Greek Ferries
 

I am getting into Athens in the beginning of August on an very early morning flight and will then take a ferry to one of the Cyclades islands (probably Paros or Naxos)- still finalizing. I looked at the gtp page for schedules and there are quite a few companies with service to these islands (around 7am especially). It would be great if you could share your experiences (good and bad) with the ferry companies and maybe some wisdoms i need to consider when deciding which one to book. The time it takes for different ferries/routes is obviously one consideration and I can of course go to various websites to research each vessel but if there is something you personally experienced and have opinion about please share. TIA.

Blue Star is the ferry company of choice for people who live on Paros and Naxos. Highspeeds will get you there an hour quicker in less comfort at twice the price. The two newest ferries in the Greek fleet are Blue Star Delos and Blue Star Patmos, the former usually the ferry that leaves Piraeus every morning at 07:25. Have a look at the fleet videos to see what Blue Stars are like:
https://www.bluestarferries.com/en/a...et-videos.html

The highspeed ferries in Greece are older than most of the Blue Stars, and are hand-me-downs from ferry companies operating in the Baltic and English Channel. The larger highspeeds, e.g. Champion Jet 1&2, Highspeed 4, and Santorini Palace are okay, but have the feel of riding in an oversized airliner. The smaller highspeeds, e.g. Superjet and SeaJet 2, are tiny, and very uncomfortable in rough seas.

I notice that Sea Jets Consortium is scheduling Sifnos Jet, another small catamaran, to sail from Rafina in the mornings this year. Last year Sifnos Jet was also put on the timetables, but never left the repair yards all summer, and is yet to carry a passenger in Greece. It's an old ferry that was bought from a company in the Pacific South Seas:
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...l:SIFNOS%20JET

Excellent post. Most thorough one I have seen on Greek ferries.

As you have been told in your previous thread:
Bluestar Naxos Piraeus dp 6.45 - Naxos ar 11.55 or Bluestar Delos 1/2 hr later (most comfortable solutions)
or
Champion Jet Piraeus dp 7.00 - Naxos ar 10.15 (fastest solution).
The smaller catamarans cannot be recommended (as said above).

Thank you so much! as I am looking at Rafina, i dont see Blue Stars on the schedule for this route...is it possible they don't go there at all?

No, Blue Star doesn't sail from Rafina. If you are looking for a similar type conventional ferry, Golden Star Ferries Superferry and Superferry II sail on alternate days from Rafina to Paros, but don't arrive until 14:00. One bonus for that ferry is: you will get a glimpse of several other islands from the open deck as it docks at Gavrio, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos on the way to Paros. There are several catamarans leaving Rafina in the morning that would get you there quicker, though.

If you decide to go to Naxos, one ferry on the Sea Jets timetables that intrigues me is WorldChampion Jet, a large catamaran bought from the Danes last year. When it sailed in the Baltic under the name Villum Clausen it broke a speed record, hence the name given to it by Sea Jets. That's another ferry that hasn't begun service in Greece yet, and I am sceptical about timetables that Sea Jets publishes early. Best thing is to wait until April or May before you prebook, and use the ferry company's own website, not a third party.

@whitehall, thanks for the compliment.

@Heimdall thanks again for this helpful info! will wait till April to book...drive to Piraeus is a half hour more from airport as you know so one more factor into equation...but may be a family cabin can help us sleep through jet lag

@neckerevd so Champion Jet dp 7 00 is what you refer to as "smaller catamaran" correct? thank you

If you want a cabin then it needs to be a conventional ferry, i.e. Blue Star from Piraeus, or possibly Superferry from Rafina. The catamarans, even the larger ones like the Champion Jets, don't have cabins. Neckervd is correct that in addition to the 07:25 Blue Star that I mentioned there is also a Blue Star at 06:45 running from early June to early September, and that would fit well with your August travel plans. These two ferries stop at both Paros and Naxos, then go on to different islands from there.

