey very quaint town at the top

Visited: Apr 03, 2018

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The best port of all. This island is everything I thought it would be! Beautiful and lucky that we had beautiful weather.

Visited: May 05, 2014

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I liked the port but hated the cable car - wouldn't have done well on a donkey either. But island was very interesting/pretty.

Visited: May 12, 2019

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We did a ship tour of Santorini which covered Oia, Fira and a winery. It was really busy everywhere as there were 5 ships in. The buses were finding it difficult to drop off and pick up and we didn't have time to do the winery tour. The wine tasting and snacks were also very rushed. Our guide was very knowledgable about the island. Oia and Fira were both very beautiful.

Visited: May 29, 2019

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I just walked around. Didn't realize that you had to take the cable care (five euros each way) or go up by donkey or walk. The churches are magnificent in all of the places we went

Visited: Aug 29, 2016

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been there before..but they do not provide you with lift tickets for cable car-had to pay on your own

Visited: Jul 21, 2019

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Loved this place! The tour of the island, Oia, and a winery were great! Our guide was extremely helpful. So many great pictures and places to eat, the walk down the donkey path at night was pleasant except for the smell.