ferry strike May 30

Beth, I alerted another poster who was taking a ferry from ATH to PAROS, advising her to check Aegean, and they were able to get flights. As for you, you have 2 options: Get a ferry the night before May 30 .,... or an AM on May 31. YOu should alert your Santorini & Naxos hotels, and tell them you don't know yet what you may have to do. Believe me, they'll be expecting to hear from anxious guests. It's my guess that it would be better to stay 1 night more in Santorini ... because if you came early to Naxos, the room you'd need there might be still occupied by a person who cannot travel also. But.... don't panic yet. These strikes may be settled before they happen, at least the ferry crews may settle (the govt. employees usually stick it out). Your hoteliers are accustomed to glitches like this ... sometimes a ferry goes out of service suddenly, or there is a big storm (usually in the fall). They'll cope, and you won't get stuck with an unwarranted bill. Just take your phone along to Greece & keep in touch with them.

Janet,

It was your post I saw.

I guess the practicalities will have to dictate here--can we find a room a day early in Naxos or a day longer in Santorini. We have six people so I imagine this will make it especially difficult, if the place we are staying in Oia (an air bnb) already has the 30th rented to another party. I realize that ferries won't be running but guests could come by plane; we are flying there ourselves.

We were planning to take a blue star ferry at 3:30 on May 30. Do ferries run any later than that? I am thinking about if we need to leave the day before.

Beth

Beth, time for you to do some of your own ferry research. go to http://www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp for schedules.

Sati and Janet,

I will try to sit tight but figure out a back up plan. I did find that website last night Janet. There is one ferry at 5:30 pm but from what you said Sati, it would be less risky to plan Santorini as a back up plan for May 30 (rather than leaving Santorini a day early). I didn't pay attention to where the ferries originate but hopefully can figure that out as well. I am glad to know that we probably can find other accommodations if need be.

Sigh. We are taking a ferry only once on our two week trip and it is just my luck for it to be the day of a strike. I had everything all worked out--down to a ride to the ferry!

It is easier to figure out what to do with extra time on Santorini than what to give up on Naxos.

Beth

I am also ferrying on May 30 from Milos to Santorini. I'm not changing any plans yet, but would greatly appreciate any updates as you guys hear about them!

LC,
I emailed the hotel we are staying in Naxos and was told that the ferries would be affected but that most likely you would be able to get from one island to another on May 30. He told me to go to a travel agency or email him again when I arrived in Greece.

I was told by the owner of the air bnb in Santorini where we are staying that the ferries that are going towards Athen may just stop in the last island before Athens and not continue on.

So we too are sitting tight hoping for the best.

Beth

Looks like the strike is still on. Any idea how far in advance they cancel strikes or how we would know if it extends to two days? We can’t fly from Milos to Santorini and our hotel in Milos has no extra availability. I’m a little worried this is causing us to have to miss or change a lot.

I would prepare for the worst case scenario(48 hour strike). The last Ferry strike was extended to 48 hours in April of this year. We had to scramble to make alternate travel arrangements(at a greater cost). We were able to get airline tickets to the Island, so that is an option possibly? You might want to adjust some accommodations to make it work, I would be pro-active rather than reactive. I would not count on this strike being called off, far too many unions involved. Don't let your vacation be ruined by this, take as much control as is possible.

There appear to be some island to island ferries operating on May 30. There are two sailing of Seajets from Santorini to Naxos. And I saw sailings for Sea jets and Aegion Pelago (might be spelled wrong) from Milos to Santorini.

http://www.go-ferry.com

Beth, sit tight.... I seem to recall that during thse yeas of constant strikes (2009 - 11), that often the ferries did function outside of the Major Terminal Ports Where the Unions have HQs and are most active .. (i.e. Pireaus, Thessaloniki, perhpas Heraklion). I read somewhere else (trip advisor?) where ferries are still going to visit ports outside, then stop at the last one BEFORE Piraeus.

Janet--

The owner of the air bnb we are renting in Santorini suggested that same possibility--that the Blue Star ferry which is our preference would run but stay at the last island it services instead of returning to Athens.

I am going to just sit tight as you say but am glad to see Sea Jets scheduled. I prefer the open deck ferry but will take what I can get rather than staying an extra day in Santorini. The manager of the hotel we are staying at on Naxos (Kymata) assured me also that there likely will be ferries running from island to island.

