I have been looking at www.ferries.gr. From what I can tell, it seems the only ferry service from Hania (Crete) to Piraeus involves overnighters. Looks like it takes between 4-8 hours.
Anyone know if there is service other than overnighters? We would be using the ferries in early September on a weekday.
Thanks...

I'm not sure, but there may be some hydrofoil departures from Heraklion that aren't overnight. It's not all that hard on to get there by bus, if you want to spend the money, to have your hotel arrange a taxi right to the Heraklion port (might be economical for a group.)

There's a daily highspeed catamaran from Chania to Athens/Piraeus that departs Chania at 9:00 PM, arriving at Piraeus at 1:45 AM.

http://www.ferries.gr/hfd/highspeed5.htm

why don't you fly to Hania (Chania)? I think that it comes out cheaper to

A flight would only be comparable in price if "dinks" was lucky enough to get one of Aegean Airlines' discount fares for 19 euro plus taxes, but they're probably all gone for next September

I just booked with Aegean from Athens to Heraklion for September at 10 Euro plus taxes. It's a 50 minutes flight

Brotherleelove:
Piraeus to Chania - what passenger class do you recommend, and what's the difference in accommodations? We are 40 somethings who wouldn't mind some interaction with the other passengers, but not if they are sitting on our laps.

Aegean Airlines fly from Athens to Chania if that helps, about 4 flights per day and prices vary. We managed to get 10 euro (plus taxes) flights for later in the year and will get the overnight ferry back. I'd be interested to hear about differences in accommodation too, what are the cabins like?
Kay

Brotherleelove, what is the difference in the class accommodations on the ferries? I'm not looking to sleep in a bed for the 4 hour trip from Athens to Santorini, but, am skeptical as to what kind of seating I will get. I noticed on several of the ferry websites, they seat you according to your gender. I'm looking to interact with people on the ferry, not with people of the same gender. Can you shed some light on this. Also, I'm arriving into Athens around 4:30p on September 13th. Should I pre-book my ferry ticket prior to leaving the USA or wait until I arrive that evening in Athens. I would like to be on the ferry that departs at 7:25a the next day, so, that I arrive to Santorini during daylight. Your prompt resposne is greatly appreciated! Thanks.

You'll have two distinct choices. The overnight car ferry and the daytime highspeed car ferry. For the overnighter I recommend you book a sleeping cabin. You'll have access to most of the ship but you'll be able to sleep when you feel the need. For the daytime highspeed car ferry I recommend business class so you won't feel like a sardine.

Thanks, Brotherleelove. Have you ever used www.danae.gr for booking the ferries?

No, I fly. But I know they're reliable.

Brotherleelove, thank you again for your input. I decided to check with Aegean airlines and the only flights available at this time are at 103 euros per person. Based on your other posts, this is very high! Should I hold off to see if the fares will come down for September or is this as good as it gets? By the way, I will also be staying at the Loukas Hotel in Santorini, based on your recommendation!

The discount fare offers are published sometime in December or January, so if the Aegean website isn't showing any that means they've been sold already for your chosen travel dates. It's unlikely that any more will be offered for the upcoming season.

Chicagogrl, I can assure you they don't seat passengers by gender on highspeed ferries. You are assigned a seat much like the airlines, except they have smoking and non-smoking sections.

If you are arriving at 4:30pm you won't have time to get to Piraeus for a highspeed ferry that day. Aegean, I believe, has a 7pm flight that would fit well with your arrival time. Olympic Airlines has flights at 6:20pm and 9:25pm, and they are a little cheaper than Aegean (about €85).