I've just returned from my third trip to the lovely Aeolian Islands, and my third crossing on the overnight car ferry between Naples and the Islands.
I thought readers might be interested in a more complete description of the ship used on this route:
THE SHIP: Palladio, Sansovino and Laurana are sister ships originally used by Adriatica Lines in the Adriatic, but handed over to Siremar two years ago by Holding Company Tirrenia, to be used on routes between Naples and the Aeolian Islands, and between Porto Empedocle and Lampedusa. These ships have replaced much smaller and older vessels. This past trip (May 2006), Sansovino was in service to and from Naples. In May of last year, Palladio was used. Ship characteristics and capabilities are identical.
YEAR BUILT: 1989
CONDITION OF SHIP: Could be much better. Routine maintenance (painting, repairing broken public toilets and worn reclining seats/lounge chairs is woefully lacking). Formica floors in public areas are not adequately cleaned and polished, but the ship is otherwise swept clean, free of most litter.
SHIP DIMENSIONS: 122.9 metres in length; 19.41 metres in width (403 feet by 64 feet). Nine decks, including: deck 5 has the reception area and cabins; deck 6 has cabins aft and the cafeteria up front; deck 7 has the reclining seat salon aft and the bar lounge up front, as well as the full-length open-air panorama deck; deck 8 has the unused and roped-off swimming pool and open-air plastic benches aft; deck 9 has open-air plastic benches. Ship displaces 10,977 tons, travels at a very leasurely 17 knots, and accommodates 272 vehicles in a large garage.
ELEVATOR: a small elevator connects the garage with decks 5 and 6. This is extremely useful for bulky or heavy luggage.
CABINS: 170 twin cabins, most with private facilities. Many cabins are communicating with an inside door which is opened only upon request for families who have booked side-by side cabins. Both exterior (one porthole) and interior (no porthole) cabins available. A few interior cabins have no private facilities, and cost a bit less. Exterior cabins measure approximately 10 feet in length by 5 feet in width. Upper and lower bunks measure 6 feet in length and 24 inches in width. The upper bunk is unfortunately sloped downward on the open side and has no railing, hence giving some travelers the sensation of potentially slipping off. Mattress is firm; pillow too thin. Clean sheets and wool blanket provided. Bathroom (3 feet by 3 feet) has an airline-type toilet, brand-new sink with soap and hand towel, and a marine shower. There is a desk and chair under the porthole. There is air conditioning and adequate electric lighting, including reading lights for both bunks. A card key opens the cabin door. Each bunk costs 21 Euros over the deck passage fare.
RECLINING SEATS: 200 in a single closed salon; 10 across and in pairs. Green padded fabric. Recline approx. 45 degrees. Adequate leg room (greater than economy class on airplanes), and footrests. Lights in salon are turned off during the night. Cost 5.50 Euros over the deck passage fare.
ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS: 112 seats on hard plastic benches in a small closed salon behind the reclining seat salon on deck 7. This salon is opened only during the peak summer season.
OPEN AIR ACCOMMODATIONS: 400 open-air seats on hard plastic benches on decks 8 and 9.
TOTAL PASSENGER LOAD: 772 in cabins and inside reclining seats, lounge chairs or plastic benches.
CAFETERIA: 50 tables with 200 seats on deck 6. Menu includes a small selection of primi piatti, secondi piatti, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit plate and bread. A generous portion of penne with tomato sauce costs 4 Euros. The cafeteria closes before and after dinner.
MAIN BAR: 24 tables with 96 lounge chairs on deck 7. Additionally, there are 24 sofa seats which are used as make-shift bunks by passengers who can't afford paying a 5.50 Euro supplement for a reclining seat. Television kept on throughout the night. Bar serves liquor, soft drinks, coffee and light snacks. Warm croissants served at breakfast. The main bar and cafeteria are connected by an internal staircase. The bar is not manned between midnight and approx. 5 or 6 a.m, but the lounge is kept open all night. Bar opens for one hour prior to early morning arrival.
