Cruise Roma
Operated by Grimaldi Lines
Cruise Roma
Operated by Grimaldi Lines
Operated by Grimaldi Lines on the Barcelona Civitavecchia, Barcelona Porto Torres & Civitavecchia Porto Torres routes
The Cruise Roma and her sister ship the Cruise Barcelona are a totally new concept of ferry featuring the sort of facilities normally only found onboard a cruise ship. Apart from a huge choice of onboard cabin accommodation, there’s also a choice of restaurants and bars, a swimming pool, wellness centre, dedicated children’s playroom and a Boutique.
The Cruise Roma features 411 air conditioned en-suite cabins with a choice of inside and sea view (outside) and around 70 luxurious suites. For those who’d prefer not to book a cabin the Cruise Roma also has around 150 reclining seats.
Onboard the Cruise Roma ferry there is no shortage of places to eat and drink. Choose from a wonderful menu in the à la carte Restaurant or help yourself in the self-service cafeteria. For a quick bite to eat there’s also a fast food lounge. Drinks are served in Smaila’s bar or for same late evening entertainment head to the night club. During the summer months you can also have a drink in the swimming pool bar.
The Cruise Roma contains a boutique which sells many high street brands as well as magazines, confectionary and travel essentials.
The Cruise Roman also features a Swimming pool with sundeck, a Casino with black jack and roulette tables, a wellness centre featuring a sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi, relaxation area, massage halls, beauty treatments, solarium and a gymnasium. If you want to surf while you sail then head over to the internet cafe.
Children are well catered for with Grimaldi Lines and the Cruise Roma features a dedicated child’s play area to keep younger passengers occupied during the trip. There’s also a video games corner for the older children.
Please Note: Whilst we have taken great care in making our Cruise Roma guide as accurate as possible, onboard facilities, services and entertainment may vary depending on the date and time of year that you travel, facilities mentioned may change without notification and ferry companies reserve the right to operate vessels other than those mentioned at time of booking without prior notification.
out of 5
23% of our customers recommended this ship
"Ship was dirty and reserved cabin was not available for hours"
The ferry left half hour late due to the late arrival of the ferry in Porto Torres. Because the ferry had to leave quickly again, the crew did not have sufficient time to clean the public toilets and the cabins. As a result the public toilets were to dirty to use and our reserved cabin was not available to us until 2 hours after departure. We travelled with children, so imagine how we felt after leaving Porto Torres at 06.30 AM. The scheduled arrival in Barcelona was also delayed with half hour to 07:00 PM. Around 2 PM there was an announcement that we had to leave our cabin at 3 PM so that they had enough time to clean the cabins before departure to another destination. So we could only use our cabin from 08.30 AM until 03.00 PM. So only 6.5 hours from the total sailing time of 12.5 hours. When we arrived in Barcelona we needed days to recover from this terrible experience. I hope that this is not how they usually operate.
"retraso y cambios inesperados"
adelantaron la salida, pero lo avisaron sobradamente, bien. pero la llegada se retraso respecto al horario establecido. casi dos horas¡¡¡¡
"Rome - Barcelona "
Information was zero, the food lousy and the staff not too good to show the service
"GREAT TRIP...."
WE ENJOYED OUR TRIP VERY MUCH AND GREATLY APPRECIATED HAVING OUR DOG IN THE CABIN WITH US! THANK YOU ...
"Leaves a lot to be desired"
The grimaldi crossing was a reasonable price. The cabin we stayed in was dirty on the floor and bedside cabinet. The sheets were clean but had holes in one. Dogs are allowed everywhere and there was several times when there was dog poo on the top outside deck. This was cleared up eventually. Dogs peed up bins chairs and wherever they wanted out on thisdeck. I think this is totally unacceptable. I booked the standard self service lunch €15 which saved quite a lot if you just bought from the menu on the day, however, I would consider the food was poor and not worth €10 anyway. The boarding ay Barcelona was somewhat chaotic. The ships were ontime.
"Barcelona-Porto Torres- Barcelona "
Great ferry, cars well organized, cabins are fine but the food is seagulls. Ate both at self service as at the restaurant - not good. Most people bring their own food. Otherwise, a good experience
"Trip Barcelone Sardaigne and back"
Confortable cabins for the night. Some delays on the return but the company offered breakfast and reduce price for dinner as compensation. It was appreciated
"Could be better "
Upon arriving at cabin the keycards dud nit work I had to walk halfway around the ship to find a staff member who was very very u helpful told me to find reception, I had no idea where to go, eventually ally I found reception was handed a key with no exp,station as to why cards weren’t working. When trying to have a shower, the shower hose was broken and therefore unable to use, I also tried the public toilets in the bar and they were the most disgusting I have ever seen even those in the freeway are cleaner. The floors around the doors and frames were thick with black dirt, staff should use a bit of bleach and elbow grease, overall was a very disappointing experience, staff are very unfriendly and u helpful.
"Good enough!!"
Nothing to say, but the water in the bathrooms is only hot, never cold water!!
"Never again!"
Room was dirty, bathroom was disgusting like it hadn’t been cleaned. The toilet was actually smelly. We complain about dirty sheets, they took them away and never replaced them. The food was basic and served cold. They had the loudspeaker system repeating the same message for about 2 hours from 3am. So sleep wasn’t possible. The air con in room was intermittent, roasting through the night. We had to leave the cabins 2 hours before arrival so had to sit in public areas with people who didn’t book cabins, the smell was not good!! The whole ship, especially en-suite bathrooms need updating. We were hoping to arrive refreshed and ready for Spain, what a disappointment. Never will we travel with this company again.
"Does the job!"
We travelled on Grimaldi Lines between Porto Torres and Barcelona. The boat kept to times. Loading and disembarking was good. The sanitary facilities on the boat were just about ok as we left Porto Torres but deteriorated during the trip. Toilets over flowing, no soap or hand sanitiser. We didn't use any of the catering facilities. I would be honest with a friend about the above and I would use this crossing again but it would not be my first or even second choice.
"Comfortable crossing"
This is our first time using the company and found everything ok ,
"General "
1 - on arrive the Bathroom was not cleaned at all. 2 - bathroom tap was constantly leaking so the floor was always wet. 3 - for your reference the room was the number 8163. 4 - the portions for the meals prepaid were little bit too small. 5 - the quality of the food was really good. 6 - the staff at the public services floors was highly professional, very polite and gentle.
"A Disappointing Experience"
In recent years we have made several ferry trips with DFDS, Brittany Ferries and Stena Line which have generally been efficient and enjoyable, so we were looking forward to sailing with Grimaldi Lines from Barcelona to Civitavecchia. But it proved to be a disappointing experience. Having been instructed to check in no later than 21.00 for a 23.00 departure, we checked in before 20.00, hoping that we would be allowed to board early But we waited until around 21.30 before boarding commenced. For reasons which were never explained, only drivers were permitted to drive on while passengers had to get out of the cars and walk on board. Vehicles were still boarding until 23.30 and the Roma did not depart until 23.45. Poor signage made it very difficult to find our cabin. We had booked a junior suite for three but there were only two towels in the cabin. The food in the cafeteria would not have been out of place in a British roadside cafe. The bar closed soon after departure, with all the lounge seats occupied by sleeping passengers who had not booked cabins or seats. Other passengers bedded down in the common areas of the ship. There was no plug in the basin in our bathroom, inevitably resulting in the small bar of soap falling down the plughole to join all the other bars of soap which had fallen in on previous trips. No hand towels were supplied. The shower area was so small that the shower curtain stuck to the body. The TV lost signal, meaning that we could not watch anything. There was no on-board wifi, and not even a phone signal for almost the entire trip. The queue for breakfast stretched a very long way back, resulting in a long wait for a simple cup of coffee. There were no vending machines. The queues at the bars were equally long. This was because there was only one bar person taking orders which were then given to another attendant who delivered them. We saw one panini returned because it was covered in mould. The coffee machine in the small top bar was out of service and took a long time to be mended. There was no information about the opening times for the main bar which seemed to close randomly. Despite the large number of passengers, there were very few chairs on the sun deck. The small pool was open for a while but was then inexplicably covered with a net at the hottest part of the day. There were several dogs on board and though the owners did their best to control them, there were clashes between some of the animals; and, unsurprisingly on a 20 hour trip, there were some animals who could not control their bowel movements. The announcements were barely audible in the cabin. Enough has been said to indicate that this was a disappointing experience and not the best start to our Italian holiday. Grimaldi Lines could and should do better.
"Bad experience "
No space area for sitting, the poltronas are super uncomfortable. Toilets all day dirty, no SOAP or alcohol gel! Anything. Disaster. And the ferry was super late
"Excellent service"
We travelled with my disabled son on a trip to Barcelona with Grimaldi and we couldn't fault the service at all. The staff were amazing, especially the kind gentleman who helped us get onto the boat. They looked after us very well. I was very impressed. Thank you so much for everything you did, from Spencers mummy.
"Terrible"
Dont use this ship, yellow dirty water in the shower, main loung, swimmingpool are all closed, staff dont know what costumer service is. This so called crusie is not worth your money!
"Nice enough but Really Low on Staff"
As for punctuality and value for money, really, really good. The ship left and arrived on time and considering we took a car, had a cabin both ways, for two people, 240 euros TOTAL i think was very good value for money. The ship was clean and although the cabin is mall with the smallest shower in the world, it was nice enough for what we required. The Bad - Firstly, the sheer lack of staff. You queue for an hour or more for a simple coffee. Finding your room is almost impossible and you find it due to sheer luck, rather than skill. Some simple, ' rooms 100 - 150, this way' signs would be good. But no. There are signs that say rooms 100 to 150, 150, 200' then you walk along and your room is not there, as you enter a middle section that say's 'rooms 458 - 528' or something. Its an absolute mess and there are NO staff to help. Literally, none. They say ' go to reception' except that is harder to find than the rooms! So frustrating. Ok, The Food. You can't call the self service ' food' Its expensive and absolutelly AWFUL! 50 euros ! As i walked along the food counter everyone in front of me received two pieces of chicken, but when it came to me, i only received one. When i asked why, they said it was the last piece. But i was still charged for the full portion. Bad point No.3. The announcements! They announce something then literally every 5 minutes, they keep announcing! Not great when tryingt to have a siesta! Bad point No. whatever. Smoking! There is a big INDOOR room, right next to the self service 'restaurant' where it's full of people smoking, with the doors wide open and it STINKS! Why allow smoking on a ferry? Also, in the bar on the top floor, under the roof where most people sit, again, smoking and it STINKS! So i couldn't sit up there as it was so smokey. Awful! Finally, checking in on the return. ZERO communication. We arrive at the counter over two hours early only to be told that you just sit in your car and you check in as you enter the ship. So we did that. Then we received a sticker on the car to say we've checked in, but we still have no cabin key. Again, no communication on this. So eventually, after two hoirs waiting doing nothing, we then drive onto the ship only them to have to queue for an hour to receive our key for the cabin! They could have done thos at check in! Absolutely ridiculous.l Finally. The 'entertainment' is basically the 'reggaton club' blasting out music while loads of creepy men who teach the classes, perv over the women. Summary - Cheap travel which i wouls use again but more staff is required and much, much better communication is needed as it's absolutely terrible.
