General Conditions and Information for Passengers travelling with Blue Star Ferries

General Conditions - Cyclades, Dodecanese, N. Aegean, Saronic islands & Crete

PASSENGER NAME LIST

• The provisions of Presidential Decree no. 23/1999 "Registration of persons traveling by passenger vessels operating to or from Greek ports in accordance with Directive 98/41/EC/1998", are amended, according to PD 102/2019 (A΄ 182).
• To make that possible, tickets are issued BY NAME and specifically must include:
  
  
  • PASSENGER’S LAST NAME
  • PASSENGER’S FIRST NAME (in full)
  • GENDER: MALE/FEMALE
  • NATIONALITY (i.e. GR)
  • DATE OF BIRTH (Day/Month/Year)
    In addition, the issuing agent must be notified of passengers requiring SPECIAL CARE.
  
  
• It is strictly forbidden to issue tickets on board; therefore, for their convenience, passengers must contact their travel agent on time, to book and issue their tickets.
• Children under 5 years old (up to 4 years & 364 days): it is mandatory to issue a Free of Charge ticket, provided that it is booked and issued simultaneously with an adult ticket. When a bed or seat is provided, a 50% discount is applicable on the child’s fare and adult accompaniment is required.

PASSENGER’S PHONE NUMBER

Passengers are advised to provide their travel agency with a telephone number (preferably a mobile phone number) so they can be contacted in case of emergency, e.g. cancellation of departure due to bad weather conditions etc.

NUMBERED SEATS

Use is only allowed to the holders of numbered seat tickets.

EMBARKATION PROCEDURE

Passengers must:

• report at the embarkation area at least one (1) hour before departure.
• if travelling by car, one (1) hour before departure.

Drivers are obliged to embark and disembark their vehicle. Vehicles’ passengers must exit the vehicle before embarkation. Vehicles’ priority order for embarkation is determined by the Port Regulations of each Port Authority, where embarkation takes place. All passengers should be able to present their valid travel documents.

Passengers are also requested to carry the necessary documents that certify their identity (identity card, passport or driver's license), as well as the supporting documents for commercial discounts, if a discounted ticket has been issued. In case holders of discounted tickets do not carry the required supporting documents, the fare difference must be collected. In addition, boarding will not be allowed to passengers whose name is not correctly indicated on the ticket.

The Company reserves the right to deny embarkation to a passenger travelling without the necessary identification and supporting documents.

In case a passenger wishes to disembark prior the vessel’s departure, he/she is obliged to inform the vessel’s Purser’s Office and upon leaving the vessel to take all of his/her luggage as well. In case of vehicles, please mind that there is the possibility of being unable to remove them from the vessel’s garage due to their pre-arranged parking positions.

TICKET OPTION DATE

Tickets must be issued within a specific time period following their booking, of which passengers are advised by their travel agent. If tickets are not issued within this period, the booking is automatically cancelled.

OPEN DATE TICKETS

• Open date tickets are valid for boarding only if a boarding card, valid for the specific date of travel, has been issued. Open date tickets are valid indefinitely.
• If passengers wish to travel on a date when a higher fare is in force, then they must pay the difference between the current and the pre-paid open ticket fare.
• Upon embarkation, the original ticket and issued boarding card must be handed over to the vessel’s Purser for ticket control.

TICKET CANCELLATION

• Tickets be can only be cancelled by email to info@greekferries.gr.
• Tickets cannot be invalidated over the phone. Passengers wishing to invalidate their tickets must hand them over to the issuing agency.
• The refund for the invalidated tickets can be made by the issuing agency and is valid for up to 2 years after the date of invalidation.

CANCELLATION FEES

A. CANCELLATION FEES: CYCLADES - DODECANESE - NORTH AEGEAN routes HIGH SEASON: 28/02/25-01/03/25, 03/03/25, 21/03/25-22/03/25, 25/03/25, 11/04/25-27/04/25 & 05/06/25-28/09/25*

• Up to 7 days prior to departure: Tickets are cancelled without charge or can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to 12 hours prior to departure: A 50% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to the departure: 50% cancellation fees must be paid and the tickets cannot be converted to open date tickets or to travel another date.
• After departure: Tickets cannot be cancelled or converted to open date tickets or to travel another date.

