lauramsgarden

I'm working on booking our ferries for this summer. We want to go from Herkolion to Naxos, and then later from Naxos to Pireaus. There seems to be one ferry on the date we want to travel and depending on which site I go to they offer the option of "air type seats" or VIP or Business class or economy. It is on a high speed sea jet. If anyone can explain the different options that would be great. and any other advice as well. Thanks so much

lauramsgarden

and looking at part two - from Naxos to Athens - any reason to choose one line over another (Blue Star, Fast Jet, Hellenic, Sea Jet) and any reason to choose one of the ports other than Pireaus? still working on figuring it out...thanks

travelerjan

Laura, you should NOT book seats months ahead!! If you change dates or ferry lines, its a MAJOR hassle toget your money back. When you arrive in Crete (I assume you have 3-5 days there), THAT is the time to pick up your ticket for Naxos. Only time u should book ahead would be the week of August 15, that's the BIG Greek holiday week. But you only say "this summer" so we can't know what to advise. Exact dates = best advice.


All seats are reserved on the high-speed from Heraklion to Naxos ... get the name of the ferry line and click on it to see the difference in seats of different classes. On high speeds I've taken, bus. class seats usually were by the windows on either side, some seats facing, with a table in between (in case you want to play bridge??). "Air type seats" usually mean leanback. I haven't seen that on high speeds. If t here's a big difference probably not worth it.

From NAXOS to Athens BLUE STAR is always my choice, the other 3 cost almost 2x as much, and don't have outside decks or corridors or aisles to wander or cafes... in other words on the latter 3, you are pretty much stuck in your seats for the whole trip.

For blue Star Just buy the tickets on Naxos -- these Bigg ferries take 1200-1800 passengers. On Blue star, I advise getting the "Aircraft seats" also called "reserve economy". But these are not like the "Torture Seats" in actual modern airplanes ... they are more like airplane first class seats... wide, lots of leg room, lean-back with high backs, foot rests, fold-up trays -- very restful. THey're reserved but you are not limited to seating there... you may sit anywhere on deck that yo can find a seat, while it's light outside. Then when you want to read, snack, rest, you can go inside & find your numbered reserve seat. There are BLUE STAR sailings naxos to Piraeus at 9:45am (arrive 3:15pm) and 6pm (arriv about 11:30-12, depending on the day). THey have cafes for snacks or a meal. Taking the first sailing pretty much chops up the whole middle of the day. OK if you have a long holiday. If not, and f you don't mind arriving on mainland late evening (metro or taxi to central Athens hotel), taking the 6pm gives you another precious afternoon at the beach (arrange w. hotel to stow your bags).

JAMH

Definitely, if you envision yourself on the deck of the ferry, take Blue Star but the flip side is that they are slower than the high speed lines. With the high speed lines, you can move around in the cabin to the snack bar, the bathroom, etc. but you cannot go on deck during the trip, but the trip takes less time -- for example, 3.5 hours from Naxos to Pireaus vs 5.5 hours on Blue Star. So, as with most things in life, there is a trade off.

Heimdall

When you write VIP, business, and economy classes you must mean the Hellenic Seaways highspeeds. I've used all three classes on various occasions, and there isn't much difference in seating, so economy is just fine. If the Hellenic Seaways website still offers the option of seats with a table, that may be worth considering.

Even though Blue Star takes longer to reach Piraeus, I would still opt for it over a high speed ferry. If you do want a high speed ferry, choose Hellenic Seaways, which is almost as punctual as Blue Star. With Sea Jets, the time you save might be taken up waiting at the port for a late arrival, as Sea Jets typically run an hour or more behind schedule.

I prefer the morning Blue Star, because I would rather arrive at Athens in the afternoon when there is still time to do something in Athens that day, even if its just walking around Plaka and finding a restaurant for dinner. Evenings in Athens are very pleasant.

The best value on Blue Star is reserved air seats, but I prefer the business class section, which has sofas, chairs, and tables. The section is quieter than economy, because access is retricted to business class ticket holders. It has its own snack bar with a good menu and waiter service to the tables. You can still walk to the outside deck if you wish, but the views are so good from business class I seldom bother. Business class is at the front of the ship below the captain's bridge, with windows on three sides.

There are also ferries to Rafina, which is near the airport, handy if you have an early morning flight the next day.

travelerjan

Laura, I agree with Heimdall that day travel on Blue Star is the preference if you have ample time on your holiday, but you haven't shared your dates, so I just gave an option if your time is short. Also, I have enjoyed business class when I'm alert and sociable. The only caveat is, if you plan to use the ferry ride to catch up on sleep, almost all the seating in business class are the so-called "club chairs" -- roundish, with arm-rests & back the same height, so harder to lean head back & doze. "Aircraft" seats better for napping.

lauramsgarden

Thanks so much, this is so helpful. Our dates are pretty set as we have hotel reservations on each end, so I want to make sure we get seats! (June 11th - Crete - Naxos) and then June 15th back to Athens. much appreciation - back to studying my Greek