I am booked on it soon, so I hope not, but I just read that on another thread and am looking for more opinions from any who have done it.

I only took one other fast ferry so far and that was a bit of a disaster as we had engine problems and did not go anywhere. BUT I really did not like it at all compared to the big slow ferries that we have been taking.

I would love to hear some good experiences with this or any fast ferry. Thanks!

I haven't used the FlyingCat4 (Santorini to Crete) but last week sailed on its sister ship FlyingCat 3 from Paros to Naxos. Winds were light that day, and the ride was so smooth that if you closed your eyes you hardly knew it was moving. I have heard they can be rough when the winds are strong, though.

Regarding engine problems, I suppose that can happen on any ferry, but these are fairly new ships so you would be unlucky if it happened to you again. What was the name of the ferry you had problems with?

Thanks Heimdal!

I am not sure what the name was, but perhaps it was the same one you took. We suppose to take it from Santorini to Naxos, but we ran into a problem with turbo ( wood in it they said) and sat for a while nearby and then had to go back to the port in Santorini for an inspection.


The people behind us were going to Mykonos after Naxos....all on this fast ferry ( about 2hr to Naxos from Santorini as I recall).

We were suppose to catch another ferry to Amorgas to meet friends ,but had a short window so after missing it we just came home after how fery to no where. I am glad to hear it does not happen often.


I am sorry to hear that they can be bad in winds as it seems to be very windy here in the evenings and that is when it leaves.

We have loved the ferries so far ( took one from Barcelona to Rome, one from Venice to Patras and then Paries to Santorini with our small RV on all large ferries ( mostly with cabins that we like).We also took a large one from Spain to MOrocco.

I was nervous before I went on the first and was surprisd at how nice it was and what a great night sleep I got...found it a fabulous way to travel.

BUT the little one was MUCH scarier, wobbly and a little hard to take for a closter phobic.


I do not seem to have a whole lot of choice here, but I sure hope others can chime in with a lovely ride like yours.


Someone said to watchout for August winds, but do you think the evening winds now would be a problem?

Fast ferries are small and light so are affected by bad weather much more than proper ships. Personally, I prefer to travel on a ship where there is open deck space, bars, restaurants, etc, but there isn't much choice between Santorini and Crete. Unfortunately, it's a fairly exposed crossing, with little shelter from other islands. The winds can change from one day to the next, so it's impossible to predict whether you'll have a smooth ride or not.

How long is the fast ferry ride from Santorini to Crete?
How about the slower one?

Santorini>Crete takes about 2 hours by Flying Cat.

The small I.J. "SeaJet" bobs like a cork in the water, I'd never take that fast ferry, but the Hellenic Seaways Flying Cats are larger and less-prone to instability. Ask for a seat in the middle of the ship (as opposed to a side seat) for the smoothest ride. I don't know if they assign seats or not, but if they do this is where I'd want to sit.

Oh yeah, I prefer the bigger ones too, but we were told there were none to Crete.

There is a huge difference between the fast ones and the slow ones. The fast one takes a few hours and the slow ones ( I looked into the one to Rhodes...takes 24hours).

I have read elsewhere that it can be unbearable ( one man said 60 % of the passengers were barfing on his trip in August..yikes!!) but some medicine that you can get at the pharmacy is suppose to help.

So we will look into that but I sure hope I can give it to my 6yo too!

There is little difference in size between the fast craft running between Crete and Santorini: the FLYINGCAT 4 is 794 gross tons and the SUPER JET is 493. They are both small compared with the ships serving the Greek islands. The Blue Star ships running from Pireas to Santorini are over 10,000 tons, and the overnight ferries from Pireas to Crete are much bigger still.
This web site summarises all the options for travel to Crete:
http://www.cretetravel.com/To_and_fr..._Santorini.htm

Just a few weeks ago I was able to compare the Super Jet and the Flying Cat 4 from dockside when they were side-by-side, and believe me, the smaller Super Jet was nowhere near as stable as the Flying Cat, and that was while they were still tied up to the dock. True, they're both smaller than the larger car ferries, but of these two I'd pick the Flying Cat every time.

