by Andy W » 24 Jul 2017, 21:10
You didn't click on the delivery method "Courier" did you? That only works if you have a Greek address for the tickets to be couriered to, and makes the whole booking process fail if you don't.
The option to select is "agency". Then you get a booking confirmation to exchange for a real ticket at the kiosk at Kolonna, the ferry departure point.
That's exactly what you will need to do with your AFerryto reservation when you get to Rhodes.
The Dodekanisos Seaways booking system uses the same software (Forthnet-CRS) as all other Greek ferry companies that offer on-line booking, though some have prettier screens.
And yes, if you're unwise enough (or have no choice because other ferries are full) to book a sailing via Panormitis, you need to book just the Rhodes-Panormitis leg. Availability miraculously opens up. When you get to the ticket kiosk (at Akandia this time) tell them you actually want to go to Yialos and they'll issue you a ticket from Panormitis to Yialos free of charge. Both destinations are the same price from Rhodes. This is a problem in Forthnet-CRS, which is the de-facto national ferry booking system for Greece. No other ferry route anywhere in Greece has sailings where passengers are allowed off at an intermediate point to wander about for an hour and get back on the same ship to complete their journey. By law passengers must be issued with standard design ferry tickets with multiple portions. One portion is kept at the departure port, one is kept on board by the crew, and the third is retained by the passenger. This is designed so that there is an official record of who was actually on board in the event of any need to evacuate the ship, even if the onboard records are lost or destroyed. Because you can get off at Panormitis, you need a second multi part ticket for when you get back on again. Forthnet-CRS can't cope with this in one transaction. They aren't willing to modify the system just to cope with one summer-only route in the far-away Dodecanese.