The Internet Said This Ferry Was a Nightmare. We Tried It Anyway

After booking, we made the mistake of reading the reviews.

“Worst boat ride ever.”

“Nightmare.”

“Run away.”

According to the internet, this wasn’t a ferry. It was eight hours of human suffering floating across the Adriatic. To say these words were not encouraging would be an understatement.

We’d read that this ferry could cut nearly two days of driving out of the journey between Amsterdam and Istanbul. Since we were traveling with Bindi, eight hours on a boat sounded a lot more appealing than two extra days in the car.

We had already bought our tickets and committed to the adventure, so we asked ourselves, “How bad could it really be?” and we arrived, expecting the worst.

The terminal at Igoumenitsa is best described as chaotic. Mehmet went inside to figure out where we were supposed to check in and came back saying we all needed to go in, including Bindi.

​That was easier said than done. Three huge stray dogs were sleeping right in front of the terminal entrance. They weren’t bothering anyone, but the moment they spotted Bindi, they all jumped up barking. We scooped her into our arms and hurried inside.

​We presented our passports and reservation information. The woman at the desk printed our tickets, rambled off something in Greek that we could not understand, and shooed us away.

​Confused, we did what everyone else seemed to be doing and followed the stream of cars toward the port, hoping we’d eventually end up in the right place.

​There were multiple boats, no clear indication of which one was ours, people attempting to direct traffic, and a bunch of other cars just as confused as we were. Every few meters, someone would glance at our ticket, point us farther ahead, and send us on to the next person. Somehow, after enough pointing, waving, and hoping, we found ourselves in the correct boarding lane.

​Once onboard, we parked the car, grabbed everything we’d need for the next eight hours - backpacks, food, Bindi’s bag - and headed upstairs. One thing we learned: once the ferry leaves port, you can’t go back to your car, so make sure you bring everything you’ll want for the journey.

​We made our way up the narrow stairs to the decks. When booking, it sounded to us like dogs are only allowed in the specific dog-friendly cabins, and not in the public spaces on the boat, so we had booked a dog-friendly cabin and planned to hunker down in there.

​With all the reviews about dirty floors, unwashed sheets, and filth, we had expected the worst. But, honestly, the room was not bad at all. Dare I say it was even kind of good? Nothing luxurious, but definitely better than an economy seat on a plane.

​We had two twin sized beds, with sheets that appeared to be fresh, a bathroom with a toilet and a shower, stocked with toiletries and towels, and we had paid 15 euros extra for a window, giving us some natural light and a view of the sea. Overall, not bad at all.

​We settled in and decided to take turns exploring around the boat, since we were under the impression that Bindi had to stay in the cabin. Mehmet went first and after only five minutes came back to tell me there were dogs everywhere, and that he was pretty sure it would be fine if we all went.

​It turns out the dogs-in-cabin rule is either not a rule, or not enforced, because there really were dogs everywhere. Sleeping dogs, barking dogs, overly excited dogs. So. many. dogs. So the three of us set out to explore together.

​We followed the signs to the pet relief area, which was basically just a small square of astroturf and a trash can, but it served its purpose.

​The boat had far more going on than we’d expected: cafés, a restaurant, outdoor seating, a small convenience shop, and even more unexpectedly, a casino.

​We ordered some coffees and sat on the outside deck for a bit to enjoy them, and honestly, it was pretty lovely. I was starting to think that either we were having a uniquely positive experience, or those other reviews were very dramatic.

​For research purposes, we even decided to check out the food on board. There were a number of options that looked perfectly edible - moussaka, various meats, salads. We got a plate of chicken with some rice and vegetables. At 20 euros, it was a bit pricey, but it wasn’t bad.

​At this point we’d been onboard for several hours. We’d had coffee, explored the decks, eaten lunch, taken a nap, and nothing terrible had happened. I started wondering whether we’d somehow boarded a completely different ferry than everyone else on the internet.

Just when it seemed like everything was going smoothly, we got a taste of what all of those reviews had warned us about.

Suddenly, a speaker went off, announcing that guests in cabins were asked to leave their rooms and move to a common area for the remainder of the journey. This seemed weird as there were still at least two hours left until we reached the shore. We figured we must have misunderstood, or something was lost in translation, and we stayed put.

Then, someone came aggressively knocking on our door, followed by a cleaning cart, saying we needed to get out so they could clean the rooms. Confused, we quickly packed up all of our stuff and headed out into the hallway.

The common areas were now packed with others like us who had to leave the comfort of their cabins and carry their bags, pets, and families along with them.

For the next couple hours, everyone just waited. Families sat on the floor surrounded by suitcases. Dogs barked. Babies cried. Imagine catching everyone in their most uncomfortable travel moment, and then making all of those people wait in a small space for an uncertain period of time.

While we had our own bathroom in our cabin, our only option now was to use the public toilets on the boat, and let’s just say those had definitely seen better days. Next time I will be packing a spare roll of toilet paper and extra hand sanitizer.

Every once in a while one of us would meander outside and try to gauge how close we were to land, as if we could really tell.

Finally, the boat docked, and we were told we could go down to our cars. The mad rush of frustrated people ensued. De-boarding was slow, but generally orderly, and we had arrived just about on time.

Once we were off the boat, there was a quick check at Italian customs, and then we were on our way.

We’ve taken this ferry four times now. Not every crossing has gone as smoothly as the first - once it was cancelled two hours before departure because of a strike; another time we sat onboard for hours waiting to dock. Still, it remains the easiest way to travel to Greece and beyond with Bindi.

It’s not luxurious, and there are definitely a few frustrating moments, but it’s nowhere near the floating disaster the internet makes it out to be. If the alternative is two extra days of driving, I’d pick the ferry every time.