I first saw Spirit of Tasmania ferry 2007, docked in Melbourne...since then I always dreamed to take a ride on it... now in 2019, finally it happened after 12 years...
I was with my family, and to avoid feeling sea sick I booked a late evening ride from Melbourne (7:30 PM dep), so that most of the time spent sleeping...
The check in arrangements where good, the service was courteous - specially the announcements regarding the departure and access to vehicles. Not a showstopper but the check-in lounge could have been great with a coffee shop...
We where directed to our room and the first thing that hit me was the immense size of the ship...why do people call it a ferry... probably I might know the definition😏
We where booked in a 4 bed cabin which had ample space and had porthole looking straight in thwe direction of the bow...which was sometimes scary...since you could clearly see the ship going -up and down...but since it was a night journey...it did not bother us much...
The bathroom was spacious and the most important thing was it was clean...though the cabin had a typical smell of the cleaning chemical smell..which you get used to after sometime...
Once we we had tucked our luggage and had something to eat, we went to the lounge and listened to some soothing live music ....it had a full fledged bar and a restaurant with a limited menu...but the lounge was spacious and had a good sized children's play area and a video game parlor !!
I stood outside viewing the ship leaving the Melbourne dock....leaving the city behind ...
We strolled out on the lighted deck...sailors where working on the ropes...the weather had a chill to it and the sea gulls kept following us for long time...
We where back in our cabin..tucked up for a good night sleep...
I could feel a smooth sail for the first 3 hrs when the ship was in the bay area...as soon as it entered the sea (Bass Strait) you could feel a slight heave...probably the decision to have a night sail was right!
We woke with the early morning arrival announcements and where given ample time to check out...which was again a smooth affair.
We had spent less than 12 hours on this ship and I felt that every dollar (465 AUD to be precise) was worth the experience...and I would suggest that anyone who is travelling between these two beautiful states in Australia i.e. Tasmania and Melbourne...should give it a try!
I was with my family, and to avoid feeling sea sick I booked a late evening ride from Melbourne (7:30 PM dep), so that most of the time spent sleeping...
The check in arrangements where good, the service was courteous - specially the announcements regarding the departure and access to vehicles. Not a showstopper but the check-in lounge could have been great with a coffee shop...
We where directed to our room and the first thing that hit me was the immense size of the ship...why do people call it a ferry... probably I might know the definition😏
We where booked in a 4 bed cabin which had ample space and had porthole looking straight in thwe direction of the bow...which was sometimes scary...since you could clearly see the ship going -up and down...but since it was a night journey...it did not bother us much...The bathroom was spacious and the most important thing was it was clean...though the cabin had a typical smell of the cleaning chemical smell..which you get used to after sometime...
I stood outside viewing the ship leaving the Melbourne dock....leaving the city behind ...
We strolled out on the lighted deck...sailors where working on the ropes...the weather had a chill to it and the sea gulls kept following us for long time...
We where back in our cabin..tucked up for a good night sleep...
I could feel a smooth sail for the first 3 hrs when the ship was in the bay area...as soon as it entered the sea (Bass Strait) you could feel a slight heave...probably the decision to have a night sail was right!
We woke with the early morning arrival announcements and where given ample time to check out...which was again a smooth affair.
We had spent less than 12 hours on this ship and I felt that every dollar (465 AUD to be precise) was worth the experience...and I would suggest that anyone who is travelling between these two beautiful states in Australia i.e. Tasmania and Melbourne...should give it a try!