MAIN PROMENADE DECK: On deck 7, it runs the full length of the ship, and affords fantastic views. Can be accessed for the entire duration of the crossing. There are numerous hard plastic benches for seating.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Reserve a twin cabin unless travelling solo. Solo travellers will find the reclining seats adequate. Consider that a great deal of time will be spent on the promenade deck during good weather conditions.
RESERVATIONS: From mid June to mid September, reserve cabins in advance. During the rest of the year, you can usually book a cabin or a reclining seat as late as the day of departure (even minutes beforehand). During the winter months, the ship often travels with fewer than 100 passengers. During the spring and autumn, the ship is often less than half full. Expect a full load during the peak of the summer.
SCHEDULING NOTE: Public funding has been curtailed for 2006, resulting in the drastic reduction of service during July, August and September to only TWO CROSSINGS IN EACH DIRECTION. The ultra-fast ferry SCORPIO is moored in Naples, and will not operate during 2006. Reportedly, it costs three times as much to operate as the traditional car ferry, and poor passenger loads last summer could not justify its continuing service. This means that there will be only two crossings in each direction for all of 2006.
MORE OBSERVATIONS: During good weather, the crossing is super-smooth. Noise in cabins is low, with only some engine rumble. Cafeteria food is acceptable. Prices are comparable to those in a cafe on land. The ship is a bit too large for quick docking operations on the small Aeolian Islands, resulting in additional lost time. During very bad weather, some port calls can be cancelled (and islands passed over).
IMPORTANT NOTE ON SALINA ISLAND OPERATIONS: Pending authorization of use of the new dock at Santa Marina di Salina, all ships currently dock exclusively at RINELLA Port (even those scheduled to dock at Santa Marina). You must arrange for your own trasportation to and from the Rinella dock (5 Euros by hydrofoil or 1.85 Euros by bus). The bus ride between Rinella and Santa Marina is exceptionally scenic. Allow adequate time to connect between Rinella and Santa Marina.
CAR FERRY VERSUS HYDROFOIL OR CATAMARAN: If you value scenery, definitely take the car ferry. You won't see much of anything on the hydrofoil or catamaran. The car ferry is also much more stable, seaworthy and CHEAPER! Moreover, the Car Ferry is the ONLY MARITIME OPTION between late September and the beginning of June. Because the crossing is at night, you save the cost of one hotel night (either in Naples, or on the Islands).
FINAL OBSERVATION: Positive. I highly recommend taking the car ferry between Naples and the Aeolian Islands.
GAC...thanks so much for the update...I guess the good news is that maybe the islands will be quieter but I'll bet the tourism people are not happy with this situation. We will be taking a SNAV hydrofoil as there is such limited service on the overnight...are these really small or are they larger hydrofoils.? I am not looking forward to 4.5 hours on one of these but see no other option. You mentioned Catamaran...are these going? I know the Scorpio is not but anything else you observed? thanks.
gene72: SNAV operates a mixture of hydrofoils and catamarans to the Aeolian Islands. The precise vessel is determined by expected passenger loads, seasonality and service requirements. Hydrofoils carry between 170 and 240 passengers on two decks. The catamarans carry about 350 passengers on two decks. The "ORION" carries 700 passengers and, at 50 meters in length, is considered a "mega" catamaran. It is supposed to operate between Naples and the Aeolian Islands; however, its service introduction may not commence immediately on June 1, but perhaps later in the summer season, based on passenger loads. Some of the smaller hydrofoils don't have the service range to operate between Naples and the Islands, but the larger ones do.
The hydrofoil and catamaran have very different sailing characteristics: the former can have a great deal of side-to-side rolling (in rough weather), whereas the latter can jump and leap like a frog. I travelled on one such catamaran in rough weather and there was indeed very noticeable motion sickness experienced by many travellers. The crew were scurring about giving passengers plastic bags! Either craft can give serious motion sickness for sensitive travellers, which is why carrying dramamine is such a good idea.
I doubt that SNAV will be able to authoritatively advise you which kind of vessel will definitely be used on your expected date of travel. As between the hydrofoil and the catamaran, I honestly don't know which is preferable. If you're travelling before June 15, I would guess that a smaller vessel (i.e. hydrofoil) will be used.
