Cruise to Greek Isles

As far as Santorini is concerned there are some timing issues that pose a challenge to the DIY visitor. You will be tendered ashore to a wharf where there is no road so the only way up the cliff is by cable car or by walking 600+ steps, all of which are uneven and covered with donkey poo and urine. Please don't be tempted to ride the poor abused donkeys! If there are other cruise ships in port that day taking the cable car, which only holds 36 passengers at a time, can take 1.5 to 2 hours of standing in line for your turn. That's a worst-case situation, but not at all uncommon, and then you'd have the same issues returning to the tender dock when it's time to get back to the ship. Those passengers who sign up for the ship's land tour have first priority for leaving the ship and they get tendered to a different dock where there is a road, so the tour buses are there to meet you and take you to see the sights. There used to be a water taxi option that would take you to Amoudi Bay below Oia where a shuttle van would then take you up the cliff into Oia and allow you to explore at your own pace before returning to Fira for the cable car down to the tender dock, but that was discontinued last August due to some unexplained 'legal reasons'. There's no word yet if it will be re-instated this year but you can find out for yourself once you're tendered ashore.

In Santorini take the cable car up and walk back down. The donkeys are very overworked and appear to not be well cared for. In Mykonos go to Delos.

Even though they are more expensive than doing it on your own, the ship excursions have one good feature. If the excursion is late getting back the ship will wait for you. Not so if you are off on your own. We've actually seen people left on the docks on several occasions.

We have been to all three islands by cruise ship.
Santorini. Is exactly as Lee describes. You might want to google cruise ship schedule for your date on Santorini to see how many ships will be in that day. If you are the only one than the cable car wait won't be to bad. If there are other ships in port this would be a good time to take a ship excursion. The ship won't leave with one of their excursions still on shore.

Mykonos
Last year our ship docked within site of Mykonos town. It was no more than a 9 minute walk into town. I had assumed this was the new port but someone commented that it is too far to walk from the new port to town and one should use the water taxi which is just a few minutes and only costs a couple of Euros. All that to say if you can see the town from where you dock its easy to get to.

Just wandering around Mykonos town is a lovely experience. Its full of charm. Many people take a taxi or the local bus out to the beaches but the town can easily take up a good part of the day.
The big attraction of mykonos though is Delos. It is one of the best Ancient sites in Greece. Your ship will have excursions but there are several ferries that make the trip. It was 19 euros with timed arrivals and departures. It will be easy to take a morning ferry to Delos from Mykonos town old harbour and be back by early afternoon. That will give you lots of time to enjoy a stroll around the town as well.
Day trip Delos and Mykonos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157637922138466/

Rhodes
The ship will dock right beside the walls of the old town. Just wander around. Visit the palace of the Grand Master and the street of the knights. You can spend the whole day inside the city walls and go back to the ship for lunch its that close.

The other site is Lindos. Its well connected by bus and taxi. There is an ancient acropolis there which was turned into a Castle fortress. This commute will take about an hour but is easy to do but you have to watch the time carefully to be back to the ship on time.
Lindos and Rhodes http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157634754696058/

We also visted these three ports on a cruise. We did each island on our own and had no problems. However, we were on a rather small ship and made this trip in late September and I don't recall any other ships in port. We did not tender at Santorini, docked near the cable car and rode it up and down. Once "up there", we were directed to the bus station, then the correct bus to Oia (paid the driver onboard). We spent a nice day walking around before returning for the cable car and the ship. In Mykonos, we took ourselves to Delos for a few hours and walked around Mykonos town, had a nice lunch, and then a fairly long but decent walk back to the ship (few, I think, would choose to walk). Same for Rhodes, which we found fascinating....walked off the boat and all over on our own. Try to visit the Palace of the Grand Masters. The real fun for us was just wandering through these charming locales, no guidebook in hand, stopping whenever for a drink or bite to eat, look at shops, wander small streets, etc.
Nowhere did we look for beaches. Our experience may have been enhanced because our smaller ship could access different docks (?) than larger ships, and because of the lack of other cruise ships.

I would not discount the mega-perk of being on a ship sponsored excursion as we too have often seen passengers left on the dock over the years.

You might check out whatsinport.com for info on port facilities, etc. it also includes a calendar where you can see scheduled ships by day. We had a great time, hope you do too!

Linda,
It's been several years (maybe 10 years) since we took our Silversea cruise. Here are my recommendations:

1) Santorini - stick with the ship's excursion (for many of the reasons noted above by other posters). Be sure your excursion includes Oia in Santorini, as I think it is truly a lovely place, and the view of the caldera is lovely. I could have stayed right there for a week. Our excursion also included a lunch (at a lovely outdoor restaurant) and a drive through a bit of the countryside, where we saw pistachio trees and learned a bit about life on the island, which was very interesting.

