Brindisi to Igoumenitsa ferry recent experiences?

[Sixty-nine Chevy]

Hi. Has anyone taken their campervan/motorhome on the above Italy to Greece ferry route relatively recently? I gather it is 8 to 10 hours but wondered if it is a pleasant experience or just a grin and bear it job? Thanks.

 

[brynric]

We took the Ancona - Igoumenitsa ferry in the spring of last year. That crossing was about 23 hours with Grimaldi lines. It was very much a truckers crossing. The cabin was basic and the canteen served plentiful food in a transport cafe style, though I think there was a section for table service.
Whilst it wasn’t an unpleasant experience, we didn’t do much grinning either. Enjoy!!

 

[Wicketter]

We took the Ancona - Igoumenitsa ferry in the spring of last year. That crossing was about 23 hours with Grimaldi lines. It was very much a truckers crossing. The cabin was basic and the canteen served plentiful food in a transport cafe style, though I think there was a section for table service.
Whilst it wasn’t an unpleasant experience, we didn’t do much grinning either. Enjoy!!

Camping on board is the way to do it.

 

[Wicketter]

Hi. Has anyone taken their campervan/motorhome on the above Italy to Greece ferry route relatively recently? I gather it is 8 to 10 hours but wondered if it is a pleasant experience or just a grin and bear it job? Thanks.

Look up camping on board.

 

[Sixty-nine Chevy]

Look up camping on board.

Yep, that was my first thought but I read on a ferry website that from this year on it is no longer possible on any Italy-Greece routes.

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[Oscar]

Look up camping on board.

Unfortunately camping on board ended at the end of October last year

 

[carolyn]

We’ve done Ancona to Igoumenitsa. It’s OK but pretty boring. Cabins rather grubby. Food OK. It’s not clean and tidy like Brittany ferries. Loading and unloading wasn’t great. If you’re a PVC don’t go up to deck 5, it’s a bu..er coming off, nasty tight left turn straight down the slope. One of our fellow travellers got stuck. OK for cars or short vans but not 6.4 metre. Rt hand drive you can’t see the concrete post!

They then brought out a huge fat Italian to get the rest of us off!

 

[nicholsong]

We’ve done Ancona to Igoumenitsa. It’s OK but pretty boring. Cabins rather grubby. Food OK. It’s not clean and tidy like Brittany ferries. Loading and unloading wasn’t great. If you’re a PVC don’t go up to deck 5, it’s a bu..er coming off, nasty tight left turn straight down the slope. One of our fellow travellers got stuck. OK for cars or short vans but not 6.4 metre. Rt hand drive you can’t see the concrete post!

They then brought out a huge fat Italian to get the rest of us off!

carolyn
You did not say which company. We have used ANEK/Superfast 3 times omn Ancona-Patras via Igoumenitsa and they are quite good. We were camping on deck, alas no more.

 

[carolyn]

carolyn
You did not say which company. We have used ANEK/Superfast 3 times omn Ancona-Patras via Igoumenitsa and they are quite good. We were camping on deck, alas no more.

Minoan are the only one with cabins I believe that takes 20 plus hours which is boring. ANEK super fast is only 7 hours or so which wouldn’t be boring. Might be someone else but I think it was them?

 

[Skez]

Did it both ways in Sept / Oct 2024 using Grimaldi. Camping on board wasn’t available (we only booked it as we travelled through Germany heading south and booked the return whilst we were in Greece). Just had reclining seats on overnight crossings both ways and it was okay. Relatively cost effective but Cunard Lines it is not. Seats were threadbare and the entire service seems more geared to freight and lorry drivers than leisure travellers.
We wouldn’t hesitate to use the crossings again if we decided not to drive through the Balkans - just don’t expect luxury.
We actually found the ports efficient. Strange scenario ( to us at least) in that the passenger was made to go through as a foot passenger whilst the driver was the only one to remain with the vehicle as we went through control , picking the passenger up once inside the port. It really wasn’t a problem however!

We had used camping on board a few years ago, but as has already been said, this is apparently no longer an option which is a shame!

Some of the on line reviews for Grimaldi were awful and a bit sensationalist to be honest but overall we didn’t find the experience bad.

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[Sixty-nine Chevy]

Did it both ways in Sept / Oct 2024 using Grimaldi. Camping on board wasn’t available (we only booked it as we travelled through Germany heading south and booked the return whilst we were in Greece). Just had reclining seats on overnight crossings both ways and it was okay. Relatively cost effective but Cunard Lines it is not. Seats were threadbare and the entire service seems more geared to freight and lorry drivers than leisure travellers.
We wouldn’t hesitate to use the crossings again if we decided not to drive through the Balkans - just don’t expect luxury.
We actually found the ports efficient. Strange scenario ( to us at least) in that the passenger was made to go through as a foot passenger whilst the driver was the only one to remain with the vehicle as we went through control , picking the passenger up once inside the port. It really wasn’t a problem however!

We had used camping on board a few years ago, but as has already been said, this is apparently no longer an option which is a shame!

Some of the on line reviews for Grimaldi were awful and a bit sensationalist to be honest but overall we didn’t find the experience bad.

Thanks for the very detailed account!

 

[pjay]

We've done Italy Greece more times than we can remember, as mentioned, it is a shame that camping on deck is no more.

Its our theory that they stopped it because of all that damage from peg holes in the decks. Bet you think I'm joking.

Pete