Spirit of Tasmania bookings

Wooly,
That is about how it is.
We decided when we wanted to go and for how long.
About 8 months before, I booked the dates successfully.
When I was deciding, I met a fellow who went over for the time he wanted but had left return date off. He left his car and caravan and flew home for a few months before returning to bring them home.
So book really early after your planned dates are set.
Cheers
Duncan

Hi Wooly

We have just booked for the end October '24. They only just opened the bookings and already all gone for late August, all September and most of October. We can't book a return as yet as we plan to be there 5 or 6 months so too far out to book.
Apparently they only have a limited number of berths for over 2.1m.high. If you are under that it is probably a lot easier to find a spot.
I am lead to believe that they have new ferries coming in '24 that will have a lot more higher berths. It would seem that at present they are still booking according to available berths on the old ones though. All that is probably not much help unless you can get your height down to below 2.1m.
I may be wrong on all this and I am sure someone will correct me if I am.

Have a Merry Christmas (what is left of it) and a Great New Year.

Roy G.
Toowoomba

Wooly said "I understand the need to book early but it's hard to believe the wait time to get back to the mainland."

We went over in February 2003, 2011 and 2016 and returned early April each trip. The ferry was very new in 2003, but the same situation was occurring then. It was only a few weeks delay from when the travellers were hoping to return in 2003 however in 2016 they were quoting October returns for those with no return pre bookings.

The big problem is that there are two lots of travellers wishing to use the ferry. The main landers travel down there in January to March and stay 3 -4 months. The other lot are the Tasmanians, they travel over winter for their long trips. The big problem is they wish to travel north over the same period as we wish to return. They all book their trip north well in advance as we do and book all the northern sailing dates that are not booked for our return trips.

I don't think the problem will be solved completely when the new ferries come online. When the current ferries commenced sailing, the market expanded considerably as bookings were easier to arrange. The ferries were booked out to the extent that you had to book quite a few weeks ahead for the return trips, you could not expect to nominate your return date whilst you were touring in Tasmania. I suspect that the same thing will happen with the new ferries. My tip is that the increased patronage will increase with the booking ahead being eased somewhat, exactly as it did previously. The return sailing for those with no return reservations will come back from the current 6 -7 months wait to something like the 2003 situation.

Wooly
I to are heading to tassie at the end of January for a three week trip. l wanted to go in March and found that l could get there but not back at the times l wanted as my camper is over height and length for car specs, every thing was booked out. l rang them an asked how come its all booked out and they said because its peak season. The woman said if l could change my dates she might be able to get me on, l said OK and she come back with go end of Jan and return mid Feb which l took.
So it might pay to give them a ring and see what they can do as you might get lucky as l did but not your exact dates.

Murray

We tried to book a few months ago for this December but like you got nothing unless prepared to stay for 4 months then a few weeks ago I tried again and founds lots of options from mid Jan so we are booked both ways and opted for 6 weeks. The availability was only for 2.1 and under 10m though which we can do. Nothing was available for bigger rigs.
Michelle

In May 2023 we were trying to book for October 2023 on the SOT but the earliest we could get on with our van was Christmas Eve so we booked for mid Jan 2024. I was surprised it was booked out 8 months in advance. We return late March as Early April was more expensive as I assume more people are wanting to leave just before it gets to cold so the demand is higher for the limited space.

Hey there! I've had some experience with the ferry operations to Tassie, and I can shed some light on the situation. The extended wait time for the return trip is primarily due to the high demand during peak seasons, such as summer. Many travelers book their return tickets well in advance, especially if they have fixed travel plans. This results in limited availability for return trips, especially for larger vehicles like your 200 cruiser towing a caravan. The limited capacity of the ferry for such vehicles may also contribute to the longer wait times. If you're considering a trip during the summer, it's indeed a good idea to book well in advance to secure your preferred return date.

Thank you for all the replies, I have resigned myself to the fact that I missed the boat quite literally and have decided to travel to Tassie next summer but by jingo, I will be booking very early for 2025.

Cheers, Wooly