20 February 2025 – All Aboard the Superfast XI

Miles driven today = 84

Total Miles to date = 1,198

We are on our way to Greece on board the good ship MS Superfast XI.  She is 200 metres long, weighs 31,000 tons, can carry 1,821 passengers and first came into service in 2002.  When we bought our tickets last week it cost us just over €200 each, including our cabin, after a 20% discount because we are both classified as “seniors”, what with being the wrong side of 60.  The van was an additional amount of just under €300 so the total cost was €696 for the 21 hour crossing from Ancona to Igoumenitsa.  I did look into the possibility of sailing from either Bari on Brindisi as an alternative.  The crossing time there is a lot shorter and therefore a fair bit cheaper but this way we save ourselves a day or two and 350 miles of driving on roads which we predominantly already covered last year.

We were due to sail at 8pm and read that we should aim to be at the ferry terminal 3 hours beforehand, so we had a bit of time to kill.  Instead of taking the Autostrade to Ancona we decided instead to take the non-toll SS16 coastal road.  Things got a bit hectic as we drove around Rimini but after that the traffic thinned significantly and it became a very pleasant drive.  We topped up on diesel and Ad-Blu and skirted round Pesaro then through Fano before stopping for lunch at Marotta.

We didn’t choose Marotta for any reason other than it offered beach access under the coastal railway line which was sufficiently high enough to avoid decapitating the van.  It’s basically one of a series of almost continuous interlinked resorts which stretch along the coast between Fano and Ancona.

We went for a quick walk but we only found 2 things which were mildly of interest.  This staircase over a public toilet which went absolutely nowhere.

And I couldn’t even start to guess what this is supposed to be.

Italian families no doubt come here in their hoards during the summer months but we just used it as a quiet spot to busy ourselves sorting out the fridge and packing our overnight bags.

We got to the ferry terminal at about 4:30.  Despite having already checked in online we had to pick up paper tickets to show before boarding and to exchange for our cabin keys.  We also got a nice big “Igoumenitsa” sign to hang on our non-existent rear view mirror.

At around 6 we were called forward to board.  We parked the van and made sure everything was switched off before making our way to reception for our room keys.  We’ve got a starboard side outside cabin towards the bow of the ship so our window looks out onto the Italian coast for most of the journey, although it was already getting dark when we boarded.  Beds are comfy and we have en-suite toilet and shower facilities.  Our only complaint is the room is perhaps a little too warm and we haven’t got the hang of the thermostat just yet.

During the Summer months some ferry companies actually allow you to sleep in your motorhome, but unfortunately not at this time of year.  I guess there is a higher possibility of rougher seas creating safety issues and also in the colder weather people are going to be more likely to be tempted into craftily turning their gas on, which is strictly verboten.

Having dropped our bags off we went to explore.  The restaurants weren’t quite ready to open yet so we headed for the bar at the stern end.  It was lovely and quiet and we initially thought that we would have the place pretty much to ourselves for the entire crossing.  But shortly after I took this photo a swarm of Italian teenagers descended on us.

So we chugged our beers and returned to the restaurant, which was now open for business and had ourselves a very pleasant evening meal. 

Lisa had lamb while I plumped for the seafood pasta.  All washed down with a very decent bottle of Greek Sauvignon Blanc.  Service was excellent and it wasn’t horribly overpriced.  We’re definitely considering going back for lunch tomorrow.

While we were eating the ship pulled away from the Ancona quayside and the lights of the port twinkled into the distance.  We had already put our watches forward to Athens time but decided to have a night cap in the other bar at the sharp end.  In fact we had more than just one and by the time we clambered up the stairs to our cabin I wasn’t entirely sure if the slight movement I was feeling was the ship or my legs having a bit of a wobble.

21 February 2025 - We're in Greece!