If you are arriving at Athens Airport in early AM you can board the Blue Stars in Piraeus up to an hour or so before departure and get settled in to your seats or cabin.

" @neckerevd so Champion Jet dp 7 00 is what you refer to as "smaller catamaran"
No. Just the contrary. Must be a misundertanding.
But as said above: a cabin in a Bluestar ferry would be a much better solution at around 6am Greek Summer time, resp 11pm at your home and after a long flight.
But try to wake up before the boat left Naxos for Amorgos!

I ended up purchasing Seajets Andros jet from Rafina at 2:15 pm to Paros back in April (online) (because it worked best with our plans). as I my trip is less than 2 weeks away, i decided to check the departure port and- suprise! that timing/jet is no longer on the schedule. Instead, a 3 pm Naxos Jet is listed. I have emailed the company and waiting for their response. I did not receive no email notification about the change. Has anyone here had similar experience? I am hoping they would rebook me on the 3pm but what a nuissance.

BTW, Naxos Jet will have already made one round trip through the Cyclades that day before returning to Rafina for the scheduled 3 pm departure, so don't count on it leaving on time. According to the Marine Traffic website it left Rafina at 3:28 pm on the 19th, and yesterday, the 20th, didn't depart until 4:15 pm.

agree with Heimdall...don't count on an on-time departure when you are at the tail end long schedule day for any ferry except maybe Blue Star and even then we took about a one hour delay on a recent holiday weekend .

@heimdali @Lois2 thank you for the input...i don't mind an extra hour in athens (but would still love to arrive in Paros before dark hence i didnt book 5pm Blue Star...)- I just never expected change in schedule without notification of ticket-bearing customer...they have not responded yet (sunday) i hope it will get resolved without complications.

Technically, new time is 45 mins later, and i need those extra 45 mins in Athens so would have been bummed had i not checked))
Thank you for your message and tracking site info!

update: seajets responded via email with re-issued booking for the updated jet. all good but a lesson to always check the (greek?) ferry schedule as the date gets closer (and probably the day before)

Here is an update on Naxos Jet, which I just read this morning on TripAdvisor in a post written by ferry expert Nicksy:

"Yesterday en route from Paros to Mykonos, an excessively high temperature was observed in the left external main engine and, for precaution, the trip was continued on three engines. All 283 passengers were disembarked in Mykonos and the Naxos Jet went to Perama shipyard where she is already in drydock for the necessary repairs."

I don't know how long Naxos Jet will be in the repair yard, but no doubt Sea Jets will have a plan for passengers booked on that ferry.

Thanks so much for the alert @Heimdall! on top of Heathrow strikes, looking up like a relaxed trip already))
we have about 10 days before the Rafina ferry so they better figure it out

The latest is that Caldera Vista has replaced Naxos Jet, which previously replaced Andros Jet. Sea Jets seems to have an endless supply of old clapped out highspeeds.

I am happy to report that my experience with both Seajets (bigger) high speed Andros (I think it was Naxos on August 4) and Blue Star's Delos was great. Seajets left Rafina at 3:15 (scheduled 3pm) and arrived on Paros about 30 mins later than scheduled. Blue Star left Paros 5-10 mins late but was delayed en route (traffic in Naxos port) and arrived about an hour late to Santorini. While Seajet high speed was smaller in size, the on board experience was not dramatically different (yes, Seajet was rougher at times); The Blue Star was very crowded this time of year (August) so I do recommend getting an assigned seat for a couple of extra euros. Thanks all for help planning!

Only time I would disagree with Heimdall on Blue Star business seats vs. "aircraft-style" Reserved-Economy seats is if you have a long 5 hr trip in the evening, and hope to doze a bit. The "air seats" are really MUCH better than current airplane seats -- lots of leg-room, footrests, lean-back etc, AND have a head-rest too. The business-seats are leather "club chairs", comfy seating, but arms & back are all one piece/one level, can't lean back enough to nap much. There also are curved couches and on less-crowded longer trips, some passengers will hog a whole couch section to lie down on, but, not my thing.

