Fly vs Ferry to Tasmania from Melbourne?
 

We are considering the pros and cons of a ferry trip vs. flying to Tasmania from Melbourne. We are familiar with flying. Any comments about ferry experiences would be appreciated.

Ferry schedules:
www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/

We took the ferry from Melbourne to Tasmania about 5 or 6 years ago. We mainly did this for the experience itself, not for any financial consideration. (I think the cost of our family flying and renting a car for a week was comparable to us getting a room on the ferry and taking our own car.)
There is not a lot to do on the ferry, so you need to be prepared to do a lot of reading, game playing or visiting with friends/family. The only entertainment I recall is a pianist in the lounge and occasional videos in a spare room (not a theatre). There was also a small museum on board and a shop with necessities and gifts. There were buffets for each of the meals and the food was not fancy, but it was tasty.
Our room was comfortable and I remember sleeping well on board. The embarcation and debarcation were orderly and we arrived in Devonport and Melbourne on time.
If you enjoy leisurely trips and don't require luxury, then the ferry is a good alternative to flying. On the other hand, if your time is limited, it would probably be best to go by air.

The main benefit in my opinion is being able to take your car. For us locals it means considerable cost savings in not having to hire a car when you get there. The overnight trip is almost all done in darkness, so there's nothing to see. The day crossings would be more interesting - but it's a long time to look at water and there's not much to do on the ship!

Hi - depends if you are romantically inclined towards ships.

I am. I am up there on deck before casting off, and up there again as land is sighted.

There aren't too many places now where you can travel by sea - and I take every one that comes.

Are you travelling with kids? It would be a great experience for them.

As for stuff to do on board - eat; read; play kenzo - I think there was music in one of the lounges/bars.

But the big thing is the journey.

Take it while you can.

I checked out the same two options, squirrel. We decided to fly because the VB tickets from Melbourne to Hobart and Launceston to Sydney were so inexpensive vs. the ferry tickets (even when factoring in that we wouldn't need a hotel room for the one night). We talked to some Taswegians who related that the crossing is sometimes very rough due to winds blowing from the west, which further confirmed that we'd made the right decision.