The first question I am asked when I say I am visiting Tasmania is how to get from Melbourne to Tasmania – Do I take a plane or the Spirit of Tasmania?

These are the only two options to Tasmania and, until I had kids, I have always said the plane.  It is quick (only about an hour) and seemed easier.  However, in the last few years I thought twice. We tend to go over for longer than a weekend now, I sometimes travel down alone with young kids – try navigating an airport with three young kid and luggage alone! – and worrying about three car seats and car hire is a nightmare.

The idea of hopping in our own car, with our own car seats and everything we need and not dealing with airports is incredibly attractive, so I am now a big fan of taking the Spirit of Tasmania. As an extra bonus, there are often great sale fares which I’ve even found available in school holidays and kids under 3 are free.

Below, you will find our Spirit of Tasmania review which is based on our experiences on the Spirit of Tasmania with our kids (and without) including Spirit of Tasmania night sailings and day sailings…

I first wrote this article in 2014 and I updated it in December 2016 with details about the newly refurbished ship which is looking better than ever.

The Spirit of Tasmania Review

The Spirit of Tasmania sails between Melbourne and Devonport, on the North West coast of Tasmania.

If you are wondering how long is the Spirit of Tasmania trip, it’s about 9-11 hours.  There are night sailings year round with Spirit of Tasmania day sailings at busier times. When there are day sailings, the Spirit takes closer to 9 hours. Where there is just a Spirit of Tasmania night sailing, it takes closer to 11 hours.

I have taken night sailings at various times of year as well as day sailings. When it was just me, I preferred the night sailing. I found the day sailing very boring and I didn’t like that it wasted time.

However with kids, I am a bigger fan of the Spirit of Tasmania day sailing, especially since when these are running, the night sailings are just far too short with small kids. Taking off at 9pm to arrive by 6am is too quick and we all end up tired and grumpy. Day sailings are usually cheaper as well.

I find enjoyment of the night sailing in Spirit of Tasmania reviews depends on the time of year. I find it much more enjoyable on an 11 hour night sailing than the 9 hour one in summer. It’s just too short and I leave the ship exhausted when doing it with kids. Our latest night sailing in December had us being woken up at 4:45am to get off.

Our night sailings in winter (when they are longer) were much more enjoyable.

When working out how long does it take to get to Tasmania, also remember that you finish the journey in Devonport. If your end destination is down south, like Hobart, then you will have another 3 hours drive on arrival.

Checking in

We always arrive about 1.75-1.25 hours before the ship is due to depart. You need to arrive at least 45 minutes before. We have always found check in to be very smooth and easy and haven’t waited more than half an hour to board. There is no need to leave the car during the process (if you are taking your car of course!).

Once it is time to board, we drive straight on to the ship (much to the delight of the kids) and are directed to where to park. There are many doors leading into the ship itself and it only takes a few minutes to walk up the flights of stairs to the deck with cabins. Make sure you take note which door your car is closest to – the level and the colour!

Accommodation

There are several options on the ship. There are reclining chairs, inside cabins, outside cabins and suites. You do not have to book a cabin and these are an extra cost on top of the ticket price. With the 5 of us including a 6 month old, it would have been crazy not to pay for one as it is not much extra.

For night journeys, we recommend an inside cabin. In our experience, these are much bigger than an outside cabin and there is no need for a window anyway since the trip isn’t very long and in the dark for a lot of the year.

If you need a cot (which is provided for under 3’s) then you definitely want an inside cabin. They don’t really fit in an outside one.

For a day sailing, we do like an outside cabin. It’s nice having the daylight (and there is a good black out curtain for when bub is sleeping) and the smaller space is not as important when we have less luggage. Do keep in mind there is basically no room for bags in these cabins.

I actually tried to book a suite for our latest day sailing as they did not cost much more and the extra space seemed more valuable than extra beds. It did not let me as I was booking for more than two people.

If I had been booking for Josh as well (I was just booking for me and the three kids), I would have put us in two separate bookings so I could have booked the suite. I think this might have worked better and is worth considering.

All our cabins have been simple with two bunk beds, a fold out cot (included free), a chair, stool and desk areas as well as a private bathroom. I was surprised by the amount of space in the inside cabin. I thought we would feel squashed with our luggage and the cot, but there was plenty of space. I am not sure if they are all the same size as our photo above, but they have been in our experience.

Here’s a look around our outside cabin…

The fold out cot is small – our two year old boy fit in it ok, but he was able to get in and out of it which he did repeatedly, and it drove us crazy. It was perfect when we sailed more recently with our 6 month old.