"Excellent experience "
Much thanks
"First time traveling on this ferry"
Good for travelling with your car, not comfortable as a passenger. The ship was not clean, the cabin I rented was not clean either. It’s better to bring your own food on board, since the selection at the ship it’s not great and it’s expensive. The personnel was not too friendly on board. It’s a good alternative if you want to travel cheap from Rome to Barcelona. Do not expect to much luxury.
"Late Departure"
We were sailing on 6th May at 00.30, bearing this in mind we were prepared for a late night. At lunch time on 5th May we were informed it was going to be delayed until 01.30 which you accept and can't be helped. What we had problems with was it being delayed further and no one letting us know even the ground staff didn't know and were not being told anything. We finally started loading just after 02.00 by which time we were very tiered and I'll admit quite grumpy. Then to top it off when we got down for breakfast which we had paid for, we were told they'd stopped serving and we could have a coffee, water and croissant from the café So all in all it was a relief to get on dry land albeit 3 hours late.
"Terrible "
It started early before boarding. We got booked in ok with ease got something to eat then the problem started. Sadly there was a accident on the boat and I think a crew member lost their life. We were to sail at 2200hrs but that time passed and we had no one informed us what was going on and at that time only rumours. We eventually set sail at 0100 hrs no restaurant open for a meal only a bar with snacks. The staff all were, not interested or preoccupied and we thought it was because of the accident but were told by another regular passenger they were always like it. We were then late getting to Italy the next day and because of this our hotel cancelled our rooms and at our cost. I am very disappointed only because we were not kept informed or any information for claiming back money on our insurance. I feel sad for the death of the crew member and would like to pass on our thoughts.
"Grimaldi bcn to civitecchia"
Food?
"Pretty hilariously bad"
The boat felt like a ghost ship, it looks like it hasn't been used for 10 years, everything is rusting and falling apart. The 'swimming pool' is hilariously tiny, about 20 times smaller than it looks in pictures, and empty of course. The WiFi didn't work, so it wasn't possible to get any work done. The coffee tasted like nothing I've ever tasted before, certainly not coffee, and the food isn't worth spending the money on. All in all a fairly hilariously terrible experience
"Awful experiences"
Originally, we were scheduled to arrive at 7:00 p.m., but we were informed before departure that we would be an hour late. That was acceptable, but the actual arrival time was around 10:10pm. This is the time when the last train to our destination is not available in some places. It is of course necessary to plan for delays, but a delay of about five hours is not acceptable. In addition, the reception staff was conspicuously unhelpful, and I can't say that I had a pleasant cruise at all. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
"Across the Med in confort"
Was unsure about this journey, but I needn't have. Went without a hitch, cracking ferry, big but comfortable, clean, quiet. All boxes ticked.
"The Ferry was not drive"
The Ferry was not drive
"Poor organisation acceptable boat"
The organisation of Civitavecchia is appalling. There are no instructions for check in. We only found out we had to walk to a check in office 30 mins before we boarded. And we were 2 hours late, although they did make up the delay. Also why it is stipulated that we have to print off documents in today's high tech world is beyond me. The boat has been upgraded from our last trip 2.5 years ago although the food is dreadful and overpriced. Breakfast was disappointing and virtually inedible and there was no choice. Lunch was equally as bad and such bad value for money. And wifi was broken!!!
"Great at getting you there. "
Can’t fault it’s purpose to get us from A to B safely and on time. 10/10. The cabins were clean and functional. The public spaces were maintained. The middle management interaction was good they owned any issue and dealt with it efficiently. So far so good. The catering staff however along with the food and service left a lot to be desired. It was the end of the season and it showed. Indifferent service and cold food
"Not a bad trip"
Rome to Barcelona in a Motorhome. Getting to the port was fun working out directions at port. The cafe bar was spot on. The ship had plenty of facilities. I liked gym , steam, sauna and jacuzzi looking out the back at the scenery spot on 15 euros for 3 hours. Overall happy with the experience would do it again.
"Good way to travel between Spain Sardinia and Italy "
Having made 3 crossings in the last month, I would certainly recommend Grimaldi Lines. A good and economical means of travelling between Spain, Sardinia and Italy. Staff friendly, cabins clean and comfy. Only negative comments relate to check in waiting times. At Porte Torres we arrived as stated only to wait for more than an hour for staff to arrive to check us in. Food on board would have been good had it not been cold,
"A generally rubbish experience "
If you take this line, Barcelona-Porto torres, you must remember four rules in order to have an Ok time. 1) Take all your own food on board. The food and drink services offered on this line are not only uninspiring or undercooked but overpriced too. 2) enter as a foot passenger*. We were booked on as two cyclists yet we’re treated like cars, made to stand outside for up to three hours by our vehicles, breathing fumes from other vehicles and at risk of being crushed by the lorries next to us. 3) Book a cabin if you can afford it. We didn’t book anything, assuming there would be somewhere we could at least sit and rest. However on this service Grimaldi have a strange policy of closing and opening different sections of the boat as you travel to keep you moving, possibly to keep you buying stuff. We ended up sleeping in the floor of the “seat room” and felt incredibly glad we hadn’t reserved one of these seats as each pair of faux leather chairs was draped with a heavily set lorry driver performing a nasal symphony to rival the fog horns on deck. Needless to say, there was no order to who sat where, or even there at all. Our only assumption is that a cabin would allow you to shower, to rest and to fully enact the following suggestion. 4) avoid interacting with staff at all costs. We spent a little while making friends on our return journey with one of the bar staff of the all night (read 4-8pm) disco bar. He was pleasant, but explained that the reason the staff were all so grumpy, so unprepared to offer even a smile let alone help was because they had been working on the boat in 16hour shifts for the last three months and Grimaldi had just told them they must work another month due to staff shortages. This band of underpaid, overworked agency boys (all but one we’re boys with shirts untucked and laces loose) gave the impression that whole ship had become overrun by a Lord if he Flies-esc brigade who bitterly despised other humans. They needed a break, the needed some motivation and perhaps the real reason is they need to be part of an organisation that offers service as people before profits. Grimaldi lines is a cargo line. Not a passenger focussed alternative to air travel. They are wasteful, unpunctual, dirty, angry and very potentially a danger to all who sail with them. I wish luck to everyone who does. Particularly the poor staff. *a bit on being a foot passenger. On our return journey, the escalator loading the human cargo onto the boat was moving at such a rate that a crush ensued at the top forcing a quick thinking Italian at the bottom to hit he emergency stop button. An elderly man had fallen at he top too and gashed his head pretty badly. He was being seen to by the only other semi competent member of crew and was probably ok.
"Sailing from Rome to barcelona "
This ship was chaotic getting on and off. Staff were incredibly rude / unhelpful when we asked for advice on cabins and location of our booked seats. Left us standing waiting for 45 minutes to be advised of a free cabin. However staff then just walked away from reception giving us no indication of hiring a cabin. Disgusting. Toilets and wash basins were filthy. We were glad in the end that we couldn't book a cabin as having had the opportunity to see inside some of them they were very dated and dirty. This journey was disappointing to say the least. Would not recommend sailing with this company
"Boat good - journey good - everything else? "
I really want to give a good review as the bare bones of a trip on this boat are good ie the a-b travel bit. However, look beyond the fact you're moving and there's a lot lacking in this service. For a start, theres no wifi. Like - at - all. This was never mentioned at any point during the booking process or the sales blurb. 21 hours without wifi just isn't reasonable for most people on holiday never mind those supposedly working while travelling. The food is generally awful apart from lunch. And the area with the reserved Pullman seats is freezing cold and noisy - meaning good luck trying to get any sleep at all. I'm sure the cabins are nice but that's really not the point. Charging an extra 20€ for seats less comfortable and colder than upstairs in the general area just isn't reasonable. Sadly let down bt this trio as we had been really long forward to it. Fix these issues and the service would be great
"Non Cooperative Staff"
The staff was non cooperative, wifi was not working. Overall experience was fine but i think it can be alot better as i have not taken anyother ferry before this one Impressed by the punctuality of the ship in terms of departure and arrival
"Cruise Barcelona"
It is very difficult to navigate your way around the ship as the signs are all but non existent. Food was poor in the main restaurant, hamburgers were only just warm at best too. Rubbish bins were overflowing in many areas with waste paper and plastic blowing overboard. Still a lot to get right considering the resources and experience of the company.
"So old fashion"
I was actually excited to get on a ferry from Barcelona to Italy. But it felt like everything was going wrong. First off, it was very difficult to find the port for Grimaldi Lines in Barcelona. Please find to way to make the address clear. I was lost for 1 hour. The whole condition of the ferry - the beds, couches, sofas, outdoors - and the food offered - no vegetarian/vegan options, hardly any fruits - is very VERY old fashioned. I felt like I walked into the 1980's. And paying for wifi... really who does that anymore? The staff - cleaning or also cafe - didn't smile much. Overall everything felt old, grim. The only place I loved that felt warm and cosy and loved was the spa. Be grateful that you have amazing staff there.
"Kicked out of your cabin 2.5hrs before arrival?!"
They have no problems asking you to be at the embarkation port 2 hours before departure and let you wait on the pier for 2 hours, instead of boarding early and let you enjoy the boat's facilities or going to sleep. They have no problems either kicking you out of your cabin at 6 am to "clean it for the next passengers" all the while telling you that no, the boat does not arrive at 7 am as announced, but rather a couple of hours later. So basically you paid for a cabin but dont get to use it throughout the whole trip, and no you dont get to sleep much longer either. Otherwise, there is very little to no information given ahead, much less in english. The checkin process is not described anywhere so here it is: -you drive your car to the waiting area, look for "porto torres" at the port (yes, the sign is not obvious to see) -a guy in yellow vest will come at some point and check for your ticket (electronic or printed) + passports -at some point you will board the ferry. Onboard, to get your cabin keys, find an automatic machine at the reception (deck 7) and scan your bar code. Next time we will use another company, hopefully we ll get more customer care for the money.
"Schlecht"
Nicht gut nicht saubrr
"Our trip"
It is the best ship we have travelled on, one problem was the bathroom door was broken, we reported it within 10 mins of arriving, but unfortunately nothing was done. The on,y other thing was as a registered disabled car driver, we showed my badge to the man in white uniform, who just shrugged, stuck me in a very tight corner, but three cars away was two disabled spaces clearly marked, but would not let me park there, on leaving the ship, I noticed two camper vans with no badge, and with easy exit. But other than that, enjoyed the experience.
"Flooded cabin "
We went for a drink and came back to a flooded cabin - back pack with documents ruined and iPad damaged beyond repair . We were given a smaller cabin where teenagers made a racket in the corridor most of the night . Never again - I will rather drive next time .
"Never again with Grimaldi"
We have sailed with Grimaldi previously and again this trip was poor. First it departed seven hours late ! It was re scheduled on three separate occasions. The embarkation process is a shambles. First we queued in a hot Grimaldi office ..no air con for 45 minutes just to show passports ID etc.. then we queued again in the car in the hot sun for another few hours. Moving then into the secure compound of the port we queued for another four hours as loading took place and took an amazing amount of time. Add to this..no fault of Grimaldi..there were over a thousand teen age kids on board! Determined to take over wherever they could. We arrived into Barcelona port at 3.30 AM ! The ship after we boarded was obvious that no cleaning of tables had taken place and staf were generally unfriendly and not interested. Grimaldi..never again.
