A Ferry Good Surprise

I was sitting in café waiting for our Blue Star Ferry to depart Rhodes, Greece  for Santorini. We’d “settled in” to a café style table and three comfy chairs in preparation for the nine hour journey. We were wondering if there would be a snack bar or should we take food. Would we have enough entertainment to keep us busy for the ride. Would there be wi-fi? We were surprised and delighted by the size of the ferry along with its amenities including four levels, sleeping cabins, pool, numerous bars, restaurants, a casino and.....wi-fi! I had been expecting something like the ferry I took 30 years ago with only a bottle of Ouzo, my sleeping bag, a couple of fellow backpackers, for company. This ferry was somewhere between a Royal Caribbean cruise and a Washington State Ferry with the amenities leaning towards Royal Caribbean. Very Cool!

We were even confronted with  the usual cruise dilemma…Should we eat, drink, nap, read, stroll or type a blog? I can't speak for my travel companions but blogging came first followed by an ice-cappuccino and happy hour on the upper deck while watching the magnificent sunset. Several high lights of the trip were dinner on linen table cloths in the dining room and watching the unloading and loading process of people, cars, motorbikes and 18-wheelers. It would make sense that Greece has a very efficient ferry system since most islands are dependent upon goods being delivered.

The best part of this ride was the cost - It seemed to be a heck of a deal for 39 Euros (about $50).

My travel companions.

Sailing into the sunset.