*For the period 11/04/25-05/06/25 & from 05/06/25-07/06/25 for all departures from Piraeus, Lavrio, Kavala and Thessaloniki and for the period 21/04/25-27/04/25 & 09/06/25-10/06/25 for all departures to Piraeus, Lavrio, Kavala and Thessaloniki, tickets are cancelled without charge or converted to open date tickets or for another departure date, up to 14 days prior to departure. Up to 7 days prior to departure, a 25% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date. The same applies to all intermediate routes.

LOW SEASON: All other dates except those mentioned in HIGH SEASON

• Up to 3 days prior to departure: Tickets are cancelled without charge or can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to 3 hours prior to departure: A 50% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to the departure: 50% cancellation fees must be paid and the tickets cannot be converted to open date tickets or to travel another date.
• After departure: Tickets cannot be cancelled or converted to open date tickets or to travel another date.

B. CANCELLATION FEES: PIRAEUS - HERAKLION & PIRAEUS - CHANIA routes
HIGH SEASON: 05/06/25-28/09/25

• Up to 14 days prior to departure: Tickets are cancelled without charge or can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to 7 days prior to departure: A 25% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to 3 hours prior to departure: A 50% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to the departure: 50% cancellation charge is applied and the tickets cannot be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• After departure: Tickets cannot be cancelled or converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.

LOW SEASON: All the other dates except those mentioned in HIGH SEASON

• Up to 1 hour prior to departure: Tickets are cancelled without charge or can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to the departure: A 50% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• After departure: Tickets cannot be cancelled or converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.

C. CANCELLATION FEES: SARONIC ISLANDS routes
HIGH SEASON: 28/02/25-01/03/25, 03/03/25, 21/03/25-22/03/25, 25/03/25, 11/04/25-27/04/25 & 05/06/25-28/09/25*

• Up to 4 days prior to departure: Tickets are cancelled without charge or can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to 4 hours prior to departure: A 50% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to the departure: 50% cancellation fees must be paid and the tickets cannot be converted to open date tickets or to travel another date.
• In Piraeus-Aegina-Agistri-Methana route, tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date, up to the departure.
• After departure: Tickets cannot be cancelled or converted to open date tickets or to travel another date.

* For the period 11/04/25-05/06/25 & from 05/06/25-07/06/25 for all departures from Piraeus and for the period 21/04/25-27/04/25 & 09/06/25-10/06/25 for all departures to Piraeus, tickets are cancelled without charge or converted to open date tickets or for another departure date, up to 7 days prior to departure. Up to 4 days prior to departure, a 25% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date. The same applies to all intermediate routes.

LOW SEASON: All other dates except those mentioned in HIGH SEASON

• Up to 1 day prior to departure: Tickets are cancelled without charge or can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• Up to the departure: A 50% cancellation charge is applied or alternatively tickets can be converted to open date tickets or for another departure date.
• After departure: Tickets cannot be cancelled or converted to open date tickets or to travel another date.

D. CANCELLATION FEES: OPEN DATE TICKETS

• Open date tickets are cancelled without charge when they have been originally issued as open date.
• Tickets which have been converted to open date, are cancelled according to the cancellation terms and conditions of the originally issued tickets.
• If passengers wish to travel on a date when a higher fare is in force, then they must pay the difference between the current and the pre-paid open ticket fare.

CANCELLATION OF DEPARTURE OR DELAY DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS etc.

DELAYED DEPARTURE: Passengers and vehicles can embark without changing their tickets.

CANCELLATION OF DEPARTURE: The tickets of a cancelled departure are not valid for embarkation and must be exchanged with a new ticket for the next scheduled departure, subject to availability.

ATTENTION: In case of a departure being delayed or cancelled due to extreme weather conditions etc., passengers are kindly requested to contact the company’s port agencies in order to be informed about the new departure time.