"Always late"
He viajado tres veces con grimaldi, una me lo cancelaron por avería, la otra casi 4 horas de retraso y la última dos horas y media. El barco está genial, la tripulación, camareros, etc te tratan mal, un muy mal trato al cliente. La travesía y estancia están bastante bien. Recomiendo coger camarote. Hace mucho frío en las estancias comunes.
"OK sailing"
We had a pretty good experience in general.
"Ghastly Grimaldi"
Where should we start? First, our crossing was canceled and we were not able to have cabin accommodations. The departure was delayed by 2 hours. Signage at the port was non-existent. A huge group of Spanish teens disturbed all of the passengers with reserved seats. Then the staff tried to oust us from our legitimate seats...no apology for waking us up Smelly bathroom and smokers not regulated. The cleaner came through our area twice, creating horrible noise each time. Would hate to think what might happen were an accident to happen My husband says he had a better night’s sleep at the hospital! So many disruptions from barking dogs, oafish passengers talking too loudly, snoring... General incompetence and poor communication. Many issues might have been addressed by the staff being proactive.
"Never again"
The ferry was 3 hours late. I paid for WiFi. There are signs saying "WiFi area", but the staff told me Grimaldi doesn't have WiFi. The staff are very unpleasant. I have travelled on Grimaldi Lines many times. The service has deteriorated since previous trips.
"Sooner swim"
Just disembarked from the worst ferry experience I have ever taken, terrible cold food, noisy and rattling cabin, zero information and directions to get around and a team of staff that couldn’t care less, their only A quick tip, don’t take the prepay food option, it isn’t worth it, unless you plan to give it to the dog.
"Chaos"
We had a 2 hour delay at Barcelona Ferry Port. We arrived at Porto Torres and it was chaos. At 2am in the morning with no plan of the ship to hand we were expected to find our cabins which were on deck 9. We eventually found we had to go down in one lift walk across to another, go up then walk down a flight of stairs. A light had been left on when a top bunk had been made and folded away, so for safety we felt we should turn it off. The premium breakfast was a joke. Cold coffee, a croissant or 2 rolls, and juice. If you wanted a yogurt you had to ask for one. The corridors do not go the length of the ferry, so it is very confusing. Also trying to find the car decks was a real problem. When we asked at reception the staff were quite abrupt as if we were stupid. A plan of the ship would be most helpful if given out with the tickets.
"Toilets"
The toilet in our cabin was dirty
"Disappointed"
90 min delay - lack of information - arrived so late into our 1 night stay in Barcelona Very poor food outlets on board
"Faulty Towers of the High Seas"
Over the years we have travelled with various continental shipping lines but none that compares to the Grimaldi lines experience we had between Barcelona and Civitavecchia recently. We were initially told that the ship would be running 90 mins. late i.e. 00.30am instead of 11.00pm and after waiting an eternity on the dockside finally got on board at 00.12am to be told that the ship wouldn’t be leaving till 02.00am. The breakfast bar in the morning didn’t extend the opening hours to enable passengers to have a little more sleep which meant most went without any apart from a small croissant and miniature coffee offering. The staff, although not rude, didn’t seem interested in offering any assistance to passengers trying to find parts of the ship, there were minimal signs to say where anything was on all levels and the loading and unloading of the vehicles was like something out of a farcical comedy-ABSOLUTELY ATTROCIOUS!!!!! Packed in so tight that you even struggled to open the doors to get out. I don’t normally supply feedback regarding things like this but this was something that l had to do having heard from several other passengers regarding all of these issues. Never again with this company.
"Relaxing trip"
Very comfortable cabin. Pleasant relaxing journey enjoying the sunshine. Breakfast in cafeteria a little disappointing, not a lot of choice. Restaurant quite good. A cinema would be a good addition to enjoy a film on the way.
"Plan ahead"
Essentially this is a great way to get to Sardinia especially if you have been travelling around Portugal and Spain like we had. First class it ain’t! Left nearly 3 hours late but they did inform us in advance and provided a fairly unpleasant British rail type sandwich and water in the terminal restaurant. Some confusion when we were sent through to board by one guy and it turned out the bikes on the back of our van were too tall. So we were put in the naughty corner while the lorries loaded. The. When it was time for the motorhomes to load we were put on board. Cabin was fine but not the hottest water on the planet in the shower. Breakfast was poor, a reasonable croissant but dire coffee (hot milk that was shown a coffee spoon - undrinkable). You can get decent coffee in other parts of the ship. Didn’t have lunch and from what I saw in the self service cafe I wouldn’t bother. My advice is to stock up on goodies before you board. However, it is very convenient and the staff were all fine and friendly.
"Terrible "
Terrible for 2 main reasons.. 1. No detailed instructions on how or where to go for people on foot. We arrived 3 hours late in italy with no clue on how to get out the port. Missed the last train and lost a nights hotel booking! 2. Related to the point above, the ferry departed 3 hours late! No explanation why. Made us late and lost money. Foods also terrible and expensive. Never again!!!
"Served it’s purpose. That’s about it. "
Served it’s purpose, but the staff from station to station and throughout the whole trip were downright rude, unhelpful, and at times mocking. Showers in the room were ice cold. Myself and both of my cabin mates had our keys stop working. Just not good.
"Coukd be a better experience"
Bathrooms on 10th floor smelled so bad (womens and mens) could not use. Mens washroom doors locks were all broken. Getting to the port was a nightmare. We were told to wait in one spot thrn after 2 hours had to change position dome distance away. Signage is terrible. Perhaps the most positive point is that we had our ticket without checkin
"Nightmare "
Typical Italian disorganised The loading staff were a joke Cabin facilities poor Lounge and coffee shop ok Unloading same as loading took hours Would never use them again
"Public toilets system should be revised"
I have been travelling with Grimaldi several times now. It was a very good value/money ratio experience. I spent a relaxing day at the pool instead of stressful and crowded airport travel day. The staff was very nice, drinks great. Everything is "a holiday" until you have to go to the toilet. I know it is mostly "us" egoistic and careless passengers who are leaving the toilet a mess but I would be very greatful if something could be done to not allow the careless idiots ruin the day of everybody else.
"Very positive"
I read reviews on this crossing before booking and they were very negative. We are travelling with a dog in a car. The negative is the nut directing the vehicles on board. He had a poor old Irish man nearly in tears trying to get him to reverse. I mentioned it to him and the reception. Other than that it’s all positive. Clean tidy boat with very attentive crew. No prob with dog on deck or slipped inside to sleep with us in the stairwell. There is Kelley’s which are clean and useable and inside but as with most of the dog owners on board we like to stay with our pup. Bring an air bed and make yourself comfortable. Great trip.
"The crew need to go to charm school!"
The ship was ok, but the crew was unfriendly and didn't know how to smile. They are in the hospitality industry whether they like it or not. We were charged for non-existent wifi. The restaurant is not open long enough.
"Not as bad as the reviews say "
Ok the internet I paid for didn’t work and the clueless staff kept saying “half and hour” and after 6 hours I was told it only works “in the sea”. They told us all facilities were open 24 hours but everything but the small central bar closed and the Italian guy serving pretended that I had said “croissant” when I asked for a cappuccino and then ignored me and served the person behind me. Be warned you can only get served if you speak Italian. That said I nearly cancelled and bought a flight due to all the terrible reviews but it really wasn’t that bad. My biggest problem is the lies on Direct Ferries site where it says in bold letters that prices increase nearer to departure. I booked 5 months in advance and two days ago I could have paid less than half what I paid. Disgusting. So there are no security checks and you can bring your own food and drink so on that point ignore the reviews. All in all it was ok.
"Bad experience "
Really bad experience. We received a few hours before departure a message that the ship has 2 hours of delay. The departure there is a long line of waiting , nobody really takes care of informing passengers what they should do. You wait under the sun several hours to get on the ship; once you are on the ship there is a general confusion, total chaos. At night you see whirlpools of trash on the top floor , trash flying around and getting into the sea, nobody caring about it. Disappointed and ashamed I started collecting it, while the staff didn’t do anything to help. At the arrival we had to wait for more then an hour blocked in the car. Nobody was there to help, and guide people to get out of the parking . This has been an incredibly frustrating experience. Never again, expensive and bad service
"Delays. Bad toilets. Overcrowded. Facilities not as advertised."
The ferry was delayed by several hours without notification, explanation or apology. The toilets were few and far between, the ones that could be found were constantly blocked, flooded and/or out of order. The food was expensive and of low quality. The facilities are not as advertised, either closed or in very poor condition. Ship massively overcrowded with people camping on deck, in corridors, in the "nightclub" etc. etc. Would be serious problems, injury, loss of life if there were an accident that required evacuation.
"Crossing Sardinia to Barcelona"
Certainly not the most pleasant experience! Embarkation was disorganised The boat was not the cleanest- some toilets were unclean also. Some passengers were sleeping on sofas everywhere - even in the cafe area Main lounge remained locked for many hours. A la carte restaurant expensive & virtually empty Main buffet restaurant - long long queues - expensive & poor quality food - Luke warm. Disembarkation- even more chaotic!! Glad to be off the boat.......
"Grimaldi should motivate the crew"
Enjoyed the instalations of the boat altough the staff needs to be formated well.Some of them dont talk in English and spread the feeling that dont want to learn even.Only in Italian.Some of them also dont like to work, the client needs to pressure him/her , its not a good thing.The boat and the trip did well but honestly the crew should learn some good qualities of the Venturis crew as a good example and wich i travelled after.The spoke very well more than English.In a ferry that serves many nations this issue should be crucial when choosing staff. Also notice that a white towel had a sweaty smell.Did not like it.There was a delay in my book but it happens.Next time i will try other company. Best regards
"oh Dear!"
we used this ferry 4years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the trip, this time it was different 1. the cabin was tired, so tired it looked dirty, the bathroom certainly was 2, continuous vibration during the night made sleep almost impossible 3. in the morning we discovered that the sun deck and pool were closed which meant that the only access to outside was on deck nine with very limited facilities ie one chair! 4. there was no wifi. when we offered to pay for the upgraded service, we were told that was broken too 5 the forward lounge had comfortable seating but the aircon was on full cold so after about 30 mins we had to move to ,,,,,,,,,,,,, 6 the bar/lounge that had 3/4 tvs playing at loud volume' each with a different channel and ............................................. 7 the most bizarre ordering system. At first I went to the bar to order some drinks the barman sent me to speak to a man who was sitting in what looked like a cupboard I asked for 2 G&Ts One Campari soda and a beer, man in cupboard leaves cupboard and talks to barman, he returns, rings up order, I pay he gives me receipt I show barman receipt he gives me drinks. I sit down then 5 mins later barman asks me for receipt this happened every time I ordered drinks absolutely amazing. and all that with multiple tvs blaring in the background 8 The ferry was very empty the staff seemed to be bored some managed to look busy doing nothing. 9 there appeared to be chaos on the car deck when time came for us to disembark, no one seemed keen to organise an orderly exit of the vehicles, so there was at one time three queues of cars simultaneously reversing in order to find the exit Three days earlier we had used Britanny Ferries to travel from Portsmouth to Bilbao the difference in terms of almost everything was amazing, perhaps Grimaldi could ask Britanny Ferries for help????
