Paradise cruise destination in Greece called ‘logistical pain’

Before the pandemic, almost one million cruise passengers visited Greece’s Santorini each year.

While the beautiful island is often an itinerary highlight, exploring its top sights can be a bit of a nightmare.

Reddit user ‘TokuGirl’ said: “This is my first cruise and it sounds like Santorini can be a s*** show if you have no excursions booked through the cruise line.”

They said that everything through their cruise line was sold out except a $50 (£40) excursion to take the cable car up and down the cliff.

The “confused” guest said it sounded like they would just be paying for an inflated cable car ticket.

READ MORE: The city where tourists are most likely to be rejected by an Airbnb host

An ex-crew member ‘ElGofre’ said: “Santorini is one of my all time favourite ports of the hundreds I visited as crew.

“But it can be a logistical pain to get up into the main towns of the island. The trip up the cliffside is either done by cable car or the steep stone steps. You can roll the dice, or you can suck up the cost and ensure you get up there for as long as possible.”

Cruise passengers who have already paid for the island’s cable car may be able to skip the queues of other tourists waiting.

The crew member added: “The second option is the stairs, which I would not recommend. The cliffs are 400m high and the almost 600 steps zig zag all the way up, so I wouldn’t want to think about what the total walking distance is.

“With the Greek heat, it’s a pretty demanding walk down the stairs, never mind up, and I can’t imagine it’s going to be a whole lot quicker than queueing for the cable car unless you’re a very confident hiker.

“There is the option of riding the donkeys, but it’s widely considered a cruel practice and won’t get you there any faster.”

Before booking an excursion, guests should research the destination to make sure they’re getting good value for money.

In some cases, a cruise line excursion may allow passengers to skip the queue and get more done during their short time off the ship.

However, guests could also check if a third party managed excursion will offer better value for money.