Malta - British Expat Forum

We are moving to Malta from Spain in a few weeks and plan to take the Genoa to Malta ferry. We are bring cats and dogs with us.

Has anyone travelled on this ferry with animals? Having read a few comments regarding the cleanliness and poor service, we are a bit anxious that all will be ok with the animal facilities.

Any experiences - good or bad - gratefully received!

Sorry, I don't have any info for you, but I'd be grateful if you would tell us all about how your trip goes as I would like to try this route sometime and no one seems to know much about it.

PJ

I'll ask around at Gozo SPCA to see if anyone has done this

Many thanks for looking into this gozomark. We are not too bothered about the facilities for ourselves, but want to ensure they cater adequately for our pets.

In any case,we will post a report here after we have completed the journey.

I have done a drive from Lisbon to Malta and used the Napoli to Sicily ferry, with a dog.
I guess it is probably the same ferry company which for me was fine.
The animals were locked up in kennels on the open area of the ferry - or the aft of the vessel as I was told where to go.
The area was clean, the kennels were equally clean and you are provided with a lock & key for the kennel.

received the following from a Gozo SPCA member

We use the Genoa- Malta ferry twice a year and although we have no pets see where they are kept. The pets are not allowed in the cabins or public areas inside , They have big enclosures on the top deck . We see people with their dogs , cats sitting outside . Everyone we have spoken too seem happy with the arrangements. The owners have free access to there pets at all times.

Thanks for that - it has given us peace of mind. For all who are interested in this route, we will post a report after completing the journey.

Hi all. We are glad to report that we all survived this journey. For those who expressed an interest in the route, here are the details.

Firstly animals. We took 2 GNV ferries. The first from Barcelona (the Tenacia) had appalling conditions for pets. Basically, accomodation was a wooden box on legs, screwed to the floor of the top deck at the back of the boat and available for all passengers to walk up to. There isn't much protection from the elements either once at sea. We ended up fixing towels over the wire front as it was wet and windy overnight. The second ferry from Genoa (the Splendid) was better in that cages were inside with some ventilation and light. They are on the small side if you have 2 larger dogs who want to stay together. There is a separate room for smaller animals but those cages are tiny. We ended up putting our cats in the dogs room, so we could fit in their carry case and a litter tray. If you want to take this route with pets, my advice is to check which boat is running.

If you are travelling from Genoa, it's best to get there early (or very last minute to avoid the queues at check in!). We were directed to the far end of the port, away from the nice shopping centre, so the next tip is to stock up on any food and drink before going quayside (like we should have done!). You have to go to a terminal building to check in and to complete a landing card for Tunis (even if you do not disembark there). All cars bound for Malta are stored in a corner of a higher car deck so they don't get in the way of those leaving at Tunis. Good parking skills are a prerequisite...

The ferry itself is a bit dirty and shabby, as pointed out in earlier threads and half the facilities are not open. We were looking forward to a relaxing evening after travelling for 3 days, with a nice meal and a glass of wine. The restaurant was not open at all during the voyage. The cafeteria was only open for an hour or so 3 times a day. By the time we had unloaded and settled the animals and had a shower after boarding, it was closed! There is a bar that is open 24/7 and serves pizza slices, pastries and ciabattas and a small shop that opens for a couple of hours a day. All other facilities were shut. When other passengers complained at the lack of facilities and the general condition of the boat, the reason given was the "clientele" on that particular route.....

Final point is that the boat apparently never arrives in Malta on time (advertised as 8.30am - we finally docked at 2pm), so don't make any plans for that day.

This does read like a lot of negatives, but for us, the convenience of not having to drive through Italy and Sicily - especially having driven from Marbella to Barcelona with 2 cars, 2 dogs and 2 cats - outways these little niggles.


After speaking to some people who regularly do the route, the best way to survive is to book a cabin (we had a standard exterior and it was a very good size), pack a large bag of food and drink (both are extremely expensive on the boat and not that good) and plenty to entertain yourself

Hi Viking

Many thanks for getting back to us with all this useful info. Much appreciated.

Kay

(We'll make it a sticky.)

Hi Viking, thanks for that.

Did you have an emergency drill whilst on board?

Not that I can recall - unless they announced something while we were on top deck with the animals or in the cabin. The tanoy wasn't very clear in either area. They certainly didn't summon us all to watch a video or give a demonstration of the signal given in an emergency.

OK thx.

reason I asked was that when I was on Splendide a while back they had a kind of drill that was a real shambles and I wondered if it had improved. I suppose the drill is a irregular occurrence though it sounds like they didn't even give you a briefing.

The only thing you need to know really is that when the crew get into lifeboats, it is a good time to join them.