The wife and I are starting our trip next summer in Mykonos for a couple days of party and then going to Santorini for a few days of R&R....

My question is that the book I've been reading on Greece (lonely planet's travel guide) says that ferries will often cancel scheduled trips. Has this been a frequent problem with folks that have been there? We were planning on taking a bigger ship (Hellenic Seaways?) between the islands, but would hate to have planned for certain days in Santorini (our primary destination) and then can't get there!!

Thanks for any help / advice, in advance...

There are ferries from the mainland to Santorini every day. This morning, five vessels, run by five different companies, were scheduled to leave Pireas for the island. They are not cancelled often. The ferries are run by private companies who make money by carrying passengers and vehicles; they don't make money when sailings are cancelled. In bad weather, the fast ferries, especially the smaller ones, are more likely to be cancelled.

On the contrary, ferries hardly ever "cancel scheduled trips." Occasionally high winds cause cancellation, as happened last weekend, but that is a rare occurrence, and affects mostly small passenger-only catamarans. Even rarer are cancellations due to strikes and mechanical breakdowns. To the best of my knowledge, since the beginning of the year there have been about four days of disruption from all causes (winds, strikes, etc) put together.

From Mykonos you will take a catamaran at least part of the way to Santorini - either all the way by direct connection, or via Paros to join Blue Star the rest of the way.

Don't worry. Since you are going to major tourist destinations, there will definitely be ferries. Locals and tourists alike depend on ferry transport. We have never encountered problems getting around, even to out-of-the spots and even during this summer.

I was in Mykonos for my summer holidays, too. I went to Santorini for 3 days with the Hellenic Seaways ships with no problems, no strikes. The only strikes that i saw this summer in Greece was @ Piraeus Port for a few days only.

For sure you will have NO issue! Transport companies like Hellenic Seaways are TOO big to cancel a trip! They really have no reason to do so! You 'll enjoy your trip!

Ok, thanks for the responses everyone. That pretty much takes away one concern!

Hi there,
We are traveling to Greece at the end of May. For those who have traveled on ferries in Greece, would you advise purchasing tickets ahead of time or should we wait until we get there? We need to take a ferry from Mykonos to Naxos and then Naxos to Santorini. Thanks!

The ferries don't fill up in May so you can buy your tickets as you go. But if you absolutely feel the need to pre-book, do so on the actual ferry company websites and opt to pick your tickets up at their designated agent on each island.