To be perfectly candid, I would try to rearrange my travel dates to be able to take the bi-weekly overnight car ferry from Naples. You'll save a lot of money, avoid motion sickness, and enjoy fantastic views of the Aeolian Islands by sailing on the Sansovino or Palladio.
You can get a better idea of the size of the hydrofoils and catamarans by looking at the website of the SNAV competitor: www.usticalines.it
GAC, we will be staying in Cefalu during September.
Would we be better to take a ferry from there or get the train to Naples and get the ferry there?
As we already have an apartment paid for the week, saving accommodation costs is not necessary so we would probably prefer to just make a day trip, tho I acknowledge that we won't have the excellent views you extol.
Many thanks, Sue
Posts: 107 | Location: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: 04 April 2005
Again for GAC....I will hope for a larger vessel as we are traveling on June 17 a Saturday...not quite the high season but getting close. Do you have any comments on the islands themselves? You seem to be a repeat visitor and probably have some good insight as to changes and highlights. It is so unusual to find anyone who even knows where the Aeolian Islands are let alone having traveled there. Any information would be appreciated. It has been at least 11 years since we have been there. Thanks.
From Cefalu to the Aeolian Islands, you can take the DAILY SUMMER HYDROFOIL DIRECT at 8:15 a.m., which calls at Alicudi, Filicudi, Rinella, Santa Marina di Salina and Lipari (arrives 11:30 a.m.). One way fare all the way to Lipari is 23.69 Euros, a bit less to the other islands. This service is provided by Ustica Lines. Outside of the summer months, this service runs thrice weekly, but increases to daily from June 15 through September 30.
There is absolutely no need to train to Naples, then take the ship back to the Islands!!!
As an alternative, you could also train from Cefalu to Milazzo, then take either the traditional ferry, the fast ferry (traghetto veloce), or the hydrofoil onward to the Aeolian Islands, but taking the hydrofoil direct makes much more sense.
Yes, I have lots and lots of comments, observations and opinions about each of the Aeolian Islands (save Alicudi, which I have never visited). I particularly like Salina, which is exquisitely lush and green, but I also highly recommend staying on Lipari and visiting Stromboli. I am less enthralled with Vulcano and Panarea. Filicudi is also well worth a visit, but is extremely rustic, so Salina makes for a better place to stay overnight (in my opinion).
As you have planned to sail to the Islands on a Saturday, why not take the Siremar ferry which departs Naples on Friday night at 21:00??? You'll save the cost of a hotel night in Naples (at least 110 Euros for a double room), arrive fresh and relaxed the next morning (Saturday), and you'll have the significant benefit of viewing the magnificence of Stromboli at dawn, and Panarea, Salina and Lipari in the morning hours.
THERE WILL BE TWO FERRY SAILINGS FROM NAPLES TO THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS ON FRIDAY NIGHTS BEGINNING JUNE 23, 2006 (THROUGH AND INCLUDING SEPTEMBER 8)
Having sung the praises (and noted the shortcomings) of the Siremar overnight car ferry from Naples to the Aeolian Islands, I would be remiss not to mention that a competitor company, MEDMAR LINES, will also run an overnight car ferry from Naples, each Friday night at 23:00 beginning on June 23, 2006, in direct competition with the Siremar ferry departing at 21:00.
While I have not sailed with Medmar, I should note the following differences from the Siremar service:
1. Medmar will use a much smaller ship, measuring only 74 meters in length (243 feet), displacing 2,390 tons and accommodating 900 passengers and 120 autos at a speed of 19 knots. Being slightly faster than the much larger Siremar ship, the crossing time from Naples to Stromboli on Medmar will be about two hours shorter.
2. The Medmar ship will have NO CABINS, only reclining seats.
3. Medmar will sail to Stromboli, Salina, Lipari and Vulcano, SKIPPING OVER Panarea and not terminating in Milazzo, on the Sicilian mainland.
4. Medmar sailings will begin on June 23 and end on September 8.
5. Fares (for a reclining seat) will be nearly identical to those on Siremar: 35 Euros to Stromboli, 43 Euros to Salina, and 45 Euros to either Lipari or Vulcano. There will be a 20% fare reduction for the return crossing, based on a round-trip purchase.
