A day in Santorini with Celebrity Cruises and Royal Beach Club

I’d been to Santorini once before, on a land trip nearly ten years ago. This time we were visiting on Celebrity Xcel, with a day ashore to see Oia and Fira and try Royal Beach Club Santorini.

We usually leave ourselves some freedom on port days, but Santorini was one where we were happy to hand over the transport arrangements. We booked Celebrity’s Ultimate Santorini Day excursion and chose the version that finished at the beach club. Sightseeing first, then a lounger.

We paid £372.72 for the two of us in a pre-cruise sale, roughly 500 USD. That’s a lot for a day ashore. It covered the tour and transport as well as the beach club, though, and by the end of the day we felt we’d spent it well.

Skipping the cable car queue

One of the best parts of this excursion happened before we’d even reached a town. Our tender took us to Athinios, where a coach was waiting at the harbour. We could get straight on and drive up the island.

That meant we avoided the cable car queue at the Old Port below Fira. The other options there are a long climb up the steps or a donkey ride, which I wasn’t keen on. In the summer heat, I was very happy to be sitting on an air-conditioned coach.

Our guide had grown up on Santorini. I liked hearing his stories about living there, especially when he talked about places he knew as a child.

There were three running orders available when we booked. Ours went to Oia first, then Fira, with the beach club last. We wanted to finish the sightseeing before settling down at the beach.

An early stop in Oia

Oia is pronounced “ee-ah”, and it’s where you’ll find the blue domes that appear in so many photos of Santorini. We arrived early enough for the streets to feel manageable, although there were already small queues at the best-known viewpoints.

I can understand wanting that particular photo, especially if it’s your first visit. Just leave yourself time to look around as well. There are plenty of views between the places everyone is queuing for.

We stopped for baklava with ice cream and a peach iced tea to get out of the sun for a while. That was a very welcome break. Even early in the day, it was hot.

If you’re planning your own route, the blue-domed churches and Oia Castle are the obvious places to start. The castle ruins overlook the caldera, and the windmills are another familiar sight in this part of the village. Below Oia, Ammoudi Bay has seafood restaurants by the water, but going down the steps also means allowing for the climb back up. Keep your coach meeting time in mind before heading down there.

On to Fira

Fira felt busier and more commercial, with jewellery shops, souvenir shops and cafés packed into the lanes. There were more open spaces than in Oia, but still plenty of narrow streets and steps.

The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral is a useful landmark in the centre, facing the caldera. Looking out from Fira, we could see Xcel far below us. It gives you a much better sense of how high the town sits above the water than you get from the ship.

The cable car runs between Fira and the Old Port below. We also wanted to get to the Three Bells of Fira, but ran out of time. If that’s a photo you want, allow time for it when you plan your stop.

Three hours at Royal Beach Club Santorini

The club occupies the former Theros Wave Bar site near Vlychada. Our guide told us he used to come to the area as a child.

We’d already visited Royal Beach Club in Nassau, so we were curious about this one. Santorini felt smaller and quieter, with pale cliffs behind the beach and Greek food and music. We liked how different it felt.

On arrival, staff handed us cold, mint-scented towels and offered house wine or a non-alcoholic welcome drink while a Greek band played. After walking around Oia and Fira, that cold towel was particularly good.

We had about three hours at the club. There were enough loungers that we didn’t feel we had to rush to claim one, and staff came round to take orders while we stayed in our chairs.

The shade could have been better. As the sun moved, the umbrellas didn’t cover enough of the loungers, and it got hot in the afternoon. A bit more coverage would have made a difference.

The food was a highlight. The buffet had Greek salads, cheeses and cured meats, along with gyros and filled pitas. We enjoyed it, and there was still plenty available throughout our time there.

I was especially pleased with the frozen Greek yoghurt. Save some room for it.

Food and selected drinks were included. On our visit, that meant water, soft drinks, draft beer, house wine and regular coffee. Cocktails and speciality coffees cost extra. You can check the current package inclusions on Royal Caribbean’s website before booking.

Bring water shoes if you want to swim. The black gravel gets hot and the shoreline is rocky underfoot, including in the water. We wished we’d brought ours.

I would have liked a pool too. We enjoyed the sea, but a pool would have been an easier way to cool off without picking our way over the rocks.

Would we book it again?

We were back on Xcel at around 6pm, with all-aboard at 9pm on our sailing. It was good to have that much time in hand after a full day out.

We’d book this excursion again at the price we paid. The organised transport made the day easier, and we got to see Oia and Fira before spending the afternoon at the beach. We liked the food, had time to relax and never had to sort out a transfer ourselves.

£372.72 is still a lot of money, so I’d look for a pre-cruise sale and compare the running orders before booking. For us, finishing at the beach club was the right choice. By then, we were ready to stop walking.