The Overnight Ferry, Part 1

So far we have slept in hostels, tents, on a train, and we were about to sleep on a ferry.

The overnight ferry of our nightmares.

I’m not going to lie; today was not my favourite day of the trip.

Our ride for the night, makes me sick looking at it

For some reason we decided to catch a train from Venice to Ancona, where we would pick up the ferry for Split, Croatia. We realised too late that it would have been much easier and less stressful to simply take the Busabout bus to Ancona. Mistake #1.

Once our train arrived in Ancona we had to make it to the ferry port. The sign said it was 800m away from the train station, so we started the walk. 2km later and our backs aching, we still weren’t there. Mistake #2.

We were catching a Blue Line ferry into Split, and we knew we had to be checked in and ready to board by 6:30pm. Then 6:30pm rolls around and we are told we should have already picked up our ferry tickets from the Blue Line office – 2km away in the direction we had just come from!

You have got to be kidding me.

Mistake #3.

We’re told a bus will come “in 10 minutes” to take us to the ticket office, and by this stage it is almost 7pm. Freaking out is an understatement.

On the bus with 20 huge men and a few other stray backpackers who also didn’t get the memo, we finally got our tickets, passed passport control and boarded the ferry.

Please tell me I'm in Split already

We had booked the cheapest option of ‘air seats’. The thoughts that crossed our minds:

“Oh no, we’re going to be sitting outside”

“What if it rains?!”

“It’s going to be so cold we’re not going to get any sleep!”

Turns out ‘air seats’ simply means aeroplane seats, and we would be sleeping in a room of about 40 of these. Inside. Phew.

We dumped our backpacks, ate a hideous and hideously expensive meal, and joined others in the bar on the top deck. Getting drunk on an overnight ferry with Croatia sailing only a few days away didn’t seem like such a fun idea to me.

It was a blessing that the only people in our room were the three of us and our friend Glynn. We spread out over the room, pulled out our sleeping bag liners as blankets, and tried to get some sleep.

In the middle of the night I woke up to find Ash and Liv weren’t in their air seats. Annoyed thinking they must have been offered a spare bed in a cabin, I sat up properly to see them both asleep on the floor.

Good idea – I didn’t think of that.

Bad idea – it hurt my back and I’m too tall and my legs were hanging out in the walk way.

Back to my air seat.

Let's Split, land ahoy!

I woke up to an alarm sounding at 6am waking all passengers. Another horrible and horribly expensive meal and I was so glad to arrive in Split.

And I was super excited for the big week ahead in Croatia, cruising the Dalmatian Coast.

Overnight ferry hater, Nikki