One of four near identical vessels, two of which I have reviewed numerous times, I was keen to undertake a journey aboard vessel number three - Moby Vincent, the former Stena Normandica of 1974.
Now in her 47th year, at the time of writing Moby Vincent operated the 6hr (day time) voyage from Nice in the South of France to Bastia in Corsica. As I happen to be in the area this would be the perfect opportunity for me to check her out.
Allow me to take you around this veteran ferry.
Curl up, get comfy and [virtually] come aboard
The time is 4am. Having arrived at the port several hours early for the ferry which departs early morning, all I can do is relax in the terminal until embarkation commences - or the sun comes up!
For those of you who have never been to Nice, the port is at the eastern end of the vast stretch of beach, partially hidden by a rocky outcrop which is illuminated at night.
The port itself has an eastern berth and around the bay a western berth with a marina in between the two.
Now, as regular readers will know from reading my blogs, I tend to not pre-plan my trips. To ensure no bias to any one operator, I tend to just rock up at the port and get on the first ferry which is leaving.
However, by not pre planning I had no idea what side of the harbour Moby operates from.
Fortunately for me Moby Vincent is moored at the western side of the harbour closest to the city which is where I have walked from; lit up like a Christmas tree with string lights between her mast and funnel, she couldn't be missed!
It was quite a spectacle walking along the promenade at 'silly o'clock' in the morning with her bow coming into view as I rounded the rocky outcrop between the beach and the port - seeing the giant head of 'Tweety Pie staring back at me!
Looney Tunes art work adorns the hulls of all Moby Lines vessels - I was very tired having had no sleep for 36hrs and so tanked up on coffee I thought I was hallucinating!
Being so early I took the opportunity of taking a short walk along the adjacent pier before going down to the terminal for more coffee to keep awake.
Moby Vincent's bow visor was raised and I could get my first glimpse of inside - her car decks appeared to be in good order; no visible signs of grime or damage.
Arriving at the entrance to the western dock I descend down the pedestrian path which runs alongside the road giving access to the dock. I am stopped by a security officer at the gate / marquee asking to see ID before allowing me to proceed to the terminal - a relatively small building located on the right hand side opposite the vehicle lanes and the vessel, which is moored starboard side to quay.
Below - the ramp giving access to the terminal via the security gate.
Below - the ferry terminal with the promenade & beach behind the rocky outcrop.
Below - sun coming up and embarkation about to commence.
Ironically Moby Vincent's sister ship, Corsica Marina Seconda, is on the berth at the eastern end of the harbour - a great photo opportunity!
The terminal building itself houses several seating areas, vending machines, TV screens and a children's play room.
Foot passenger embarkation commenced just as the sun started to appear over the cliffs at the eastern end of the harbour - we can now see Nice in all its beauty.
Let's board the ship.
Boarding ferries in Nice is 'Mediterranean style' meaning foot passengers embark via the ships' main car deck as there is no dedicated overhead gangway into the main accommodation deck.
We follow a brightly coloured painted yellow 'path' ensuring we do not fall into the sea (there are no railings between the ship and the quay so if travelling with children keep a tight hold of them).
Maintaining eye contact with the vehicle drivers to ensure we do not get run over as they board, we pass under the raised bow visor, walk along the lower vehicle deck, and ascend via Moby Vincent's central stair case to her accommodation deck.
Below - passengers and vehicles mixing on the narrow car ramp! Follow the yellow painted path and don't fall into the water!! Embarking a vessel is part of the adventure of travelling around Europe by sea.
Sorry for the blurred photographs - I kept looking behind me to ensure there were no cars about to run me over!
Embarking via her central staircase - very tight and constrained area, very 1970's - I love it!
Arriving at the main deck.
Navigation of Moby Vincent, as with her sisters, is easy.
All accommodation is on one deck - in this case Deck 7, though two decks of cabins are at the forward end below this one.
Let's go for an explore
The ships' reception can be found adjacent to the amid ships stairs which we've just ascended. Facing aft, this facility is open throughout the voyage. Personnel within are pleasant and helpful.
I enquired about some literature for this vessel - a 'welcome aboard' pamphlet or similar, and although no specific printed plans or information about Moby Vincent are available, they did give me a copy of the Moby Line brochure and showed me what facilities were aboard - going above and beyond; maybe they thought I was a travel blogger lol.
From here, as all the facilities are on one deck, we can either go forward or aft. Let's do the later.
The children's playroom dominates the amid-ship / aft section of this deck; those passing through do so at their own risk for fear of being hit by flying coloured plastic balls from the ball pool or by excitable children running around.
One section of this facility consists of a truly vast soft play area consisting of colourful padded walls, ball pool, slides and a sofa bench whilst the other is an empty area with a slightly raised stage; most children were laying in this area reading books and doing colouring.
At the extreme aft end of Deck 7 the large and spacious lounge bar can be found. Decorated in blue, this area exudes peace and relaxation.
