Are ferry cancellations common in Greece?
 

Hi All - How reliable is the ferry service in Greece? I had a friend from work who told me to strongly consider flights between islands since he was in Mykonos 2 years ago when they cancelled his ferry due to "high winds." He was able to book a last minute charter flight to get out, but I don't really want to have to go through this if it is a common occurance.

I am currently planning to take ferries from Crete to Santorini and Santorini to Mykonos.

I've avoided looking into planes at this point since I don't want to have to connect back through Athens. Any advice?? Do they even offer direct island to island air service without connecting through Athens? Thanks everyone...Hopefully I am worried for no reason :-)

It depends on the ferry and the route.
The bigger the ship, the more likely it can cope with bad weather. Most vulnerable are small, light fast craft.
On the other hand, bigger ships may have difficulty entering some small ports in bad weather. An island port might be exposed to winds from one direction, but sheltered from winds from another direction.

Thanks for the reply. With this in mind, which are the most reliable ferries to book with? I have only heard of the FlyingCat which is on Hellenic Seaways, and then I think there may be another one out there called SeaJet??

The biggest and the slowest.
G.

The H.S. FlyingCat and the I.J. SeaJet are approximately the same size, but this year I.J. has added a larger ship to their fleet, the Megajet. It's similar in size and performance to the H.S. Highspeed catamaran car ferries, which are larger and more stable than the FlyingCats. Depending on the travel day both sized I.J. ships as well as the H.S. FlyingCat 4 will be making the run between Crete and Santorini but according to www.gtp.gr only the smaller SuperJet and FlyingCat will make the run between Santorini and Mykonos.

Imavolio, ferry service is reliable, but sometimes weather isn't. The three islands you have chosen are on three different ferry routes, connected during summer by catamarans, which are more vulnerable to weather than larger conventional car ferries.

To put things in perspective, last September a travel agent told me that SeaJet 2 hadn't been cancelled due to weather at all that summer. SeaJet 2 is one of the smaller catamarans, and just about the first to be affected by strong winds.

For the itinerary you have chosen, there are few alternatives to catamarans. If you are that worried, book flights with http://www.skyexpress.gr/. They still haven't published their summer timetable, but Sky Express serves those routes.

Thanks everyone!! This info is VERY helfpul. This whole ferry thing is very confusing to me. I had only heard of Hellenic Seaways/FlyingCat before this post. I wasn't even sure what SeaJet was, but it sounds like that is valid carrier as well.

I have to check and see if SeaJet's schedule is published for the summer, but I called Hellenic Seaways yesterday and they do not have their schedules set for the summer yet. I have been waiting to book my hotels, international flights, etc. until I figure out the ferry schedule (just to make sure I can actually get to the islands I need to go to by ferry!), but I don't know when they are coming out. Should I continue to wait on this or do you think I should just go for it and assume that I will be able to get on a ferry? I am booking for a trip this June, so it is only a month away!!

Travel between Crete, Santorini and Mykonos during the summer months will not be a problem at all. Go ahead and book your hotels. Once the schedules are out you will be able to make your final plans.

Also keep in mind that there is an alternative route between Santorini and Mykonos by different ferries, going to either Paros or Naxos first and changing there to another ferry which will take you the rest of the way. You won't get stranded.

Hi, sorry for jumping into the discussion, I also want to know how reliable is the ferry service. On 14th June I am leaving Mykonos to PIRAEUS, to catch flight from Athens to Rhodes at 0520hrs the next day (15th June),I hope to spent slightly more time in Mykonos but I am worry about missing the Athens flight if there is a last minute cancel. There are 3 ferries avail,
Dep Arr
BLUE STAR 14th Jun 1415 to 1945
NEL LINES 14th Jun 1600 to 2015
HELLENIC SEAWAYS 14th Jun 2120 to 15th Jun 0105.
Which is the ferry should I be taking ?

Angtek, all those ferry companies are reliable, and all three ships are recently built. Hellenic Seaways Highspeed 5 is tempting, because that would leave you the whole day on Mykonos, but it's the last ferry to leave for the mainland that day. Blue Star Ithaki is the largest of the three, and also the first to depart. To be on the safe side, you could plan to take it, knowing that if anything were to go wrong, there are another two ferries to fall back on.

You won't have to prebook for travel in mid-June, but can do for peace of mind if you wish.

The one ferry I wouldn't rely on you don't even mention. That is SeaJet 2, which departs Mykonos at 2010, and arrives Rafina at 2220. Pity that, because Rafina is closer to the airport.