Santorini - 1 day cruise stop

You could visit the archaeological site Akrotiri or take a winery tour. Not sure what you mean by "taking the bus from Fira and then taking the ferry back". There is no ferry to Fira, nor is there one to the tender dock below. There is a water taxi from Fira's tender dock to Amoudi Bay below Oia but there is no return offered on that ferry. From Oia you have to return to Fira by bus or taxi.

Thanks Oregon, I was under the impression that a water taxi/ferry was available from Fira to Oia/Amoudi Bay so I assumed one could take it either way??? I guess that I need to be a bit more specific. So are you saying that the water taxi is available only as a round trip? What about the bus. Somewhere it was stated that the bus was a 30 minute ride from Fira but that it was then a short walk to Oia center. I guess that my main interest is to find a nice spot for a leisurely lunch at a restaurant with a nice overlook. Is that best done in Fira or Oia? Thanks again

I read just last week from someone who had just been there that the water taxi only takes people to Amoudi Bay below Oia but not back to Fira. It's only a one-way trip. Doesn't make sense, I know, but that's what I read. It may have something to do with appeasing the other modes of transportation such as the bus and taxi services. I'll be there next week so I can find out for myself.

Fira and Oia are only 30 minutes apart by bus. Once you get to Oia's bus square it's just a few minutes' walk to the main square.

For lunch in Oia with a view of the caldera you have several choices: Pelekanos, Strogili, Seagull, Lotza, Skala and Thalami. Or if you do take the water taxi to Amoudi Bay you have 3 waterfront tavernas to choose from, Katina's, Dimitris' and Sunset. They'll call you a taxi to take you up into Oia if the shuttle bus connected to the water taxi isn't available.

Thanks Lee, appreciate the recommendations re possible restaurants for Lunch. We'll be there on Jun 1. Hope you enjoy your visit.

We were just in Santorini on a cruise stop April 22. When you head towards the cable car entrance you will pass 2 companies that offer transportation to Oia ( by boat and then a bus up the hill- but it's a bit of an uphill walk to get to the bus), and then every hour (last bus that day was a 2 pm) a bus ride back to Thira. all for 15 euro!! I was ecstatic because it was not listed in Rick's med cruise port guide, and we had planned on taking bus to Oia and then figuring out a way to get back. So we went to Oia, took all the must take pictures, almost got run over by a donkey (they are used to carry everything), and then went back to Thira, looked around and found a nice restaurant to have Santorini wine , beer and bakalava.- all overlooking the caldera! I'm sure your cruise line will offer excursions to the archeological site ( we had been to the Herkalion archeological museum in crete so we had already seen what has been excavated from that site, and we'd been to Pompeii, so we weren't interested in seeing another site).
They have wineries, black lava and I think red lava beaches too. My neighbor said to rent scooters or you can rent a car. We were making this an easy day, so the boat to Oia and bus ride back was plenty. There are several restaurants in Thira with beautiful views, we ate at Zafora. We just had beer, wine and baklava and it was delicious. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the added info. Looking forward to our first visit in this area. As with most stops on a cruise, too much to see, too little time. We'll do what we can. Thanks again.

Check out the Cruise Critic Greece Ports board, lots of great info from folks who have been there on a cruise stop.