How punctual are Blue Star ferries in August?

On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 21:46:26 +0100, Matthew Jenkins wrote
(in article <CSxji.29434$_14.17219@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net>):

> Hello,
>
> We are booked on the Blue Star ferry from Naxos to Piraeus which is due to
> arrive in Piraeus at 15:00 on 7th August. I have now worked out that if the
> ferry is more than 2 hours late we have a good chance of missing our flight.
>
> Can anyone with recent experience of Blue Star ferries and/or experience of
> this route give me a indication of the chances of this happening?


The ferries are normally quite punctual provided the weather is good. In
August the weather in the Aegean is normally quite settled so you will
probably have no problems. However sudden storms can occur at any time of
year (unlikely in August but possible). If you are unlucky enough to have one
of these then anything can happen, including the possibility that the ferry
can be cancelled altogether. This has happened to me in June a few years ago
and to my daughter who was once stranded for several days on Naxos in
September.

It is generally reckoned to be safer to get back to Athens the day before
your flight. I normally arrange to spend the last day or two on Poros which
is much nearer to Piraeus and very close to the mainland.

By the way it's not usually necessary to book ferry passages more than a day
or two in advance (unless you need a cabin). Most people just turn up on the
day and get their tickets at the harbour.

--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane
 >> Stay informed about: How punctual are Blue Star ferries in August? 

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:20:42 GMT, Mike Lane <invalid.TakeThisOut@mac.com> wrote:
>
>It is generally reckoned to be safer to get back to Athens the day before
>your flight. I normally arrange to spend the last day or two on Poros which
>is much nearer to Piraeus and very close to the mainland.
>
>By the way it's not usually necessary to book ferry passages more than a day
>or two in advance (unless you need a cabin). Most people just turn up on the
>day and get their tickets at the harbour.

This is all very good advice.

I would add that some of the longer ferry routes can serve as
economical substitutes for hotels, combining transportation and
accommodation. This would be a good reason for booking a cabin.

This is particularly true of the Patras/Corfu route and the
Pireaus/Crete route. Most of the ferries on these routes operate
overnight.

If traveling from northern Greece (Thessaloniki) to Crete, you might
be interested to know that the terminus for the trains in Pireaus is
directly across the street from the ANEK Lines pier for the Cretan
ferries. Last year, we took the express train, leaving Thessaloniki at
around 11 a.m. and arriving in Pireaus by 4 p.m. The ferry was
scheduled to leave for Chania at 9 p.m., but they began boarding by 5.
So we only had to wait about an hour before being shown to our cabin.
Arrival in Crete was at 7 a.m. the next day.

I might also add that if booking a cabin, the specific ship *does*
make a big difference. ANEK Lines, for example, operates ships of
varying ages and amenities. The flagship is the "Eleftherios
Venizelos," which is first-rate in every respect. The "Kriti II" falls
somewhere in the middle, while the "Leto" is to be avoided if
possible. (These assessments are based on our experiences last year.)
 >> Stay informed about: How punctual are Blue Star ferries in August? 

> On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:20:42 GMT, Mike Lane <invalid.RemoveThis@mac.com> wrote:
>> It is generally reckoned to be safer to get back to Athens the day before
>> your flight. I normally arrange to spend the last day or two on Poros which
>> is much nearer to Piraeus and very close to the mainland.
>>
>> By the way it's not usually necessary to book ferry passages more than a day
>> or two in advance (unless you need a cabin). Most people just turn up on the
>> day and get their tickets at the harbour.

> Alexander Arnakis wrote:
> This is all very good advice.
>

I can't remember if you said what day you are travelling on. The only
thing that I would add is to be careful in August if you are travelling
on a Sunday. Without checking I am not certain if they all do, but most
of the ferries from Naxos to Piraeus go via Paros and at the end of a
weekend it can be fully booked with Athenians returning home from Paros
after a weekend away. I would always buy my ticket a couple of days
before at this time of year.

Best Regards
 >> Stay informed about: How punctual are Blue Star ferries in August? 

Thanks for the responses.

Our flight is on Tues 7th Aug and our accommodation in Naxos is booked till
the morning of 7th. From what's been said its probably not worth changing
our plans, but if do this again then leaving a day earlier would be better.

I will keep an eye on the weather, and the news to see if there are going to
be strikes.

It appears our insurance will cover us for additional travel costs if we
miss the flight due to the ferry being late so long as we produce
"independent evidence from a relevant official authority in writing to
support any claim". I will have to contact them to find out what this means
and how they suggest we obtain it.

- Matthew

"Stuart" <mhh21c_removethis.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5fc538F39l9l2U1@mid.individual.net...
>
>
> I can't remember if you said what day you are travelling on. The only
> thing that I would add is to be careful in August if you are travelling on
> a Sunday. Without checking I am not certain if they all do, but most of
> the ferries from Naxos to Piraeus go via Paros and at the end of a weekend
> it can be fully booked with Athenians returning home from Paros after a
> weekend away. I would always buy my ticket a couple of days before at this
> time of year.
>
> Best Regards
 >> Stay informed about: How punctual are Blue Star ferries in August? 

Matthew,

Not all Greek ferries run on time. I've known them be 1.5 hours late
and half an hour late is quite normal for some of them. However, Blue
Star Ferries are some of the most modern in Greece. In my experience
they run more or less to schedule, so they should certainly arrive
within 2 hours of the scheduled time.

However, as other people have mentioned they are at the mercy of the
weather (and also strikes, though in many years of island hopping I've
never experienced one). So there is more likely to be a cancellation
than a long delay.

What I have experienced is missing a flight due to all ferries being
cancelled due to the weather. On my return home I managed to contact
the headquarters of the ferry company by phone/fax and get a letter
stating the reason for the cancellation. I also got a photocopy of my
ferry ticket to prove that I had booked on it, but I surrendered the
actual ticket to get a refund. In recent years I have booked a local
flight from the last island back to Athens.

Some people say that you should get back to the mainland a day before
the return flight. I don't see any point in this - I think it's only a
small risk and if you plan on taking the ferry the day before, you
could still get stuck.

Greecemad
 >> Stay informed about: How punctual are Blue Star ferries in August?