Acquiring ferry tickets
 

I will be leaving for Greece, three weeks from today! I will need tickets for three ferries. I already know the dates for two of the ferries, and I have checked that all three ferries are running on the days I do/might want to travel.

I arrive in Greece in the early evening and want to take a ferry to Mykonos first thing the next morning, so time will be tight. When/where/how do you recommend buying this ticket?

I want to travel between Mykonos and Santorini but I'm not yet sure which day I will go. Will I have any problems buying a ticket on walk-up?

I plan to take the overnight ferry from Santorini to Rhodes. Should I book this earlier? When/where do you recommend getting the ticket?

Thanks for your help.

several years ago, we bought ferry tickets from croatia on ocean24.com . i think they are based in germany. they actually delivered our tickets to california... and we were a tiny bit surprised when they actually arrived, as ordered! at any rate, i think it is a good site to do some research.

There is no need to buy your tickets in advance, May is not a busy period for Greece.
Upon your arrival at the airport just go to the office of Amphitrion Holidays which is at the arrivals hall, and buy your tickets there.

You can buy the Mykonos - Santorini leg when you will be on Mykonos.

There is also no need to buy the ticket to Rhodes in advance, unless you would like to book a cabin. I am not an expert when it comes to Ferries, but i see that until the 10th of May, there is one ferry every Saturday at 3:40 AM.

I can't add much to what clausar wrote. The only decision you need to make now is where you will be spending the night before ferry departure. If you are staying in central Athens the most convenient port would be Piraeus, and the best ferry Blue Star Ithaki, which departs at 07:30.

Most ferries to Mykonos depart from Rafina, which is both nearer the airport and nearer Mykonos. There is a Sea Jet catamaran from Rafina that takes only 2 hrs to Mykonos. I've had a similar itinerary, with an evening arrival at Athens Airport and an early morning departure to Mykonos. IMO the best alternative is to stay in Rafina and an early morning ferry from there.

Hotel Avra in Rafina is only about 20-30 minutes from the airport, and you can walk from the hotel to the ferry docks in about five minutes. You can either take a taxi to Rafina or use the KTEL Attica bus which departs the airport in front of Sofitel. Rafina is a small port with several excellent fish tavernas. Some rooms in the Avra have view of the harbour.

Avra is nice, but if you want a more upmarket hotel you could stay at the airport Sofitel and go to Rafina in the morning.

It looks like I'll be able to take the overnight ferry from Santorini to Rhodes on the very early morning of May 12 - it leaves at 0:50 and arrives at 9:00. Is this wrong? I'm able to buy a ticket on the ocean24 site listed above, although I did not complete the purchase.

Avra is actually a bit more than I wanted to pay, but I will ponder on it. I can cancel my reservation in Piraeus for free, but to get a rate even close to what I can pay in Rafina I'll have to book with no cancellation. Do you know of anywhere less expensive? I'll only be sleeping there, and I'm sure after a probably sleepless overnight flight I'll sleep like a log wherever I am.

I assume the fish tavernas in Rafina are the same as elsewhere - you pay for the fish by weight?

Another reason it is best to buy later are the last minute changes (even up to the day of departure) in schedules especially with Seajets. If you need to change the boat company due to cancellation, you have to get a refund then buy a different ticket.

Check the Hotel Corali.

Corali in Rafina should be a bit cheaper, and it's just as close to the ferry docks: http://www.hotel-corali.gr

All that needs to be said has been said. So I'll just wish you happy travels.

If I'm going from Rafina to Mykonos, should I care whether I am using Fast Ferries or Golden Star Ferries? I favor the latter because it leaves later!

Take the one that departs at the time you prefer. I've never used either ferry, but they are both conventional vessels about the same size. Superferry II is a little older, but that shouldn't matter.