LOSS OF TICKET(S)

When a ticket is lost:

• a new ticket must be bought, in order to travel.
• passengers must report in writing, to the Company’s Central or Port Offices, before the scheduled departure, the ticket(s) loss, indicating the departure date, the itinerary and the number of the lost ticket, as well as the number of the new ticket bought.

If, after checking the company’s records, the lost ticket has not been found used or replaced, within one (1) month after the departure date, the company will grant a ticket free of charge, for exactly the same value of the one lost.

SCHEDULES

• The duration of the journey refers to the time between leaving the port of departure and entering the port of arrival.
• The Company is not responsible for any delays, changes or cancellation of itineraries which may have been caused due to bad weather conditions, orders coming from the Ministry of Mercantile Marine or from the Port Authorities or due to force majeure.
• The Company reserves the right to reschedule its vessels if necessary.

TICKET CONTROL ON BOARD

Purser’s Office staff carries out ticket controls at embarkation and during the journey. Passengers are obliged to show their tickets on demand and proof of discount, if applicable. In case holders of discounted tickets do not carry the required supporting documents, the fare difference will be collected.

LUGGAGE

Luggage should be placed in the designated areas of the vessels as per the crew’s instructions. Passengers are entitled to carry free of charge, luggage up to 50 kilos or 1m3. Luggage must not contain valuable items. These items can be handed over to the Chief Purser for safe-keeping. The Company is responsible for the damage or loss of luggage on board, only if they have been handed over for safe-keeping and a relevant receipt has been issued. The Company cannot be held responsible for any loss of money, valuables or luggage left in the cabins, the vessel's common areas or the vehicles.

PASSENGERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

On board our vessels there are specially designed cabins with easy access and operation to accommodate passengers with special needs. Due to a limited number of cabins, it is necessary to reserve in advance (Reservations Dept.: +30-210-8918800).
For further assistance: Customer Services Dept., tel.: +30 2810 529000, e-mail: info@greekferries.gr.

TRANSPORTATION OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS

Minor passengers under 15 years old are not allowed to travel alone.

The transportation of minor passengers, who have reached the age of 15 to 18 years, without being accompanied by a parent or a guardian, is permitted under the following conditions:

Completion of a Statutory Declaration by the parent or the legal guardian of the minor, with his/her signature, validated by the competent Police or Port Authority, Citizens’ Service Centers (KEP) or gov.gr.

For boarding on vessel, the minor passenger must possess in hand the original and validated Statutory Declaration, along with the ticket, as well as his/her Identity Card for identification purposes.

In any case, the parent or the legal guardian of the minor passenger bears in full the responsibility for the prompt acquisition and certification of the Statutory Declaration, as well as of any accompanying documents that may be required at the port of departure.

Under no circumstances will the Company be liable if, due to inadequate documents and/or identification certificates, boarding is not allowed by the vessel’s Officers or the Port Authorities. Relevant declaration forms are available at the Customer Service Dept., tel.: +30 2810 529000, e-mail: info@greekferries.gr, at the local Port Offices of the Company or click here to download the form.

ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES (AFVs)

Passengers traveling with Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) must declare it when booking/issuing their tickets.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) include:

• Hybrid and strictly electric vehicles that carry accumulators (batteries).
• Vehicles using liquefied and compressed gaseous fuels.

According to the Greek Authorities’ circular regarding the measures during the transportation of Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) with passenger vessels (Ro-Pax) and Ro-Ro vessels and in order to limit and prevent the risk of fire as well as the release of toxic gases in the garage area, the following measures are applicable:

• On strictly electric or rechargeable hybrid vehicles, the charging level of their accumulators (batteries) should not exceed 40% of their total capacity.
  During their loading, the temperature of the batteries will be checked by the crew.
• On vehicles with other alternative fuels, such as LPG or natural gas, their tanks must not be filled with fuel up to more than 50% of their total capacity.
• Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) with damage in their supply system and tanks or accumulators will not be accepted on board if these have not been removed. In particular, in case an AFV has a malfunction, but it is unclear if the accumulator is damaged, boarding will not be allowed. It is exclusively the owners’ responsibility to ensure that the vehicle does not suffer damage to its power system or batteries.
• Passengers-drivers of electric vehicles must immediately inform the crew if any alarm indication is received from their vehicle.
• Above measures also apply to unaccompanied Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs).

