We arrived bright and early an the north west side of the crater entrance of Santorini, only to find the Westerdam and Norwegian Jewel already in position, way ahead of the official arrival time.

Our first stop was O’Athinoi where together with the Westerdam we landed our overland tours.
The Norwegian Jewel went directly to the anchorage at Fira. There is only one anchorage in Santorini and it is given to the ship with the most guests. The Norwegian Jewel, being a high density vessel had no problem claiming this title as, while having the same volume, as the Westerdam can pack nearly double the number of guests on board. (Counted when all beds taken) That meant that Westerdam and Veendam had to float for the day where shore tenders ferried our guests to and from.

It was again a beautiful day with little or no wind, so I could bring the Veendam in between the Norwegian Jewel and the shore and reduce the tender distance. If it is windy, the ships spread themselves further out as with the large wind surfaces, cruise ships can drift considerably in a short spell of time. With over 5000 guests coming of the ship, not mentioning the crew, we knew it was going to be a crowded day ashore. To get to Fira on the top of the mountain there are only three options. 1. Walking (at least 20 minutes steeply uphill) 2. By Donkey (at least 15 minutes of a wobbly ride) 3. The cable car or Funicular (5 minute ride) as expected most guests choose the cable car ride and a long, long line formed on the dock. I think the longest waiting time was about 45 minutes. Not very pleasant, but we already had changed the schedule for this cruise to reduce the congestion in the various ports. It would have been even worse (7 ships) if we would have come on the original date.

If 5000 people go up the hill, they also have to come down again and thus we sailed almost an hour late. Again there was a long waiting time for the cable car. Normally not much of a problem but the schedule to Katakolon, our next port, was a bit tight.

Departure was very nice, as I sailed the Veendam very slowly between the Norwegian Jewel and the Westerdam, with everybody waving at each other from the Balconies and the open decks. We blew the whistle as a farewell, with the Westerdam captain being very enthusiastic in his response but unfortunately the Norwegian Jewel stayed silent. With a un- obscured sun, sailing out of the crater was spectacular with the bright white houses on the top of the mountain. If you see this from faraway you do think that it is snow of the top, as the villages are draped like glaciers over the mountain rim.

We had to pass through Steno Elafonisou again (see May 11 entry) on our way west but the traffic co-operated and we could go through at full speed. By the time we were through it was nearly midnight and when I left the bridge, I had high hopes that we would be on time at Katakolon.