I will be spending 5 days in Naxos at the end of my Greece trip. Logistically I need to fly to Naxos, so my question is whether or not it would be advisable to take a ferry from Naxos back to Athens. I'd prefer to have the ferry experience, but with possible strikes and weather, I'm not sure that's actually the best option. For the purposes of this question, please assume that my itinerary is set and that I cannot add/move additional time in Athens at the end of the trip. My question is about mode of travel, not about itinerary.

My flight home is at 1pm on Saturday, May 23.

As I see it, my options are the following, and I'm looking for advice on which would be best.

Option 1: Blue Star Delos ferry from Naxos to Piraeus
Friday, May 22, 6-11:20pm
Pros: Slow ferry experience I'd like to have
Cons: Doesn't leave much room for adjustment if the ferry is cancelled, late arrival

Option 2: Seajets ferry from Naxos to Piraeus
Friday, May 22 11:15-3:50
Pros: Slightly earlier than the slow ferry, possibly more room for adjustment if needed
Cons: Seasickness more common on catamaran ferries, more expensive

Option 3: Fly Naxos to Athens
Friday May 22, mid-day or late afternoon
Pros: Lots of flight options, close to airport the night before an international flight
Cons: No ferry experience

Option 4: Fly Naxos to Athens
Saturday May 23, early morning
Pros: No switching hotels for one night
Cons: Long travel day, don't have peace of mind of being close to hotel the night before international flight

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

You mentioned strikes and weather, but that can happen with a ferry or an airline.

My first choice would be #2. I always prefer a ferry to a flight. Take your seasickness meds the night before and the morning of the sailing.

#3 isn't a bad option either.

#1 and #4 wouldn't be options for me. Too risky.

Enjoy your trip.

I find more than an hour or two on a ferry quite boring, so my choice would be to fly. That said, if you want a ferry experience, I'm not sure a fast catamaran would meet your goals. With most of them, IME, you're stuck inside with little to see but spray.

More then half your evening ferry will be in the dark. If that satisfies your ferry experience, then by al means go for it.

#3 would be my choice. You could stay near the airport in Paiania which is a lovely town with a lot of great features.

I'd go with option 3, flight the day before.

Option 1, the big ferry where you can sit up on deck in the fresh air, would be my first choice if you went the day before but too risky with that timing.

You won't see that much from the Seajet catamarans, we couldn't go outside and had to remain seated.

On May 22nd, it will get dark around at 9pm.
That means that FB Bluestar Delos isn't that bad.

My pfroposal:
Leave Naxos at 14.30 by FB Ekaterini and arrive at Rafina at 20.20. Walk from the pier to Hotel Avra (5 m,inutes) and sleep there.
Reach the airport the day after by free hotel shuttle.

A slow ferry ride is for me a kind of small cruise.
If you don't like that, take the plane

If you prefer to be transported in a catamaran like a sardine i it's can (and to pay a lot for that) take the seajet.

I recently took a catamaran ferry in Croatia and it was very pleasant. If the one in Greece is unpleasant, then I would go with option 3.

Thank you all, this information has been helpful!

I like neckervd’s suggestion in post #6 for several reasons: you sail at a convenient time for both departure from Naxos and arrival at Rafina; Rafina is much smaller than Piraeus and closer to the airport; that fills your desire for a ferry experience; you can spend time on the open deck if you wish; Hotel Avra is a pleasant hotel, within walking distance of the ferry docks (I’ve stayed there a few times myself); Rafina has some nice restaurants/fish tavernas close to Hotel Avra; the free shuttle to the airport (about a 20 min drive) is a bonus.