Catamaran Cruises in SantoriniViSta Yachting Platinum Catamaran Cruise in Santorini
The ViSta Yachting Platinum catamaran is a small-group Santorini catamaran cruise that takes up to 18 guests from Vlychada Marina for 5 hours, with hotel pickup included. ViSta Yachting runs it as a Platinum Morning Cruise and a Platinum Sunset Cruise, both stopping at the Red Beach, the White Beach and the hot springs for swimming and snorkeling. A homemade BBQ and seafood meal, snacks, an open bar and a special sunset wine come with the ticket at $113.38 per person. The listing rates 4.9 from 1,196 reviews on Viator. This page sets out what the price covers, what the day is really like and who should look at a different boat. See all Santorini catamaran cruises side by side.
About This Tour
ViSta Yachting sails a brand new catamaran with no more than 18 guests on board, leaving Vlychada Marina on Santorini's south coast. The 5-hour run covers the Red Beach, the White Beach and the hot springs, with swim and snorkel time at each. Snacks and a homemade BBQ and seafood meal are cooked on board, and the open bar pours alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks plus a special sunset wine.
You choose between the Platinum Morning Cruise and the Platinum Sunset Cruise, and both options include pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle. The listing says the tour suits all fitness levels, and infants ride on an adult's lap. Cancellation gives a full refund up to 24 hours before departure.
$113.38 per person, booked on Viator. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
5 hours on the water, as a morning or a sunset departure.
Hotel pickup is included in an air-conditioned vehicle. You can instead meet at Vlychada Marina, right after the beach at the sign for the hotel Notos, where a minibus with the ViSta Yachting logo parks. The driver leads you to the catamaran.
Up to 18 guests. Guide language is listed as English. Maps and information are provided on board.
A brand new catamaran, capped at 18 guests plus crew.
Vlychada Marina, about 10 km from Fira.
Snacks and a homemade BBQ and seafood meal on board, an open bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and a special sunset wine.
Towels and use of snorkeling equipment are included.
Nothing is listed as excluded and no mandatory extras are stated. Gratuities are not mentioned in the listing.
Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure. The operator cancels and refunds if the weather turns bad.
Check Dates and Availability
Pick the Platinum Morning Cruise or the Platinum Sunset Cruise and see live dates and starting times on the booking page. Pickup is included on both options.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short answer
The ViSta Yachting platinum catamaran costs $113.38 per person for a 5-hour cruise from Vlychada Marina with up to 18 guests, a BBQ and seafood meal, an open bar, towels and snorkel gear, and hotel pickup. It rates 4.9 from 1,196 reviews.
Key takeaways
- Want a lower fare? The Vista Gold Catamaran costs $96 with a Greek meze and an open white wine bar, though its group size is not stated.
- Want a Thirassia swim and a glass of Prosecco in the price? The Santorini Star Catamaran caps at 18 guests too, at $111.
- Cocktails included rather than wine only: the Spiridakos Luxury Small Group pours two cocktails each for $160.34.
- See how this boat sits in the full field of Santorini catamaran cruises.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $113.38 ticket is a mostly all-inclusive package. Here is what the listing puts inside the price and what sits outside it.
Included in the $113.38
The listing lists snacks, towels, use of snorkeling equipment, an air-conditioned vehicle for the transfer, a special sunset wine, an open bar of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, a BBQ on board, and maps and information. Hotel pickup is included on both the morning and sunset options. That covers food, drinks and gear in one price.
The full refund window runs to 24 hours before departure, and the operator cancels with a refund if the weather is bad.
- Snacks
- Towels
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Air-conditioned vehicle for pickup
- Open bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
- Special sunset wine
- BBQ and seafood meal on board
- Maps and information
What You May Pay on the Day
The listing names no exclusions and no mandatory extras, so nothing on board is priced separately. Gratuities are not mentioned either way, so treat a tip for the crew as your own call.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BBQ and seafood meal | Yes | Homemade, cooked on board, with snacks |
| Open bar | Yes | Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks |
| Sunset wine | Yes | A special sunset wine is listed in the inclusions |
| Snorkel gear | Yes | Use of equipment included |
| Towels | Yes | Bring your own swimwear |
| Hotel pickup | Yes | Air-conditioned vehicle, both options |
| Gratuities | Not stated | No mention in the listing |
A traditional boat tied up in the clear green water of Vlychada marina. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives a route of three stops and a 5-hour frame but no minute-by-minute schedule. Here is the shape of the day from what it does state.