"Trip to italy"
The Grimaldi ships need updating. The food is horrifically expensive. The staff are not friendly. Disembarkation was a joke, no staff to control the cars basically a free for all. On our outward journey we booked An owners suite, we couldn't use the shower because the water ran scalding hot then cold so we had to shower in the fitness club! Not particularly clean.
"Youth hostel on a boat"
Late boarding so late arriving....also very good at "hurry up and wait". Meanwhile direct ferries customer service is shocking. Poor and inaccurate email comms about changes to times with reply addresses that don't work and no replies to any emails.
"Noisy."
Found the recliner chairs very uncomfortable and a lot in bad repair. Also the area was used by staff and other passengers throughout the night making it impossible to sleep.
"Do not book pre book meals or Wifi. Ask if Ferry is going anywhere else on route."
First the journey. Left 3 hours late at 11pm was told new time of arrival is 10pm next day day. (3 Hours late.) Following day told we are docking/stopping at Porto Torres, Sardinia en route to Civitaveccia. This was not on my booking form with Direct Ferries and it certainly was not on my website booking choices . New time of arrival given as 12 midnight. (5 hours late.) Eventually docked in Civitiavechia at 1 am and got off ferry at 2 am. No bad weather, No excuses given. We are in a motorhome and cannot go to a campsite in the middle of the night not can we go to a hotel and leave it outside fully loaded. No choice but to park on road just outside the pier and wait for dawn. Lorries and constant noise all night but at least safe. One further point. Everyone was forced to use the stair well next to the reception on the ship which meant walking the whole length of the car deck squeezing between 40 ton lorries warming their engine up on a wet and very oily surface. I am still coughing 20 hours later. We are 70 year olds! The first cabin we were given had not been cleaned at all. The bed linen had been changed. Apologies were made and a clean cabin found. Pre Booked Meals. Breakfast. Dont do it. Standard Breakfast is Juice, tea or coffee croisant or piece of bread, butter, jam. £3.08 Business breakfast adds a carton of yogurt. £5.15. We bought scrambled egg and bacon as this is not included at all. We had to ask to have the 2 course lunch in the evening instead of between 12 and 2.30pm as we already knew we were not going to be getting off at 7pm as advertised. Wifi. Don't bother. when I asked at reception how to get it I was told it was not working and come back later. I did twice. It did not work the whole journey and when I asked for a refund I was told to come back and try again later. No refund given. All the crew and in particular the restaurant manager were very pleasant and tried to help but it did not make things better.
"A bit late"
We arrived two hours early for a 7 am departure as required. Nothing moved till 6 am. There was a notice to say the ferry would be an hour late, but we got free coffee and croissant. I then had to but a ticket for my wife, 43 euros but we got a free cabin otherwise costing 130 euros as she is over 60 years old! The ferry loading was pretty chaotic. We didn’t sail till after 9.15. The restaurant food was good but pricey. The cabin comfortable with an excellent powerful shower. The boat did not disembark until 10.15 pm meaning that it was too late to catch a train, and a number of passengers were left in difficulty. There was no explanation given or apology made.
"Boarding times"
Our e- ticket stated that we had to be at the gate a minimum of 2 hours prior to departure; We were at the gate at 5am as advised and met the night watchman as he was the only one there. we boarded at 6:30. Perhaps direct ferries could supply a link to the ferry lines info as we were unable to find anything on Grimaldi Lines website. PS if you are not a lover of Italians Pop songs take some ear plugs!
"Just Okay"
We chose this route and line for the price. Having done the reverse trip the month before we knew what to expect. Not so clean, low level of customer service, mediocre food. This time was no different. However, it was nearly on time to arrive and we were safe and comfortable.
"Got us there, but it was a very noisy crossing"
The ship had huge numbers of young people on board who kept us up most of the night. On the return leg during the day, we were stopped form entering parts of the ship due to them being reserved for school groups. Perhaps Grimaldi Lineneeds to provide quiet areas for those of us wanting a quiet crossing in the future.
"Noise level was not maintained-lots of teenagers"
I was put on a hallway full of only teenage boys who were yelling and knocking on doors all night until 3am. The ship staff did not do much if anything to shift the noise level. There did not seem to be any chaperones controlling the activity of the teens. The ship did not seem to apply any pressure on the chaperones to reprimand the kids and their noise level all night. There were more than one contingent of teenagers on this ship. One from Italy and one from Spain. It had to have been a minimum of 80 teenagers in total that I could observe when we were all sitting in one lounge for hours upon the last distance of the trip because the ship was delayed and requested we vacate the rooms. I think it would be only appropriate to receive a refund for my trip or a complimentary trip. The only saving grace was to have the sauna to retreat to for a few hours during the next day. The ticketing purchase should also state what the different tiers of meal options would include as it felt misleading when in the breakfast line although the catering staff were helpful. I did not appreciate the cleaning staff at the end of the trip making it very difficult to use a bathroom before exiting the ship after having no access to my room the last two hours of the trip. The staff cleaning were very rude. There was no guidance or instruction after disembarking to know how to get to the train station. I thought the buses provided were private and for the teen groups only. It was unclear. I then walked 35 minutes in the rain to the train station after the ship arrived at 22:30 instead of the scheduled 19:00. They really should have made announcements that as we were disembarking. The announcements throughout the ride were hard to understand in English as they spoke very fast. I also could not hear many announcements because these children outside my cabin were so loud the entire ride. Earplugs did not work. I had to listen to podcasts with headphones all night to sleep.
"Disappointed Customers"
Whilst I find Grimaldi lines excellent to travel with , our long weekend was ruined by the lack of information. We were not informed by Direct Ferries that the Friday sailing to Civitavecchia always goes via Porto Torres (Sardinia) adding approximately 8hours to our journey causing us to miss an important dinner function with all of our friends . Being retired and living in Spain we would have taken the Thursday sailing had we been given the correct information and travel details . The first thing we knew about this diversion was a Tannoy announcement which came as quite a surprise . In this technological age where information is easily available why were we not informed . Come on Direct Ferries get your act together !!!!!
"Very dis"
Very disappointed. The boat was late in both directions, the loading is chaotic, we were tipped out of our cabin an hour before docking so that it could be cleaned for the return trip, we waited over half an hour in a queue on the outward sailing 'Cruise Roma) for our evening meal. NEVER book meals in advance - you are told what you can and cannot eat out of what you can see. Wifi expensive and unobtainable on return trip. If you are used to P&O standards, avoid this at all costs!
"Sardinia 2017"
Old ship. Very long wait for boarding. Very average meals. Cabin was okay. Staff were so so. Nothing really stands out.
"Pleasant way to Travel from Rome to Barcelona"
pros: cabin a little larger than expected, happy with the shower, more-or-less on time cons: needed to pick up a (another) paper ticket from the office (why ?) and this wasn't clear in advance, slow boarding, needed to search the internet to know how to get to the ferry at Civitavecchia, bus transfer within Civitavecchia port was very slow, ticket was pretty expensive (August)
"Laughable staff"
The ferry and getting onto the ferry wasn't the quickest but we still managed to get onto the ferry with no problems. I advice to get there as soon as you can. Once on the ferry the staff was extremely rude to us, not serving us at the bar and telling us to come back in 20 mins every time just to get a can of coke. We simply enquired about the sleepers on level 7 and whether they are open etc they looked us up and down and laughed in our face and told us to go back to level 10. We felt extremely unwanted and felt bady treated all because we only spoke little Italian and obviously wasn't Italian so we stood out. The genera facility's were okay but don't expect a cruise it's just a little ferry, the ship was okay just generally rude pieces of shit staff that was rude to us for no reason then not being Italian.
"My experience "
I'm not one to complain but boy did this ferry have me upset. I wish I had just booked a flight for €50 more instead of booking with this cruise line. I will never take a ferry for this long ever again. The place is so crowded with people laying all over the place with all of their belongings. I watched dogs urinate anywhere they wanted. The bathrooms were disgusting. Had VERY and I mean very limited access to wall outlets to charge devices. Don't waste your money on the internet it doesn't even really work. Oh and if you pay with a card for the internet, should the internet not work at all, you can't get a refund. Cash payment only refunds? Which seems like a flawed policy. Not to mention the long wait getting on the boat since there were only one entrance and long wait getting off. We bought a lunch and couldn't even get it because of the long wait line. The line is endless and the kitchen is just not made to serve as many people as they sell too. IT IS SUCH A MESS I will never ever ride on a ferry again. I thought it would be relaxing and enjoyable, but was terribly wrong. The only plus I could see was saving a few euros. If your traveling reconsider using this as a form. And save yourself the headache by booking a flight instead for as much as 90% less wasted time. Flight. Flight. Flight. Less people Less time waiting in line on and off Less time spent in transfer Cleaner facilities Better security Better food service This place is so out of control Should you book with this cruise line, don't waste your money on reserving a seat. They are terrible super crowded and not well ventilated. Buy yourself an air mattress and get there early to get a good spot. This is very common on this ship. I instantly regretted my buying this ticket and it made it even worse when I realized I could have been more comfortable had I read more into it. Bring your own sleeping arrangements. You can buy a good air mattress for the price you will pay for 'reserved seats' that are worse versions of economy airlines seats.
"Not impressed"
The rude service was annoying but manageable. However, arriving 4 hours late really messed up my onward travel arrangements and meant I won't use a ferry in future.
"Smooth sailing but the ferry was dirty and uncomfortable "
Everything went to plan and we arrived at our destination safely. As we boarded the ferry it seemed as though it hadn't been cleaned from the last trip. Everything was just a little dirty and I came of the ferry feeling like I needed to shower. If you hadn't reserved a bed or a chair, there were very limited places to could get comfortable or sleep on the ferry. Like me having not been on this ferry before and did not come prepared. So if you are reading this and want to save money. Come prepared with, blankets, cushions, sleeping mat. It will make the 11hr journey much more bareable.
"Dreadful Expensive Food"
Very slow to load car and board. Left quite late but arrived on time. The ship very average but the food was really poor quality and expensive in the main restaurant and in the cafe self serve it was a complete ripoff and really poor quality, could not believe Italians could offer such badly produced and presented food.
