Santorini, Greece

My Santorini Logbook

Every single time our Royal Caribbean ship sails into the Santorini caldera at sunrise and those white-washed villages appear stacked like sugar cubes a thousand feet above the wine-dark sea, I legitimately pinch myself. I've been lucky enough to visit Santorini six times now on various Mediterranean itineraries, and it never loses its power to make me feel like I've sailed into a dream. This is the port where even seasoned cruisers lose their minds — it consistently scores 4.9–5.0 across thousands of reviews, and I completely understand why. Santorini isn't just beautiful; it feels otherworldly, romantic, and utterly timeless.

The approach alone is worth the entire cruise. You're sailing into the flooded crater of a volcanic eruption that happened 3,600 years ago and may have destroyed the Minoan civilization. The cliffs rise vertically from water so deep it looks black, and perched impossibly along the rim are Fira, Imerovigli, and Oia — villages that seem to defy gravity. When the early morning light hits those buildings and they glow pink and gold against the blue Aegean, I've seen grown adults tear up on the pool deck. It's that beautiful.

My perfect Santorini day starts early — I mean first-tender early. The goal is to reach Oia before the excursion buses arrive around 10 a.m., because those narrow alleys get packed and the famous blue-domed churches become nearly impossible to photograph without fifty strangers in the frame. From the tender pier at Skala, I take the cable car up to Fira (five minutes, incredible views, €6 each way) and then catch the first bus to Oia (20 minutes, €1.80). At 8 or 9 a.m., Oia is still waking up — shopkeepers sweeping their stoops, cats stretching in the sun, and you can walk right up to the Three Bells of Fira church and its iconic blue domes with the caldera behind and get the shot you've seen in every travel magazine on earth. That early-morning quiet is pure magic.

After Oia, I usually work my way back toward Fira, stopping in Imerovigli (the highest village, with hiking trails along the caldera rim) and then wandering Fira's cliffside alleys in the late morning. The shopping is excellent — handmade jewelry using volcanic glass, ceramics, local art — and the food is some of the best in Greece. I always get tomato keftedes (fritters made with the island's famous cherry tomatoes), fava with capers, grilled octopus, and a Greek salad that puts every stateside Greek salad to shame. The Assyrtiko white wine from local vineyards is crisp and mineral and perfect with seafood. Santo Wines has the most dramatic tasting-room views on the island — you're literally sitting on the caldera edge with your flight of wine as the sun goes down.

For those who want to go beyond the postcard, the ancient ruins of Akrotiri are fascinating — a Bronze Age city buried by the same eruption that formed the caldera, often called the "Minoan Pompeii." The excavations are covered by a modern structure so you walk above the streets and look down into houses with intact pottery and frescoes. It's haunting. The black-sand beaches of Perissa and Kamari are great for a relaxed afternoon swim, though be warned — that volcanic sand gets scorching hot in summer, so bring water shoes.

The tender process can intimidate first-timers, but Royal Caribbean runs it efficiently — usually 15–30 minute waits at most, and the ride across the caldera is scenic and exciting. The cable car line can get long midday when multiple ships are in port, so going early or late helps. Donkeys are still technically an option to get up the cliff (following the old zigzag path), but animal welfare concerns mean most visitors skip that now.

Santorini is the port that turned me into a Mediterranean cruise evangelist. Every time I think I've seen its best angle, I discover another. Sunrise from the ship's balcony. Sunset from Santo Wines. Midnight from a cliffside bar with the caldera sparkling below. It's the most romantic place I've ever been, and I don't say that lightly. If your cruise stops here, prioritize it above everything else on your itinerary. Wake up early. Stay out late. Take a thousand photos. You'll want every single one.