Last year I went to Italy with a friend and we had the most wonderful time. Now we are planning another trip for May. This year we decided on Greece, the only problem is that I hate flying and she gets sea sick. I know that we will have to take at least one plane from Athens to Santorini and work our way back on ferries. Is the water rough between islands? Will she be a mess? Maybe we should go someplace else and fly to one island then fly back i.e. the South of France, Italy? We will have about 2 weeks.

The water can be rough, but I think it all depends on the size of the boat. If you're on a big ferry, chances of motion sickness are much slimmer. It also depends on how badly your friend gets motion sickness. Ferry travel is a really nice part of the Greek travel experience, so if you think she can handle it, it's another great way to see this beautiful country.

I know I was really looking forward to seeing a few islands.

This thread brings back memories. When our son was 12 we went by ferry, at night, from Athens to Crete. I had read that the Greeks have real trouble with seasickness, considering that they live surrounded by so much sea. We passed up the cafeteria dinner and just had some nuts and fruit. That night we could hear that some of the passengers had eaten dinner and were suffering consequences. This was in June and it did not seem that rough!

The ferries on this route are all very large and stable, and can easily navigate rough seas without discomfort to the passengers. The sea in May is not rough, by the way, unless there's an uncharacteristic storm. The chances of that are small. I think you can rely on the weather to be kind to you. Also, to cut down on the time at sea you could take the alternate route from Rafina through Mykonos or Paros on the Blue Star Ferries Seajet II express catamaran and then catch the Hellenic Seaways express catamaran from Mykonos or Paros to Santorini later on the same day, giving yourselves a few hours to poke around and be back on land before continuing on.

http://www.bluestarferries.com/ENGLISH/defaultmain.htm

http://www.greekislands.gr/hfd/

Flying is faster and the planes are modern commuter jets from Athens to Santorini with a short flight of about 45 minutes, so that's the best way as long as you can handle it, and it'll also be cheaper in the long run. Aegean Airlines has the best fares.

http://www.aegean-air.gr/aegeanen/home/

We hit uncharacteristically windy (so bad that cruise ships were unable to dock)weather one May on Mykonos, and the first half of the trip to Santorini (on a large ferry) was very rough. I am prone to motion sickness and did get sick; the cigar smoke did not help! The only other person who became ill (that I noticed) was a young American woman who was pregnant. The Greeks seemed to handle it well.

The ferries were part of the experience, and I'm glad I did it, but would probably not do it again. But don't give up on the islands; they are lots of fun!

Scopolamine.
Patch or pills, applied BEFORE you get on the boat.

You need a prescription, but it works.
The patches work for 3 days, which is good for a cruise (you do get used to the motion after awhile), the pills for about a day, which is good for a ferry. Side effects include dizziness, dry mouth and dilated pupils, so don't exceed the dosage.
You could also try non-drowsy Dramamine, and some people have good experiences with powdered ginger capsules. But do SOMETHING! Don't just hope for the best!

For me, the Scopolamine is the only thing that works. Not a trace of mal-de-mer, no matter what I eat or do.

I'd suggest that your friend try out the scopalomine before you go on your trip. I tried it once and became very dizzy and woozy. It's great if it works for you, but I wouldn't depend on it without testing befor the trip.

I'm one of those poor souls who gets motion sick at any boat (I take Dramamine for Venetian vaporetti, for crying out loud), and Dramamine served me just fine on the big ferry from Athens to Crete and back. I think similar boat goes to Santorini. Those are really really big boats and I didn't even notice the water motion.
Was overnight ferry both ways, so I took the regular Dramamine. I prefer the nondrowsy during the day.

By the way, if your Greece trip includes travel inland over mountains, your friend will want Dramamine for the winding roads too, perhaps. Like I did.

Sorry, I couldn't get back to my computer for a couple days. Thanks for all of the help. I will have her try the scopalomine pills before we go. Has anyone tried the wrist bands or are they a hoax?

Scopolamine and dramamine are a bit 'old hat' and seem to produce drowsiness. For me Ciclizine worked best, but is now prescription only, as it was abused by druggies, apparently! Heaven knows what it did for them. There are modern, non drowsy derivatives still on sale. Ask your doctor or pharmacist. the problem in the Med is that being generally shallow, storms can cause big seas to build up quickly. They go away quickly, but that doesn't help. If you can, find a seasickness pill that suits and doesn't make you too spaced out, have a Metaxa or two and don't drive immediately you get off!

I suffer with motion sickness on planes and boats so when we visited Greece I wanted to minimise time on the water. We flew from Athens to Mykonos (about 30 mins) then catamaran to Naxos which is a fairly short trip. Then another cat to Santorini, again short trip then flew back to Athens from there, about 30 mins flight.
The catamarans are more expensive than the ferries but I think it's a smoother trip. They are all enclosed and you can't go outside.
I took the non-drowsy Dramamine and it woked well. If you are on a ferry for hours and hours it can be really tough if you are sick.
Kay

Hi panucci, I was told to try sticking a band-aid over your navel for motion-sickness. I haven't tried it yet, but my friend said she thought it was a hoax until she travelled to the Great Barrier Reef in rough weather and wasn't at all ill! At least it won't make you giddy.

daph I agree these threads bring back memories!

panucci, I never get sea sick. Well, let me rephrase--I only got sea sick once on a *small* ferry en route to Santorini. My trip was in July. It might have been a fluke, but something about the high cliffs in the small ocean with the waves got me.

I have friends that swear by wrist bands but I have never tried them. I will try anything next time, it is a too great of an experience to miss, sick or not!