Ticket change and cancellation

Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines offer the possibility to modify or cancel bookings in the cases and according to the following procedures. The procedures vary according to the Company you are travelling with.

Cancellations

Grimaldi Lines and Grimaldi Minoan Lines ferries

Special rate
Tickets booked at special rates, early booking, residents/natives in Sardinia and Sicily are non-refundable.

Standard rate
Ordinary fare tickets can be cancelled according to the following penalty scale:

- 10%, plus fixed fees, from the moment of booking until 30 days before departure;
- 30%, plus fixed fees, from 29 to 7 days before departure;
- 50%, plus fixed fees from 6 to 2 days before departure;
- 100%, plus fixed fees, from the day before departure and/or for no-show at check-in.

Important notes
It is not possible to cancel a standard fare ticket if it has already been subject to a date, time or line change more than twice.

Tickets booked through an agreement are refundable only if at standard fare, otherwise they will not be refunded.

No refund will be given in case of presentation at check-in/boarding with expired or invalid identity documents or for refusal of boarding by the authorities.

Pre-paid services (e.g. meals, pet kits) can only be refunded if cancellation is made at least 2 days before the scheduled departure date in the case of both standard and special fares.
In the event of a 100% cancellation fee or no-show at check-in, any meals on board or pet kits booked will not be refunded.

Minoan Lines ferries

Tickets can be cancelled according to the following penalty scale:

- No penalties, except for fixed fees, from the moment of booking until 14 days before departure.
- 25%, plus fixed fees, from 13 to 7 days before departure
- 50 %, plus fixed fees, from 6 days to 12 hours before departure
- 100%, plus fixed fees within 12 hours before departure or for no-show at check-in

Cancellation of tickets in a state of pandemic

Procedure valid for Grimaldi Lines and Grimaldi Minoan Lines branded routes

If the passenger is forced to cancel the trip due to a travel restriction imposed by the Authorities or for the other reasons specified in Article 88/bis of Italian Legislative Decree 18/2020, the Carrier will issue a "covid voucher" whose value will correspond to the total value of the cancelled ticket.
The voucher will last 24 months and can be used to issue a new ticket on one of the routes operated by Grimaldi Lines. If the new booking will have a higher amount than the original ticket, the client will have to pay the fare difference.
At the end of the 24 months from the date of issue, and in any case within the 14 days following the expiration of the validity, the customer will be refunded the amount paid.

If the tickets have been purchased through the agency Minoan Agencies of Ancona, the refund request should be sent to the e-mail address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., otherwise it will be necessary to contact the travel agency or the website through which the ticket has been purchased.

At the page embarkation procedure you can find all the updates regarding the procedures to follow to reach the various destinations, however, we remind you that it is the passenger's responsibility to check the specific dispositions from the official channels.

For domestic routes under the Minoan Lines brand send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Modifications

The procedure for the variation of Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines tickets varies according to the Company booked, whose specifications are given below. In any case, regardless of any charges applied by the carrier, Minoan Agencies will require the payment of € 20 variation fee.

Change of a reservation (date, time, line, passenger name, type of accommodation, type of vehicle and number plate) may be requested subject to availability of remaining seats.

It is possible to change both standard and special fare tickets and, where applicable, the payment of € 30 of variation fees will be required, in addition to any fare difference resulting from the change in travel or type of accommodation. For details see the table below.

Under no circumstances it will be possible to modify tickets issued with any special promotional offers that provide for a non-modifiable and non-refundable fare (as specified in the relevant conditions).

After the tickets have been issued, no refund will be made for any fare differences for discounts not applied or special offers.

Type of change	Time limit	Change fees / Rate difference
Date / time of departure	Up to 2 days before departure*	€ 30 / payment of any possible fare difference
Accommodation	Until the day of departure	None / payment of any possible fare difference
Vehicle	Until the day of departure	None / payment of any possible fare difference if the vehicle category changes
Passenger name	Until the day of departure	None
Passenger name Tunisia and Morocco lines	Up to 2 days before the outward journey	None
Addition of passenger	Until the day of departure	None / payment of the additional passenger ticket
Addition of pets or pet kit	Until the day of departure	None / payment of the additional pet ticket
Addition of meals	Until the day of departure	None / payment of the cost of additional meals

* modification allowed maximum twice. If the newly booked trip costs less, the fare difference will only be refunded if the change is made via the same booking channel.

The Companies reserve the right to modify the conditions of cancellation and variation of tickets by the passenger on specific departures.

How to request a change or cancellation of a ticket

Requests for cancellation or modification must be made in writing only by sending an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or a fax to +39 071 201933.
If the booking was made at a travel agency, the request must be made directly through the agency itself.

Important: the change or cancellation procedure may take some time, so we advise customers to proceed with due advance notice, bearing in mind the office's operating hours and that the possible amount of the penalty will be calculated at the moment in which the dossier is taken over by the operator.

