Am trying to get from Venice to Croatia in late August. Have found Enermar, an Italian ferry going from Chioggia to Split. Has anyone taken it? Where did you buy your ticket? I think I need to buy it in the US before I go as I am afraid if I wait until I arrive, space might be gone. The website for reservations/pricing is in Italian. Help! How are the ferry accommodations? I want to reserve a sleeping berth for 1 person. Old or new ferries? Any help/information you can give would be appreciated.

This service started last summer. The ship was the DALMATINO, previously the Spanish CIUDAD DE PALMA. It's not clear whether the same ship will be used this year, but there is a description of the DALMATINO on www.enermar.hr under "Flota".
The tariff lists 2- and 4-berth inside and outside cabins, all with bathrooms. Next summer's fare is 35 to 45 euros, cabins start at 45 euros, and there are also port dues of 6 euros. Prices vary according to demand, as with airlines.
A sailing from Chioggia in late August is extremely unlikely to be heavily booked as it's the end of the holiday season: at that time, people will be returning from Croatia. The DALMATINO has 140 cabins with 512 berths.

Thank you for the info GeoffHamer. I am well traveled, however, this will be my first overnight ferry trip. Have you experienced one? Am I less likely to get sea sick in an inside cabin? As I am traveling solo, will I need to pay for two people in order to reserve a private two berth cabin? I'll be leaving for Split on Friday 8/25. As it is a Friday, would it be wiser to purchase the ticket ahead of time? Thanks again for your help!

I have travelled many times on overnight ships, though not on the Chioggia-Split route. An outside cabin is one with a window or porthole, and there is no way of telling whether it will be more or less comfortable in bad weather, but the Adriatic is well sheltered and very unlikely to be rough in August.
Some ferry companies charge a fare per berth and others per cabin. Enermar's fares are per cabin, therefore, to get a single-berth cabin, you'd need to pay the deck fare plus the price of a cabin. The smallest cabin is a two-berth. I doubt whether you'd need to book in advance to travel from Italy in late August, but it is difficult to predict, especially when it's not clear which ship will be operating the service.

Not this route, but I have travelled frequently on overnight ferries from Piraeus to Chania. I have never booked in advance even in July. For a single traveller you can either get a 2 berth cabin to yourself or (what I do) take your chance in a 4 berth cabin with other women. Never any problem. Didn't get seasick and no-one else disturbed me.

I'm also trying to book the same route. The website is in English. Go to www.enermar.it and click on the British flag on the top left side of the screen. For some reason, the online system for booking is not working. It just says "no journey available" for all dates youtry. Here's the links to the timetables and fares, however.
http://www.enermar.it/PDF/oraricroazia2006.pdf
http://www.enermar.it/PDF/TARIFFE%20CROAZIA.pdf
The fares are in Italian, but if you go to
http://babelfish.altavista.com/
theres an easy online translator.

I have emailed Enermar for info on booking ahead as their systems not working.

Good luck!

I just got word back from Enemar. They are not taking bookings until end of February, then you can book online.

I emailed Enermar yesterday asking how to make a Chioggia-Split booking (for May) since their online system isn't working. Their reply was:
"kindly contact us again at the end of March, at the moment we cant' give you any info regarding that line many thanks and best regards"
What gives? When I phoned them in January they said the online booking would be working at the end of that month. The previous poster was told "end of February" and now I'm told "end of March"! Will they run the service at all?

This service has disappeared from Enermar's web site. No doubt the reason will be known soon: perhaps it will operate and perhaps it won't. Even long-established ferry companies sometimes change their routes at short notice. If the service doesn't run, there are alternatives from Ancona (www.bli-ferry.com, www.jadrolinija.hr or www.tirrenia.it). There is no need to worry about ships being fully booked so far in advance.

We stopped in Dubrovnik on a cruise last summer and I fell in love with the area and would like to go back. Is there a reason to take a ferry from Italy to Croatia over a plane. Costs? Scenery? I'm curious, because from what I have read there are so many islands and coastal towns to see. Can't wait to get there!

Many of the ferry crossings from Italy to Croatia are overnight, so actually save time. As well as direct sailings to Zadar, Split or Dubrovnik, some services go from Italy to the islands of Vis, Hvar, Korcula and Mljet. The scenery as the ship passes between the islands is superb.

Hi Dee Dee, I wish to travel to split on the 21st August and have sent emails to the shipping line as to when the online booking is available. Initially I was advised that it was the end of January but the next advice was the end of February. The only thing certain is that the Company is definitely running the service in summer. Perhaps,maybe.
Regards Dennis.

This is for GeoffHamer. When you say services, you mean ferries? And I guess this is going to sound really stupid, but what exactly is the difference between a ferry and a regular ship or boat? And are they like a bus service, transport only, or can you get off at the stops and then reboard the same ferry or do you have to take your luggage with you. I've been on large ships cruising and I've even been on a gulet in Turkey, but no experience or knowledge of ferries, or Croatia, but thats going to change! Thanks in advance for your help.

The term "ferry" is normally used to mean a regular ship that takes passengers and vehicles. The ships running from Italy to Croatia and on the Rijeka-Dubrovnik coastal service have cabins, restaurants and bars. Where ships make an intermediate call, it's usually only for a few minutes for passengers to embark and disembark: they don't wait for people to visit ashore. There are many small cruise ships, similar to Turkish gulets, on the Croatian coast - see www.katarina-line.hr for example.

Thanks for your explanations.

The service from chioggia to Split is not gone from the website. The timetable is already set as are the fares. The website now has the date posted of February 27th for online booking. www.enermar.it

I have been trying to book the Chioggia to Split during the last two months and were unsuccessful. Enermar kept saying that bookings would open January and then Feb and then March. I have just received an Enermar email stating that the ferry service is officially discontinued. Very disappointing.

Just bringing this back to the top to follow up all these helpful postings with a quick question ... does any line run from Venice (Chioggia) to Split? Having tried to research this route, the only alternative I've found is Ancona to Split, which means taking the long train ride from Venice to Ancona.

Enermar started the Chioggia-Split service last year, and no other operator has done that route.
A lunchtime train from Venezia would easily connect with an overnight ship from Ancona to Split.

Thank you, Geoff. The information I found seemed to indicate that was the case (as did the responses to this thread). I just wanted to confirm.

Much appreciated.