Island Ferries and Motion Sickness

You could experience rough crossing in the Aegean, just like you could in the Med. There's no predicting it. Or it could be smooth as glass. Have you tried any of the motion sickness preventatives like Bonine (Meclizine) that are nondrowsy? I use it for ocean cruises and flying, since I get motion sickness very easily.

Catamaran and hydrofoil ferries (superfast) are more prone to motion sickness on the waves. Standard ferries (fast) are much larger and less so. Superfast ferries have no outside decks. Both can be halted due to strong winds. Fast ferries are about half the price and take about twice as long as superfast ferries.

Edited: Fast ferries are traditional large ferries and the there's no need to book tickets in advance, unless you want to book a room.

It is a short flight from Athens to Naxos. Why not just fly? The ferry trip from Piraeus to Naxos is fairly long while the filght is only about 30 minutes.

On the fast ferry between Hydra and Athens, I got queasy, but not outright seasick. On the fast ferry you cannot go outside to get fresh air. I'd use a scolamine patch next time I go. So fly to Naxos.

I have not been to Greece so no experience on the ferry system there.

I do however get motion sick on boats. When I travel I always have the Sea-Bands wrist bands with me and they work well. When I fly I have them in my back-of-the-seat bag so they are handy in case there is ongoing turbulence. I've used them on small boat tours both on a windy and slightly rough day in the Med as well as a couple of times in tour boats from Shetland where I'm pretty sure the sea is never calm, lol.

They are inexpensive and readily available if you want to give them a go. You can also put manual pressure on the P6 accupressure point but it's hard to do both wrists at once if you are feeling ill.

I also carry Ginger chews with me but have never had to use them.

First of all, you should know that there are medications for seasickness, personally I am not prone to seasickness but according to the people I know who take them they are effective.

You can try EMETOSTOP, I don't know if it exists in the USA but it is available in pharmacies in Greece for less than €5

About ferries:

There are indeed two types of ferries (fast catamaran or traditional ferry) between Piraeus and Naxos or between Piraeus and Sifnos, but Naxos and Sifnos are not on the same ferry lines which means that between Naxos and Sifnos or vice versa there is only one type of ferry, the fast inter-island catamarans from Seajets which operate during the tourist season. These are alternatively the Superjet or the Superjet 2. See below:

https://youtu.be/lwFRyPGa8XM

These two ferries are "small" catamarans, the interior is more like an airplane cabin than a ferry, the seats are assigned and there is no possibility of going outside.

In addition, these ferries do not have a direct route. For example, to go from Naxos to Sifnos or vice versa, the ferry will make a detour via Paros and Mykonos and a journey that should take about 1 hour in a direct route will take more than 4h (not to mention the ticket price at €95 per person).

In my opinion, even though these two ferries are the best for getting seasick, it is mainly the duration of the journey that will be annoying.

I shouldn't tell you this because I am sure that you will love Sifnos which is, unlike Naxos, an island relatively preserved from the hordes of tourists, especially since you would be in Sifnos in September and could be lucky enough to enjoy its famous annual gastronomy festival.

So, totally subjectively, the only possible option in my opinion is to skip Naxos and couple Sifnos with another western Cyclades island. Either Serifos, Milos, Kimolos or Folegandros. And then you will no longer have any ferry worries.

I with others, you likely would be better off on a large, slower ferry. Not much movement, even in slightly choppy seas. In September, the wind can pick up, rather strong, creating chop. When that happens the smaller hydrofoils can be hell, if not cancelled outright. Even larger ferries can cancel if the weather turns. I would not say strong winds are common in September, on our trip some time ago, in the month we had maybe two incidents, one that shut down boats for a couple days, the other, we wish they would have cancelled, but only because we were on one of the smaller Seajets.

You might leave enough flex in your itinerary, or have a plan B, just in case. That way you can judge based on weather.

We ferried from Santorini to Naxos on a day with rough seas and my daughter got sick. I felt sick but did not get sick. So your concerns are very valid.

I would fly whenever possible and come prepared with something on ferries for motion sickness. I used Dramamine on buses on curvy roads in Crete a few years later and it really helped.

Apologies for the late reply! Thank you very much for all this feedback. It's extremely helpful, and I'm relieved to know which ferries are best to choose if I choose to risk it and take a ferry. I also noted that flying is preferable when possible.

I have no issues taking a medication for motion sickness, so I'll talk to my doctor and see what exactly she recommends for motion sickness, just so that I'm prepared - even for the flight alone.

It sounds like jumping between Naxos and Sifnos is not the best idea, so I'll do more research on which group of the Cyclades I'd prefer to visit.

Rule of thumb for me when I think there is a strong possibility of motion sickness. Bonine, 1 every 12 hours. Start before you board.

“Catamaran and hydrofoil ferries (superfast) are more prone to motion sickness on the waves. “

Here in MA we live on an island and we get here only with a ferry or expensive flights. Our fast ferries are 1/4 the size of the catamaran ferries in the Aegean and don’t run when winds are above 35mph, sometimes less. Even when there’s a ,title wind the ride can be rough. Last year, while taking the ferry from Athens to Folegandros there was a tiny rough patch and people did get sick, but honestly, as one who’s taken more than 1,000 ferries in our 12 years here I’ve only gotten motion sickness once and that was on a whale watching boat. Take some Dramamine or non drowsy anti motion sickness pills and you’ll be fine. Worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet or might not even happen is a sure fire way to get anxiety unnecessarily. If motion sickness is indeed a major issue for then I’d suggest only going to islands that you can fly to or access it from islands closer so that all you need is a short ferry hop to get to it. That might help allay your worries.