REGISTRATION OF COMPANION ANIMALS (PETS) - ACCOMMODATION

Based on the existing legislative framework (article 18 § 7 of Law 4830/2021 / Οfficial Gazette A' 169/18.09.2021), it is mandatory for passengers traveling with animals to declare them when booking / issuing their tickets, in order to be recorded in the electronic booking system and issue a free of charge ticket.

Ticket issuance is not allowed on board, therefore, to avoid unnecessary inconvenience, passengers must book and issue tickets οn time.

According to European Parliament's and Council's Regulation (EU) No. 576/2013, each passenger may travel with a maximum of 5 pets owned by the passenger. Pets must be fully vaccinated and may travel with an own pet health certificate.

Please note that the maximum number per booking is 5 pets.

The vessels have special cabins (PET cabins) as well as special accommodation areas for pets (kennels). Due to the limited number of PET cabins, it is necessary to reserve them in advance. The maximum number per PET cabin, is 2 pets.

Excluded are FLYING DOLPHIN vessels, where the transport of pets is only allowed in a small pet carrier up to 10 kg.

For reasons of public hygiene, pets are not allowed in cabins (other than the specially designated PET cabins), bars, restaurants and the vessel’s indoor public areas. While walking on the open decks, pets are required to wear a muzzle or be on a leash, accompanied by the pet owner or guardian.

Pet owners or guardians are required to have their pet’s valid health documents with them while travelling and they should present them when boarding the vessel. The pet owner or guardian is held fully responsible for the care, safety, and hygiene of the pet and for adhering to all laws and regulations related to the above. Furthermore, pet owners are solely responsible for any possible harm or damage caused by their animals to any third party, during the trip.

Special areas for the pets’ daily hygiene are available on board (except for FLYING DOLPHIN vessels).

Unaccompanied pets are not accepted for embarkation.

LOST AND FOUND SERVICE

Passengers who have lost or found a lost item on board, are kindly requested to contact the vessel’s Reception immediately during their journey and most importantly before disembarkation. For any information you may require after disembarkation, please contact Company’s Head Offices, Customer Services Dept., tel.: +30 2810 529000, e-mail: info@greekferries.gr.

CUSTOMER SERVICE DIRECT LINE

For any Customer Service inquiries, comments or suggestions, please call, tel.: +30 2810 529000, e-mail: info@greekferries.gr.

SECURITY NOTICE

For security reasons, all persons and all items brought on board the vessel are liable to be searched. Persons refusing to comply with this demand shall be denied access on board and will be reported to the appropriate port authorities. All passengers are required to present their ticket, identity card or any other official documents to the vessel’s authorized personnel. The carrier reserves the right to deny embarkation to any individual who does not possess valid travel documents or fails to prove beyond doubt, his/her identity.

Once a passenger has boarded the vessel, he/she is not allowed to disembark prior to departure, unless approved by vessel’s Officers. Passengers who wish to disembark, must take with them all their luggage and/or vehicle (if possible).

Any weapons carried must be declared upon embarkation.

NO SMOKING LAW 3730

As per the National Law 3730 of the Greek Ministry of Health, as from 1st July 2009 smoking is strictly prohibited in all enclosed public areas, as well as the vessels' cabins. Passengers may smoke in the designated areas on the open outer decks.

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

To resolve disputes that arise between the Company and a passenger, the passenger can address the ‘Consumer’s Ombudsman’, an Independent Authority (Mailing Address: 144 ALEXANDRAS AVE., 11471 ATHENS, Tel: 210 6460862, e-mail: grammateia@synigoroskatanaloti.gr, website: https://www.synigoroskatanaloti.gr/en), as an Alternative Dispute Resolution agency.

In any case, any dispute that arises between a passenger and the Company can be resolved consensually via the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution platform (https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/main/?event=main.home2.show) and the agencies certified by the European Commission in accordance with the terms of Directive 2013/11/EU, which in this case is the ‘Consumer’s Ombudsman’ Independent Authority (https://www.synigoroskatanaloti.gr/en).