Lost items on board

What to do if you lose personal belongings on Grimaldi Lines ships

On this page you can find useful information about the procedures to follow in case of loss of property on board of Grimaldi Minoan Lines and Grimaldi Lines vessels

The passenger is still on board the ship

In this case the passenger should report the loss to the ship's reception. The staff will do their best to search for the lost items and if found they will be immediately handed over to the customer.

The passenger has already disembarked from the ship

If the passenger has already disembarked from the ship, he/she must report this to the appropriate office by sending an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The e-mail should contain all details to help staff search for items: date and route of travel, ticket/reservation number, ship, cabin/seat number, as well as a description as accurate as possible of the lost item, possibly together with a photograph if available. Once the search has been completed, the responsible department will respond to the passenger as soon as possible.

Timing

The passenger is required to report the loss as soon as possible, but no later than one week after disembarkation from the ship.

Unclaimed items

Goods and personal effects that are found by the crew but not claimed will be kept on the ship for a limited period of time not exceeding 2 months. After this period, the items will be transferred to the Company's headquarters where they will be stored for a further 6 months, after which they will be disposed of.

Responsibility

Passengers are reminded that the Company cannot be held liable under any circumstances for the loss of items on board, nor will it be liable to pay any compensation if the item is not found.
Nor can the Carrier be held liable in the event of theft, loss or damage to items carried, regardless of their type, whether documents, jewellery, instruments, paintings, money, books, manuscripts, etc.

For detailed information please refer to the general sales conditions.

minoan lines shipping company

Minoan Lines

The Company

Minoan Lines is a Greek shipping company based in Crete. It was founded in Heraklion in 1972 and year after year it has grown becoming a reference point in international connections from Italy to Greece and in domestic routes from Piraeus to Crete and the Cyclades Islands. In 2008 it became part of the Grimaldi Lines Group, which holds 88% of the share capital.

Safety on board

All ships in the Minoan Lines fleet have international safety certifications on board to ensure a safe and reliable voyage for passengers. Among the most important are

- ISM (International Safety Management) safety certificate
- ISO 9001 RINA certificate

In addition, all vessels are equipped with the most modern on-board safety and rescue equipment, as well as the most advanced fire-fighting systems.

Respect for the environement

Environmental respect is important for Minoan Lines, whose philosophy is based on international requirements such as those of the MARPOL convention. Minoan Lines holds ISO 14001 RINA certification for environmental management in passenger and vehicle transport at sea and all company processes are developed according to EN 9001.

Cleanliness and quality of raw materials

Minoan Lines does not neglect the importance of the cleanliness of its ships and the quality of the food and drinks served on board by carrying out continuous checks. Moreover, the Company is ISO 22000 HACCP certified.

The history of Minoan Lines

The origins of the Company

1972 - Minoan Lines was established in Crete with the formula of popular shareholding
1974 - The first ship, Minos, was bought to connect Piraeus to Heraklion
1975 - The second ship, Ariadne, was bought to connecting daily Piraeus - Heraklion
1978 - With the third ship, named Knossos, the Company started the Piraeus - Chania line

A new adventure: ferries from Italy to Greece

1981 - By purchasing the ship "El Greco" Minoan Lines started the international line Ancona - Corfu - Igoumenitsa - Patras.minoan lines pennacchio fedra
1984/86 - After asserting itself on the market, Minoan Lines began to renew its fleet: the ferry "Festos" replaced the ferry "Minos" on the line Piraeus - Heraklion, while with FB "Agia Galini" was enhanced the transport of goods to Crete Island
1987 - FB "Fedra" was purchased to be used as second ferry on the line Ancona - Greece.
1988 - Another ship, the FB "King Minos", was bought to improve the Italy - Greece Lines, allowing the Company to have 5 departures per week and imposing the leadership on the market!

A fast growing Company

1989 - Inauguration of the summer line Ancona - Greece - Turkey operated by the ferry "Ariadne" (Corfu - Cephalonia - Piraeus - Paros - Samos - Kusadasi)
1991 - The fleet renewal process continued with the purchase of the modern ferry "Daedalus" in place of "El Greco" on the Ancona - Greece line.
1992 - The Company purchased the ferry boat "Erotokritos" to start new direct line to connect Ancona to Patras in only 24 hours! FB Erotokritos at that time was a very spacious ship compared to the others, both in terms of passengers and trucks transported.
1993 - A new plan of investment and restructuring was started to revise completely the lines and the fleet by building new and modern ships.

Market Leader in ferries to Greece

1994 - Minoan Lines inaugurated the new headquarters in Heraklion
1995/96 - The new line Venice - Corfu - Igoumenitsa - Patrasso was started.
1995 - FB "Aretousa" entered the fleet. It was the first ferry built for Minoan Lines, with very high standards and speed. Ancona to Patras was covered in only 22 hours
1997 - The Venice line became daily
1998 - The new and beautiful sister ships "Ikarus" and "Pasiphae" entered the fleet becoming the flagships of the Company, and for the first time showing the brand "Highspeed".