The [almost] full width bar is located at the forward end and faces aft and has the drink section; hot and cold beverages plus alcohol on the starboard side and the snack section to port.
Strangely it is necessary to purchase drinks on the port side then re-join another queue on the starboard side to collect - very back to front which caused some confusion.
Snacks range from toasted baguettes to crisps.
The seating area consists of alcoves situated around three sides of the lounge adjacent to the windows and individual chairs clustered around tables.
A TV monitor showing French sport is located on the wall of the staircase which gives access to the exterior deck above.
Below-the stairs from the aforementioned bar giving access to the exterior deck.
We will come back to the exterior deck later, but first let's go back to the information desk, taking our lives in our hands passing the children's playroom and we can explore the forward end of Deck 7.
A long arcade (corridor) with gaming machines and window lined pullman chairs spans the length of Deck 7 along the ships' starboard side linking the aforementioned bar with the facilities at the forward end of this deck.
Passing the information desk we come to the self service cafeteria which dominates the amid ship/forward section of this deck.
The main counter is located portside aft and appeared to serve a good selection of products albeit at high prices.
The seating area is extensive - many patrons remaining here for the duration of the voyage even though food is only available at certain times.
Below, note the window centre top with views into the shop and the small corridor centre right which gives access to the toilets and the forward stairs.
Below, the aforementioned small corridor.
To get your baring's access to the shop is on the left, self service restaurant behind me and the staircase ahead of me.
Below: Another view of the cafeteria and adjoining arcade
The onboard shop provides puzzle books, novels and children's soft toys, all of which are in abundance. Unfortunately, no Moby Line souvenirs are available for purchase.
With regards to these forward stairs, if you go down you will find two decks of cabins - both of which are adjacent to the upper vehicle decks.
I did not sample a cabin on this voyage as it was a day time sailing and the weather was superb. However, here are some pictures of the cabins aboard sister ships Sardinia Vera (left) and Reine Astrid (right) which will give you a fair indication of what the cabins are like aboard this ship, Moby Vincent.
Returning to the forward stairs, if you continue walking up all the way to the top you will eventually come to the exterior deck, but I will show you around there shortly.
At the forward end of deck 7 is a bar/lounge, accessed from the forward stairwell.
The counter is amidships facing forward with sofas in cosy alcoves facing inwards around all three sides adjacent to the windows.
Decorated with red fabric and localised blue carpet with hard flooring around the bar, the décor is pleasant. A wall mounted TV on the forward/starboard corner shows French TV programmes and provides the only entertainment, other than watching the world go by through the numerous windows.
Moby Vincent has a relatively limited amount of exterior deck space primarily located around the port, starboard and aft sections of Deck 8 plus around the large funnel on Deck 9.
All decks are narrow and transiting around these areas was obstructed by dogs lounging in the hot Mediterranean sun and by random sun-lounges blocking the way. However, I personally loved this - ferry travel of a bygone era.
If the Mediterranean sun is too hot, then kennels are available on Deck 8 for your four legged fury friend.
Plastic benches featuring life saving equipment underneath dominate the aft end of Deck 8. They are less comfortable than the wooden deck chairs found elsewhere however, they are still welcome on a long hot voyage.
An excellent and very much appreciated feature of the exterior deck is the bar located at the aft end of Deck 8 under the shelter.
The ice cold bottled beers go down way too easily when you are lounging out on deck in the hot summer sun, watching the beautiful blue Mediterranean Sea passing by and, if you are lucky like I was, watching dolphins playing in the ships' wake. That's right, dolphins!
Below - dolphin spotting!
In the unlikely event of poor weather, or perhaps you simply wish to sit in a quiet and cool environment, you will find a Pullman Lounge positioned on the upper deck just forward of the funnel.
Below - access to the pullman lounge via a set of double doors on the exterior deck.
Accessed via the exterior decks and the ships' central stairwell, this area has (mainly) forward facing seats decorated in blue in a (highly) air conditioned environment.
The floor to ceiling windows overlooking the port/starboard side lifeboats are tinted blue giving a turquoise coloured haze within which I found highly unpleasant and gave me a real headache!
In closing it was so refreshing to travel aboard a classic / old style / traditional car ferry.
Now in her 47th year (!!) internally she appears to be very well cared for with a choice of bars and lounges, a large informal dining area and excellent children's facilities.
Moby Vincent did not feel cramped, although many passengers were out on deck so on a night time crossing or when the weather is less favourable things may be different. As such, I would recommend hiring a cabin to have some personal space.
Moby Vincent does have a certain charm not least owing to the gentle rumble of her engines, the 'fuel smell' from her funnel and noisy vents around the exterior decks - it brings back memories from my childhood when ships were smaller and 'cruise ferries' were never heard of.
A classic no frills vessel but, a real pleasure to cross the Mediterranean Sea!
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