Ferries in Italy: Sicily and Sardinia

Our trip to Italy included two overnight ferry trips. The first from Sicily to Sardenia, and the second from Sardenia back to mainland Italy, just north of Rome. We booked deck passage instead of an airline type chair or a cabin, since we figured we would be able to sleep somehow, or they would not offer that option. We thought we might be sleeping outside on the benches, but after trying for some time, we gave up. The wind made it too cold and uncomfortable. When we re-entered the ship's carpeted hotel type hallways, we saw that there were people sleeping in every corner. Some even in rolled out sleeping bags with sleeping masks on. So we found our own little corner, curled up, and went to sleep.

For our second trip, we knew what to expect. This boat turned out to be much nicer, having a large lounge where a man was playing some music, and a bar. We chose the lounge because the seating looked much more comfortable. We settled in to listen to the music for a bit, until a group of spring breaker types accosted the DJ to let them sing to a song. Well, one song turned into several, and they were video taping themselves and generally annoying everyone on the boat. Finally, they called it quits, and another girl was pushed up onto the stage by her friends. She was convinced to sing, which she did. I do not remember the song, but her voice was soothing after the terrible karaoke style singing we'd all been subjected to. She sang only the one song and then hurried off stage as we all applauded loudly, something we had not done at all for the earlier group. After this I quickly fell asleep.

So if you are a little adventurous, you really do not need to pay higher rates for a place to sleep on these ships. While the comfort levels of the deck passage accommodations may vary, It will certainly save you some cash.