Pickup and the Marina
An air-conditioned vehicle collects you at your hotel, or you meet the driver at Vlychada Marina right after the beach, under the sign for the hotel Notos. Vlychada is a working fishing harbor on the island's south coast, about 10 km from Fira and 6 to 7 km from the airport. The driver leads you to the catamaran.
- Meet at the Notos sign if you make your own way
- Maps and information provided on board
Red Beach and White Beach
The boat rounds the southern caldera to the Red Beach, where dark red cliffs drop into the sea. Land access there is closed, so boats see it from the water, which is exactly what this cruise does. Next comes the White Beach, which has no road and no safe footpath and is reached only by boat, so a swim stop here is one of the few ways to enjoy its pale pumice cliffs.
Snorkel gear is provided for the stops.
The Hot Springs and the Meal
The third stop is the hot springs near Palea Kameni, where sulfur, manganese and iron tint the water from blue to murky brown or orange. The water runs warmer than the surrounding sea. Wear an old or dark swimsuit, since sulfur can permanently color fabric.
Back on board the BBQ and seafood meal is served with snacks, and the open bar runs through the rest of the trip.
Sunset Run and Return
The Platinum Sunset Cruise is timed around the sunset, and the listing includes a special sunset wine. Operators adjust departure and duration through the season because sunset moves from about 17:05 in late December to 20:40 at the summer solstice. The listing states no weather policy beyond a refund when the operator cancels for bad weather.
Sources: Greeka on the hot springs
Vista Yachting - Santorini Platinum Catamaran Cruise Experience
Vista Yachting shows its own Platinum catamaran cruise. Third-party video by Vista Yachting. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The platinum cruise is flexible on fitness and family, but a few limits and conditions matter before you book.
Ages and Family Rules
Age bands are infants 0 to 3, children 4 to 12, youths 13 to 17 and adults 18 to 99. Infants must sit on an adult's lap, and infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller. The listing names no minimum drinking age, so if that matters to your group ask the operator before booking.
Access and Fitness
The tour is listed as suitable for all physical fitness levels, and nothing in the listing rules out pregnancy or back problems, though swimming at the springs means about 50 meters across open water from the boat. Wheelchair access is not stated. Service animals are allowed.
- Swim access to the springs is across open water
- No wheelchair access stated
- Service animals allowed
Wind, Weather and Timing
The listing states no weather policy. The operator cancels and refunds if the weather is bad, which is the right outcome but can cost you a planned day. Cruise-ship guests should check their tender times against the departure, since ships anchor in the caldera and passengers reach shore by tender before they can join any tour.
If an 18-guest cap still feels busy, the private Sail Away Catamaran takes up to 4 guests per booking, and the full comparison of catamaran cruises in Santorini shows every group size side by side.
Sources: Greeka on the hot springs
Vlychada marina at dusk, with the masts of the moored boats against the sky. Photo: ArticCynda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There and What to Add
Pickup removes most of the logistics, but if you drive yourself or want to build a day around the cruise, Vlychada has more to offer than a quay.
Finding the Marina
Vlychada Marina sits on the low southern shore about 10 km from Fira and 6 to 7 km from the airport, with close to 980 meters of quay. The meeting point is right after the beach, where the sign for the hotel Notos stands and the ViSta Yachting minibus parks. If a cruise ship brings you to the island, you tender to the Old Port below Fira, then take the cable car up for €10 one way or climb the nearly 600 steps, and arrange transport south from there.
