Get The Spirit .... of Tasmania II

We have waited a while to visit Tasmania again. The first time was about 32 years ago, and we planned a trip for the end of 2017, but with granddaughter number 4 due to arrive early 2018, we cancelled. A year on, and we are ready to go. We didn't book the ferry until mid November, a bit late, however we were able get tickets on the days we wanted so all was good. Peter wanted a day sailing so I booked a 9.30am Friday sailing. We stayed at Donnybrook, about 40 minutes from the Port of Melbourne. We looked at caravan parks closer to the port, but most had bad reviews, so we decided on Donnybrook Caravan Storage and Rest Area @ $10 per night. It is a country farm and was quiet except for the trains, which although not often, roared past the front gate. One needs to be self contained as there are no facilities.

 We did a dummy run the day before our due departure and had all the times set. While on the way back to Donnybrook we received an email saying the ship will be delayed and would now be departing at 11am. Woo Hoo - sleep in! The next day we got to the port in plenty of time for the new 10am boarding, only to find the ship had been delayed and now scheduled to depart at 12 noon. Stuff happens. Apparently one of the engines was not working and needed to be replaced. The replacement was not due for a few days. The staff were very apologetic and we didn't mind - it's all part of the adventure. We found a good spot with free parking along the water front (see above), we went for a walk and watched the ship arrive in the port. We watched a lot of vehicles come off the ship and joined the queue. By 12 noon we were on the pier. The process was fairly easy, and the staff friendly. 

All the cars and vans were checked for too much mud and sticks, no fresh fruits or vegetables or seafood are allowed. They even checked under the bonnet of the car, I'm not sure why.

We were fortunate to get a park on the ship right next to the stairs at the back of the ship. I took a photo so we could remember where we were, but there are also tags you can take at the door showing your position.

We went up to deck 7 to find somewhere to sit, difficult when there are a lot of people taking up seats with bags and laying down, even though there are signs saying not to and announcements saying not to. We walked around deck 7 twice before someone left three seats and we grabbed them. In all we moved three times trying to find somewhere more comfortable to sit for the long journey, normally 9-11 hours. The ship didn't depart until just after 1pm, so it had already been a long day.

Decks 1-6 must be for cars etc and cabins. On deck 7 there are two cinemas, one bar, the main dining area, a tourist info area (which was very good), and a small shop called the Pantry which sold souvenirs and sandwiches and snacks. I had a sandwich  from the Pantry and it was terrible - even the bread was stale.

Deck 8 must be cabins, and Deck 9 has a kids game zone and a bar that also sells food - pizzas, burgers and rolls.

We tried the pizzas. Jonnie had a cheese pizza and I had a Hawaiian pizza. There were quiet small for the price, and mine was not very good. We found the food on board expensive and not very nice. We did take some lollies on board, so that got us through. We will take extra food next time. We will also book a cabin!

Deck 10 has another bar, kids play area, and another gaming area.

It was very cold on board and lucky we took jumpers and cardigans, but still cold. We past the time watching TV on our phones - there is limited wifi in the public areas - and doing crosswords.

There are complimentary cold water stations, but no complimentary tea or coffee stations, which would have been nice considering how long the day was because of the delay.

We arrived in Devonport just after midnight, originally suppose to 7pm, and went to the closest camp.

A long long day!