Inside the Spirit of Tasmania

If you are wondering what to do on the Spirit of Tasmania, don’t worry. There are plenty of things to do on the Spirit of Tasmania given the short time you are on board if you are on a night crossing. In fact, I was disappointed I didn’t have longer to enjoy it since we needed to get the kids to bed pretty much as soon as we boarded.

Inside the Spirit of Tasmania, there are bars, a restaurant, cinema, shop, tourist information centre, an ATM (but only when the ship is in port), pokies, games arcade and a kids’ play area.

I’m particularly a fan of the new play area as it’s a good size and right next to a bar with the opportunity to get snacks like pizza.

Another of the Spirit of Tasmania things to do is the cinema. The cinema always seems to be showing 2-3 movies across two different cinemas. A kids’ movie to start with and then an adult one. There is a cost associated with watching a movie – $10 for adults and $5 for kids.

I wished on the day sailing that they didn’t only play kids movies first thing in the morning at 9:30am. I would have liked the opportunity to take them to one later in the crossing when they needed some down time.

I particularly find the tourist information centre handy. I like to spend the evenings on trips to Tasmania reading brochures. I had a great surprise one time when I opened one that actually talked about some of my ancestors.

There is a lovely upper deck area with many seats including lounge chairs. The kids’ area is located at one end and it’s the best part of the ship in my opinion. Unfortunately, many people did set up here for the day on our day sailing, but there was still enough space.

Eating on the Spirit of Tasmania

On a night crossing, we find it easier to eat before boarding. However, this is a restaurant on board, TMK (Tasmanian Market Kitchen) as well as some places where you can buy “snacks” like pizza. There’s also a shop with food like sandwiches.

We had a great lunch in TMK on our day sailing. I think it’s good value for a family as it’s free for kids under 5 who eat with an adult and older kids are $10 (adults $24.50). You get to fill a plate up with whatever you like and we found the food to be high quality.

Disembarking

If I thought getting on the Spirit of Tasmania was easy, getting off was even easier. For night sailings, I have been woken up with announcements about 45 minutes before we arrived. They then called people to the vehicle decks when it was time to get off. By the time we made it in to our car, it was time to drive straight off.

In Tasmania, you have to go through a checkpoint as you are not allowed to bring fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood and probably some other food items into the state. This is quick and easy.

Spirit of Tasmania costs

The cost of the Spirit of Tasmania for us was about $800 in total for 2 adults, 2 kids, 1 infant and 1 car to Tasmania return on our most recent trip which was in peak season right before Christmas. The Spirit of Tasmania prices were a couple of hundred dollars less previously in the winter school holidays.  I think this is fabulous value.

If we were able to book a great flight special (difficult in school holidays) then flying would be cheaper.  However, we would still need to hire a car and car seats which would make that proposition more expensive than the Spirit of Tasmania.

If you have a two year old then you have an extra cost saving when it comes to the Spirit of Tasmania price.  Two year olds have to have a paid ticket on a plane, but under 3’s are free on the Spirit of Tasmania, so it can be especially good value for people with two year olds. Portable cribs are supplied for free.

If you are thinking about taking the Spirit of Tasmania and want cheap Spirit of Tasmania tickets then I suggest you sign up for their travel club and they will email you their specials.

Spirit of Tasmania with kids?

The kids love taking the Spirit of Tasmania.  It is exciting and different and they have no problems at all – except with going to sleep.  This was the one problem we had.  The Spirit of Tasmania departed about their usual bed time, but they were far too excited to go to bed.  They loved every moment of it, so sleep was a battle.  They were a bit grumpy the following day.

Our latest trip was with our 6 month old which was more challenging. He barely slept – and I discovered that you can fit 4 people on the two lower bunk beds when he would only sleep on me! We arrived early and had to get up at 4:45am. It did not make for a fun day!

On day sailings, there are entertainers roaming the ship that are great with kids. We saw a juggler (who also taught the kids how to do it themselves), face painter and musician.

Our verdict?

I only have positive things to say about catching the Spirit of Tasmania.  It is very easy, and we have fun.  I have caught it back with just me and two kids, and I had no dramas at all.  It is definitely far easier than navigating airports and check in formalities with two preschoolers and all our things.

It is also great to arrive in Tasmania with our own car and car seats.  It makes me wonder why it took me so long to go on the Spirit of Tasmania, and I imagine this will be the main way we travel to Tasmania from now on.

In the peak season, however, when the journeys are shorter, I do find the night sailing challenging. There just isn’t enough time to sleep. Otherwise, I have no hesitation in recommending a journey on the Spirit.

Need some Tasmanian inspiration? Check out my guide to the top 25 things to see in Tasmania – the ultimate bucket list! 

Have you caught the Spirit of Tasmania? Anything to add?

Tags:  Australia Travel Blog