"WOODROW FAMILY HOLIDAY TO SPAIN (JUNE 2017)"
The intention of using the Grimaldi Line ferry between Civitavecchia and Barcelona for out summer holiday in Valencia, was to reduce the overall driving time between Naples where we live and our hotel in Valencia, while at the same time enjoying a pleasurable period at sea in the Mediterranean. With this overall objective in mind, please note the following points: 1. The departure from Civitavecchia was delayed by 3-4 hours, which overall with further delay in Sardinia, created a situation whereby, we arrived in Barcelona (with the hour to get of the ferry) and managed to get on the road at approximately 2 oclock in the morning. This arrival time provided us with no opportunity to find a hotel for the night, and the choice of either sleeping in the car with two children and a dog, or continuing a drive through the night! 2. For the Civitavecchia to Barcelona journey: i) In 30c temperatures the air conditioning to the room did not work. ii) The shower in the room did not work. iii) In order to remove the plug from the bath a knife or some other sharp implement had to be used. iv) The breakfast for 1 adult and 2 children (which was a very simple breakfast) cost 37 euro and was of a terrible quality. I also had concern during this part of the journey that due to the strong wind speed during the day, that access for individuals on the upper deck was potentially dangerous. On a positive note, and with the experience that we had received previously, the return journey (Barcelona / Civitavecchia) was much more enjoyable, relaxing and thankfully kept to schedule. Please note that my 'Star Rating and Recommendation' that I provide is in relation to the outbound ferry journey to Barcelona. Thank you, Regards Mr K J Woodrow
"the ferry trip"
the ferry was great only thing we found was the lack of some kind of entertainment to pass the time
"Excellent for people but awful for pets"
My wife and i recently travelled by ferry from Barcelona to Civitavecchia, and had an excellent outside cabin. The facilities were excellent, as was the food and help from the staff. Unfortunately we were travelling with our pet dog and cat, and their facilities leaved a lot to be desired. They had to stay in kennels on the top deck, and although not outside, the room they were in was subject to constant vibration from the ships engines, and there were constant rattling noises from the cage doors and other metal objects lying on top of them. Beforehand we were advised that owners were expected to feed their animals, but that the staff would provide water. We came with food containers, but not water, so had to improvise on the spot . Water was available from a tap in the room, which we provided ourselves. Both cat and dog were pretty terrified by the experience. Unfortunately worse was to come for them when we caught the ferry from Italy to Greece.
"Interesting motorcycle trip"
I travelled from Civitavecchia to Barcelona with Grimaldi on the Cruise Roma. I suppose all in all it was ok but there are some things that should be improved. Firstly, I was given no instructions on checking in. On most other boat trips I have gone on with a vehicle your email confirmation is your ticket for access to boat. With Grimaldi you have to enter port and then park , go to Grimaldi desk in terminal and queue up to get ticket. You are given no instructions on how to do this and it is quite stressful to have to work it out on the hoof. Worse is I stopped at info desk just outside access to port and asked - they just said email confirm is fine and just go to bot - wrong information !. There are no sign posts to get to boat - again you find it by trial and error. Access to motorcycle section on boat is up a very steep ramp - getting down looks difficult ( as wet) and if you are not experienced might be a bit daunting. Boat itself is tired but cabins clean and functionary. Food is not great. But staff are friendly and helpful. I suppose if you take in fact that it is not expensive ( cost of ticket) you get what you pay for. All in , 3 stars at best.
"Efficient, low cost way of getting to Italy from Spain"
Ticket office easy to find, ship was clean, efficient and despite being 2 hours delayed departing, it made it up on the journey. I used the reclining seats and had no bother sleeping. The cost ticket cost was extremely reasonable for the length of trip.
"You'd be better of walking"
This crossing was, without doubt, one of the worst 24 hrs of my life (so far). If you have to get a lorry from Rome to Barcelona, then this crossing may be your best choice, but for anyone else, any alternative would be better. Ship was old, tired and cabin more like a sensory deprivation tank than somewhere to relax and sleep. The 'food' was, well it's wasn't food really. And served by people who could not have been less interested if they tried. But most worrying of all, there were NO safety briefings at ANY point in the journey and we had no idea what to do, where to go or where to find things like life vests in the event of an emergency. I would suggest that you avoid this method of crossing at all costs.
"Cmon Direct Ferries answer my emails and please when you do please don't be effusive?"
I hate doing this but I got to get Direct Ferries attention. Could you please let me know how much I was charged for crossing from Italy to Greece. I'd write more here about how you screwed the whole thing up but frankly my patience is spent on this company.
"If you need to take a lorry, then fine. Otherwise...."
Very old, tired and run down boat. Staff were awful with no concept of customer service. Signage and guidance at both ports was terrible. Most of the passengers were either truck drivers or VERY loud teenagers on school trips.The food was terrible and overpriced. Most troubling of all was no safety drills, announcements, guidance etc.. before or during sailing. Had we encountered a problem we would have had no idea what to do. Avoid at all cost.
"Family"
To long waiting time onboard and too long time to leave the ferry. Non spoken english personal.
"An experience"
Arriving in Barcelona to board the Roma we were told the ship would be 5 hours late. Whilst we understand the delay was weather driven the on site cafe closed so that no hot drinks or meal could be obtained during the long wait in cold conditions. We found this ship very scruffy and not well maintained in appearance. On the whole, the facilities were adequate for the journey The return journey on the Barcelona was an improvement. The ship was on time and all facilities were clean and working. This ship also had evening entertainment where the Roma did not The biggest problem found was the fact that although there were several nationalities on board both ships, the reception staff and serving crew did not speak English. Whilst I have a little Italian it is not sufficient if you have a question for the staff. You were never greeted with a smile or given the feeling that they wanted to help. Even I know the words for important or attention but the announcements were never given in English so if it was important, it was never understood If you are employing people to give excellent customer service within the travel industry, I do feel that more attention could be given to this on these two ships.
"ferry tivativechia to barcelona"
the ferry was a late departure 2215, but it left late. we did not know that the ferry was dropping off and picking up at Sardinia on the way, so at 0530am the tannoy messages started, really loud, cabin doors slamming, knocking on doors, people and staff shouting to one another down the corridor right outside our door, staff trolleys, whistling staff. it went on until 8am. awful. then the ferry should have arrived at 1915 and instead lost even more time and arrived at 2100. also I would have thought the managers would have thought then, obviously they knew the ferry was arriving so late, that they would at least have put on the self service restaurant, but no, nothing. not happy.
"Never again!"
It was possibly the worst crossing I have ever experienced. The ship was in dire need of upgrading - everywhere was shabby and gloomy. Boarding and getting off the ferry was positively dangerous, it was so chaotic. Trying to find our cabin was a nightmare - no staff were available to help and people were just left to their own devices. We had paid for an evening meal and breakfast via Direct Ferries - but were accused of not paying when we presented at the restaurant. When I tried to argue my case, the Purser actually came and snatched my meal away from me whilst I was eating! It was highly humiliating in a full restaurant. We were forced to eat (and pay again) in the a la carte restaurant - and the staff were warned (by same Purser) that we may try and leave without paying so to "keep and eye" on us - this was told to us by a young waiter that we chatted to. The food in the a la carte restaurant was expensive - and mediocre. I ordered a tomato and basil salad but it came as tomato and lettuce. When I asked whre the basil was, the waiter said they had run out.......on an Italian ferry they had no basil!!! The horror stories are endless - I could write a book on the crossing. It was full to capacity - the swimming pool was tiny and you could not access it anyway because there were hordes of people partying around it - and the atmosphere was extremely exclusive. In fact, the whole experience on board left us feeling totally alienated and it didn't help when the majority of announcements on board were made in Italian and Spanish only! We had no clue what was going on half the time. Oh, yes, nearly forgot this one......at 4.30 a.m. all hell broke loose in the corridor outside our room. We had stopped off at Sardinia (which we were unaware of) and people started wheeling suitcases and shouting loudly outside our room. Then the cleaning staff came up with their laundry trollies to loudly clean the rooms. When we asked if they could keep the noise down as it was 4.30 a.m. they replied "It's our job" and continued to shout, bang and clean. We didn't sleep all night. I won't go on but all I will say is do not take this crossing. I would rather drive up through Italy, France and down into Spain next time. Brittany Ferries could teach Grimaldi Lines a lesson or two!
"very nice experience"
very nice experience crossing to Sardinia with Grimaldi lines.
"Noisy but comfortable"
Great journey and facilities, but noisy. Quality of announcements was poor. Lots of teenagers on board and lots of announcements calling for tutors to attend reception, suggest if you have that many teenagers on board you need separate radios.
"Very enjoyable journey "
I thoroughly enjoyed my sea voyage with Grimaldi Ferries. So relaxing up on the pool deck.
"Grimaldi Ferries between Barcelona and Civitavecchia"
We use these Ferries, Cruise Barcelona and Cruise Roma, because they are very convenient in cutting out long drives on motorways and because our destination is in a little village about 60 miles north of Rome. The cabins are comfortable, the food is improving, but we spend most of the time reading and we mostly eat food we have brought with us.
"Lovely friendly staff"
What stuck out to me about this whole journey was the friendly, warm and incredibly helpful staff who helped me with every need and who I have lovely conversations with throughout journey. As a solo traveller I felt very well cared for.
"Ferry crossing you can relax on"
a great easy to travel overnight. Staff helped change our room for better location. Everything was enjoyable. The spa was very well priced and enjoyable.
"Excellent Crossing"
I really enjoyed my trip, the ship was clean, my cabin was very good (outside) and I found the staff friendly and food was fine. I would definetly use them again. There is no comparison between this crossing and the one I took last year from Genoa with another company. Grimaldi were miles ahead of them in terms of cleanliness and general service standards.
"Very nice ferry ride"
I really liked the ride from Barcelona to Civitacchi. The ferry was nice in good condition and had a lot of amenities. I even scheduled a message at the wellness center that was very relaxing. I didn't know to get to the boat early (wish my confirmations would have let me know the expected time to arrive to get on the boat) but at two hous prior I was on the boat but one of the last to arrive. Room was great clean shower food was good with a good amount of choices. Ferry is a great way to travel mad would definitely do this one again.
"BARCELLONA"
REALLY POSITIVE OPINION ON COMFORT, QUALITY, PUNCTUALITY AND STRUCTURES. REALLY NEGATIVE OPINION ABOUT STAFF, NO ONE AROUD CORRIDORS, RECEPTION, THE STAFF WAS INEXISTENT. LIFT BLOCKED, POOR AND CONFUSED INDICATIONS. SHAME!
"disappointed"
I travelled in 2014 with Barcellona cruise. Trip ok. This year the ship was in a not good shape, dirty, toilets out of orders for many hours. I asked to change cabin after a lots of problems I had with it and I did not get a new one. Staff for the maintenance non enough.
"journey Barcellona Porto Torres"
Excellent ship, excellent staff... Night crossing with fun and animation on board.... Long journey but really fun... Well done!!
"There was no journey"
There was no journey, I wanted to change date to the weeks after but they refused to change it and they kept €200. Congrats to Grimaldi Lines. Unfortunatley for Barcellona there is only this company.
"I cannot eat"
I suggest to improve the kitchen on board, is required a general maintenance of the ship.
"Hjourney Civitavecchia Porto Torres"
I travelled very good
"My best journey"
Nice trip, maybe too early in the mornig.
"shame for the poor organization"
Hello! Journey was nice, comfortable and clean ship! But I have to say two things: 1)Food is really poor and shabby...... 2) I would like to understand why on the booking website looks like the cabin is compulsory, and when you arrive on board you can acctualy stay everywhere in the common are, like on couches, seats, deck... air maittress... I COULD ADVICE THIS COMPANY TO A FRIEND BUT SAYING HIM: 1) DO NOT eat at the restaurant 2)DO NOT book a cabin. I hope I will received an answer about the ACCOMODATION... Thanks
"Comfortable!"