2) Rhodes - we took a combo excursion that also included Lindos. While it was very hot (late August), and the climb to the top of Lindos was a bear, I'm glad we did it. The views were amazing. As one climbs up, there are modest, local vendors selling what appeared to be hand-crafted items. We were supposed to have a lunch at what was described as a top sea-side resort, but the guide told us that for some reason (maybe a large event there that day), we would have lunch in Rhodes (that was a let-down as the restaurant where we dined was just so-so and dark with no view). If you don't want to take the long ride to Lindos (and the climb up the hill once there), I would suggest just doing Rhodes on your own. While our excursion included being guided in Rhodes, we really could have easily done it on our own....easy walk to where the ship was docked.

3) Mykonos......we did a shore excursion, but if I had to do over again, I would do it on my own. As others have said, super easy walk from the ship, and the shops/cafes/charm is right there. While we drove to a few places, the real charm was right by the sea-side village. I would suggest just wandering around and then grab a table right by the sea and enjoy a beverage or lunch. The windmills are right there, too, so easy to walk to and photograph.

Have a wonderful time. If you are going in the summer, be sure to have a good hat, sunglasses, and very cool clothing...maybe long-sleeve white clothing (for protection from the sun).

We were so very glad to experience the Greek Islands and have many fond memories. Every time I see a photo of the blue domes and bells in Santorini, it warms my heart with great memories :)

On our small (160-passenger) ship cruise (Windstar), weather prevented the port call at Mykonos. It really was rough that night. But the substitute port (your captain's choice may vary ... ) was mainland Monemvasia, which was a very nice, non-commercial feeling stop. So it wasn't a disappointment.

Our ship was so small that we weren't tendered in at most places, and after dinner on the ship at Rhodes, we could go down the gangplank and visit the adjacent old city on foot, after the daytrippers were gone. It wasn't a get-lost worry, because we had been on the ship's official walking tour earlier in the day.

I can't thank everyone enough for all this very helpful infirmation. I will follow all your suggestions as they sound amazing.

Just a couple other questions...there is a group of us going on this cruise, would it be wise to arrange a private tour on Santorini? Wouldn't it be safe to think that they would make sure we are back on the ship in time? I do know they p/u at top of cable car but it is a 5 hr tour and we are scheduled for a 10 hr. layover. Should be safe enough, yes?
Also, if no tour taken on Santorini, has anyone rented a 4 wheeler? Would think that this would be a great way to see alot and spend as little or as much time as you would like at each place. With 10 hrs, we would make sure back to cable car well in advance of leaving. One thing for sure, don't want to get left on dock.
Thanks again everyone for all your writings ❤

Oh, meant to add we will be there 3rd week of Sept. 2018.

A 5-hour private tour would be a great way to see what parts of the island interest your group instead of a generic tour that you might not enjoy as much. You will have plenty of time to get off and back on the ship.

Renting a car is also a good idea. Just be sure you go to your local AAA office to pick up an International Driving Permit, no test or membership required. There are several car rental offices quite near the cable car building. Turn left when you exit, walk to the end of that short lane, turn right and ahead on the left you'll see a short flight of steps leading down to another lane which empties out on the main road where these rental car agents are located. When you reach the main road turn right (downhill) and you'll see a Hertz office very close by on the right.

Check out cruise critic website. It is a great source of information about cruises all over the World.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/smart-deals/?taparam=ECCGeminiUS_K239916088_A8284731385_NS&supdev=c&supsn=s&supqs=cruisecritic.com&supai=31687729725&supap1=&supap2=&supxi=&supxt

The private tour will defiantly try to have you back on time , however , if something unforeseen happens ( bus break down or accident blocking a road ) cruise ship will NOT wait for a private tour , they will however wait for a shop sponsored tour .

I would take on for Santorini , but not for Mykonos , Mykonos is too ray to enjoy on your own .

Hi Linda!
We were on a cruise in 2013 that went to Santorini and have booked another cruise for 2018 that includes Santorini and Mykonos. We did a GREAT non-ship tour in Santorini in 2013. There was a group of 14 of us that all "met" on the Cruise Critic message boards (I saw someone else recommended them) and did the Grand Circle tour with Private Santorini Tours (.com). It was amazing and included a fantastic guide, a stop at a wonderful winery with stunning views and a lunch stop. I found your post while searching here for things to do next year in Mykonos! :)

Good luck!

Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss more travel planning! I love the planning!

In the book that you have, check page 111 where it offers the opinion that those Greek island stops don't particularly warrant using a cruise excursion. There are timing tips in each chapter and for any necessary transportation. When you re-read the chapter, you might want to highlight those notes, so they're easier to find later. E.g., for Mykonos, p.917 mentions walking time from the docks, pages 920 and 923 mention drive time to various beaches, p. 928 gives the boat timing to Delos, etc. Sights described around the Old Town are walkable.