Info requested on car ferry to/from Croatia
 

A good friend's son is getting married next summer and it's a destination wedding in Croatia. The drive from our house in Tuscany (we'll be there all next summer) to the wedding location is 9+ hours. I'm thinking of taking the ferry for at least one direction to make it less driving. So, we'd drive 4+ hours to Trieste, spend a night there and drive the rest to get to the wedding. After the wedding, spend a few days in Croatia (Spilt or Dubrovnik) and then take the overnight ferry from Split (or Zadar) to Ancona. I don't think next summer's ferry schedule is final yet but there seems to be two ferry companies. SNAV (Italian) and Jadrolinija (Croatian).

QUESTION: Does anyone have any info on these two companies and whether one should be preferred over the other?

With an overnight, we'll book a cabin - I think the price range for two adults, a car and a cabin is somewhere around €200-250. Ancona is 4 hours from our house so we'll either drive straight home or maybe do an opera in Macerata and/or swing by Antognolla Golf Course in Umbria for a round as we head home.

I've taken Jadrolinjja but only as a walk-on day passenger (Dubrovnik-Bari FWIW). Other than facilities offered on various ships (generally all the same though some may have sun decks, swimming pools and night clubs - Jadrolinija had recliner/sleeping seat lounges ($)), they're pretty much all equal in my experience (drive-on large ferry crossings include 3 x Corsica Ferries, + 1x Tirrenia), 3 of which were overnight (we had a cabin for each - which are pretty small and basic).

If you haven't taken a ferry, it's checkin at the terminal and wait in the lot. Ferry may already be there (generally large stern-loaders). Small vehicles may be stowed in the under main-deck hold. One cannot remain in/access the enclosed vehicle deck(s) during sailing so make sure you bring all your stuff with you that you need on the voyage. You won;t be able to return to the vehicle until the ship has pretty much docked. Be prepared for delays. One of the last crossing we did (Savona-Bastia), the front of the ship wouldn't open on arrival to unload so they had to turn the ship around and everyone had to reverse out or do a U/3 point turn. Next large ferry (Tirrenia), the ship was late arriving at the intermediate point of Arbatax (stop between Cagliari and Civitvecchia).

Thanks much for your perspective. I've read reviews of both SNAV and Jadrolinija and they haven't been great so I'm trying to decide which to use (providing the schedule gives an option). We've done a number of ferries over the years but outside of the Capri hydrofoil none in Italy but a fair amount of experience cueing with cars for ferries in the US.

In that case, I've been on 5 Italian vehicular ferries (excluding Sicily ferries) as Corsica Ferries appears to be crewed by Italians. They're pretty much basic transportation with some services. It ain't a cruise ship by any stretch. What you may look for is determine from the schedule if the ship arrives several hours before sailing again, so there's more time to clean up and/or catch up on delays. I'd value punctuality over anything (safety being a given).

Have to ask, where? Other than for short river ferries, only vehicular ferry systems I'm aware of are in WSF in WA and AMHS for Alaska?

We lived in Seattle for about 8 years so ferries to Bainbridge, Whidbey... and also we have a good friend with a house on Martha's Vineyard.

From Croatia to Italy not expecting the Queen Mary but just taking a long short-cut (more time sleeping/less driving) on the way back.

Not quite WSF due to trip length but there's usually at least a bar, buffet restaurant and even sit-down restaurant onboard the large vehicular ferries, open until fairly late. Ships usually load late at night and arrive early so not much to an O/N trip except board, go to sleep, wake up and drive off.

Either line will work. Beds small, mattresses thin and hard. Apparently clean, basic cabin (with at least sink, we always booked toilet & shower if they were optional). Can get inside or window cabin. They sleep from 2 up to 4 or maybe more?

Not expecting much. As long as they keep the boat afloat and we arrive, I'm sure we'll do fine. It'll come down to who is sailing the evening we want to go and if both are we'll flip a coin.

I've never been on either, but US-9 is carried across Delaware Bay on a ferry between Cape May, NJ, and Lewes, DE. And US-10 is carried across Lake Michigan (seasonally) on a ferry between Ludington, MI, and Manitowoc, WI.

I believe that the ferries actually display the highway trailblazers of the routes they carry.