Santorini Day Tours Catamaran: The Small-Group Cruise from Ammoudi

In and Out of the Price

The operator includes hotel pickup and drop-off by shuttle van, the meal, all drinks listed, a beach towel per person, an optional snorkel mask, music, restrooms and changing facilities, and the Greek skipper and crew. The only stated exclusion is gratuities, which are optional.

The food menu is fixed and cannot be altered or upgraded. Vegetarians eat Greek pasta with tomato sauce and basil, Greek salad, vegetarian spreads and bread. Wine and beer are served in moderation under an alcohol safety limits scheme, while soft drinks and water have unlimited refills. Only white wine and lager Greek beer are poured, so if you want cocktails on board look at the Spiridakos Luxury Small Group cruise which includes two cocktails per person.

Pickup and the Port

A shuttle van collects you at your hotel, or at the closest accessible point since parts of Santorini sit on slopes no vehicle can reach. The ports may be a 30 to 60 minute drive from your hotel, and the van can stop at other hotels along the way, so allow for a long transfer. Cruise passengers meet at the McDonalds in Fira Town, reached by tender from the ship and the cable car up from the Old Port.

Then you step on the 42 to 56-foot catamaran at Ammoudi Bay, or at Vlychada Marina on some departures.

Red Beach and White Beach

The boat cruises along the caldera cliffs toward Red Beach, which is closed to land access and seen from the water. The red cliffs drop straight into the sea. Next comes a swim stop at White Beach or Mesa Pigadia.

White Beach has pale pumice cliffs and no road, so boats reach it only from the water. Mesa Pigadia is a black pebble cove where the seabed has rocks and urchins, so water shoes help.

The Warm Springs

The swim stop at the warm springs sits off Palea Kameni, the old burnt islet in the caldera. The spring water carries sulfur, manganese and iron, which turns it from blue to a murky brown or orange and keeps it warmer than the surrounding sea. The operator asks you to wear only dark-colored or black swimsuits because the sulfurous water can change the color of the fabric.

You swim from the boat to reach the springs.

The Meal and the Return

The meal is served at a secluded bay in the caldera. It is a fixed Greek menu of grilled chicken BBQ, pan-fried fish fillets, shrimp, pasta with tomato and basil, dips and snacks, with white wine, Greek beer, soft drinks and water. The vegetarian dishes are the pasta, Greek salad, vegetarian spreads and bread.

On the sunset departure the cruise ends at the Ammoudi pier of Oia, with hotel drop-off or a finish at the port otherwise. Ammoudi Bay sits below Oia at the bottom of 300 steps from the town, so the van handles the climb for you.

Health, Age and Access

The operator does not recommend this cruise for travelers with spinal injuries, pregnant travelers or anyone with poor cardiovascular health. The listing says it suits all fitness levels otherwise. Ages run from children 3 to 4 to adults 5 to 99, and no wheelchair access is stated.

Hotel pickup covers only the closest accessible areas, so guests with limited mobility should confirm their address with the operator first.

Weather

The operator can change the departure or return port with the weather and port authority instructions, and the final itinerary may differ from the original. The sails may or may not be used, at the captain's judgement, so guests hoping for pure sailing should know the boat is motor-powered first. The listing says the final itinerary may differ from the original, within safety limits, so book with a flexible day.

Cruise Ship Passengers

The operator says plainly that this tour is mainly designed for hotel guests. Cruise passengers are welcome, but pickup and drop-off happen at the McDonalds in Fira Town, reached by tender and the cable car from the Old Port, and delays along that chain are possible. Within 24 hours of departure your tickets are not refundable even if ship delays stop you sailing.

Read the guide to the Santorini cruise port before committing. If that risk worries you, a boat leaving from Vlychada Marina with the same caldera route, like the Renieris Classic Catamaran, avoids the Oia side of the island.

Who Should Book Differently

If 20 guests still feels like a crowd, the Caldera Yachting Thirassia cruise caps its semi-private boat at 16 and adds a Thirassia swim stop this tour does not have. If budget leads, the Santorini Star catamaran takes 18 guests for $111 per person. For a lower entry price with a bigger boat, the Sunset Oia Ocean Voyager carries 50 to 55 guests from $67.

Getting to the Boat

Ammoudi Bay lies below Oia at the foot of 300 steps from the town. With hotel pickup included you skip the steps, since the shuttle van drives down to the port. On departures using Vlychada Marina, the boat leaves from the island's low southern shore about 10 km from Fira, a working fishing harbor and marina.

The ports may be a 30 to 60 minute drive from your hotel, and the van may stop at other hotels on the way, so eat something before a long pickup. The Ammoudi Bay guide and Vlychada Marina guide cover both.

Cruise Passengers Making the Meeting Point

Ships anchor in the caldera and passengers reach shore by tender to the Old Port below Fira. From there the cable car climbs 220 m to Fira in cabins of 6 passengers, at €10 per adult one way, though it stops on very windy days and nearly 600 steps are the alternative. The meeting point is the McDonalds in Fira Town.

Greece charges cruise passengers a levy of €20 per person at Santorini from June 1 to September 30, and lower rates outside that window, so budget for it.

Adding a Day Around the Cruise

This cruise passes Nea Kameni but does not land on it. To walk the crater rim, book a separate volcano tour, and read the Santorini volcano guide first. Oia itself, with its sunset crowds, sits 300 steps above your return pier.

For a land day, the Akrotiri archaeological site near the south coast shows a town buried in the Minoan eruption of about 1600 BC. White Beach has no road, so the Red Beach Santorini guide and White Beach Santorini guide explain the boat-only access.