Greece › Santorini › Cruise Ship Ban
By Santorini Dave
Crowds of cruise ship passengers taking the cable car back to the cruise ship port in Fira, Santorini. For a strong and sustainable local economy cruise ships should be banned in Santorini.
Why we want cruise ships banned from Santorini
• Cruise ship passengers put incredible amounts of stress on the Santorini infrastructure with little economic benefit to the local economy.
• Cruise ships accelerate the degradation of the Santorini environment.
• The economics of cruise ships encourage short-term financial interests at the expense of long-term and sustainable tourism growth and development.
• Santorini is a much more healthy and enjoyable place to live, work, and visit without the stress, hassle, and chaos introduced by thousands of daily cruise ship passengers.
Sign this petition by leaving a comment below with your reasons for supporting a cruise ship ban from Santorini.
And please share this post with others. We’d love to have the input and suggestions from local business owners (of both Santorini and Mykonos) who would benefit from a cruise ship ban.
Santorini Dave was started in 2011 when I posted a short guide to visiting Santorini with kids. Now, my small team and I provide guides to 
Yes, ban the cruise ships. They pollute the water with their waste.
The passengers clog the paths to view the sunset for hours.
They spend no money on food and hotels.
I traveled a lot when I was younger … and Santorini and Oia and Mykonos have been imprinted in my mind as wonderful places to visit. I loved it all. Oia was just a sleepy little spot that I almost felt like I had discovered. A friend asked me to accompany her on a “small “ cruise. next year. I thought “ well, yes .. I loved it there and the people were so nice”. Upon reading about the cruise ships … I don’t think I will go … I’d rather remember things as they were … please ban these cruise ships before they ruin the charm of your island …it just sounds awful there now. I’m so sorry (we travelled on our own and went to several islands on the local boats .. not on a cruise). Don’t be shortsighted. Ban all cruise ships from your beautiful Greek islands
Cruise ships should be banned from Santorini and all other small destinations that get overwhelmed by the hoards of tourists who are only there for a few hours to buy t-shirts and get a few selfies they can post online. Which then entices other like minded followers to take a cruise to Santorini so they too can post selfies in paradise, and say they went before it was ruined by others.
Beautiful Santorini is besieged by these beastly cruise ships .
I am visiting in late September there were a total of 10 cruise ships in 2 days.
The little alleyways of Fira and Oia were just chaotic it is my first visit to Santorini and I was appalled at these huge ships docked in the Caldera. They ruined the experience for me.
I feel as a tourist paying for accommodations and restaurants that I provide more $$ to the economy than these thousands of people that thong in the streets for a few hours.
The amount of particulates inflicted on the local population from these ships would seemingly cause an up tick in respiratory illness.
So for the powers that be In Santorini please ban these cruise ships asap for the good of the local population and for sustainable tourism that benefits the local economy !
Please ban cruise ships from Santorini. They offer nothing for the local economy and strain infrastructure. Plus they unleash herds of uncultured people who are not the least bit interested in respecting and learning about places they visit and the people who built them over generations.
My family and I have been coming to Santorini for many years and it is truly stunning and magical.
But we have a serious problem during the peak season with the thousands of cruise ship passengers that invade the beautiful Santorini and cause severe problems everywhere.
I sincerely and strongly want to make it clear to everyone reading this that I want to ban cruise ships arriving in Santorini and releasing all the thousands of passengers that flock the island and cause unnecessary stress to locals and WE… the real paying tourist who all pay good money to stay in the hotels, enjoy great food and drinks at the restaurants etc….
It’s absolutely ridiculous when beautiful Oia and Fira as well as the rest of the island are invaded with the thousands of cruise passengers that flood everywhere, cause massive queues, and block the walkways and SUFFOCATE everywhere.
The local government should think very hard and take this very seriously in order to protect Santorini’s unique tourism.
So… people of Santorini… please unite together like Spartans and get rid of this problem before it ruins your tourism.
I support the cruise ship ban. After arriving in Santorini, I was shocked by the crowds caused by cruise ships. These crowds of passengers ruin Santorini for those who actually stay in accommodation at Santorini and spend money at restaurants. There is little economic benefit in having these cruise ships for all. Please stop these cruises and avoid ruining one of the most beautiful places in the world. If economics is so important, please think about the long term rather than the short term gain.
