Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Ask questions about the island of Symi

Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby annadev » 24 Jan 2017, 21:20

Does anyone (Andy) know when the schedules will be available?
User avatar
annadev
Symi Visitor
Symi Visitor
 
Posts: 33
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 01:00
Location: Canada

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Andy W » 26 Jan 2017, 07:45

Never been known before late February for Dodekanisos Seaways, though most of the Blue Star schedules are out now.
As for Sea Dreams - well, they are applying for permission to use the "Symi" as a ferry again this year, but there's no sign of any timetables so far.
User avatar
Andy W
Persistent Visitor
Persistent Visitor
 
Posts: 601
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Andy W » 02 Feb 2017, 13:46

Dodekanisos Seaways have just released their timetable for the whole period up to 31 October 2017, though it isn't yet bookable past the start of April.
www.12ne.gr/en
Still waiting for Blue Star from late June to the beginning of September, and Sea Dreams for the whole summer.
User avatar
Andy W
Persistent Visitor
Persistent Visitor
 
Posts: 601
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Allan » 03 Feb 2017, 17:38

Interesting changes to this year's timetable (so far) Andy.

If I'm reading it properly (happy to be corrected) the evening Rhodes > Symi run by the Skiadeni seems to be missing. I assume it didn't make enough profit to warrant leaving the boat to overnight at Symi. Maybe it will change but if it doesn't it's going to mean an overnight stay on Rhodes for most people, possibly both ways.

There's an odd 13.00 Rhodes > Symi trip on the Express on Wednesdays which help morning arrivals and the Blue Star, if it follows the previous year's timetables, will be there for late morning and very early afternoon arrivals too but it doesn't look good for anyone whose flight lands after much after about 13.00.

Getting home seems to be worse if I'm reading this thing right! Apart from the possibility of the Blue Star on possibly Wednesday and possibly Friday, there are no Symi > Rhodes morning crossings at all.

Perhaps Sea Dreams will spot a business opportunity and add some Rhodes > Symi > Rhodes crossings to fill some of the obvious gaps?
User avatar
Allan
Administrator
Administrator
 
Posts: 1931
Joined: 04 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Oor Willie » 04 Feb 2017, 14:13

We are coming via Kos again this year which is a Tuesday flight we appear to be ok on the way out as an overnight then the Wed pm Dodecanese is fine , but as it appears at the moment we have no way to get back to Kos on Tuesday for our flight home unless we leave Symi on Monday morning so another overnight on Kos would be required and a full day on Symi lost. Hopefully Dodec will add a Tuesday Rhodes Lipsi round trip to their schedule before June.
User avatar
Oor Willie
Senior Visitor
Senior Visitor
 
Posts: 308
Joined: 18 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby SPIDERWEB » 04 Feb 2017, 15:12

HELP !!

Having booked 7 nights in Symi - Wednesday to Wednesday in early July - I would be most unhappy to have to spend 2 of those nights in Rhodes !!

From those who have more experience of these matters .... what are the chances of the timetables being revised before the start of the main holiday season ?
SPIDERWEB
Regular Visitor
Regular Visitor
 
Posts: 13
Joined: 09 Apr 2016, 09:18

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Andy W » 04 Feb 2017, 17:50

Will the timetables change between now and July? Quite likely, they often do, but this may simply be to correct errors - for example there is a day when one of the catamarans ends the day in Samos and the other in Rhodes. The two ships seem to swap over during the night as they are in the opposite ports in the morning. Dodekanisos Seaways are also quick to spot a business opportunity and tweak the timetable for special events, religious festivals etc. If someone came forward and offered to make up the difference between fares collected and operating costs if there was a shortfall, I'm sure your Wednesday morning and evening sailings would appear like magic. The problem is that to run the Wednesday morning sailing from Symi there needs to be a Tuesday evening sailing from Rhodes, and the Wednesday evening Rhodes-Symi comes back Thursday morning. Those Tuesday and Thursday boats are virtually empty.

