Just a couple of questions: Does anyone know if there are daytime ferries to Crete from Athens in June, and if so, how long they take? Do you recommend the trip or think it's too long? Do they have stops along the way? And finally, do they all have outdoor decks with place for sunbathing or reading? Thanks very much for your help.

The standard ferry to Hania or Rethymnon or Iraklion is overnight takes around 9 hours, arrives at about dawn 06:00, no stops.
There should be some sort of day ferry of the hi-speed sort in June but you will have to wait until May for any timetable.

There is one ferry a 'Lane lines' one that has stops but they are at night.
I would recommend the overnight ferry as it allows easy onward travel on Crete.

There are daytime ferries to Crete at busy times, generally at weekends in the peak season. Some of the ships, including Minoan Lines' have a lido deck with a swimming pool, but I don't know if they bother to put water in it.
Hellenic Seaways ran a fast ferry to Hania last summer in the afternoons, but it certainly doesn't have decks for sunbathing.
The overnight service seems a far better option - the ships have pretty good cabins as well as lounges and restaurants.
www.minoan.gr
www.anek.gr
www.lane.gr
www.hellenicseaways.gr

In July last year I got a Blue Star ferry. It left Piraeus at 4pm and arrived in Hania around 11pm.

Blue Star Ferries ended their Pireas-Hania service in March 2005 (www.bluestarferries.com).

Thanks for the info. Useful for next trip. Can't imagine why, it was packed when I used it

You can fly from Athens to Crete in 45 min, giving you an extra eight hours to spend on the island. You can book flights on http://www.olympicairlines.com/ or http://www.aegeanair.com/aegeanen/home/.

Most people travel overnight so they waste less time than anyone going by plane. Even if the flight takes 45 minutes, the total journey will absorb half a day, whereas the ferry crossing is spent sleeping in bed.

I have made the ferry passage some years ago. The trip was an overnight trip. The ferry did not stop anywhere else. I have put my sleeping bag on the outdoor deck and I could stay there during the night (several other travellers did the same).

I have read now, that the Greek ferries have a bad reputation in respect to security.

When you stay in a town, do you stay in a hotel or sleep on a park bench? The overnight ships to Crete have very good cabin accommodation. Minoan Lines' ships on the Iraklion route are amongst the finest overnight ferries in Europe.

GeoffHamer, agree about the overnight ferries, but the original post was "Does anyone know if there are daytime ferries to Crete from Athens..."
That is why I suggested the alternative of a daytime flight.