Beth

Does anyone have a feel for the accuracy of the ferry sites. I also see availability on the site but does that mean the ship will sail? I feel your pain Beth my wife and I were on the same itinerary and now we may be unable to catch the flight we booked from Naxos to Athens on June 1.

Sky Express told me to re-book if we intend to fly from Santorini instead.

It may be worth it. Even if some boats are running I am anticipating an angry chaotic mob at the ferry terminal.

Make other arrangements while you still can. https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/ I would plan for the possibility of a 48 hour strike to cover all bases.
https://www.google.com/flights/#flt=JTR.ATH.2018-06-01;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:f;tt:o

I am not sure I understand the logic in waiting to see how this is going to end up. Being proactive makes sense to me. good luck

Wilson55 agree but have sunk a lot of money into the trip and this means writing off several hundred euro but point well taken. Maybe it's past time to fret about spilled milk.

Given that, I'm inclined to write off ANY travel by ferry (as we cannot wait 48h). Is that the logical conclusion of your line of thinking? Flights only.

Thanks for all of your and everyone else's thoughts on this.

Ps just sort of bummed i won't get to see naxos

Anyway best of luck to everyone

A

Areale, I am a neophyte Greek Island traveler(we do travel a lot though). My point is I don't want to be fretting with what the heck is going to happen with the ferries up until the last minute.
We are going on vacation not managing a chaotic employee(Too much work). So for us it was easier to book a one way flight to our Cycladic Island of choice rather than wait and see what happens. The one way flight cost us 300 US dollars the ferry ride with seats would have been half of that(yeah, wasn't too happy about the extra expense). The last Ferry strike in April was extended from 24 hours to 48 hours. We have no idea what is going to happen this time, just trying to have some certainty with our plans rather than leave it up to the strikers. Good luck and enjoy your trip. :)

Willson55 I'm 100% in agreement. Sorry if it sounded like I was not. Better safe than sorry I agree. I'm also a greece neophyte. Best of luck!

Let us know how it goes!

A

Wow! How did you find out about the new strike? I happened to read it here just now. Didn't hear anything yet and I am in Greece right now. Planning to get to Mykonos on the 25th and return on the 28th. I know that on the 28th the Greeks celebrate the Holy Spirit Monday. Plenty of people are going on vacation the same time I am. So probably these dates won't be affected at all. Your flight cost a lot :/

anniesweetiepie82,
I checked the forums and news on Greece every day that is how I stumbled on the strike information. I also have family members from Greece, and have dealt with the consulate before so I kind of have an idea about how things can go there. I did not want to leave anything up to chance if at all possible. The air tickets were expensive, but they are three one-way fares(take the ferry back). We opted for the more expensive Aegean Airlines out to the Island based on some of the reviews I have seen. We just didn't want to leave our vacation itinerary up to the chaos of the Greek strikers. The 30th is likely going to be disruptive for Vacationers who had no idea this strike is coming. It takes very little imagination to think about some of the predicaments some of these vacationers will find themselves in.

Happy Travels

Hi all -

Just want to let you know SeaJets took all of their May 30 departures off their website. I’m going from Milos to Santorini, since there are no flights available for that route I’m going to have to leave Milos a day early. :( Very disappointed.

Just wanted others to have that type of heads up.

LC, why not just fly to Santorini via Athens?

Hi - I couldn't find any available flights for that route on May 30. Am I missing something?

I see that there is one sea jets ferry still listed as going from santorini to Naxos on May 30. It is at 9:30 am and arrives after 12. The other two ferries listed previously (champion jet 1 and champion jet 2) are no longer listed.

I don’t see it listed on other days. Does anyone know anything about this ferry?

Beth

Thank you very much! I could not quite make sense of it-both how long it took and how cheap it is.

Sea jets took their other two ships off schedule on this route so maybe the fact it remains means it will run.
I am still hoping to get to Naxos...
Beth

How likely is it that the ferry strike will last beyond May 31? I'm planning to travel to Tinos on June 2... Thoughts?

The Greeks themselves use the ferry system on weekends, for holidays or just for a weekend getaway, so the unions don't want to inconvenience their own families.

