Italy-Greece Ferry tickets
 

I plan on using the Eurail pass for the ferries to Italy and Greece in late March and was wondering if I might have any trouble booking a seat last minute (like say an hour or two before)? They won't let me prebook with the Eurail pass discount, and I won't be able to get to the port until the day of the trip.

Also, how punctual are these ferries? I don't want to book a train only to arrive in port too late.

With your Eurail pass, would you need to book a train? I've only taken the ferry once, but it was about 20 min. late. I don't think that you will have any trouble booking last minute, but I would suggest at least 3 hr. before. You board the ferry 1 hour before it leaves the port. Also, brace yourself: 15hrs on that ferry feels like an eternity! Oh- make sure you get a bed. It is a little more expensive, but if you want to sleep at all, a bed is the only way to go.

First, you should be certain that the ferry leaves Italy (are you leaving from Brindisi?) on a daily basis in March... I believe it does, but you may want to check...
In March you will have NO problem walking up to the ferry and getting a seat, a room, whatever you want. It is not a busy time. Don't worry. Just be sure to be at your ferry several hours ahead of departure.

I have taken the Italy-Greece ferry 4 or 5 times and would say that finding a place isn't that difficult. Last summer my wife wanted a private room and so I reserved one well ahead of time. But we weren't traveling with a Eurail pass.

The summer before I was using a Eurail pass but it wasn't difficult to get a spot to sleep.

The ferry companies do suggest that you check in a few hours before departure. I've never tried getting there just before they sail.

There are several choices for how you might sleep. One is on deck (free with Eurail pass), one is in airline type seats, the third is in the dormitory and the fourth is in a cabin - solo or shared with someone else.

The cabins are expensive but nice enough. When I travelled two summers ago I stayed in the dormitory. These beds are organized 6 bunks per room with a locking storage locker for each person staying there. Each dormitory was segregated by gender. The only negative was that the bathroom/shower was on the next deck up. Otherwise, I slept great. I think the bunk cost around 70 Euros with the Eurail pass.

As for the warning that time goes slowly on an overnight ferry? Think of it as a cruise boat. When I traveled two summers ago with my friend, several beers consumed on the rear deck made time pass very pleasantly. And I slept well that night. Incidentally, even though there were 6 bunks in the dormitory room we were in, we were the only two who were there.

Which ferries are you looking at?
I believe the rail passes now allow free "deck" travel with Blue Star Ferries and Superfast from Ancona or Bari, or give a 50% discount with HML who no longer run any ferries but are the Italian agents for Endeavor Lines from Brindisi.
The ferries will certainly be very quiet in March and there will be no problem booking at the port. I would recommend paying for a berth on the ship.
The ships are normally punctual, so you should get to the port in plenty of time.

Thanks for the replies. You guys have been very helpful. I plan on taking the ferry from Bari to Patras. I forget if it's Superfast or Blue Star 'cause I'm taking the other back from Patras to Ancona. I asked about the punctuality 'cause I read online that someone took the ferry and they arrived in port three hours late. Guess they were just unlucky. Most of the trains from Rome to Bari and Ancona to Florence are all Eurostar Italia or Intercity that do require reservations, so I just wanted to make sure which trains I could book.

BTW, trains are usually on time in Europe, right? Not like Amtrak in America? I took an evening trip on Amtrak once that was like 3 hours late, and I had a friend in New York who joked that if you took Amtrak your survival rate was 60% :P

Blue Star Ferries and Superfast are basically the same firm, and their Bari route currently has one ship from each company.
You shouldn't need to book trains till you get to Italy. Allow plenty of time at Bari to get from the railway station to the port. The arrival times quoted for these ships are actually the time the ship arrives off the port, not the time the ship is alongside the quay or the time the passengers disembark. At Ancona, you need to take a bus from the port to Ancona Centrale station, though some local trains go from Ancona Marittima station.

Would 2 hours be enough time between when the boat arrives in port to getting to the train station? I've never been on a ferry or cruise before, so I've no idea how long it would take.

There are no passport or customs controls when arriving in Italy from Greece. The Superfast ferries have escalators from the passenger accommodation down to the main deck from where a gangway leads on to the quay. If there is a train at Ancona Marittima station, you will see it and can go straight aboard (it's covered by rail passes); otherwise walk to the adjacent square (five minutes), buy a bus ticket from the newspaper kiosk and board a bus for Ancona Centrale station, or take a taxi from the quayside to the station.
Two hours should be plenty of time, but you don't really need to worry about booking a train in advance. Seat reservations are optional on Intercity trains, and there are also slower trains.

I took the Superfast from Bari to Patra in June, 1998. I had an outside private cabin which cost, I believe, $240 USD. The lower-cost fares involved sitting in a big room with seats--it looked like the inside of an airplane. Some people slept in deck chairs, and some stayed up all night sitting in the lounge and bar areas. There is a cafeteria-style restaurant on board, as well as a first-class dining room. There was also a bar and disco on my Superfast, as well as a small swimming pool. It was like being on a mini-cruise.

The Artist Formerly Known As Thingorjus