Short answer
On our semi-private catamaran cruises the price includes hotel pickup and drop-off, a Greek BBQ meal cooked on board, an open bar, towels, snorkel gear and three swim stops, one of them at the volcano hot springs. Gold starts from €85 per person; Platinum, which adds a stop at Thirassia, beer and a seafood menu, from €96. Tips for the crew are not included and always optional.
- Gold
- From €85 per person
- Platinum
- From €96 per person
- Private motor yacht
- From €825 per boat
- Not included
- Tips
You have found a cruise you like and the price looks right, but what exactly does it cover? Inclusions vary a lot between boats in Santorini, and the low headline prices often leave out the transfer, the meal or the drinks. This is what is and isn’t included on every cruise we run, written by the Vista Yachting team so you know exactly what you are paying for before you book.
What’s included, cruise by cruise
| Gold | Platinum | Private catamaran | Private motor yacht | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | €85 per person | €96 per person | €1,044 per boat | €825 per boat |
| Guests | Up to 20, shared | Up to 20, shared | Your group only | Up to 10 |
| Length | 4.5 h day, 5.5 h sunset | 4.5 h day, 5.5 h sunset | 4.5 or 5 hours | 3, 4, 5 or 9 hours |
| Swim stops | Red Beach, hot springs, Mesa Pigadia | Mesa Pigadia, hot springs, Thirassia | Mesa Pigadia, hot springs, Thirassia | Red Beach, Mesa Pigadia, hot springs, Oia, Thirassia |
| Food | BBQ chicken, pasta, salad, dessert | BBQ chicken and pork, seafood linguine | Fish meze, BBQ, seafood pasta | Lunch or dinner at a taverna on Thirassia |
| Drinks | Water, soft drinks, white wine | Water, soft drinks, white wine, beer | Plus a speciality wine | Water, soft drinks, white wine, beer |
| Hotel pickup | Included | Included | Included | Included |
The “from” prices are the lowest of the season; summer dates cost more. Every cruise leaves from Vlychada Marina on the south coast, and you can see all of them on our boat tours in Santorini page.
The food
The meal is cooked on board by the crew during the cruise and served at the last swim stop, so you eat at anchor rather than under way.
- Gold: a selection of Greek finger food, BBQ chicken fillet, pasta napolitana, Greek salad, a vegan Greek-style ratatouille, and Greek yogurt with sour cherry for dessert.
- Platinum: finger food, a full BBQ of chicken and pork, seafood linguine, Greek salad with an anchovy meze, the vegan ratatouille and the same yogurt dessert.
If you have an allergy or a special diet, tell us when you book so the crew can plan for it.
The drinks
“Open bar” means you can drink as much as you like of what is on board, for the whole cruise:
- Gold: water, soft drinks and Moschofilero, a light Greek white wine.
- Platinum: water, soft drinks, white wine and beer.
- Private cruises: water, soft drinks, white wine and beer, with a speciality wine on the private catamaran.
Cocktails and spirits are not part of the open bar. The cruise starts with a welcome drink and a short safety briefing as you leave the marina.
Everything else on board
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- BBQ meal and open bar
- Towels and light blankets
- Masks, snorkels and fins
- Pool noodles and life jackets
- An onboard guide
Not included
- Tips for the crew
- The volcano crater walk
- Cocktails and spirits
Bring
- Swimsuit under your clothes
- Sunscreen and a hat
- A light layer for sunset
- Some cash for tips
Hotel pickup and the marina
Pickup and drop-off are included from anywhere on Santorini: Fira, Oia, Imerovigli, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri and every village in between. Because the minibus collects guests from several hotels, the transfer adds about an hour to your day; if you have a car, you can come straight to Vlychada Marina instead, as long as you tell us when you book.
One thing guests don’t expect: we ask everyone to take their shoes off before boarding. The crew keeps them safe at the port and gives them back when you come ashore.
How long the cruise lasts
The day cruise leaves at 10:00 and lasts about 4.5 hours; the sunset cruise leaves at 15:00 and lasts about 5.5 hours. The sunset cruise follows the sun, so it runs longer in summer, around 6 hours, and shorter in autumn, around 4.5 hours. Add the pickup time on top. Our guide to sunset or daytime cruises compares the two.
What’s not included
- Tips. They are not in the price and always optional. Many guests leave €5–10 each in cash at the end of a shared cruise; see our guide to tipping in Santorini.
- The volcano walk. Our cruises swim at the hot springs off Palea Kameni but do not land on Nea Kameni for the walk up to the crater, which has its own entrance ticket. On a private motor yacht of more than five hours, it can be added as an option.
- Cocktails and spirits. Everything else at the bar is included.
There is no extra charge for the hot springs swim, the snorkel gear or the towels.
Shared or private: when private makes sense
On our semi-private catamaran cruises you share the boat with other guests, up to 20 people, and the route and times are fixed. For a couple or a small family, this is the best value.
For a bigger group, the numbers change. A private motor yacht starts from €825 for up to 10 guests, which comes to about €83 each for ten people, close to the price of a shared cruise. A private catamaran starts from €1,044 for the whole boat. With your own boat you also choose the timing, the stops and how long you stay at each.
Weather and cancellations
You can cancel for free up to 24 hours before your cruise, or move it to another date. If we cancel because of the weather, you choose another date or a full refund. On windy days in July and August the captain may change the order of the stops, or swap one, to keep the swims in sheltered water.
Is a Santorini yacht cruise worth the price?
For most guests, yes. For about the price of a good dinner on the caldera, you get five hours on the water with the transfer, a meal, drinks and three swims included, and you reach places like White Beach and the hot springs that have no road. Before you compare it with a lower price elsewhere, add up what that one leaves out.
It is less worth it if you get very seasick or don’t enjoy swimming, although swimming is always optional and the catamaran is stable at anchor. For everything else on the day, see what to wear on a catamaran in Santorini.
