Ferry Advice Requested
 

Hello.
Wife and I will be traveling to Greece in September for the first time. Very excited, not nervous, but as I've been researching, I've had a couple questions about ferry travel. For those in the know, please advise:

I've learned that Seajets is a less reliable company so I want to avoid them. For a ferry from Mykonos to Naxos on a Tuesday, I see 2 desirable morning options: Hellenic (Flying Cat 4) and Blue Star.

Later, on a Thurs, for Naxos to Santorini, I've learned that it is best to go with Blue Star so you can go outside on the deck on island approach. I would like to take the noon-1pm ferry that day.

I am a planner by nature and tend to like to purchase tickets ahead of time. I suppose ferry timetable could change if there are protests/strikes.

My questions include:

For these times/routes, is purchasing 3-4 days ahead of departure enough time for the Myk-Naxos ferry trip (ie. I could purchase when we arrive to Myk)? Can I purchase the Naxos-Sant ticket in Myk at the same time? If not, would purchasing 1 day ahead of time on Naxos be okay or risky (of a sellout) for the weekday trip to Sant?

Given time of year, would you purchase ahead of time? Most reliable site to use? I've looked at a couple but there are discrepancies between some time tables.

Is the Hellenic boat much more bumpy than the Blue Star? Seasickness is an issue.

Is it pretty easy to locate the ferry ticket offices on Myk and Naxos?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I continue to research. Thank you.

In September advance purchase is not at all necessary. You can buy your ticket at the port an hour before departure.

The FlyingCat4 is very small and seasickness can be a problem. Any of the Blue Star fleet are large and very stable 'regular' ships as opposed to small catamarans. Seasickness on one of them would be highly unlikely. Most travel agencies can sell ferry tickets or will tell you where to go to find them.

Just buy your tickets on the islands. The only ferries I would worry about in September are the ones going back to the mainland on weekends.

I would recommend Blue Star both for the trip from Mykonos to Naxos, and from Naxos to Santorini. These legs are vey short and have good scenery, so buy economy tickets and stand on the outside deck. In my reply to your February post I recommended air seats or business class, but that was for longer trips from/to the mainland.

The Blue Star ticket agent on Mykonos is Sea & Sky Travel, near the old port in town. Blue Star sails from the new port, which is about a mile outside of town. The ticket agent on Naxos is Zas Travel, which is on the esplanade near the end of the ferry dock. If you wish, you can buy both sets of tickets from the agent on Mykonos.

Thank you both! I will plan to go with Blue Star for both trips and purchase on arrival at Mykonos. Thanks again, very much appreciated.

Heimdall, I just realized that I will be leaving Mykonos for Naxos after Sept 6th, so I won't be able to use Blue Star. I would like to use Hellenic, and it looks there is only 1 boat (Flycat 4) that leaves that day (in the morning). Given this is a smaller vessel, will there be any danger of it selling out? We leave before Sept 13. Can I purchase Hellenic tickets at Sea & Sky Travel in Mykonos?

As for the Naxos to Santorini, I see 2 Blue Star routes (one that leaves daily at 12:30, another that leaves late at night). Per your suggestion, I will plan to buy tickets for the 12:30 route when I get to Mykonos.

Thank you for your continued assistance.

According to Hellenic Seaways, their agent on Mykonos is Delia Travel, which is in the same area of town as Sea & Sky:
http://www.hellenicseaways.gr/npgres...tep5viewagents

If your date is fixed and you are certain you want that ferry, best thing would be to book it on the Hellenic Seaways website: https://hellenicseaways.gr/en/. Chances are the ferry won't be full, as there are other ferries leaving in the afternoon.

My idea of buying both tickets on Mykonos was so you could do both at the same agency, saving you some time. If it means going to two different agencies on Mykonos, you may as well wait until Naxos and buy your tickets to Santorini at Zas Travel instead. You walk right past Zas Travel from the ferry dock, and they will have information about excursions on Naxos. Blue Star is never full going to Santorini from Naxos, as most passengers get off there or at Paros.

Note: most, but not all, agents sell tickets for both Blue Star and Hellenic Seaways. Both agency addresses I gave you came directly from the ferry companies' websites.

Perfect, excellent information, thank you again!

Don't count on being outside on deck as you approach Santorini. All passengers getting off there were herded down below which was so disappointing. I think it was Blue Star as it was huge and carried cars too.