Perhaps it would be nice if the potential strikers would consider the stress and financial losses incurred by tourists and not just of their own family’s. Tourism is much more important in the Greek economy than in many others. Yes, it is possible to kill the golden goose. And right now tourism is one of the few “gooses” the Greeks have. I am going to Greece for the first time next week. If the trip (planned for a year and at considerable expense) is disrupted by strikes, it will be my last trip to Greece. Perhaps there is the perception that tourists are rich so who cares. In my case and I’m sure in many others on this forum, affording travel means sacrifice in other areas. Yes, other countries have strikes but the Greek seamen’s Union was on strike for 2 days just last month. Now again? That’s too much for a vital transportation service. I will be (hopefully) going by ferry from Santorini to Naxos on a Tuesday. Stupid me, I did not know the pitfalls of Tuesday travel. If this sounds like I’m venting, I am.

Sati: I have found your info on the ferrys to be very helpful so thank you for that. To clarify what I said: I am going to Greece next week but I am not going from Santorini to Naxos until June 26, a Tuesday. Unfortunately, when I planned this trip and booked hotels many months ago, I did not know about midweek being more prone to strikes. If I had, I might have planned it differently but it’s too late now. Hopefully, there will not be another strike in June.

I think as soon as this strike was announced people should have altered their plans if possible. My logic is, this is my vacation, I have planned this all year, I don't want my time off being held hostage by strikers. These guys just were out on strike in April for 2 days, how do we know this strike won't be extended(we don't)? On a personal note, this rescheduling cost us extra expense and time. As I said before I have had some experience dealing with the Greek bureaucracy and it wasn't pleasant. I don't need Greek style chaos on vacation, neither do you. Make alternate arrangements if possible. Enjoy your trip :)

Lizcat I've been to greece 12 x since 1999, 11 of those times in late May - to june. There have been strikes of some kind nearly every year, but I have never seen a strike in June ... there is always a first, but typically one sees them in April-May, not as high season gets near. Don't race your motor or let Wilson get you in a swivet.

Janet: Thank you for your insight. I don’t suppose you know anything about how common train strikes are? (Not metro). We will be taking the train from Athens to Kalambaka ( for the Meteora )and back a few days later.😄

Wasn't trying to get anyone riled up. My post was for the general topic not meant for Lizcat! My post was about the upcoming May 30th strike that has been announced nothing else, no rumors or hearsay! How rude you are Janet! Still try to have a nice day :)

Lizcat I have No experience with the train ... I am sure it will be on strike the 30th & maybe into the 3lst, because all the govt employees are involved ... but no reason to expect a "wildcat strike" by train employees later on.. Wilson, sorry I appeared to be rude, I just feared that lizcat's apparent anxiety would be aggravated, and wanted to bring some perspective based on experience. I humbly beg your pardon, carry on.

Janet & Wilson: I am grateful for all the info and observations here. Wilson: I sympathize completely with the stress and financial loss you have had and wanted to warn others about. Janet: you have provided helpful perspective for my particular plans. I think we are all on the same side here. It is not always easy being a traveler and I appreciate people’s efforts to help others based on their own experience.

I just wanted to add that the 9:25 am ferry from santorini to Naxos seems to still be running. I bought tickets today from a travel agent in Fira.

Of course, I won’t entirely breathe a sigh of relief until we are on the ferry.

I had made arrangements that we could stay an extra night where we are if necessary. The funny thing is I think my kids are almost disappointed it looks like we are leaving on Wednesday. I told them they will love naxos as well!

Beth

We made it to Naxos today from santorini but not without a little drama. I doubled checked the sea jets website at 6 am this morning and the 9:25 am ferry was not on it any more. I checked ferry to go and worker strike appeared in red. I saw their customer service opened at 7 am so I called and was told it was running.

So we drove rental cars to port (said we could return to there instead of oia) really not sure if it was going to go. When we turned to go to port we saw lots of other transport vans so were hopeful.

Interesting enough my family group of 7 seemed to take it all in stride. We were making alternative plans for an extra day on santorini even as we were rushing to the port.

But if you don’t want this kind of uncertainty, I can see why people did change plans. I think in an odd way, knowing this uncertain situation has helped us all be more flexible in general about things that are not what we would usually expect (like not flushing toilet paper, showers that are different, the crazy driving)

We are having a great time.

Beth