What to do in Santorini
 

We are a group of 5 families (18 people w/ kids) crusing through the Mediterranean in July - we stop in Santorini and Mykonos. We have heard about Donkey Rides is Santorini- can anyone give me some info on that or other things to do on those islands??

I don't know how long you have in Santorini, but boat rides to the center of the volcano (the two smaller islands in the caldera) are popular. There are also beaches and wineries, in addition to eating and shopping.

I didn't realize that the donkey rides are considered "a thing to do" in Santorini. I thought they were just a way of getting up to Fira from the cruise ship port if you didn't want to take the cable car. (And I'm sure brotherleelove or someone else familiar with Santorini will jump in with the reasons why you should NOT ride the donkeys.)

What types of activities interest you? There are also archeological sites. Akrotiri is closed, but Ancient Thira is another one.

Have you clicked on "destinations" above to read about these islands? It sounds like you should start with basic guidebook info.

We are in port from 7am to 6pm and want to make the best of our time there since it is only one day. We have heard about the boat rides to the volcano but wasnt sure it was worth it. I have heard taking the donkey ride to the top was a memorable experience. We are in our 40s with kids ranging from 9 to 17. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have been to Santorini twice through a one day cruise stop. We took a tour from the cruiseline which only took a few hours and liked going to Oia, a winery and ended at Fira. Fira has lots of shopping and we had a relaxing lunch with a view. I wish we had more time in Oia-it is more artsy, very beautiful and charming! The first time I went, after the tour and shopping, I still had plenty of time to go back to the ship, change to a bathing suit, and go back out to a beach. (I took the cable car back up, and walked to the bus station to catch a bus to the beach. I took a cab back to town on the way back to save time.
Some people stayed on the island for dinner and watched the sunset.
I would not recommend the donkey ride-it is very steep-take the cable car. If you take a tour, they will give you a voucher to take the cable car back down. It is inexpensive to buy a ticket for the cable car if you go on your own.

I forgot to mention Mykanos. You don't need a tour-you can walk to the windmills and shops around town. It was very windy the day we were there, but the beaches are very nice. We stayed for dinner and watched the sunset. The evening turns into a big party atmosphere-if your kids are older, they'll love it!

Please! DO NOT ride the donkeys. They are abused and overworked by their handlers, poked with sticks with nails in the end to keep them moving, forced to run up and down the steps to carry overweight tourists who want something funny to remember when they think back about their time on Santorini. There is a long-needed change in progress to create a more protective environment for them. Monies are being raised and people of influence are finally getting involved. Please do not contribute to this problem!

Does anyone know for sure when Akrotiri will reopen, please? We plan to go there in June/July and will be very disappointed if it's closed.

I don't think there is any information about when it will re-open, but I don't think there is any plan to re-open it anytime in 2008. Everything I've read about it says it probably won't be open anytime this year.