Ferry from Palermo To Napoli - How to survive Deck Passage.
If you read our ‘what to expect on the Naples to Palermo Ferry’ article then you know it was a steep learning curve for us. Here is a guide on how to best survive overnight ferry’s while doing ‘deck passage’.
All the things about deck passage we learnt the hard way
so you don’t have to.
A quick note on Palermo POrt embarkment
Unlike Naples, the Palermo check-in and embarkment process was organised and formal. We went through a series of well signed and logical check points, had our tickets and passports checked and boarded at a reasonable time. Check in was right next to the boat, where Tirrenia said it would be and we found the whole process low stress and easy to navigate. If you have any specific questions about this comment below!
Eating and Drinking
Our first ferry ride we made the mistake of not eating before we boarded, not packing enough food or water and not taking ANY wine. This time we were all over it.
We made a food pack containing fresh bread that we pre sliced for ease of consumption, squeeze bottle fish pate (sounds gross but is delicious), fresh sliced tomato in olive oil and balsamic dressing as well as oreos, peppermint tea (they will give you hot water for free if you ask nicely at the bar), and a bottle of wine in our trusty water bottle. We also learnt that the deck is thoroughly air conditioned and dries you well out so we each took a 2L water bottle that we finished before arrival.
As the ferry departs a little after 8pm, we also had the sense this time to have a big early lunch, and go to a panini place at around 530pm to fill up before getting on. With all this we were well prepared. The only thing we purchased was a couple of espressos in the morning.
Sleeping
Find a spot that you can lay down, in winter this is easy but we had read that in summer the bar area is covered with people sleeping, couches and floors, anywhere they can fit. Ideally you want to be to the side and out of the way and try and scope where the speakers in the roof for the TV’s are and stay well clear. On our first ferry we learnt not to sleep anywhere near the TV’s as people will watch you (and your stuff) as much as the TV above you. We unashamedly took our sleeping bags on board and a couple of down jackets to use as pillows. We also got sleeping eye masks and ear plugs. This made SUCH a difference to our night. I estimate that on our first overnight ferry we slept maybe 4 hours out of the 11 hour journey but this time, I went to sleep at 11pm and woke at 530am feeling great.
The lounges are small and sloping to discourage essentially what every deck passenger is doing but it’s comfortable enough to get some sleep.f In terms of temperature, we have had one freezing cold overnight ferry and one dry and hot one, a week apart. We also took toiletries for washing our faces and brushing our teeth both times cos’ hygiene.
Clothes
We were WAY overdressed the first time and learnt that no one cares what you are wearing. After an uncomfortable night in jeans and and long-sleeve shirt and enclosed shoes on our maiden journey, we learnt sweatpants, comfy t-shirts and jumpers were more than ok. Best of all perhaps was our shoe choice, we wore socks and slides which just made everything so much easier in terms of sleeping and putting shoes on and off during the evening. We still took layers and were lucky to be able to layer up or down as the air-conditioning changed throughout the journey.
yup.
Questions? Comments? Hit us up below!
A 'how to' for catching the car ferry across the Adriatic including advice on deck passage and other helpful tips and tricks we learnt on our journey. Taking a campervan, RV or motorhome by ferry saves a lot of kilometres but read here first to be best prepared for the reality of the overnight Croatian ferry!