In July 2026, Santorini recorded over 17,000 cruise passengers in a single day. The island has roughly 15,000 permanent residents. You do the math. I’ve lived in the Cyclades for six years. I’ve watched Santorini transform from a postcard into a pressure cooker. The question isn’t whether Santorini is beautiful — it is. The question is whether you’ll actually experience that beauty, or just shuffle through it with 20,000 strangers while paying €18 for a mediocre glass of Assyrtiko. This is not financial advice. It’s travel advice from someone who’s seen the good, the bad, and the overcrowded. What Santorini…