12 years going to Santorini, the more the cruise ships the more it puts me off going! If they spent on the island ok, but lots of locals say they don’t so what is the point. They create terrible crowds and frustration in Fira and Oia. Bet the locals hate it. Go to these places with no cruise ships it is wonderful!
I came to Santorini in 2013 & stayed in Perivolos. It was a nice, quiet beach resort. We also visited Oia & Fira, which were busy but nothing like today.
I returned in 2023 & Fira was shocking. Litter absolutely everywhere! A cannabis shop, a McDonalds! I couldn’t move in the narrow streets. I went to stay inland in Pyrgos which was much better, but for how long?
Having just returned from Venice since they banned the cruise ships, it is nowhere near as overcrowded as it was previously. Santorini should follow in Venice’s footsteps and focus on sustainable tourism & people who stay for a few days & spend money with local businesses. People like me will now avoid going to places if they are on cruise ship itineraries.
Please ban the cruise ships. This amazing island is ruined by the masses of people that come in like cattle and can barely move through gf he town. They are not shopping, eating or spending money. Its terrible.
I visited Santorini twice in the past and came back in 2023 just to see 3 cruises stopping in the old harbour at the same time. The smoke coming out of the chimneys is horrifying me not even speaking of the crowds flooding the beautiful alleys. Please stop that! I’m always coming to stay here for at least 5 nights but I don’t think I will ever come back if this madness won’t stop
We travel a lot. Everywhere cruise ships go, it has deteriorated the local experience both for the tourists and the locals. The cattle-hearding structure ruins the travel for those travelers who have not opted for cruises. These days, post-COVID, cruise ships are a perfect disease spreading mechanism. Please,no more!
Absolutely ban the cruise ships. It’s a tiny island with tiny roads and it’s dangerously full of tourists. I understand how frustrating this must be for locals and other tourists to deal with the influx of cruise tourists.
I agree with the ban.
Cruise ships visits are destructive to the island and its economy. Overnight visitors, who make substantial contributions to the economy, are deciding to go elsewhere because they do not want to be overcome by hordes of people stopping for a few hours and clogging the streets.
I support banning cruise ships from Santorini. Apart fom the negative effects of over tourism I am shocked by the way donkeys are mistreated and overworked.
I visited Santorini every summer from 2006 to 2011. It was such a beautiful magical place. I remember meeting the peaceful locals who loved speaking with visitors. The lovely friendly outdoor cats basking in the sun. Getting breakfast, lunch, or dinner in Fira was so peaceful and beautiful. I use to just really be in the moment. Flash forward to this past summer 2022. I missed Santorini so much I took a solo trip. When I visited Fira I was disgusted by how many tourists were crowded in the streets. We were elbow to elbow. Trash littered the streets, spray paint all over the walls, initials etched into the cacti. Who does that?! I couldn’t get a single seat at a restaurant as they were all crowded. I did not see a single local who lived in this area as i use to see relaxing outside their homes. Where are these cats? Probably hiding in fear of the crowds. The island is now filled with narcissist trying to get the best selfies to get the most likes. These crowds of cruise ship tourists do not care about the island, they do not appreciate it either they are there making a mess and destroying what this beautiful island once was. A peaceful place where you can meet the locals, and where the elderly relaxed outside their homes. Now it’s chaos!! Please please stop huge tourism from the cruise ships. Such a sad thing to see the changes that occurred. My beautiful Santorini now destroyed.
Why are 3, 4 – even 5 – huge cruise ships allowed into Santorini at the same time? The thousands of tourists they disgorge spend relatively little, whilst being bused around the island. The only result is severely damaging the experience for visitors to Santorini who stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and are there for several days to properly enjoy the amazing beauty. Increasingly these visitors will stay away – and Santorini will turn into a huge over-developed theme park for cruise ship day-trippers.
I’ve been in Santorini just a few hours into our four day stay. I’m already horrified by the amount of people pouring in. The streets and alleys are impassable, yet the restaurants and stores have few patrons. This confirms the lack of economic benefit to the island. I’ve also witnessed terrible and entitled behavior from passengers who act like they own the place because they bought one coffee. This beautiful place should be taken care of and treasured, not treated like a stop on a tour bus. People who want to enjoy their time here will stop coming if this continues. Thank you for starting this petition, I hope many others sign it.
I’ve never visited Santorini, butI would love to one day, but I don’t want to be part of the problem. I had the joy of visiting other parts of Greece that aren’t saturated with tourists. By prohibiting cruise ships, Santorini can reclaim its charm. It would be in the best interest of the islands if cruise ships were banned.
