I've read that it's safer to book a ferry in advance during high season in the Cyclades, so you are sure to get reservations. We plan a one-way trip from Paros to Santorini on August 7, 2018. I went to www.gtp.com and picked a Blue Star trip I want; however, I am not sure what website to use for booking. If you have recent experience with this, please let me know what you did and whether you were satisfied. Thanks.
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Philadelphia, PA, USA
3397 posts
The busiest part of high season -- when all the Greeks are traveling, as well as the zillions of Europeans on Holiday -- is the week that contains August 15, the Big Summer holiday. The biggest crush would be leaving Athens on Thursday or Friday August 9-10. You will be going from an island en route, and on the preceding Tuesday, I presume on the daily Blue Star ferry that leaves Paros about 12 noon, arrives Santorini 3:15 or so. These ferries hold from 1300 - 1800 passengers. A plain-vanilla "Economy" ticket entitles the ticket-holder to whatever seat he can find on the open deck, or in one of the numerous restaurants on board, or seats along the corridors. A "reserved Economy" (also called "aircraft seat") ticket gives you a numbered reserved-seat indoors (although you may also sit outdoors wherever you find a seat, for as long as you like).
Since you are going midweek, on a very large Ferry, I don't think you'd have to reserve from the US ... that gets complicated because they want to send you the ticket. Sending the ticket to the US is VERY costly, and sending it to a hotel in Greece adds the anxiety of what happens if it doesn't arrive?? You have not said how many days BEFORE your Paros-Santorini sail you arrive in Greece??? If you are arriving a week ahead, I think you'd do just as well simply to buy the tickets at the airport agency upon arrival at Athens airport (there apparently is now only One at the airport -- Aktina Travel). If you are not comfortable with this, then you could contact them online - http://www.aktinatravelgroup.com/Services/OnlineBooking.htm and book right now, and then just pick up the tickets when you arrive. NOTE: the former Airport-based agencies operated 24/7, but not this one... it's 9am - 7 pm M-F and 9-2pm Sat. However, they have 2 other offices in central athens, one right by Syntagma Square, so it's easy.