Italy/Greece 2023 – Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)

Trip: Rome and Cruise through Italy and Greece (Norwegian Breakaway)
Dates: September 1 – 15, 2023
Who: Me (Jess), Emily (one of my best friends), Beverly (my mom), Jeff (my stepdad), Jen (my aunt), and Megan (my sister).

The first port we were visiting was Santorini, Greece. This is a place I wanted to go FOREVER, so I was thrilled. We woke up thinking it was 10, but the time change got us and it was really 11. Thankfully, we weren’t going to be there until 1pm. Em went to go get us both coffee, while I jumped in the shower to start getting ready for the day.

Once we were basically ready, Megan and I met for lunch in Taste. This was an interesting one, lol. Both of us ordered the Corn Chowder and when our server came back, he handed us orange soup. We were both a bit perplexed…. Then, he told us that they ran out of Corn Chowder and brought us Carrot Bisque (which wasn’t even on the menu). We both tried it and it was a large NO. I originally ordered Chicken Parmigiana, but it wasn’t good. The replacement Burger and Fries was pretty decent. The PB Cheesecake was the shining star of the meal, lol. Emily came and sat with us for a bit.

After lunch, we went to our cabins to grab a few last minute items and then got in line for a tender boat. The tender situation here was interesting. The line led to the theatre, where we sat in groups for a while. Then, groups were sent to the stairs to another line. THEN, we got on a tender.

Today, we were all a bit split up. Mom and Jeff were on one tour, Jen was doing one through NCL, and the three of us were doing Exclusive Santorini, Oia, and Winery Tour through Shore Excursions Group. The instructions were fairly clear, so we easily found our tour group when we arrived in port. We checked in and they told us to come back at 3pm (50 minutes). We took the opportunity to walk through all the shops along the port. It was there that we discovered the Greeks’ love for wood carved penis decorations.

Being completely honest, I wasn’t fond of the port area. It’s super narrow. There were four ships in that day and it was really crowded…. it got very overwhelming. We went back at the tour meeting spot at 2:50pm…. and ended up waiting until after 3:15pm before leaving. It was NUTS, so the tenders couldn’t dock. We finally got one and boarded. From there, we were taken to an industrial port to board buses that were waiting for us.

Our first stop was Santos Wines, where we enjoyed a wine tasting and cheese board. It was a bit unorganized, at first, but fun once it got going. Megan was split up from us, so Em and I were seated with a nice family from various states in America.

Next stop was Mount Profitis Ilias, a monastery and chapel that are the highest building of the Orthodox Church. The views were pretty, but honestly, I could have skipped this stop.

From there, we took a lengthy drive to Oia. Oia is the village that everyone thinks of when thinking of Santorini. All the picturesque spots that we see are in Oia. Just a warning – When taking a tour, the bus lot is pretty far from the center of the village and downhill. It is A LOT of steps up to the main village. We did the hike up and walked around, taking photos and looking for souvenirs. I REALLY liked Oia and would have loved having more than the hour-ish that we got there.

As our time in Oia came to a close, we got a yummy frozen beverage and headed back to the bus. Again – it’s a lengthy walk and the steps are not the easiest.

The drive back to Fira was about 20 minutes. There was another hike up a hill (this a theme that will continue). We got to the town and split for the rest of the group. My parents were already in line for the funicular and were warning us that it was a long one. We knew that we’d probably need to just walk down the steps, so we decided to head that way.

Our friend Gigi (who was on the Norway trip) happened to be visiting Santorini on a work trip, so we made plans to meet up. The visit was a quick one, unfortunately, but we got to have a catch up while making our way through the town.

We got to the stairs, said our goodbyes, and started our dissent. The stair walk was NOT fun. It was long, steep, and treacherous. There was also a bunch of donkey pee and poop, so you had to watch where you stepped. We were pouring sweat and our hands were swelling something fierce (pretty picture, I know). It took about a half hour to get to the bottom, but we thankfully were able to walk right onto a tender.

Mom and Jeff got on the tender about 5 minutes after us. If you’re taking notes, they were in line for the funicular about 30 minutes prior to us getting to Fira. Even with our leisurely walk through town and then taking the steps down, we still got down faster than them. We waited another 10 or so minutes before the tender headed back to the ship. We all agreed to quick showers and then meet in The Manhattan Room for dinner.

Nothing on the entrees menu appealed to me, so I made a meal out of several appetizers.

Pictured above was my dinner…. Asian Pork Spare Ribs (really good), Cheese Ravioli in a “Lobster Cream Sauce” (good, but not a cream sauce – more of a broth), not picture – White Cheddar Potato Soup (good), Pear and Gorgonzola Salad (excellent), S’more Brownie (excellent), and Bananas Foster (this was not good, at all).

Dinner took forever and most of us were exhausted. Megan and Emily decided to get an Irish Coffee and check out the dance club. I, on the other hand, went up to Deck 15 to get my nightly H2O and some hot tea. Then, it was ready for bed and night-night. I’d officially spent the day in GREECE, with more to come!!

For more details on the excursion (from a customer service/value standpoint), I’ll be doing a separate review.

Italy/Greece 2023 Trip Report (September 1 – 15, 2023)
– The Beginning (Vivi Alla Giornata!)
– The Planning Process (Rome)
– The Planning Process (Greece Ports)
– The Planning Process (Italy Ports)
– Flight Confusion
– Day 0: Leave for Rome (September 1, 2023)
– Day 1: Rome Arrival and City Tour (September 2, 2023)
– Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)
– Day 3: Sea Day (September 4, 2023)
– Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)
– Day 5: Athens (Piraeus), Greece (September 6, 2023)
– Day 6: Mykonos, Greece (September 7, 2023)
– Day 7: Olympia (Katakolon), Greece (September 8, 2023)
– Day 8: Valletta, Malta (September 9, 2023)
– Day 9: Messina (Sicily), Italy (September 10, 2023)
– Day 10: Naples, Italy (September 11, 2023)
– Day 11: Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy (September 12, 2023)
– Day 12: Disembark and Vatican City (September 13, 2023)
– Day 13: Rome (September 14, 2023)
– Day 14: Leaving Rome (September 15, 2023) and Some Final Thoughts

Italy/Greece 2023 – Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)

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