Bari to Dubrovnik Via Boat — The Forgetful Traveler

To preface, we put the cart before the horse when planning our Positano to Dubrovnik portion of our trip.

CHECK THE SAILING SCHEDULE SILLY

We somewhat failed by not doing our homework regarding the frequency of the Bari to Dubrovnik crossing. Service ramps-up the summer months, but we were traveling just prior to the rush of travelers. There is just one ferry company that makes the crossing, Jadrolinija. Jadrolinija's passenger and vehicle ship goes from Bari to Dubrovnik Tuesdays and Saturdays in May. The check-out day of our Positano apartment was Friday. By the time we realized this, we could not extend our stay one night.

This hiccup was exacerbated by the ferry line because Jadrolinija did not have their 2018 schedule posted in November 2017. They were very responsive via email letting me know the 2018 schedule would go online at the end of January.

Deb sent me a frantic text to book our cabins, like, RIGHT NOW. She was on the website; based on her accommodation searches, it seemed that 2-berth cabins were selling-out online. Deb and Steve were able to get a 2 berth cabin with no bathroom. She was right, I couldn’t reserve anything except two seats; they’re similar to tour bus seats. I did not want to travel overnight in seats!

Immediately, I emailed the same contact who had responded to my schedule inquiry.

Ana responded the next business day, asked what type of accommodation we wanted and booked our cabins. We filled-out some paperwork and sent passport and payment information. I sent the information securely with an encrypted PDF. We did Chris and Cara a solid by including them in our accommodation inquiry.

In the end, the Knights and the Raymond-Fishers each had their own 4-berth cabin (much roomier) with private bathroom and shower. Crisis averted quite easily - does that actually make it a crisis or was it just a freak-out?

READ JADROLINIJA'S FINE PRINT

Anyone taking the Bari to Dubrovnik ferry needs to read their purchase confirmation entirely. There is important information about your boarding ticket. Your receipt is NOT your boarding ticket. To receive your boarding ticket, you first must go to the Jadrolinija sales office at the Port of Bari. Consider it part of the boarding process; have all of your travel belongings with you.

Once you receive your boarding credentials, stay put and a bus will shuttle you to the Jadrolinija ship about ¾ miles away. At the dock, there is an enclosure for waiting and passport control. We cued-up, waited, started moving, got our passports stamped and boarded the ship.

Standing in front of the ship's reception desk where room keys are distributed.

FUN TIMES ON THE FERRY

Friendly folks were positioned along the way to guide us to check-in where we received our room keys. All went seamlessly! Dave and I had a cozy cabin. It looked like a prison cell, but it had clean beds, a bathroom with shower and plenty of room. Grateful to have a bed and privacy! The ship had a dining room, bar, snack area, observation decks and seating areas.

We met our buds in the dining room. Dinner service was underway at least an hour before the ship left the dock. I had vegetable soup and a cucumber salad - tasty! The restaurant accepted kuna (the basic monetary unit of Croatia) and credit cards. Our server was so sweet; he was a big guy with a perspiration problem, which was amplified by his heavy uniform and the quick pace. Bless his heart.

Guess what we did next?
We hit the bar (duh) where we spotted Rachel and Dudley. Rachel and Dudley are a lovely couple from the UK we met while waiting on the ferry’s passport line. We all sat together chatting about where we were headed, where we came from, what we do - and Donald Trump. :/ Rachel and Dudley were on their way to meet-up with Dudley’s parents who live in Croatia. They own a sailboat; the foursome were going sailing around the Adriatic. What an adventure! After an hour or two and a few shots of limoncello, courtesy of Cara and made by Mama Luisa, we parted ways around 11pm. Our ship would dock at 7am.

In our 4-berth cabin. The 2 upper berths are folded away.

The night’s voyage went really well. I set my alarm for 6am. I wanted to be cleaned-up and caffeinated with ample time to get on deck to enjoy the view. Dave hit the dining room. I ordered a cappuccino in the bar and headed outside to watch our arrival. I was welcomed by blue skies, sunshine and sparkling water. Dubrovnik, we have arrived!