We booked passage on a Grimaldi Lines ferry from Barcelona to Civitavecchia (near Rome) as we thought this would be a fun way to travel, spending a day on the Mediterranean. This was the worst travel experience we have ever had. The boat left almost two hours late (at 1:45AM) with no explanation. We booked a "junior suite" to have a bed and private toilet/shower, and it was absolutely filthy. Tons of dirt and trash under the bed, dirty sink and shower. We had two towels, one of which was shredded at one end and the other had blue toothpaste stains. We were kicked out of the suite three hours before arrival so that it could be prepared for the next journey, and had to spend that part of the trip on a deck with all the other passengers. Food was terrible and overpriced. People without a cabin were sleeping in the aisles, windowsills and everywhere you can imagine. Public toilets were gross. People were letting their dogs use the upper deck as a toilet. Staff was unfriendly and uncaring. One person to check in all the passengers, and the disembarkment process was a nightmare. Couldn't tell us what time we would arrive in Italy which made it impossible to obtain transportation to our overnight hotel before going on to Rome. We ended up arriving at 1:30AM, almost four hours later than scheduled and had to walk more than a mile, uphill, with our luggage. I wish I had read reviews of this company before booking, as they are not good. Just posting this as a suggestion to others, look into your options before booking with this company.
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