Before or After the Cruise
The crater walk on Nea Kameni is a separate volcano tour, not part of this cruise, and it carries a 5 euro landing fee. Ammoudi Bay below Oia is reached by 300 steps down from the town. For more on the stops, read the guide to Santorini hot springs or the guide to Vlychada Marina.
- Volcano crater walk: separate tour, €5 landing fee
- Santorini hot springs guide: what the swim is like
- Ammoudi Bay: 300 steps down from Oia
The Route, Stop by Stop
The listing states three stops and a 5-hour frame without clock times, so the steps below use phases. Exact times shift with the season and the sunset.
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Start
Pickup and boarding
An air-conditioned vehicle collects you at your hotel, or you meet the driver at the Notos sign at Vlychada Marina. Maps and information are provided on board.
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Early cruise
Red Beach
The catamaran works along the southern coast to the Red Beach, seen from the water, since land access to the beach is closed.
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Mid cruise
White Beach swim
A swim and snorkel stop below the pale pumice cliffs of the White Beach, a beach with no road access, so the boat is the only way in. Snorkel gear and towels are provided.
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Mid cruise
Hot springs stop
The boat anchors near Palea Kameni and you swim the short distance across open water to the warm, iron-tinted water of the springs. Wear a dark swimsuit, sulfur stains.
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Later on
BBQ and open bar
Back on board, the crew serves a homemade BBQ and seafood meal with snacks while the open bar pours drinks.
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Last stretch
Sunset wine and return
On the sunset run the special sunset wine comes out as the light drops over the caldera. The catamaran returns to Vlychada Marina at the end of the 5 hours.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing, the price and what travelers trade off by choosing this boat.
What we genuinely like
- Up to 18 guests is a genuine small-group cap, well under the 50-plus on big shared boats
- The BBQ and seafood meal, snacks, open bar, sunset wine, towels and snorkel gear are all in the $113.38 price
- Hotel pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle is included on both morning and sunset options
- 4.9 rating from 1,196 verified reviews on Viator
- Service animals are allowed and infants can ride in a pram
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
The honest downsides
- At $113.38 it costs more than the Vista Gold Catamaran at $96, which also runs from Vlychada Marina
- No cocktails are listed, only the open bar and sunset wine, while some rivals include cocktails
- No Thirassia stop, which some other small-group cruises add to the route
- The listing states no weather policy beyond a refund when the operator cancels for bad weather
- Sunset moves from about 17:05 in late December to 20:40 at the summer solstice, so the sunset run changes with the season
Who it's NOT for: Travelers who want cocktails and a Thirassia swim in the ticket should look at the Spiridakos luxury or Santorini Star options instead.
Questions About This Cruise
How much does the ViSta Yachting platinum catamaran cost?
The catalog price is $113.38 per person for the 5-hour cruise, with the meal, open bar, snorkel gear, towels and hotel pickup included. Compare it with every other boat in the catamaran cruise in Santorini.
Where does the ViSta platinum cruise leave from?
Both departures sail from Vlychada Marina on the south coast, meeting right after the beach at the sign for the hotel Notos. Pickup is included, so many guests never drive to the marina at all, as described in the guide to Vlychada Marina.
Is there a cheaper cruise from the same company?
Yes. The Vista Gold Catamaran costs $96 per person, runs 5 hours from the same marina and serves a Greek meze and BBQ with an open white wine bar.
Does the platinum cruise visit Thirassia?
No, the stated stops are the Red Beach, the White Beach and the hot springs. If you want an island swim on the route, the Santorini Star Catamaran includes Thirassia for $111.
Are drinks included, and is there alcohol?
Yes, the open bar covers alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages plus a special sunset wine. If cocktails matter to you, the Spiridakos Luxury Small Group includes two per person at $160.34.
Can I cancel the booking?
You get a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure, and the operator refunds if it cancels for bad weather. The guide to the Santorini caldera covers the area you sail through.
Is this cruise suitable for children?
Yes, the age bands run from infants 0 to 3 on an adult's lap through children 4 to 12 and youths 13 to 17, and the tour suits all fitness levels. Strollers are allowed, and service animals are permitted.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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