Santorini is a really beautiful and magic island…that gets destroyed by the passengers of the numerous cruise ships that arrive here. We have experienced days with cruise ships and without and the difference was huge. It was so relaxing to walk through the streets without the day visitors from the ships! I am definitely in favour of banning the cruise ships.
Ban cruise ships from Santorini, negative effect on the environment, tourists dropping in on the island in huge numbers but a limited contribution to the local tourist services.
As a one time visitor to Santorini staying for 6 nights at a hotel in Firostefani, eating at local restaurants and shopping at local supermarkets I was gobsmacked at the number of cruise ship passengers hitting the island every day to do nothing but take a selfie or two, buy a cold drink and maybe a fridge magnet before heading back to the ship. I don’t see how this is sustainable or how it really benefits the local community while the cruise ship companies make millions.
I am doubtful that the ships will stop coming, but at the very least limit it to one ship at a time!
Everyone staying on the island wants cruise ships banned. However, I highly doubt they would do it because of the lost revenue, so the next best alternative would be to petition for a big increase in port fees from cruise ships. This would naturally reduce the number of ships stopping at Santorini and maintain revenue for the island. It’s a win-win.
I look forward to ten days in Santorini this year and hope the cruise ships stay away. They make it so hard to enjoy the beautiful island with so many tourists rushing around
I had wanted to visit Santorini for many years and when I finally visited in 2017 I was pretty disappointed with it thanks to the overcrowding by hoards of day trippers from the cruises.
Would love to visit again one day but my experience has put me off……..definitely all for the ban!!!
Please ban cruise ships to Santorini.
Went to Santorini for 20 years but now won’t go there or Mykonos because of the crowds. Primarily they are ruined by the cruise passengers who don’t even spend money and make it intolerable. If they do ban them I may go back again.
Santorini is a beautiful island and should not be treated as a “Disney Land” just for fun. This island deserved suistanable tourism without any big cruise ships.
Our family had the privilege of visiting santorini in July of 2021 without any crowds! What a gift! I can have imagined it as it looked in pictures. It’s such a special place!! I’m so grateful for the people and culture we got to meet this summer. A cruise ship would have drowned us and taken away from the experience.
No more cruise ships in Santorini!! Let covid set a precedent to say goodbye to the ridiculousness of too many people on such a lovely island!!
Cruise ships are horrible for the environment and they should be banned everywhere until they can do more good than harm to our oceans and the communities they travel to.
Cruise tourism is absolutely unsustainable for Santorini for many reasons. In my own experience I found the hours during which cruise passengers overcrowded the island no fun, because I prefer to enjoy the beauty of the island in a relaxed way. Santorini deserves to be experienced in tranquillity staying at least a few days.
Loved Santorini but the daily influx of people from cruise ships packed the streets, made roads impassible, and privacy in our cave house impossible. People on our roof, people sitting on our stairs and even on our porch. I would never return until cruise ships are banned.
I am a regular traveller to Santorini and have fallen in love with it. I no longer visit Oia as it has been destroyed by the cruise ships…Too many people who make it unbearable for residents and tourists like me who are staying there on vacation and who do contribute to hotels, restaurants, shops etc. ..The cruise ship visitors give almost nothing to the local businesses so contribute nothing to the people who live there. Do not let the crowds of cruise ship visitors destroy the natural beauty of Santorini.
I am not a resident of Santorini, but I have rented and worked on the island. I am signing Santorini Dave’s petition to ban cruise ships from Santorini because I strongly believe in long term growth and development for sustainable tourism. In addition to that, the damage cruise ships have to Santorini’s infrastructure is an environmental concern and it’s slowly eroding the natural beauty and wonder of the island. The cruise ship industry offers very little economic benefit and is detrimental to long term development and sustainable tourism. For these reasons I am signing this petition and urge everyone to do the same for Santorini’s survival.
Help restore Santorini to its rightful glory!
I am part-time resident to Santorini and think the cruise ships offer little monetary benefit to local businesses. Some, yes. But very little compared to overnight guests who come to enjoy the boat tours, wineries, good restaurants, and luxury hotels. Maybe a cruise ship visitor buys a t-shirt or few bottles of water. But often little more and sometimes not even that. Please no more cruise ships spoiling the Santorini caldera.