Ferry – Barcelona, Spain to Livorno, Italy – Grimaldi Lines – Ikarus Palace

Instead of driving along the French Riviera to get from Barcelona to Italy (our original plan which turned out to be VERY expensive) we decided to take a ferry boat.  For about 250 Euros, we got our own mini-cruise (not fancy, but our first experience like this), a few self-serve meals, our own cabin with 2 beds and transportation from Spain to Italy.

First, boarding was difficult to figure out…at least more than it needed to be.  The paperwork said we should be there by  1 hour before departure (11:59 pm) meaning we should be there by 11 pm.  This seemed odd to us, so we showed up at 9.  Then, when we checked in they told us that the bus would come at 10…or later.  Anyway, we should have just showed up at 10:40.  The bus showed up at about 10:50 and it left to take us to the ship right at 11.

We thought we should take some food with us though, so we brought on some snacks and water.  (I used the waiting time we had and left Laura at the terminal with the luggage and went back into the city to get stuff – the closest ATM/supermarket/kebab area I found was up by the “Parallel” train station)  We weren’t sure if this was okay, but no issue there…they didn’t care at all what we brought on board.

The ship was actually nicer than we expected.  It isn’t fancy like pictures we’ve seen of cruise ships, but it is pretty nice.  The 4 berth rooms that we could see through open doors looked a little small, but our room was right at the front of the ship and was pretty good sized.

Breakfast is pretty basic – a croissant and tea for the “standard” meal.  Laura also got a yogurt and fruit juice for the “business” meal.  Overall, I would skip buying breakfast ahead of time and just bring these items with me in the future…its just as easy and less expensive.

Lunch was probably worthwhile (although not great food, its better than just eating “snacky” stuff).  We didn’t have dinner because the ship was supposed to land around 7:30 and we thought we would just get something when we landed.  Turns out we didn’t land until 9:30 or so and it was around 10 by the time we got off the boat.

Debarking is interesting too.  When we embarked in Spain, it was a nice bus from the main building to the boat.  Not so in Italy.  They just dropped us off at the pier at 10 pm in the dark.  It was a short walk to the security station and then we were just “stuck”.  Fortunately, one of the guards was nice enough to call a taxi for us.  If you are going to the train station…ask around before anyone else calls a taxi.  We had someone who was willing to share a taxi with us, but unfortunately, someone else (I think on board the ship) had already called one for her…so they wouldn’t let us share.  Once the taxi has been called, they will only pick up the number of people they were called for.

Overall, I would recommend the ferry from Barcelona to Livorno.  Its a lot cheaper than driving, probably cheaper than a train (especially for 4 people) and was a fun experience.