Posts Tagged ‘Croatia’
March 5th, 2010 | 
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It’s been a long wait but the Jadrolinija’s local ferry schedules are finally available. Today the Croatian Ministry of Transport confirmed that there have been cutbacks on some local routes this spring for budgetary reasons. Except for the coastal ferry, all lines are running although somewhat less frequently than last year. In the same statement, the government noted that there will be no cutbacks in the summer schedule. Well, that’s a big relief for travellers!
My popular downloadable ferry guide is now available and you’ll find most other schedules on the relevant ferry sections. You can search here but I think you’ll find that the ferry guide is much more convenient AND it includes FREE UPDATES throughout the year. See more.
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Jadrolinija may have its problems, but VeneziaLines is right on target in releasing its catamaran schedules from Venice to Piran, Porec, Pula, Rovinj and Rabac. Service starts in early April and runs to the beginning of October on some lines. See the schedules and book online here.
On their website today, Jadrolinija stated that the February ferry schedules are good through March 7. That’s good if you’re planning a trip to Croatia next week but unhelpful if your trip is later on.
What gives? A Jadrolinija spokesperson indicated to me last month that the state-owned company was awaiting government approval for proposed ferry lines for the rest of 2010. That approval is taking much longer than I would have expected so I contacted the Ministry responsible for handling sea traffic.
In response, I received an email politely pointing out that the original intention was to approve a schedule valid for the entire year but that “serious problems” with the state budget made it impossible to cover such a yearly schedule. The issue should be resolved in the “nearest future”.
What does that mean? I think it may mean fewer ferries to various Croatian islands, especially to less-visited islands. Notice that the coastal ferry, which has been chugging up and down the coast twice a week for about 40 years has been suspended through May. Clearly, a financially-strapped government is looking to economize as much as possible without damaging its vital tourist business.
All we can do is watch and wait.
This is important news for anyone planning to take the Jadrolinija coastal ferry this winter. The company has just announced that this route, which goes from Rijeka to Split, Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik and on to Bari has been suspended through February. Although the company has characterized the suspension as “temporary”, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the line will not start again until June. Remember that the Jadrolinija company is state-owned and Croatia is mired in an economic crisis. Since the opening of the Rijeka-Split highway, the coastal ferry line has seen a steep drop in passengers. Most likely, the government simply cannot afford to subsidize this line when passengers are so scarce.
Today’s Timesonline has a useful article about cruising the Croatian coast with kids in tow. Writer Mark Solomans cruised the coast in a gulet last summer and made some interesting points even if you don’t have kids. Here are the main points:
- There’s a mixture of nationalities on these small boats which adds an international flavour
- Cruising is informal; “there’s no need to pack socks or long trousers let alone a dinner jacket”
- Vegetarians can be accommodated but the main diet is seafood “including fish caught that morning yards from the boat, swimming in the sea,”
- It’s safe for kids with a “boat/ship (who cares?) small enough for the children to be able to jump off the sides into the sea”
- Costs are reasonable; “It’s still outside the Eurozone so you can still get a main course for under a tenner in the restaurants though the local wine tends to be pricey for anything decent”
- Tipping is practised; “allow for around 20 euros a head for the week”
- Watch out for nudity! “we had a yacht of naked men moor up alongside us near Bol beach”
- Croatia Airlines is better and cheaper than Ryanair
See more about travelling Croatia with kids.
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