All another story compared to the outbound ship we took. Really comfortable ship, excellent services... Justa a bit busy because it was the end of August.
"beautiful experience"
The crew is extremely competent and helpful. Perfect time. Really nice crossing. Real professionist
"Trip without any problem"
On the outbound journey, at the port in Civitavecchia, I received the right assistance. The trip was quiet, i had a seat reserved and I managed to sleep quite well. However, i would recommend to bring a blanket or wear something warm as the air conditioning is too high. The return trip was the same as the outbound. The ferry was on time and the embark/disembark procedures very organised. I would recommend the route Civitavecchia-Barcellona, I spent h20 enjoying myself on the outside deck with swimming pool, indoor areas and restaurants.
"I'd take this ferry again"
The trip was more expensive than we had expected. The onboard food was acceptable. Beer was expensive. The room and bathroom were clean and adequate. Noise wasn't an issue. The staff was helpful. Be sure to bring good books or games.
"my opinion"
I travelled from Porto Torres to Civitavecchia on the 13/09. Direct Ferries advised me in advance about the late departure. Great customer service. Slow boarding process and on board the swimming pool was without water so no one could use it.
"Good trip, but.."
I had a fine trip with Grimaldi. I didnt make reservations for a chair or cabin however, as this was 35-50 euros more expensive. I hung out at the bar, where there were perfect couches to sleep on, but I was sent away to sleep in a chilly room on some uncomfortable chairs. I expected sleeping somewhere uncomfortable and I dont mind this if it costs less. But a lot of people were sleeping in the uncomfortable room, while the bar room filled with couches for people to sleep on was available, but it was not allowed to sleep there. I didnt get this and I didnt appreciate it.
"beautiful ship but late"
all good on board, Grimaldi ship is very beautiful but it's always late.
"not polite or professional"
rude people at Barcelona port for the check in. noisy seats room, impossible to sleep. Really bad breakfast. I would love to don't travel again with Grimaldi but unfortunately it's the only operator with this route.
"Nice to Ajaccio with Corsica Sardinia Ferries in Mega Express Two"
Very correct and puntual journey
"Ferry to Sardinia"
To start regularly saying that since the delay of one hour and a half and nobody contacted us.The boarding in Barcelona more or less well, but the arrival in porto torres, disembarkation a little crazy to go down to the car and and the we had to wait a half hour to get out of the ferry. During the crossing if you travel by night, I recommend not to book seats because people sit wherever they want without paying for the seats. The best is to find a good couch in the cafeterias or in the entertainment room even it sounds weird. There is also people sleeping in sleeping bags occupying spaces in the halls, deck and more. A little bit long crossing by night especially since the return is done by day becomes pleasant. I recommend take hammock in the swimming pool and sleep a little if you can ..... and for the rest all good. Above all, to know that it is not a cruise but rather a large ferry carrying passengers and vehicles to a beautiful island that is SARDINIA.
"Good experience"
It was a good experience, the movement is hardly noticeable and clean and comfortable cabins. The advantage of taking the car to Sardinia is very important and worthwhile, there are very large distances and a car is essential. The only bad thing is disembarkation once you get to Sardinia, very disorganized and dangerous than cars to get together with people that get off por otherwise all good.
"my opinion"
great and new ship but the departure is always late. Recommended because it-s cheap
"There were swimming pool"
As the title says, there were swimming pool, so it was a wonderful trip.
"DISAPPOINTED"
The experience of traveling on the ferry from Barcelona to Civitavecchia (30/07/14) was bad, especially for the quality of the food amenities and food, and bad conditions of public areas. But, the experience of the return trip from Civitavecchia to Barcelona (16/08/14) was simply outrageous, my wife tried to make a complaint but there were not forms available. The ship looked like a refugee transport, with families sleeping on the floor in corners of the hallways, on all the sofas in the cafeteria and other common areas, crowded sleeping, on the terrace and common areas, totally inadequate for the entire passage, a unacceptable queues at the cafeteria. We had to leave the cabin two hours before without notice, because of the cleaning, there was no space to await the arrival to destination. On both occasions the ferry left one hour delay. Summarizing DISAPPOINTING experience by not giving a rude epithet.
""
OUTBOUND JOURNEY: BARCELONA-PORTO TORRES. LEFT WITH MORE THAN 2 HOURS OF DELAY. AT THE OFFICE THEY TELL US THAT WE CAN BOARD DRIVER AND PASSENGER IN THE CAR, BUT AT THE BOARDING TIME, WE WERE FORCED WITH SHOUTS AND BAD EDUCATION, TO LEFT THE CAR WITH LUGGAGE HAND BAGS , AND CHILDREN TRAVELING ALONE WITH DRIVER IN CHARGE OF OTHER TRAVELLERS. RETURN JOURNEY: PORTO TORRES-BARCELONA. DAY TRIP TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION: SEAT. INCREDIBLE !. SALON LOCATION OF SEATS, DARK. SEATS TAKEN BY PASSENGERS ONBOARD IN ROME. CREW MEMBER SEEKS THE SEATS IN THE DARK, AND GET UP THE OCCUPANTS ASLEEP. THIS TOOK US MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR. THE CAFETERIA ALSO TAKEN BY PEOPLE DOING CAMPING, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SIT NEITHER SEATS OR SOFAS TAKEN BY THE "SQUATTERS ". WHAT A DISORDER!!!. NEXT TIME WE WILL GO SWIMMING.
"good experience"
Goodmorning, I travelled with Grimaldi Lines (cruise Roma) from Porto Torres to Barcelona. Beautiful and modern ship, friendly staff. Not enough entertainment considering the long crossing. Great beauty center and nice staff
"Unjustified delays"
In general, the services and the crossing were correct, just to note that Grimaldi has no communication policy with its customers, neither informing them about delays, the reasons of the delay and they do not compensate them and logistics management failure when boarding the vehicles, which is a mess. If you arrive first, you can disembark last, or vice versa. At the sailing from BCN PORTO-TORRES, scheduled at 22:30 h, the cars ended up boarding at 01:00 am, waiting in cars since 20:30, the scheduled start boarding time. There was no explanation at any time ("""" talk to the Captain "",""Grimaldi staff told us by kidding). In the office they says that they did not know anything, except that there was a delay but not idea why and for how long. Of course, no compensation. At the returning to BCN, one hour an a half of delay. After made my complaint, I am still waiting to have an answer to my complaint. During the crossing, there are no shows for entertainment or dedicated staff taking care of the customers (11/12 hours crossing deserve it), wi-fi is by paying , the people who were in seats occupied seats without really being occupied and people that wanted a seat had to """" fight """" to get it. The signaling for boarding in Porto Torres, at night, at 04:30 h, is simply absent.
"Next time by plane"
The departure was three hours late without any explanation. The return was only one hour and a half.
"There is no more options"
"... if that you want is to visit SARDINIA with your car, there is a curious difference between the outbound journey with Cruise Rome and the return with Cruise Barcelona: same company, but the two sides of the coin. Cruise Rome; in cabin. Clean, correct. I took superior inside cabin and got outside with large double bed and a sofa sleeper. Spacious, tv (although the tv did not work I know that the TV in the cabin next to us worked). In the rest of the ship, decent general facilities. Since 10 years I did this route and I was pleasantly surprised by the evolution of Grimaldi. CRUISE BARCELONA : in a seat. We must board at 4:00 AM because the departure is at 6:00, so you get to port relatively early. Upon entering the ship, the first thing you need is to go to the bathroom and get the first surprise: in Italy they do not clean the premises? Toilets clogged with debris nameless, toilet paper on the floor, flooded ... Throughout the crossing, the only solution provided by the crew was leaving a bag of toilet paper inside the toilets and nothing more. Corridors planted (the lucky ones) air beds and sleeping bags. The seats and sofas scattered around the ferry with passengers stuck in them as a bed, giving no option to anyone occupying 'their territory'. In the seating room, impossible to breathe: no ventilation and unbearable smell "" humanity "." Chaotic disembarkation: there is not leader staff, passengers crowed in the hallways waiting for the doors to escape the hold open. Positive note for the crew that organizes the leaving of the cars, solving quickly evacuated when a passenger "" forget "" that He came by car. Why have I requested to comment on my experience on Cruise Rome and not by the shipping company in general? It is normal that there is much difference between the two journeys? "
"Ghettos throughout the ship"
Overall conditions of the ship (facilities, cleaning) rather well. The problem came when we did a stop over in Porto Torres and the ship was crowded. From that time if you had not caught a seat and you could forget ... people toward " ghettos " anywhere, but be absent from their " ghettos " Always watching noone taking their seats, chairs, hammocks, an so on ... In the morning, if you walk around the ferry, the only thing that you saw is piles of bags and luggage where it was 1 or 2 " watchers " just to tell you that everything was occupied when really it was mostly empty ... I'm sure there were people he had in his custody seats in the party room and deck on the outside ... Conclusion, if you have to take a Grimaldi Ferry, it's goof if you are a large group and someone wants to be "the watcher " but if you are a couple (as in our case) you have to book at least a seat, otherwise the when you rise from somewhere (unbooked) someone will be ready to take away the place and you are not able to take it back again ... this is my experience and I think it can be interesting for couples who plan to take a ferry. I don't know what could be the solution, but I did not like to take a tour of the ballroom and only see people when you approached they tried to take the most of their space so that you will not take them a seat or anything ...
"Barcellona Civitavecchia"
excellent trip, on time, comfortable and friendly staff.
"Recommended, but with some aspects to consider for improving "
To improve: 1. The opening hours of the restaurants ( They close at 14:30) After that time, there is only one Fast Food restaurant at the deck with unhealthy food. 2. Shortage in both, selection and quality of the food 3. Quality of food at the expense of price (apart of that, you have to pay every single packet of ketchup or marmalade, or bread toasted slides, even if you had paid for the menu online, you have to pay by separate a packet of whatever) 4. The disembarkation ( everybody get off at the same time, and then you have to wait inside the car, until the owners of the cars ahead get there - the cars are turning on, so there is a lot of pollution in this moment, the disembarkation of the cars should be in an orderly way, according to the cars that are located first. 5. Extremely high temperature at the level 2 of the garages, and noone warning us before about that. The wine bottle was uncorked without opening in the car.
"Everything was good except of punctuality"
Everything was good, except the 3 hours of delay of the departure from Barcelona. They could have informed me about this delay, but apparently they forgot to tell me.
"delays"
Unjustifiable delays, both at the outbound the delay was one and a half hour and at the return was 3 and a half hours. The depart from Porto Torres to Barcelona should have been at 5:45 but instead the ferry left at 9:15, we have to wait all this time at the port where there isn't any kind of facilities, waiting room, cafeteria, toilets, and so on. The arrival to Barcelona was at 21:30 instead of 18:00 with the consequence of arrive late to the hotel.
"good outbound"
The sea was rough so we suffered seasickness and we arrived a little bit late.
"All good"
The ship (Mini-Cruise) was very good, both at the outbound and return the ship was the Cruise Roma and everything was great. The only thing was the return time at 6am since you have to be 2 hours before departure time, so you have to get up very early in your last day of holidays.
