Athens and Santorini specific recommendations needed please. TIA

Just out of curiousity, I looked up the ships in port on July 31st. There are 7 ships, most quite large. I didn't do all the math, but a rough estimate put the possible passenger count around 12 thousand. Don't quote me; I need to check everything again.

I've visited Santorini before‚ with only three ships in port. I have no desire to visit that lovely island with it drowning in cruise visitors.

Not to your question, just a word of warning.

Cheers,
Simon.

Simon,

Yes. It would not be my preference either but as we’ve already paid for the cruise, I don’t have a choice of the day or how many ships in port. We have never been to Santorini and are trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation. :)

The current cable car transports 600 people per hour, in one direction. ( 600 up; 600 down for 1200 people total)
https://www.santorini-view.com/attractions/santorini-cable-car/

Cannot imagine how they will deal with 7 ship loads of folks

Check cruisemapper for the day you're in port to get an idea of the tourist load. Keep in mind that ship's schedules vary, so likely not all those people will be there at once.

We were in Firostefani for gorgeous sunsets. You may want to consider Aktaion if you can reserve an outdoor table. Food and service were wonderful. Enjoy Santorini! https://www.aktaionsantorini.com/aktaion-restaurant-gallery

Are there any ship excursions still available to purchase? With that many people trying to get off the island after sunset, that would be the safest option.

To answer your question about Athens. I am not familiar with the neighborhood where your hotel is located. During our three visits in Athens, we found that there are plenty of coffee/breakfast shops where you could stop for a quick meal. We generally skip the expensive hotel breakfast and stop along the way to a site or grab something from a grocery store. Be prepared for the heat and the crowds, Athens is a busy high density city.

We learned a valuable lesson last fall when going to our cruise ship. When leaving the airport a cruise ship representative told us the exact location of our ship. This was very helpful as the Athens port is huge and the taxi driver took us to the exact location. So be sure to ask the cruise line where your ship is docked to save time and frustration.

Enjoy!

@SimonTemplar - Yes, thank you. I hadn't thought about that but it does stand to reason that not all ships with stay the exact same hours on the island. :)

@TravelBug79 - Thank you so much for the recommendation. I will look into that location. :)

@Charlene - Yes, many excusions are available. However, all of them drop the participants off in Fira to make their way down the cable car on their own and back to their ship. Unfortunately, an excusion will help us upon arrival but not at the end of the day. :(

@lynne - Thank you so much for both of those valuable pieces of advise. I will call the cruise line tomorrow :)

Consider booking a private sunset sail, after which you can dropped at the bottom of the cable car and tender from there.

Consider booking a private sunset sail, after which you can dropped at the bottom of the cable car and tender from there. No cable car lines, no crowds. Santorini is a place to splurge.