Why less cruises will go to Santorini

The beautiful island of Santorini is set to see less cruises visit from next year after the Greek island’s authorities have decided to limit the daily number of cruise visitors to 8,000.

Santorini is a popular destination for cruise ships with its iconic whitewashed buildings and amazing views that is a firm favourite for tourists. You only have to go on Instagram to see the abundance of posts showing the breathtaking views of the cliff and views from one of the main towns, Oia.


The influx of cruise passengers visiting Santorini over recent years has put a strain on the small island’s ability to cope with the additional traffic. 2016 saw 636 cruise ships visit Santorini with up to 10,000 passengers descending on the little island on one day alone so a capacity cap is being introduced from 2018 in order for authorities to ensure that visitors receive a better experience.

Recently, Julie visited Santorini on an NCL cruise and commented on the problems she faced with so many cruise passengers all trying to see the island during their port day.  “It was probably our least favourite port, just because everyone was trying to get up the cliffs at the same time. We took the path, which was OK but once we got to the top, roads were congested making seeing the island very slow and delayed.”

The cap on daily cruise visitors may lead to less cruises deciding to call at Santorini but for those who do, it’s anticipated that their port experience will be better, allowing visitors to see more of the beautiful scenery than simply the long line of traffic.

Have you ever visited Santorini on a cruise ship? What was your experience? I would love to hear how you feel the capacity cap is going to affect future cruise to the Greek island.

To learn more about how best to spend your day in Santorini, you can read Paul and Carole’s Guide to Santorini

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Laura
Laura

Laura is a UK cruise blogger based in Cornwall, UK. She founded Cruise Lifestyle in 2016 to share useful advice about cruising, destinations and food.
Last port visited: Bridgetown, Barbados
Next port of call: unknown, but she can’t wait for cruising to resume safely!

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