"My experience on the Grimaldi Ferry"
The ferry is great, good service, good places to spend the crossing, good food and good cleaning conditions of the cabins. Pretty disordered embarking and disembarking, and the worst the delay in the departure from Barcelona to Porto Torres (over five hours), the return was more tolerable (1,30 hour delay)
"We could not rest on seats. "
The only bad aspect of the journey is the mess in the seats area. We chose this accommodation for the return journey from Porto Torres to Barcelona since we did not sleep at all the night before (the timetables are very bad). The reality is that after arriving at the seats, these are not comfortable, it is difficult to find the number of your seat, you will usually find it occupied by someone coming from Civitavecchia ... And then, there is no way to sleep, people continually standing up, noises, whispers, phones, etc. For me is difficult to rest in such conditions.
"POSITIVE (+)"
Overall Rating Grimaldi remarkable, it was the first time I made a journey by ferry and is a little heavy for hours crossing and accommodation, but good value for money.
"Journey to Porto Torres"
The ship very good, but the dinner tipo buffet expensive and bad.
"The outbound good, the return terrible."
I made the outbound leg at night and it was correct, as expected. At the reception they could be a little more friendly and do not make you feel uncomfortable for asking. The return was a nightmare. I do not know if it was normal or something in particular in this journey, but the return coincided with a group fitness activities of the italian company "don't give up". Three of the four lounges for resting of the ferry were occupied with those activities with a high volume music unbearable for so many hours of crossing. I think the use of the ship's deck is for everyone and there could neither stay neither rest, because of this activity scheduled from 10:00 until arrival at BCN activity non-stop with a high volume of music that cause headache, add to that the cries of the entertainers and not have even half an hour of rest throughout the day. Then you went down to the bar and then more activities there and in the disco too. I went with more people at the reception to request please turn down the volume of the music a little to give us a break and the answer was: Do you think the ship is yours? or something like that. I went to make a complaint but did not want to end my vacation with troubles and I let it go. The truth is, I thought come back to the island in September, but if the crossing is always like that, I will never come back. I don't know if it is something occasional or it's always like that A greeting Danel Asher
"Journey not too comfortable"
We traveled from Civitavecchia to Barcelona with Grimaldi Lines Cruise Roma ferry. The whole experience was not very successful. Some points detailed: - Check-in process: Correct. At Civitavecchia the proceess was agil. They provide a card that is your boarding pass and the key to your cabin. You got a numbered card for the passenger as well as for the vehicle - Passengers shipping: Fast and without any problems. Once parked the car, you can go to passengers area of the ship; the experience with the staff was different. I was indicated by the staff very efficient and kindly the location of my cabin; but my wife not. - Cabin - Facilities: Standard Cabin for these kind of ships, small but with all the expected things. It has 2 bunk beds + 2 closed berth that can be deployed, wardrobe, small table night, small desk and small bathroom with shower. The cabin looked a little used in general. The outer lock was a little loose, the sheets on one of the beds were full of small holes and still of that they use it, the towels had various stains and holes. - Cabin - Comfort: Grievous. The cabin should be located somewhere near some type of engine and the beds were shaking constantly (literally). We were unable to sleep all night. In addition, the ferry stopsover in Porto Torres (Sardinia). The arrival time is at 5:45am and since 4am they are giving several announcements over loudspeakers, so even if we had been able to sleep we would have woken up with those announcemnets. - Food: Very expensive for the quality offered (very average), and in some cases, they overcharged deceptively. In our case, during lunch at the swimmingpool bar we were charged 2 EUR more in concept of "ketchup" when we had not ordered at any time. When I noticed and complained, the waiter told me quite so easygoing that was so, and that was always charged, even if you asked for the ketchup or not. - Puntuallity: more or less. Departure on time, but arrival with 45 minutes of delay to Barcelona. Leaving the ferry with the car took another 20-30 minutes. Overall Impression: We did not have a good experience. The cabin really bad (not comfortable), food expensive and not very good quality, and the service of the bar staff/restaurant tending to bad. I would not recommend this line unless they take seriously to provide better quality service.
"Travel to Sardinia"
Outbound and return both wer nice and the cabins were clean.
"A very pleasant surprise"
We read a lot about the travel with grimaldi from Barcelona to Porto Torres, but we realized that was much better than what we read about it . Clean , amusing, very nice cabins and an ample space on deck.On the return there were some currents from Mouth of San Bonifacio, but nothing serious. I will do it again.
"very comfortable"
the travel from barcelona to sardinia was confortable both outbound and return in the cabin the presence of towels and toilet with shower it's very practical. It was all clean and we didn't have cold as well as some people told us before, for sure we are going to do it again this experience.
"travel with motorcycle"
the travel is long, and result more long due to the stop in outbound and in the return in Porto torres.
"service on board"
It was our first June trip. The Grimaldi Lines rooms in Barcelona are new, the boarding went smoothly and the staff on board was there to greet the passengers. However, from Porto Torres, the boat was late and there were no toilets at the terminal. There was only on toilet at the entrance of the port, but they were reserved for the clients of the bar. There were no staff in the garage to assist during boarding. I was travelling with a person with mobility problems and it was also difficult for families with pushchairs. The lift doesn't serve all the decks and their emplacement is not indicated in the garages.
"Civitavecchia - Barcelona crossing"
Everything was good
"transport with a campervan"
Please take example on the Greek ferry companies. Organise systematic OPEN DECK crossings for campervans.
"Barcelona-Civitavecchia crossing on 13/06/2014"
Everything is good, except the timekeeping. We departed from Barcelona one hour late and we arrived in Civitavecchia two hours late.
"Excellent"
We enjoyed everything about this voyage. Members of staff were available to help with bags and take us to our cabin which was clean and relatively spacious. Everyone was .' very helpful and hard working. There was a continuous operation to keep all areas of the ferry clean. We had lunch and dinner in the restaurant both meals were enjoyable and good value. We had just one problem and that was finding the exact location of the ferry port in Barcelona. The address given was too vague for our satnav in fact I do not believe it to be correct, we ended up at the quay by the World Trade Centre - the ferry does not depart from there, it departs from a dock about 1km away. Fortunately we had hours before our check in time to find the dock which was badly sign posted in fact sign posting was virtually non existent. I would not have liked to have had just an hour to find the dock we would definitely have missed the ferry. So if its any help if you end up at the World Trade centre go back to the roundabout you exited and take the last exit so you are driving with the sea to your left the Grimaldi terminal is about 1Km on the left off this road.
"Very Disappointed"
This is the second time I've travelled between Civitaveccia and Barcelona with Grimaldi lines and: because i have been working a huge amount lately, I treated myself to a 4 Berth deluxe Cabin, unfortunately the continual sound and movement of the engine was very loud and the vibrations and noise meant that I couldn't sleep at all and had to drive 6 hours being very tired. Very disappointing: having payed 328€ I expected better, I don't know if I was unlucky with the placing of the cabin, if I ever do that again I will phone up before to check. Also I find it very unprofessional that they don't automatically send an address and directions of the port, I had to search for it and download from their website...
"comentary"
generally the travel was good , no negatives points only the punctuality.
"Punctuality of the ferry"
There was a major delay both way, but if you are retired and that the other aspect of the journey are good, it's not that important.
"Overnight crossing"
I was not really looking forward to this trip but was pleasantly surprised. I actually got some sleep in the seats we had booked. The bar served drinks and food at reasonable prices so that whiled away a couple of hours. Apart from one very drunk man rolling around and causing a disturbance all was good.
"very good"
perfect staff, perfect restaurant
"Jouney to forget about"
the journey was too long, also for the weather conditions, we took the deck because the cabin were too expensive, I want to say that it is not the case to be awakened from the staff in the only comfortable armchairs which we found at the bar..
"Cleaning details "
Dirty cabin, cigarettes under the bed and toilet paper on the bathroom floor.
"Embark in Puerto Torres "
The signs to get to the boarding point in Puerto Torres was terrible and becasue it was midnight we couldn't find anybody. They should include more directional signs.
"Grimaldi Cruise is my first experience"
I have never been on a cruise. This was my first experience. And to be frank I was blown away by the magnificent cruise and the services.
"Like a cruise"
Negatives: *It was impossible to park in the Grimaldi car park (only open 2 hours) before boarding. We had to park in a rubbish car park for 8.50€ *the staff asked us to vacate the cabin 1h30 before arrival. Positives: *Almost like a cruise *A beautiful view over the mouths of Bonifacio and of Sardegna *Easy boarding and disembarkment for a 9m campervan *A nice 4 pple external cabin for 2.
"Trip "
It is not the first time my family and me do this route with this company. It all went like in previous occassions: well and quiet and with a very attentive and polte staff. The return was equally satisfactory, bad weather aside. But that is nobody's fault. Even the staff suffered it. I am sure we will repeat.
"BCN - CVTA"
The ship was quite good and bedrooms too, but casino and games room were closed, it was a pity. The staff were very kind. It was a good option, but this day the ship were empty, not many people were on boat. I suppose that if not it would be better.
"neusa"
We really enjoyed the trip. I loved the ship, the cabin was very clean, the only thing I didn't like was the food. The buffet barely had any choices. Never mind, we are not obliged to eat in the ship, are wet? Next time I will take Spanish wine and some Spanish ham. I am sure it would be better, and for that price they should improve the quality because in order not to starve we had to eat it anyway.
"Poor service"
1) Passengers were asked to check in two hours before boarding, and the receptionist made clear her disapproval that I was 15 mins late. Yet nearly an hour after departure time, trucks were still being loaded. The same rule should apply to all. 2) When I wanted to advise my hosts that I would be late, I was charged for a wi-fi connection (which didn't work) although the delay was the company's fault, as stated above. 3) Every one of the three bars had non-stop pop music playing; on deck 11 it was so loud that it was difficult to communicate with the staff and impossible to hear announcements. There should be at least one silent area. 4) On arrival at Barcelona, no Grimaldi staff were available to advise passengers about transport or other issues, even though their office is above the terminal and appeared occupied as the lights were on.
"All perfect"
We recommend getting a cabin. The price difference is minor between the seat and the cabin and the cabin is so much better even if you travel during the day. Everything was perfect during the trip. The only bad thing is that the food was expensive and you are too many hours inside the ship.
"Ferry from Rome to Barcelona"
The ferry trip was awesome. Was able to wake up at 5:30 AM and take pictures off the deck at the Sardinia Port, then again at 6:30 for sunrise pictures off the coast. The ferry had exceptional food and the berths were perfect.
"Bad Experience "
This trip was not very good The stuff on deck what unfriendly and everything should cost extra. Eg.: You had to pay for some sauce on your hamburger.
"Cabin is better than a seat"
I have done the crossing from P.Torres-Barcellona at the end of August/beginning of September. On the way there I took the deck and in the return journey, I booked a cabin. The ship was nice and clean, comfortable, very fast procedures, excellent on board services... Just a little bit difficult to get a space on a free seats.
"Lovely journey"
Nice ship. Sat out on deck, small pool and nice deck chairs.
"Safety "
Very good facilities, clean bedrooms and pleasant and helpful staff. However, the prices were too high for the quality served, the check-in was too early and nobody searched the interior of our car, which means that anybody could carry inside whatever they wanted. I think this should be taken with due consideration.
"Trip with 2 adults and 2 kids "
We got a cabin and we had a great time. We managed to rest and shower during the trip.