"There is a huge difference between the fast ones and the slow ones. The fast one takes a few hours and the slow ones ( I looked into the one to Rhodes...takes 24hours)."

Fast ferries never go at more than twice the speed of conventional ships, so take at least half the time of a ship. Blue Star Ferries' overnight ships from Pireas to Rodos take about 12 hours (any ship that takes 24 hours must go a long way round).

Thanks all! This has made me even think about cutting out Crete because I really did not like my brief experience on the Cat ( that broke down on the way to Naxos).

It rocked around a lot and I felt trapped inside. Truthfully, I would rather go slower and on a big one even if I have to cut out Crete.

We have not bought tickets yet,but thanks to that website, it looks like I might actually have a choice. ( 2 different travel agents told me I had no choice).

I also do not like what they are telling me about the Samos back to Santorini schedule ( not because of small one). Where can I best find ALL of the ferry schedules? If there is such a thing.

Bear with me a little please as I must make this decision asap. So it looks like that ferry schedule says that on Wed a big GA ferry leaves at 4pm and arrives at 9pm.

Am I reading it right?

That sounds very good to me and I wonder why the travel agents did not tell me about this???

GA Ferries tend to change their schedules at short notice, unlike some more reliable Greek operators.
In the past, Greek travel agents usually represented only some operators and would tell customers that they were the only ones available. Now, all operators are obliged by law to use a computer booking system (to prevent overbooking) so any agency should be able to look up all the options.
The peak season isn't till next month, so it should be possible to book tickets for most services this month at short notice. Agents in Santorini will be the best source of information of services from there. Look for one that specifically advertises GA Ferries and they should know if that company has a ship running to Crete.

"Samos back to Santorini?" There is no such ferry that I'm aware of.

Check with www.openseas.gr for what's available on your travel dates.

A lot of years ago, my husband and I took a ferry from Santorini to Crete. I spent the crossing hugging a toilet bowl, as did most other passengers. And yes, we positioned ourselves in the boat center. But no, I don't recall the boat type or name.

On the bright side, I was fine within the first 5 minutes on land.

Carol l

Thanks again, I have sent my husband off to the travel agent again to see if we can catch the GA ferry.

Thanks for that link..altho I guess I do not know the Samos Greek name. There are ferries from Samos to Mykonos,Naxos and Para and then we would need another to Santorini. It gets in around Midnight in high season, that seemed hard with a kid,but perhaps there is no choice.

I REALLY hate to get sick and vomit,so am trying to avoid that if possible for me and my child.A sick mom and groaning child for 2 hours does not sound fun.

We have loooved our ferries, so do not want to set a bad boat pattern either,if i can avoid it. Luckily we have more time than most.

Creative island hopping is not as easy as I thought.

I just read that first class makes a difference too...if I MUST take the CAT at some point. Gee, I wish there were more happy stories about fast ferries in wind. sigh.

On the www.openseas.gr link Samos is under 'Vathi-Samos'.

If the sea is rough it won't make much difference whether you're in economy or business class if you're taking one of the highspeed cats.

Yea...it will be a rush...but we found a big GA ferry that leaves in the morning at 7am !!!

Thanks to all of you! Now we can go straight to Knossis then onto Chania for two nights!

No worries about the ferry and I have already booked my room in the center ( thanks Stanbr!) for 30 euros!

Whew!

Muchas Gracias!

Thanks Brotherleelove...I will look at that later...maybe on ferry if they have wifi.

Thanks again too Brotherleelove, for telling me about Volcano Villas!! We loved it and mention you in our blog ( that part is not uploaded yet).

I'm glad that you've worked it all out, but just a FYI. I don't think it matters where you sit- business class or economy- if there's turbulence. We were in business class on a Flying Cat between Santorini and Myknonos, and nearly everyone in both cabins was sick.