6. Medmar will arrive at Salina, Lipari and Vulcano earlier in the morning than Siremar. The return sailing to Naples will also depart later in the afternoon/evening.
7. Siremar will continue to have sailings from Naples at 21:00 on Tuesdays and Fridays, year-round.
OBSERVATION: Siremar offers the better deal: the choice of cabins or reclining seats, the delightful full-length open-air promenade deck, and the stability of a much larger and heavier ship. But Medmar will be slightly faster, and the ship more modern.
N.B.: Siremar stands for "Sicilia Regionale Marittima" and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of State-owned Tirrenia Lines. The ferry ships used by Siremar between Naples and the Islands are unmodernized hand-me-downs from Adriatica Lines, another Tirrenia subsidiary.
Many thanks for your advice, GAC. It certainly makes more sense to me to go directly from Cefalu. I thought it was worth checking though, as sometimes the longest way round can prove the shortest way home, or some such saying! Again many thanks, Sue
Posts: 107 | Location: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: 04 April 2005
I hope that somebody can advise me on what I should do with regard to my travels to Salina this September 10th.
I need to get from Naples to Salina. I have looked into my options and I had originally assumed that the 'fast' Ustica hydrofoil was better than the 'slow' Siremar overnight ferry. My husband can get very seasick, however, unless the hydrofoil is horrendously bad, I'm tempted (although maybe wrongly!) to think that maybe it's better to get it over with in 4 hours rather than make him endure 12 hours on the water.
However, from reading this (very very useful!) board, it seems now as if perhaps the overnight ferry WOULD be a better option? What do you all think?
I'm also getting a bit confused about what goes from where, in Naples. There seem to be two ports in Naples - Beverello and Merghellina. Are they far apart? Are both in 'central' Naples? Given that the morning hydrofoil to Salina is at 8am on Sept 10th, should we aim to stay in a particular district of the city in order to get to the port on time? Does anyone know which port the fast Ustica hydrofoil goes from?? Also, where does the slow Siremar overnight ferry go from?
Many thanks for any / all advice about which ferry to get, and where from!
If you are apt to getting sea sick, even in serene conditions, the ferry is probably going to be gentler for you.
The SIREMAR car ferry is a large ship (11,000 tons, 403 feet in length, 64 feet in width), and if sea conditions are calm or nearly so, you won't feel any movement whatsoever. None. But if sea conditions are moderate to rough, you'll feel some slow, gentle movement even on the ferry (it will be much worse on the hydrofoil).
Bear in mind that the crossing by ferry takes twice as long as by hydrofoil, and is at night. So you have the option of booking a cabin and lying down. Sometimes, people who suffer from sea sickness prefer a reclining seat, which is also available. A reclining seat on the ferry is half the cost of one on the hydrofoil (and not all seats on the hydrofoil recline).
Many people who suffer from sea sickness take dramamine one hour prior to departure, and are OK. Obviously, every person is a little different, and dramamine may not work for everyone.
The car ferry departs from the ferry dock near the Stazione Marittima in Naples. You'll spot the SIREMAR ship moored next to the much larger Tirrenia Lines ferry (to Palermo).
The SNAV Lines hydrofoil departs from Mergellina, across town. I believe that the Ustica Lines hydrofoil also departs from Mergellina, but you should e-mail the company to confirm.
The SNAV service stops as of September 9, so your only options will be the Ustica Lines hydrofoil at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday September 10, or the SIREMAR car ferry on Tuesday, September 12. (Unfortunately, the car ferry from Naples departs only on Tuesday and Friday nights.)
If your travel dates are firm, it seems that the Ustica Lines hydrofoil is your only option. At nearly 73 Euros per person, it's quite expensive (but a twin cabin on the ferry will cost nearly 60 Euros per person in September, between Naples and Salina).
NOTE: Are you aware that there are two ports on Salina: Santa Marina (main port), and Rinella? I assume that you want to go to Santa Marina.
I personally have a very strong preference for the ferry (as I've noted in many postings on this website).
But in your case, you may end up on the hydrofoil because of schedule limitations.
P.S.: The hydrofoil is only about 100 feet in length and carries 240 passengers.
