nicegirl512

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to the Greek islands in a few weeks (I will likely have more questions coming up...). We plan to take the overnight ferry from Santorini to Piraeas leaving around midnight on (technically) Monday, September 16 (i.e., Sunday night).

This is on Anek Lines/AIGAION PELAGOS, the boat is F/B PREVELI.

We want to be sure that we get a cabin, preferably an external one. I am somewhat hesitant to book online because it requests a passport number and I avoid entering that online if at all possible. Is this sailing likely to sell out, or will we be safe booking it when we arrive in Greece at Chania, Crete on Monday Sept 9 (or the next day, given our jet lagged state that Monday)?

Also, if anyone can confirm that when it says Monday, I assume it does mean after midnight on Sunday so technically Monday and we arrive in Piraeas on Monday morning, I will feel much reassured.

Thank you!

Heimdall

Yes, the ferry is scheduled to leave Santorini on Monday AM at 00:20. If you check the schedule from its origin, (Rhodes) you will see that it leaves there at 02:30 on Sunday the 15th, then stops at Santorini at 00:20 on Monday the 16th.

Preveli makes six stops before it reaches Santorini, so I'm sure cabins will be in great demand. In this case, since you want a cabin, I would book before arriving in Greece. Were you just travelling deck class it wouldn't be at all necessary in mid-September.

Are you sure you need to provide your passport number? The ANEK website also takes bookings for international ferries from Italy to Greece, where a passport is necessary, but Santorini > Piraeus is a domestic route, and the Greek passengers won't even be travelling with passports.

Improviser

Try booking leaving out the passport number. There is no reason for them to ask for it as Heimdall says. Is it the Anek website you are looking at or some third party website?

Alternatively, phone and make the booking using Skype.

Heimdall

I just did a dummy booking on the ANEK website. Blocks marked with a red * are compulsory, but Passport/ID doesn't have a *. Therefore, do as Improviser suggests and leave that block blank — it isn't necessary to fill it in.

nicegirl512

You are all so helpful, thank you so much! How did I not notice that it wasn't a required field? Anyway, I have just booked us into our outside cabin and that is one less thing to worry about. I really appreciate the help.

Heimdall

You are a nice girl! ;-) Thank you for the feedback.

Improviser

A nice girl? How boring.

Do you know the most insulting 3 words a woman can say to a man Heimdall?

I trust you.