Anyone taken their camper aboard the Spirit of Tasmania ?

[D4D]

See this pic from earlier in the thread, you'll be fine it will just cost a fortune as you'll be over height and width, 2.1 is the standad height i think.

[WogsRus]

I just did the ferry picking up my camper, i really don't mind it, i tend to be the only one going over and buy a recliner seat. I then sleep on the upper deck in my swag.

It cost me about $400 all up as it was off peak season each way for one person, camper was about $230 or so each way.

unless you have a VERY big snorkel, your going to have to get on the boat. LOL.

[LC]

Be like a bus mans holiday for you. Did you resist going to the bridge 

Hey Carl - I had to go to the bridge, we got on in Devonport, came up the coast to Sydney, then I put the ship in the dry dock for them!

[CRW]

Hey Carl - I had to go to the bridge, we got on in Devonport, came up the coast to Sydney, then I put the ship in the dry dock for them!

You just cant keep some people away

[Wandering Tassie]

Hi, living in Tassie we do the trip across on the boat every year.
You will not have any issues and gas bottles are ok.
In Melbourne you drive on the front of the ship and in Devonport you drive off the back. Or should that be the pointy end and blunt end.
This means no turning around or reversing to worry about.
It usually takes about an hour in the que to get loaded but all runs smoothly.
Hope this helps.

Trevor
 

[austastar]

Hi,
  I flew to Melb in May to pick up a new Defender and came back on the SpoT. Being early in the queue, I got stuck down stairs in the very pointy end with some other small cars. Needed about a 15 point turn to get back out as down there you come back up to the main deck the same way as you go down.
Travelling by myself for the first time on this series of ferries, I wasn't too sure of the layout for the lounge chairs and was going to take a lilo, but at the last minute didn't. - Error!
There are safety signs every where saying you can't sleep on the floor, but a lot of people do, the chairs, though comfy to sit in, are not easy to sleep in, and there are always noisy people in the lounge area.
If you are by yourself, swag it on the 5th deck I think it is, lots of empty space and benches up there.
Don't take too much stuff for the trip upstairs with you if you don't have a cabin, there is no where to store it except on your seat, which is behind locked doors, every body with a seat though has a pass card.
Seated passengers don't have access to showers either, or at least I was unable to find them. The showers were open to all on the other boats, SpoT has en-suites in the cabins.
Check the prices of various options, cheaper in winter, bit more in spring/autumn, peak season is summer.
Check prices of cabin for 4 if you have family with you, it may be cheaper to fly them down to Devonport or Launceston and travel solo as a lounge chair seat.
You will have a ball down here, distances are short, plenty of variety in the landscapes.
cheers

[blaze]

Hi,
  I flew to Melb in May to pick up a new Defender and came back on the SpoT. Being early in the queue, I got stuck down stairs in the very pointy end with some other small cars. Needed about a 15 point turn to get back out as down there you come back up to the main deck the same way as you go down.
Travelling by myself for the first time on this series of ferries, I wasn't too sure of the layout for the lounge chairs and was going to take a lilo, but at the last minute didn't. - Error!
There are safety signs every where saying you can't sleep on the floor, but a lot of people do, the chairs, though comfy to sit in, are not easy to sleep in, and there are always noisy people in the lounge area.
If you are by yourself, swag it on the 5th deck I think it is, lots of empty space and benches up there.
Don't take too much stuff for the trip upstairs with you if you don't have a cabin, there is no where to store it except on your seat, which is behind locked doors, every body with a seat though has a pass card.
Seated passengers don't have access to showers either, or at least I was unable to find them. The showers were open to all on the other boats, SpoT has en-suites in the cabins.
Check the prices of various options, cheaper in winter, bit more in spring/autumn, peak season is summer.
Check prices of cabin for 4 if you have family with you, it may be cheaper to fly them down to Devonport or Launceston and travel solo as a lounge chair seat.
You will have a ball down here, distances are short, plenty of variety in the landscapes.
cheers

I also sleep on the benches, Just take a sleeping back and a small bag with a towel etc. There is a shower up on the 9th deck that is common access, thats what I use.
Normal do 3 or 4 trips a year, 90% would be smooth sailings
cheers
blaze

[GU Rich]

Great info guys.
Cheers
Rich

[austastar]

There is a shower up on the 9th deck that is common access, thats what I use.

Hi,
   thanks for the info. Is the shower in the Gents down the back on the Left side? I'm just looking at the Ship Directory that came with my ticket.

cheers

[blaze]

Hi,
   thanks for the info. Is the shower in the Gents down the back on the Left side? I'm just looking at the Ship Directory that came with my ticket.

cheers

Been a while, starboard side about mid ship, 9th deck (the highest public access deck, I think its 9th). There is a bar right up the front (seems to only be open some trips) slight to port side of centre. Then there is quite a large seating area with with lounge and bench type seating that goes right across the vessel. Then the building/ rooms ect start and this is where they are, about 20 foot into them. Havnt been for a trip this year but booked for 27th january for a 10 -12 months trip on the island to the north.
 When the wife travels on the boat with me we then use a cabin but I sleep better on the benchs on the 8th deck, I settle down in my sleeping bag 10 and security leave you alone then, so if looking for me its on the long benchs just near the toilets on the port side
cheers
blaze

[Cloud Basher]

Just came over to tassie in the hunky on Thursday night/Friday morning to pick the family up and take them back to Sydney. Going back on Sunday night. I got the recliner chair ticket and what a waste. About as comfy as an economy seat on Qantas although it does recline a bit more. About 2am after not being able to sleep I went down to deck 7 and slept on a couch. Won't be wasting my money on one of them again. It was also the roughest crossing I have been on with 4m seas. A few people were sick. As for height of vehicle they ask if you are less than or more than 2.1m in height. We are taking my truck and a trailer back along with wires car and motorbike trailer. And we are getting a cabin. Might even get some sleep this time.

Cheers
CB

[Yoda42]

Pretty much everything has been said, although I can add something about taking your dogs over.

They have cages on the decks to put them in, but they are not lockable, and you are not permitted onto the car decks once on board. SoT claim they check on the dogs during the cruise, but there is no allocated cage system just a first in first served, so if something went wrong there is no way for them to contact you!

And as it's madness for departure, you have to hope like hell nobody is going to do the unthinkable and steal your dog, or think it a bit of a laugh to get them out to have them run amok.

We didn't know this on the way over, and as a precaution on the way back we added our contact details to the boys' collars that included our room number, seeing that a mobile phone is going to be useless once out of the harbours. We weren't at all impressed at how SoT handle this, but I suspect it's done like this because they don't actually WANT you to bring your dogs over, without prohibiting it

[LC]

seeing that a mobile phone is going to be useless once out of the harbours.

Telstra 3g network covers all of bass straight i.e. your phone will work for the entire crossing (or at least mine does!)

[austastar]

Telstra 3g network covers all of bass straight i.e. your phone will work for the entire crossing (or at least mine does!)

8<------------------------
"Passengers can now use ATMs, shop with EFTPOS and get uninterrupted mobile
coverage and fast wireless broadband during the Melbourne to Devonport
journey,"
8<------------------------

Link

I'm not sure how far inside the ship this applies to. On the vehicle deck in Melbourne (2004) we had no CDMA coverage till the doors were opened.

cheers

[WogsRus]

you can call on the boat until you leave the headlands on any phone, after that nothing. The ATM only works whilst in dock.

[Cloud Basher]

On Thursday night on the way over my iPhone worked the entire way on the boat over. However I was not in the middle of the ship. I was either in the chair part at the stern or the lounge on level 7. Couldn't believe it!

Cheers
CB