"Barcelona Porto Torres"
I am very satisfied with this crossing. All commodities are available on board. I would recommend this company.
"Let's go to Italy "
Excellent way of going to Italy with your car.
"Not a ship but a fridge"
I took the ferry just because i couldn't travel by motorbike to Barcellona. Inside it was freezing, the cold was unbearable despite I was wearing trousers, jumper and bike jacket...do I have to take a wool sweater in August just to spend a night on a ferry?
"My experience with Grimaldi "
This has been the first trip with Grimaldi and we will repeat. The punctuality, comfort of the cabin, cleanliness and activities inside the ship have made the journey seem so much shorter. I recommend it to everybody and as for us, we will certainly travel again with Grimaldi.
"be careful to the transit ferry"
I should have left Porto Torres to go to Civitavecchia on Sunday 25/08/2013 with Grimaldi Lines but, following a series of unfortunate circumstances, I got to the port only 5 minutes prior departure and I lost the ferry. The ground staff has been very kind and they amended my ticket for only €28, but the following departure was on Tuesday so I had to spend money for an accommodation. On the 27th we went to the port at h08.30, the check-in opened at h09.00 but they started to board only after h10.30. The ferry left with h1 delay.
"Nice services, poor organisation on boarding procedures and safety"
I'm a Grimaldi client and, this year, i've used their service to go to Barcellona and Sardinia. i think they should improve their service as i had a bad experience during the disembark operations in Civitaveccia on the 25/08/13. The lack of organisation caused the overcrowd towards the garages 2 and 3. They didn't announce on time the disembark procedures, some garages were open, while others weren't. This has caused chaos and many people were walking on the parking ramps, risking an accident. I would suggest to stop the music in order to announce how to disembark, giving directions and priority to garages 3 and 7. They should also revise the safety procedures.
"Comments on the Sardinia ferry "
All very correct
""
It was our second crossing from Barcelona to Porto Torres with Grimaldi Lines, booked with Directferries. We are delighted with our trip, in spite of a slight delay (1h for the outbound journey, 1/2h for the inbound journey). You shouldn't expect some great food (plus it's expensive), but it's ok. I think it's a pity that there are no night crossings between Porto Torres and Barcelona. The 12 hours journey would seem shorter. 2 years ago, we were able to lay down on a bench, but this year the staff must have had instructions to prevent people sitting to lay down. Looking at the numbers of seats on board, I can't see where the problem is. It's probably because of the money. No many passengers book a cabin during the day! It was still a beautiful trip and we were able to enjoy the swimming pool on the boat.
"Trip Porto Torres Civitavecchia"
I want to travel only with Grimaldi, the other companies are rubbish.
"A great trip "
Even though the sea tides didn't make it any easy, it was a very pleasant journey. You have the facilities, service and everything else you need to spend 20 hours in the middle of the sea.
"Nice journey"
we had the sun and the swimming pool service for 24 hours, the trip was quite good, the only negative aspect was to have been awoken from the loudspeaker in Porto Torres.
"Excellent "
Everything was good. Good attention to detail and pleasant trip. In the cabin of Cruise Barcelona there were a few broken things.
"Dsisappointed"
"Porto torres/ Civitavecchia with Grimaldi lines"
Perfect Journey, on the both routes.
"Not very clean cabins "
The cleanliness in the cabin was very deficient. I guess it was because of the little time between the passengers leaving and those coming in. Other than that, I have no objections at all. Comfortable, clean in the common areas and good prices in the restaurants.
"Trip to Alguer "
The trip was fantastic from the moment we got into the ship. Everything was really easy. The queue was very long but the staff from the ticket office were very efficient and we didn't have to wait that long. However, I was shocked that nobody asked us for our ID cards.Also when I was about to buy the tickets I wasn't sure which accommodation to choose. If you are young you can stay or sleep in just about anywhere but if you have a baby like we did, you need to get cabin. But don't forget to take a jumper or a cardigan because they don't turn off the air-conditioning at night and it does get chilly. Other than that, there is not much else to say. Just that on the way back there was a massive storm and the people from the tenth floor were throwing up all over the place. So, if you think you might get sea sickness, just take biodramina, no caffeine and off to bed.
"Never again on this route"
Selling at full price a cabin that has to be freed at h04.30 because has to be reallocated to other passengers at h06.30 it's not honest. Also, the ferry wasn't on time.
"Grimaldi ferry"
Excellent service, the time onboard flew!
"Nice ferry and comfortable trip"
The ferry is very nice, the trip was very comfortable and relaxing. i would recommend it!
"Comfort in the cabin "
You could feel some sort of excessive vibration in the cabin where we stayed and we didn't manage to sleep all night.
"A problem free crossing"
We spent a lot of time on board (twice 12 hours). I feared that the interior cabin would be narrow and hot in July. It was, however, spacious and practical with a desk area and shower area with toilets and sink. Everything was clean and towels and soap were even supplied! The temperature was slightly chilly. We had a good night. We brought our own pique nique. However, the prices at the restaurant looked ok. For the return journey, we travelled during the day on the deck. We enjoyed the deck chairs on the deck and the swimming pool and the padding pool. A word of advice: be early, because there aren't many deck chairs.
"No rush"
A 3 hours delay. Not a word to apologise about it or to explain.
"Delay on the return journey"
i would like to point out the delay on the return trip from Porto Torres to Civitavecchia on the 20 july 2013 (two and a half hour delay). This delay caused us inconvenience as we arrived in Civitavecchia at h21.15 instead of h18.45 (expected time). Grimaldi should reconsider all boarding times according to the passengers and vehicles number. After this negative experience I would choose a different operator for my next trip to Sardinia.
"Sardegna"
Some very good crossings, except that it was late both ways.
"Very good"
It was perfect!
"Barcelona- Porto Torres - July 2013 "
The worst thing was the the delays. Both ways were delayed by mroe than two hours, and considering you have to be then two hours in advance…Other than that, everything was OK.
"Good but slow "
The trip was nice and the facilities very correct. I would like to thank the fact that there was a map with the route that the ship was following (through a screen or the intercom) since it is a very slow trip.
"Barcelona - Porto Torres "
Except for the 6 hour delay, a very good ferry. Cleanliness and facilities very good. So you imagine a crossing.
"Super!!"
Very pleasant crossing, I was surprised by the sensation of well-being on board.
"Bad dining"
Aside from the dining experience everything else was positive.
"Cruise Barcelona"
I found both Barcelona and Civitevecchis not the easiest of Ports to locate the correct location for both queuing and checking in. The ship was clean and pleasant although there was a lack of outside seating for those wanting to enjoy the fresh air. The costs were reasonable for the distance covered compared to other routes. I would use it again.
"Across the Med, Rome to Barcelona"
A good trip, however a few concerns. This ship is geared mainly for truck drivers and business travellers, lots of cafes and restaurants but very little in the way for family travellers. Only one small play area for young kids. They had a video arcade for older kids but it was turned off for most of the voyage. A pool as well on deck but it was also closed. One bad point is that as the ship was running late we were all turfed out of our cabins two hours before the ship docked so that the cleaners could start their jobs early. No thought at all for the passengers, it was a bad end to our cruise.
"Great"
The ferry was late, but they told us about it by email. The ferry is wonderful, clean, very large and has anything to keep entertained. The beds are confortable. The directions to the ferry are a bit obscure though. As a pedestrian, I didn't know where to go. In Barcelona, you must go to a ticket office with another name and a bus take you to the ferry.
"Fantastic cabin experience"
Cabin for 4 people including two children, very comfortable, with shower and bath. The bedding is very comfortable and relatively spacious cabin for a ferry.
"Late departure"
Ferry was lovely, good facilities/clean cabins and plenty to entertain the family, but departure was terrible! We were over an hour late departing, without explanation, resulting in late arrival at destination, which was then closed for the night.
"Comfortable Crossing"
I have to say that I have travelled from Porto Torres to Civitavecchia one way crossing and I found this journey really comfortable, because I used to live in Sassari and I can arrive at the port in few minutes, so I avoid using the car for a longer distance, I would make this trip again, because I have found it really good, I hope it can still be improved.
"Drill was an absolute disaster!"
Everything was good in general, except that in the outbound we had a delay of 3 hours ! It was my first time on a ferry and I really enjoyed it. The cabin was really comfortable and big enough for me. The only thing we didn’t like was the boat drill we had to go through. Nobody knew anything and all the passengers were really alarmed. I think it could have been done so much better !
"Great trip"
Me and all my classmates travelled in this ferry and we had a great time! The cabins are really comfortable and the food is amazing! There is plenty of space in the ferry to walk around and get some rest if you so desire, and you can contemplate the sea from the deck too! The movement of the boat is barely noticeable, and the disco during the night is great. We had lots of fun!
"Perfect!"
This ferry is perfect, disco, lounge bar, shops… And the waiters are awesome! (Specially the blond, blue-eyed waiter at the disco… just perfect!).
"Horrible!"
Horrible experience! Disgusting boat, rude staff! They wouldn't help you, pretended not to understand your language, yelled at you when you tried to buy some extra food and were cursing at the guests in other languages. The casino is a few slot machines and there is no disco or club because people are sleeping in there. Do not waste your money.
"The ultimate ship!"
I went with my partner to Barcelona with this ferry and, I have to say, it’s exceptional. Excellent food, great spa, disco, casino, swimming pool and clean/nice cabins. It’s my favourite ship.
"Marvellous ferry"
In my opinion this is a fantastic ferry! It deserves more than 3 1/2 stars, should be more like 4 1/2. Food was tasty, my cabin are very nice and spotlessly clean, there is a swimming pool, disco - it’s wonderful (I would recommend it)!
"Fantastic trip"
I went a few days ago to Barcelona on the Cruise Roma with the school and the time on the ferry was fantastic, great fun. Was a really nice experience and without doubt, I would do it again. People working on board were really friendly, food very tasty and good entertainment. In fact, I took advantage of the SPA…very nice and relaxing! Was great and i'd love to go again!
"Civitavecchia to Barcelona on Cruise Roma"
The ferry departure was delayed by 3 hours as it arrived late in the port due to bad weather in Barcelona. Loading foot passengers and cars and cargos seemed to be disorganised and took a long time. The ferry itself is a lovely ship although looking a little tired in places. The most annoying part was that we had wanted to rest for an hour or so during the evening as we faced a long car journey on the other side but in the end we couldn't as we were suddenly asked to free our cabins 3 hours before arrival in Barcelona. This meant that hundreds of people and their luggage were draped all over the lounges and bars. There were several student groups on the ship so it was packed and noisy. The entertainment provided was a presenter trying to get people to do karaoke. Announcements could not always be heard and when we finally got to our car it was obvious that we could have got there earlier as some had already left. Some of the staff were pleasant and some not. We decided to have a meal in the restaurant and the service there was very good with good food although as expected not cheap.
"Great ship"
Beautiful trip to Barcelona in wonderful ship! I’m not used to taking a ferry over a long long duration because I normally suffer from sea sickness but after this experience I have changed my mind. The lounges are big, well-kept and clean and I didn’t have the impression of being on the sea but in a hotel. My boyfriend and I were very pleased!