Yes I have taken business class twice, and just was reporting my experience -- it was affected by my need for rest, on sailings that were just busy enough that sofa-hogs left me with only an upright club chair. For others, the view and the waiters may be the deciding factor.

Fair enough, TJ. Some of our fellow travellers aren’t very considerate. It’s enough to make me prefer flying to the island and back. Get there in 40 minutes and take your nap in the hotel room.

I'm with you there, pal. Time is precious.

Thank you for the Blue Ferry details @travelerjan and @heimdall! I was running around trying to film the experience for my youtube channel)) but it was so crowded in the open seating areas (including business) that I did not notice the chair difference between business and air seats (or maybe i was too new/shy to filming). I did manage to take a peak at the cabin as the attendant was changing the sheets. It seemed that all seats were taken in the open areas though between Paros and Naxos (a lot of people got off at Naxos)- I was able to doze off at my comfy window air seat and went outside couple of times for some fresh air and scenary filming. I am already thinking next trip. I love naturally gorgeous beaches with blue water swimming (for hours, so preferable shallow so i dont worry about my kid), picturesque old towns (ideally not as crowded as Naoussa was this August))), and historic sites would be a plus but not a requirement. Milos? I know i need new threat for that, but just thought i 'd throw it in here since i am still in the Greek mood. Thanks for all the advice!

Weekend celebrations --- I think you'd do best by starting a new thread, because some knowledgeable people may not open a long thread just titled Greek Ferries. Here;s some info to share, to get the best advice and avoid advisors having to guess:
• TIMING - When? If August, to avoid crowds may require distant islands, maybe without airports, perhaps beyond Cyclades.
• HOW LONG - a week? 2 weeks? if latter, a larger island, or consider 2 islands
• CAR? - if u want to do without a car, isle needs to be v small & walkable, or have good bus network, like Naxos/Paros. Milos bus network very lame in May-June and I hear not much better even in High season

Anti-crowd strategy includes knowing what isles have airports that accommodate jumbo jets and direct flights from Europe, are stops for mega-cruise ships, and/or promote package-holidays with purpose-built "resort" areas. Islands like Sifnos, Milos, Serifos, Kithnos are somewhat self-limiting because they have a finite number of accommodations -- so beaches can't get as jammed. The downside is that these islands "fill up" farther in advance for High Season.

I made 9 ferry rides between July 4th and July 21st of this year. Non of the following ferries was crowded (some of them looked half empty):
FB Knossos Palace
FB Nissos Samos
FB Pegasus Express (2x)
FB Marmaris Express
FB Artemis (2x)
BB Bluestar 1
FB Bluestar 2

@neckervd would you mind sharing the directions? I think it's important too. Paros-Santorini might have been as busy as it gets but it was very very crowded
@heimdall i am glad you did not mention the ferry tragedy Before my trip. I am an anxious traveller, would have been very worried...
@travelerjan thank you for your island choosing thoughts...i will post a new thread when i get closer...definitely Car but read some dirt road (4-wheeler) concerns to reach Milos beaches, so something to consider

" @neckervd would you mind sharing the directions?"

The names of the boats are self explaining.
But if you want to know all the different legs, here they are:
Iraklio - Milos - Piraeus
Piraeus - Chios
Mesta - Aghios Efstrathios
Ayos Efstrathios - Lavrio
Lavrio - Kea
Kea - Syros - Paros - Naxos - Ios - Sikinos - Folegandros - Kimolos
Kimolos - Sifnos - Serifos - Paros
Paros - Patmos
Patmos - Leros - Kos - Rhodos

BTW: Express Samaina was just one link in a chain which began with SS Heraklion (Typaldos Lines) and went on with MS Heleanna (Efthymiadis Lines), Panagia Tinou (Ventouris Ferries), MS Sea Diamond (Louis Cruises, today Celestial Cruises)........

@neckervd, thank you! what an impressive summer itinerary! (and food for my thoughts!)