More to the point, there are two more ferry operators on this route, and neither have published their timetable for July yet. If Blue Star follow the March-June pattern, that provides a Wednesday morning sailing from Symi, which gets to Rhodes before 10am, and a 3pm Wednesday departure from Rhodes to Symi. Unless you had some very oddly timed flights you'd be able to avoid at least one of those two nights on Rhodes.
User avatar
Andy W
Persistent Visitor
Persistent Visitor
 
Posts: 601
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Irene » 04 Feb 2017, 18:52

I'm struggling to understand the ferry timetables ! I have booked a 7 night trip to Symi with Olympic from Saturday 17 to 24th June. As my flight gets in early afternoon I had hoped to be able to avoid an overnight stay in Rhodes as I had last year when I travelled on the Wednesday evening flight. From the published timetables I cannot see how this is possible, nor can I see how I would get back to Rhodes for my midday flight home to Manchester. If this is the case I may be cancelling my holiday! Am I missing something?
Irene
Symi Visitor
Symi Visitor
 
Posts: 28
Joined: 27 Jun 2016, 22:11

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Andy W » 04 Feb 2017, 19:29

Are you leaving from Manchester on Olympic's own charter flight with ASL France, Irene? If so and they sold this holiday to you as 7 nights on Symi, try asking them for flight times that match the ferries (they do exist) so you get something nearer to what you pay for.
There hasn't been a Saturday morning ferry from Symi to Rhodes for years, they must have known this when you booked. If they put you on one of the 4 evening flights from Rhodes to Manchester instead, you'd have Friday evening and most of Saturday in Symi,
Now in the Rhodes to Symi direction there was a 7pm ferry last year on a Saturday. But there are only 2 flights out of 28 from the UK to Rhodes on a Saturday that could connect with it if it ran this year - unfortunately yours is one, and knowing Olympic's fondness for herding their passengers into flocks, I suspect that they always intended to send all the Saturday arrivals on the Sunday morning ferry from Rhodes.
User avatar
Andy W
Persistent Visitor
Persistent Visitor
 
Posts: 601
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Irene » 04 Feb 2017, 19:58

Thanks for getting back so promptly Andy. I will contact Olympic on Monday and see what they say. I am booked on the 07.35 flight from Manchester and I have to travel down the night before fro Glasgow so I am not at all happy about not getting to Symi until Sunday!
My flight back on the following Saturday leaves Rhodes at 14.15 so you think I would need to leave Symi on the Friday? One night in a poor hotel in Rhodes last year was bad enough! Lots of people are going to be affected by this.
Irene
Symi Visitor
Symi Visitor
 
Posts: 28
Joined: 27 Jun 2016, 22:11

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Andy W » 04 Feb 2017, 20:59

Yes, Irene. There is no way of leaving Symi on a Saturday and getting to Rhodes before 6pm. This is nothing new, it hasn't been possible for years, so can't have come as a surprise to Olympic Holidays.
It really only affects a couple of flights to the UK - one is Ryanair to Stansted and the other is yours, as the other 26 Saturday departures from Rhodes to the UK are evening flights. That's why I'm suggesting you ask Olympic to put you on one of the evening flights to Manchester - they do offer them as part of their programme anyway.
User avatar
Andy W
Persistent Visitor
Persistent Visitor
 
Posts: 601
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby annadev » 05 Feb 2017, 02:02

Thanks, Andy. We now have the Dodek schedule and will book as soon as the site allows. We've already reserved the Blue Star on the 16th of June to Kastellorizo. Hope it doesn't change, but if it does, we'll adjust! We are based in Vancouver, Canada, so this annual trip is always an incredible 'ferry' puzzle!
User avatar
annadev
Symi Visitor
Symi Visitor
 
Posts: 33
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 01:00
Location: Canada

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby Andy W » 05 Feb 2017, 08:44

Glad you're settled. But there really isn't any need to book these ferries well in advance, unless you want to make an interest free loan to the ferry company. The Blue Star sailings to Kastellorizo use a 1400 passenger capacity ship. That's only because it happens to be in Rhodes between other journeys at the right time. If they used a 300-passenger ship there'd still be masses of empty space.
With sailings between Rhodes and Symi and return, the smaller ferries can get full, but this is with people using them to make day trips from Rhodes, that they book on the day or the day before. Book the week before and there's no problem, even in high season. Greeks hardly ever book ferries in advance, except around national holidays and in August, or if they're taking a vehicle.
User avatar
Andy W
Persistent Visitor
Persistent Visitor
 
Posts: 601
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 01:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Ferries from Rhodes Spring/Summer 2017

Postby annadev » 26 Feb 2017, 02:20

OK, thanks. The only time I have had bad luck was one year when there was an election and the ferry I wanted to take from Rhodes to Symi was fully booked as a result of people going 'home' to vote.
User avatar
annadev
Symi Visitor
Symi Visitor
 
Posts: 33
Joined: 26 Mar 2011, 01:00
Location: Canada


Return to Noticeboard



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests