A Flying Dress Photoshoot on Your Santorini Cruise Stop

Yes, a flying dress photoshoot fits into a Santorini port day, and it is one of the best ways to spend it. Our two Cruise Day packages are planned around your ship: we meet you in Fira when you come up from the tender, drive you 10 minutes to Imerovigli, photograph you, and bring you back to town with hours to spare before all aboard. Here is exactly how a cruise day works, with the timings we use.

How a cruise day works, in short

1. Book Cruise Day Mini or Classic and tell us your ship, the date and your all aboard time.
2. Take the first tender to Fira old port and come up by cable car.
3. Meet your driver at the meeting point we send you, close to the cable car exit, and message him when you are near.
4. Shoot in Imerovigli, 10 minutes by car.
5. Back in Fira around two hours after pickup, with time to explore or continue with a private island tour.

Where you come ashore

Santorini has no cruise berth, so ships anchor in the caldera and tender passengers ashore. Most passengers land at Fira old port, directly below the town. From there the cable car takes you up in a few minutes. The old stepped path (the Karavolades stairs) has been closed since July 2026, so the cable car is the way up for almost everyone, and the queue grows through the morning. Our advice: ask on board which tender is the first, and be on it.

A smaller share of passengers, mostly those on organised shore excursions, lands at Athinios, the ferry port further south. We normally meet our clients in Fira, but if your cruise line has arranged your transport to Athinios, tell us and we pick you up there instead. Check with your ship which port you will use on the day.

Getting off the ship, step by step

1. Tender boat. Your ship anchors in the caldera and its tender boats take you to the old port, directly below Fira. Ask on board which tender is the first, and be on it.
2. Cable car up. At the old port, the cable car takes you up to Fira in a few minutes. A ticket costs €10 one way, bought at the station. The queue is short early in the morning and grows as more ships arrive.
3. The meeting point. From the cable car exit it is a short walk to the meeting point we send you. Message your driver when you are close.
4. Back the same way. Everyone returns by the cable car down to the old port, then by tender to the ship. Allow time for the queue in the afternoon, and keep your all aboard time in mind. We bring you back to Fira with at least an hour to spare, usually much more.

A typical port day, in times

This is how a morning usually goes when the first tender is at 7:00:

• 7:00 First tender to Fira old port, then the cable car up to Fira.
• 9:00 Pickup at the meeting point near the cable car exit. If you are up earlier, Fira is a lovely place to wait: caldera views, cafés and shops.
• 9:15 Your shoot starts in Imerovigli, 10 minutes by car. A 1-hour shoot takes about 1.5 hours in all, including changing into your dress.
• 11:00 You are back in Fira. Keep exploring, or let us arrange a private island tour with one of our partners.

If your ship arrives late, we adjust the start time. We plan every cruise shoot so that you are back at the port at least 1 hour before your all aboard time, and we follow your ship's actual arrival on the day.

Why Imerovigli

Nine times out of ten, our cruise shoots are in Imerovigli: it is 10 minutes from Fira, it has the caldera views, blue domes and open terraces that make the photos, and it is calmer than Oia. The morning light there is soft, and the walk between spots is short.

If you have your heart set on Oia or Finikia, tell us when you book. Both are further from Fira, so they only work when your time ashore allows. Our guide Imerovigli or Oia explains the difference.

Mini or Classic?

Both are popular with cruise passengers; it comes down to your time ashore and your budget.

• Cruise Day Mini, €470: a 30 minute shoot with 1 flying dress, 8 light retouched and 3 signature retouched photos.
• Cruise Day Classic, €660: a 1 hour shoot with 1 flying dress, 15 light retouched and 6 signature retouched photos.

Both include the transfer from our meeting point in Fira, near the cable car, and back, a personal assistant who makes the dress fly, a flexible start time if your ship is late, every photo color corrected in full high resolution, direct WhatsApp contact with your photographer on the day, and your partner at no extra cost. Compare them on the pricing page.

Staying in touch on the day

After booking you receive the contacts of your driver, your photographer and our manager. On the day, message the driver on WhatsApp, iMessage or by text when you are close to the meeting point; we also follow your ship's arrival ourselves. Things almost always run smoothly, and if anything changes on your side, one message is enough.

If your ship skips Santorini

In strong winds, ships sometimes cannot tender and skip the island. If your ship skips Santorini or cannot dock because of the weather, you get a refund.

What to bring

As little as possible: comfortable shoes for the cable car and the steps of Imerovigli, water, sunscreen and a hair clip. Your dress is waiting for you. Choose it before your trip with our guide to choosing your flying dress, and see the photoshoot checklist for the rest. Partners and children join at no extra cost; a girls' dress can be added for €70.

Book your cruise day photoshoot

Choose Cruise Day Mini or Classic in the cruise section of our Santorini page and tell us your ship, the date and your all aboard time. We take care of the rest.