Spiridakos Luxury Catamaran Santorini

Included in the Fare

The operator lists all fees and taxes, towels, use of snorkeling equipment, and complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned minivan. Food is a full BBQ spread: shrimp, chicken fillet and beef sausage off the grill, pasta with tomato sauce, Greek salad, tzatziki, vine-leaf rolls with rice, bread and dessert. Vegetarian options are available if you ask when booking. Drinks are soft drinks, 2 cocktails per person and an open bar of white wine and beer.

The cocktail and open-bar package is the headline here. On the separate Spiridakos Sailing Catamaran listing, beer arrives only on its higher options and cocktails only on its Luxury option. If the menu matters more than the brand, Santorini Star Catamaran caps its boat at 18 guests for $111 and adds a glass of Prosecco.

What You May Pay on the Day

Nothing is listed as excluded and no mandatory extras are stated, so the fare should stand on its own. The practical costs sit elsewhere: the cable car from the Old Port to Fira costs €10 one way for cruise-ship guests who have to reach the Fira office, and Greece charges cruise passengers a levy of €20 per person at Santorini in summer, which is separate from any tour.

Pickup and Boarding

An air-conditioned minivan collects you from your hotel and drops you at the port. If you make your own way, the meeting point is Vlychada Marina, next to the ATM, at least 30 minutes before the cruise starts. On some departures the boat sails from Ammoudi Bay instead, the small harbor below Oia reached by 300 steps.

The Southern Coast and the Swim Stops

The catamaran works its way along the caldera's southern cliffs, sailing past Red Beach, which is closed to land access and seen from the water, then White Beach with its tall pale pumice cliffs, and the Indian Rocks. Snorkeling sessions are the stated activity at the stops. The Venetian Lighthouse of Akrotiri is another passing highlight.

The operator states that the itinerary and the start and end port can change without prior notice due to bad weather or other operational reasons. Bring a windbreaker for the sailing legs, as the listing itself advises.

The Meal and the Drinks

The BBQ is cooked on board and served on board: shrimp, chicken fillet and beef sausage, pasta with tomato sauce, Greek salad, tzatziki, vine-leaf rolls, bread and dessert. Soft drinks flow throughout, and each guest gets 2 cocktails with an open bar of white wine and beer behind them. Vegetarian plates are available on request at booking.

Sunset Departures and the Return

The sunset cruise follows the same 5-hour format, timed around the setting sun, and it ends with a hotel drop-off. Santorini sunset runs from about 17:05 in late December to 20:40 at the summer solstice.

Cruise-ship Passengers on Tight Tenders

Tender boats drop cruise guests at the Old Port of Fira, where the operator cannot pick anyone up because there is no road access. You must take the cable car up to the Fira office and be there at least one hour before the cruise starts, and you need to tell the operator your first and last tender times. Check your ship's all-aboard time against a 5-hour cruise plus the transfer.

Read the port logistics in the Santorini cruise port guide.

Anyone Who Wants the Volcano or Thirassia

This route stays on the southern caldera coast. The hot springs at Palea Kameni, Nea Kameni and Thirassia are not on the stop list. If the volcano swim matters, ViSta Platinum Catamaran and Sunset Oia Ocean Voyager both include the hot springs, and Caldera Yachting Thirassia adds a Thirassia stop for up to 16 guests.

Weather-sensitive Plans and the Small Print

The itinerary and the start and end port can change without notice in bad weather, so a fixed plan of visiting one specific beach by boat is not guaranteed. The trade is simple: free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and weather cancellations are covered, so book the day you fancy and rebook if the forecast turns. At up to 20 guests the boat stays small, which is the point of the listing, but it is not a private charter.

For that, the Sail Away Private Catamaran takes a group of up to 4 for $944 per group.

Reaching the Port

With the minivan included, most guests never drive to the marina at all. If you skip the pickup, the meeting point is Vlychada Marina next to the ATM, 30 minutes before departure. Vlychada is a working fishing harbor on the island's south coast, roughly 10 km from Fira and 6 to 7 km from the airport.

Some departures start at Ammoudi Bay below Oia, which means 300 steps down from the town, so allow the descent in your timing. More detail is in the Vlychada Marina and Ammoudi Bay guides.

Cruise-ship Guests

Ships anchor in the caldera and tender passengers to the Old Port of Fira, where there is no road access and no pickup. Take the cable car up to Fira, €10 one way for adults, and reach the operator's Fira office at least one hour before the cruise. Each cabin takes 6 passengers and the cable car carries 600 people an hour in each direction, but it stops on very windy days, and the nearly 600 steps on foot are the only fallback.

Tell the operator your tender times so the return is safe.

Before or After the Cruise

Two additions pair well. The Nea Kameni crater walk is a separate volcano tour, not part of this cruise, and it carries a 5 euro landing fee at the island. On land, the Akrotiri excavation is the other classic half-day, a prehistoric town buried by the Minoan eruption of about 1600 BC.

The Santorini volcano guide covers the crater walk and the Red Beach Santorini guide explains why the beach is boat-only.