mathiegirl Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 (edited) Has anyone done this excursion (or similar) where you go through the new port (ETA I supposed I shouldn't assume the port, the excursion says 'Travel by tender boat to Santorini’s shore then enjoy a scenic 45-minute motor coach drive to the small town of Oia") and then on the bus? I've read some reviews saying there's a walk up a hill, and then a lot don't mention that. I have some mobility issues (though not a wheelchair, so steps are okay) and am not sure what this entails. I also hadn't realized until after that the excursion itself says "Full participation may require extended periods of walking over even and uneven surfaces, steep terrain and/or water activity in a slight current. There may be steps, inclines, cobblestone surfaces, and extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitations should take this into account." I think that I thought, when I booked it, that they were talking about walking around the village, but now I'm wondering if they mean the actual transfer to the village. Edited May 30, 2023 by mathiegirl clarifying that I don't know which port exactly that we're being dropped off at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RafaellaCG Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 When we tendered into Santorini there was no road to the port. You would have to climb the mountain or take the cable car to get anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedricmr Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 See MaryS posted May 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Cruiser Posted June 1, 2023 Report Share Posted June 1, 2023 @mathiegirl If you have booked a tour with bus ride to Oia you will be tendered to another pier. There are buses ready to take you to a parking lot in Oia. From the parking lot you have to walk a bit up to the street and from there it is only a few steps until you are in the middle of Oia. I think this is doable if you are not in a wheelchair. cedricmr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrinkm Posted June 4, 2023 Report Share Posted June 4, 2023 Oia is gorgeous but can be crowded, confusing and difficult to walk around. I wish I had taken more pictures of the streets, but here is one for you to get a sense of what the walking paths look like. If you are there anywhere near sunset, you will be pushing your way through wall to wall people on some of these paths, and there are steps in places. It was not designed for accessibility. Santorini is almost all "UP" - that is, there are ports near the water, then steep paths and/or a cable car to get to the top as @RafaellaCG said, then you find most all of the towns. The bus ride will be beautiful! If you are being tendered, I'd assume that there is a possibility of some water at the port when you exit your tender boat to get onto the island. I haven't been to the cruise ship port, as we came in by ferry to a different port nearby that does have a road. I can see the description of the walking applying to both the port/transfer area and the town of Oia. cedricmr and LCWind 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos A. Posted June 5, 2023 Report Share Posted June 5, 2023 There is no port in Santorini, all ships have to tender. The problem is not getting to Oia, the real problem is getting back to your ship on time. You have to go down to the pier where the tenders are and there are only two ways to get there, by cable car or by stairs (not recommended). The cable car line can be up to 2 hours or more. Here are some helpful tips: https://thetravelhack.com/blog/santorini-cruise-puerto-a-oia/ WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RafaellaCG Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 22 hours ago, Carlos A. said: There is no port in Santorini, all ships have to tender. The problem is not getting to Oia, the real problem is getting back to your ship on time. You have to go down to the pier where the tenders are and there are only two ways to get there, by cable car or by stairs (not recommended). The cable car line can be up to 2 hours or more. Here are some helpful tips: https://thetravelhack.com/blog/santorini-cruise-puerto-a-oia/ Yes the lone gets absolutely absurd. We walked, which is fine if you're in good shape, but it is a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted June 8, 2023 Report Share Posted June 8, 2023 We just got off Odyssey in May and we opted to do the 'Best of Santorini' Santorini tour included visit to Oia and Akrotiri tour with a pretty good luncheon with Greek Wedding vibe. The biggest benefit I saw with the best of Santorini was that the tender took us farther away from the usual port to catch the buses and used it to return to ship. In hindsight, this was very valuable to me. We were able to completely avoid the cable car with its 12 euro cost and wait times (excess of 1.5 hours) and the 'donkey trail, which sounded very treacherous from all the stories I heard on board. The tour also went straight to Oia which probably lessened the crowds as there were 3 cruises in port that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrinkm Posted June 9, 2023 Report Share Posted June 9, 2023 11 hours ago, Peter D said: The biggest benefit I saw with the best of Santorini was that the tender took us farther away from the usual port to catch the buses and used it to return to ship. In hindsight, this was very valuable to me. We were able to completely avoid the cable car with its 12 euro cost and wait times (excess of 1.5 hours) and the 'donkey trail, which sounded very treacherous from all the stories I heard on board. The tour also went straight to Oia which probably lessened the crowds as there were 3 cruises in port that day. Did they take you to the ferry port? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted June 9, 2023 Report Share Posted June 9, 2023 2 hours ago, jbrinkm said: Did they take you to the ferry port? Yes. I believe that was it. When we were ready to go back to the ship, we had to wait for the ferry to dock... unload everyone and everything.... reload... and leave. Still was better than the other tendering port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkaczano Posted June 18, 2023 Report Share Posted June 18, 2023 We did Oia on your own in May. There is a long hill of stairs from where the busses park to the town of Oia. You will be walking both up and down them. It would be completely impossible in a wheelchair (and the busses are not equipped) Honestly, I would not recommend doing the tour unless you can do at least 3 to 4 flights of stairs both up and down A link to my blog with a description of the day is below WAAAYTOOO, ChessE4 and RafaellaCG 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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