A massive cruise ship that can carry thousands of guests announced over the weekend it is canceling its planned visit to Santorini due to overcrowding.
The Sun Princess, a cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, has notified its guests that it will not be making a stop at the Greek island on upcoming voyages due to congestion.
In an email communication to guests, the company stated, “Please note that there is a change to our scheduled itinerary. Due to cruise ship congestion, we will no longer call to Santorini, Greece.”
The email elaborated that the anticipated situation would lead to significant overcrowding, detracting from the overall visitor experience.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment this change may cause,” the message conveyed.
Originally slated to visit Santorini on June 11, the 15-deck Sun Princess will now redirect its course to Chania, located on the southern island of Crete, as an alternative destination.
On June 11 four other ships are also scheduled for visit Santorini – Star Clipper, Costa Fascinosa, MSC Divina, and Odyssey of the Seas. When combined with Sun Princess‘ capacity of 4,300 guests, this could mean more than 17,000 cruise travelers visiting the island in a single day.
Specialist publication Cruise Hive reports that some travelers question why an itinerary may be originally planned only to be changed just weeks before sailing, when cruise lines may have known all along what ships are scheduled for a port on what date.
While cruise lines do plan itineraries far in advance, not every cruise line confirms visits at the same time. It may be that when Sun Princess was originally scheduled for the now-impacted itineraries, fewer ships were confirmed for Santorini, Cruise Hive adds.
Santorini overcrowding
Santorini, with a population of around 15,000, attracts millions of visitors annually. This translates to a significant imbalance, with some sources estimating over 1,300 tourists per resident.
The island sees frequent cruise ship arrivals, dislodging large numbers of tourists in a short span, overwhelming infrastructure and popular areas.
As Michael Ermogenis, the founding member of the “Save Oia” Campaign, wrote in Greek Reporter recently, two of the most familiar sights for those lucky enough to live on the cliffs of the Santorini caldera are the sunrise arrivals of large cruise ships and the sunset procession as they leave. Both are beautiful to watch.
But, as he noted the problem for the island (and the visitors), are not these events. It is what happens in between.
The problems begin as soon as these passengers get off their ships and set foot on the island. It’s a process which can take up to three hours during peak season, as everyone must be collected by local launches which can only carry only so many at a time.
These boats feverishly carry passengers to the old and new ports, as well as all the way to Oia. At the old port, visitors must wait their turn to take the chair-lift up to the main town, and this too can often take over an hour. Very few of them will brave climbing the three hundred steps into Fira on foot.
Before they have even arrived on Santorini, cruise passengers have been sold “excursions” for their few hours on this fantasy island. The vast majority of them will have bought an excursion that includes a “visit to Oia.”
Why? Because they have all seen the incredible photos of this magnificent village perched on the cliff face… but there is another reason. It’s free! Free that is, for the cruise lines, the tour operators, and the bus operators which make millions every year from exploiting the extraordinary beauty of this tiny, iconic village.
On the other side of the island, there are historical priceless ancient ruins, thousands of years old… but the cruise lines don’t like to mention Akrotiri, because it costs money to get in. Oia is free, leaving them with a far better margin on every excursion sold. In other words, the passengers are paying for something cruise lines and tour operators get for free.
The result is chaos at the ports and chaos in the buses, which are all trying to get to Oia on roads, Ermogenis says.
Cruise ship can host 4,300 passengers
Launched in 2024, Sun Princess holds the title of Princess Cruises’ largest ship ever built. With a gross tonnage of 175,500, it can comfortably host 4,300 passengers.
The ship offers over 2162 cabins, 29 restaurants and bars, Multiple pools, jacuzzis, a jogging track, and an outdoor movie screen to cater to those seeking leisure.
Sun Princess boasts unique architectural features. The Dome, a geodesic glass-enclosed structure inspired by Santorini, offers stunning ocean views, while The Sphere, a suspended central atrium, takes the ship’s social hub to a new level.
Related: Overtourism and the Sustainable Future of Hospitality in Greece
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