Italian media are reporting that, beginning next week, there will be FOUR (not two) weekly car ferries between Naples and the Aeolian Islands for the balance of the summer season (through September 30, 2006). One of the four weekly ferries will be the FAST FERRY "Scorpio" which will make one non-stop run to Lipari Island (only Lipari Island) in FOUR HOURS (this will be the absolutely fastest service to Lipari from Naples).
This last-minute accommodation was reached after a ferocious, fight-to-the-death lobbying effort mounted by civic authorities of Lipari to restore at least some of last year's summer ferry services between Naples and the Islands. Even so, the revised schedule for this year (which has yet to be posted on the Siremar website) will be one third than that of last summer (when there were six weekly ferries, of which two by Scorpio).
Keep looking at the Siremar website for the revised Naples to Aeolian Islands ferry schedules for summer 2006!
Notwithstanding the previous posting, and despite recent press reports in Italy of a seasonal increase in Siremar Lines ferry service between Naples and Lipari, this morning I received an e-mail direct from Siremar stating that "they have no information whatsoever" about any new schedules, nor the entry into service of SCORPIO!!!!!!! Looks like Siremar has not been talking to the press, or vice-versa!
So, for the time being, it appears that Siremar ferry service on this route is limited to twice weekly, per the published schedule on their website.
From what I was told there is only a span of about three weeks in August when they REALLY need more seats to the islands and then mostly weekend so I'll bet that would be the only time and then probably too expensive to get it "on line" for that...I would think it would have been deployed to some other market by now. Thanks GAC for the updates.
In similar vein, I note that Tirrenia Lines has supplemented its Palermo/Cagliari route for a mere seven weeks (mid-July through end-of-August) with one supplemental weekly crossing with CAPRICORN (Scorpio's sister ship), thereby adding 1800 seats once per week to the existing 600 on the "Toscana" hybrid ferry.
Remember too that SNAV, Ustica Lines and Alilauro Lines have hydrofoil/catamaran service to the Aeolian Islands from Naples throughout most of the summer months. This adds a minimum of 750 seats per day.
The large windows under the life boats (promenade deck) is the main lounge with cafe bar, tables (24), chairs (96), and sofas (24 seats). One deck below (also large windows) is the cafeteria (50 tables/200 chairs). Directly behind the main lounge (still on the promenade deck) is the reclining seat salon (200 seats). Directly behind and below the cafeteria (small windows) are the cabins (170, twin occupancy). The top deck in front of the funnels is the main sun deck with hard plastic benches. There is another, smaller, sun deck, also with hard plastic benches, directly behind the funnels. On this smaller sun deck is the unused, drained and roped off swimming pool.
It was fun to watch the port get ready for this ship to arrive in Panarea. We would get a seat on a roof terrace and watch the action...sort of romantic and old world and then it would take off silently into the sea. The slowness of the life on the islands is really neat...at least in June maybe not August.
From Naples, the ferry often leaves on time (21:00), and arrives at Stromboli (first stop) around 6 a.m. the following morning. From Stromboli, it's roughly one hour to each successive island (Panarea, Salina, Lipari). Calculate at least 20 minutes stop at each port.
Because of the huge size of the ship compared to the tiny dock, docking operations at arrival take considerably more time than with the older, smaller ferries. Nevertheless, the large ship is a welcome improvement for passengers, who will immensely enjoy the long open air promenade deck with its sweeping views of the islands.
Without question, the overnight ferry from Naples is the best introduction to the Aeolian Islands. Arriving at each island is a particularly memorable experience.
I can now get a ferry from Naples overnight to the Aeolian Islands, leaving on Saturday and arriving on Sunday. This is perfect! Am I wrong?
Edit: Oh wait. Actually, I am wrong! My Italian is very poor and evidently does not extend to days of the week.
What is the boat going on the Saturday to Lipari? Presumably I could just go to Lipari and stay overnight there that night and get to Salina for Sunday.
Can someone just confirm it is Napoli Beverello that the Siremar ferry departs from? We will be coming in on the Metro del Mare from Positano and will not have very long to change. If it's a case of getting from one port to another, this will be quite a close call!