The present: Minoan Lines Grimaldi Group

1999 - It took place a further plan for renewing the fleet. The new ferries "Knossos Palace" and "Festos Palace" were bought. They are operating on the Piraeus - Heraklion line since 2001.
2002/2003 - the modern and beautiful sister ships "Olympia Palace" and "Europa Palace", were bought.
2009 - Minoan Lines Company was taken over by Grimaldi Lines who revised the lines and the fleet. Two years later the huge and wonderful flagship sisters "Cruise Europa" and "Cruise Olympia" entered the Ancona - Igoumenitsa - Patras line.
2012 - The bi-weekly line Trieste - Igoumenitsa - Patras is started.
2017 - The line Trieste - Greece becomes Venice - Igoumenitsa - Patras (via Ancona) operated twice a week.

grimaldi lines compagnia shipping company

Grimaldi Lines

The Company

Grimaldi Lines is the main brand through which the Grimaldi Group offers cargo and passenger transport services in the Mediterranean Sea. The Shipping Company operates with state-of-the-art cruise ferries and modern ferries on Italian domestic routes to/from Sardinia and Sicily and on international routes connecting Italy with Greece, Spain, Tunisia and Morocco.

Minoan Agencies is the official agent of the Company and specialises in the sale of passenger maritime services, providing assistance with its booking centre.

A young and avant-garde fleet

Grimaldi Lines has the largest fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, with new generation, safe and environmentally friendly ferries. The Company is particularly attentive to the issue of environmental sustainability and has made and planned significant investments with the prospective goal of sailing and transporting goods and passengers with zero emissions. All Grimaldi Lines routes are operated by modern ferries, with an average age of only 10 years. They are furnished with attention to every detail and equipped with many quality services for a relaxing and enjoyable crossing.
Visit the fleet section for more information on Grimaldi Lines ferries.

Attention to the environement

Grimaldi Lines is particularly attentive to environmental issues. The Grimaldi Group was one of the first companies to equip all its ships with scrubbers - sophisticated systems to reduce harmful particles from exhaust gases. The flagships Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcellona have also been equipped with huge lithium batteries that power the ferries during docking in port and reduce pollutant emissions to zero.

Destinations

By clicking on the map or visiting the destinations page you can find all routes and connections to the various destinations. Alternatively, you can find a detailed list of all routes at the bottom. In each section you'll find departure times, ships used and lots of other useful information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our call centre in Ancona.

Prestigious certifications

Grimaldi Lines is a founding member of the Clean Shipping Alliance, with which it is committed to implementing new IMO regulations on sulphur emissions.
In addition, the Grimaldi Group has ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (for the environment) quality certification and in 2012.

The history of Grimaldi Lines

The origins

The Grimaldi Group's adventure began in Palermo in 1947, when the "Sicula Oceanica S.A." was founded by the brothers Luigi, Mario, Ugo, Aldo and Guido, the children of Amelia Lauro, wife of Angelo Grimaldi and beloved grandchildren of the shipowner Achille Lauro. In the beginning the fleet was made up of cargo ships used during the First World War and purchased at low cost by the Grimaldi family. The first ship was purchased by the United States and christened with the name "Orione" and used to transport goods by sea.

The first transatlantic voyages

In the following years the demand for transatlantic maritime connections increased exponentially and the Grimaldi brothers rode the demand by opening the sea transport of passengers on the routes from the Mediterranean to America with the purchase of the modern and comfortable steamships "Auriga", "Centauro" and "Lucania".

The economic boom of the 60s

In the early 1960s, in the midst of an economic boom, steamships were gradually removed from the fleet and replaced with modern bulk carriers, which resulted in an increase in the transport of goods.
1969 is a key year in the growth and affirmation of the Grimaldi brand. In fact, a new line connection between Italy and the UK was inaugurated, specifically designed for the transport of vehicles. Within a few years, the Company became a point of reference for several car manufacturers who entrusted it with the transport of vehicles from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe.
From that moment to the end of the century the Grimaldi Group consolidated its position as well as growing very rapidly thanks to the inauguration of new routes for the transport of rolling goods not only within the European continent but also from Europe to West Africa and from North Europe to South America.

The 2000s

The modern period is the one in which the Company started to follow an expansive policy, buying new vessels and opening new maritime lines.
Starting from 2004, the European "Motorways of the Sea" programme was embraced with the creation of a dense network of maritime connections able to offer itself as an eco-sustainable alternative to the road transport of trucks, containers and vehicles. To achieve this objective, in addition to acquiring new ships, Grimaldi Lines acquired several companies, the most important of which were Finnlines in 2006 and Minoan Lines in 2008.

Today the company connects the major Italian ports to Sardinia, Sicily, Spain, Greece, Malta, Tunisia and Morocco.

The fleet Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines

The Grimaldi Lines / Minoan Lines fleet consists of modern and comfortable ships that welcome passengers on board with a high level of services and maximum safety equipment. Your holiday starts on board the ferry!

Below you can find all the ferries in the fleet, click on the ship you are interested in to discover all the information, technical features, view photos of the interiors.