Moby Corse - the ferry with a fin
- Mohawk Myké
- Jun 6, 2021
- 9 min read
Updated: Mar 6
Finding myself in the beautiful Corsican town of Bastia and needing to get too the Italian port of Genoa, my onward journey would take me aboard Moby Corse - an unusual looking ferry with an almighty towering funnel resembling the fin of a marine animal.
Many in the UK will remember this vessel as the former Scandinavian Seaways Dana Anglia & DFDS Seaways Duke of Scandinavia which first entered service in 1978.
My last journey aboard this vessel was in 2006 when she operated for Brittany Ferries as Pont L' Abbé in which I undertook an overnight journey from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, France - my YouTube vlog at the end of this blog.
Let's see how she has been changed to suit the needs of the customer for this Mediterranean voyage.
Grab a cuppa, curl up and relax as I to take you aboard Moby Corse for a cruise from Bastia to Genoa.
Boarding Moby Corse in Bastia is typically 'Mediterranean style' whereby foot passengers walk aboard via the ships' vehicle deck having been transported from the ferry terminal by a minibus.
As I walk over the lowered stern door and onto the vehicle deck there are no obvious floor markings to direct foot passengers, though everyone seemed to know the drill and where to go - including me.
I'm immediately struck by how clean and well maintained this vehicle deck is - no oily residue, tyre marks or worn paint - first impressions count and I was very impressed.
The image below was taken in 1978 shortly after entering service - she still looks like new to this day!
Having ascended one of the staircases from the vehicle deck I find myself in one of the cabin corridors.
I'm directed by a steward to the nearest stairwell which gives access to the main passenger deck above where the public facilities are located.
Since my last visit aboard back in 2006 I notice the carpeting within the cabin corridors has been replaced with typical Moby Lines design complete whale emblems.
The main ships' reception is located within this deck of cabins - being an internal feature there's no natural light. The location of this reception has not altered since this vessel was introduced in the 1970's, though has obviously been refurbished over the years.
One notable feature of her original décor/design are the bright orange 1970's style hand rails which adorns all public corridors and halls on this deck - all still prominently displayed and embraced.
The picture below was taken in 1978 shortly after the ship entered service - note the same hand rails, albeit located elsewhere aboard.
Whilst we're on the subject, other items of this ships' heritage are still evident such as old framed posters within her hallways and, if you look closely and the light is shining in the right place, you can still make out her original engraved emblem on her funnel.
Let's go up one deck to where the passenger facilities are located.
All passenger amenities are located on a single main deck which makes navigation extremely easy; with a wide arcade linking the facilities fore and aft, one would find it very difficult to get lost.
For those who have walking difficulties and have issues walking up stairs will appreciate this.
Let's start at the front of this main passenger deck and work our way aft.
At the front of this deck is a large bar/lounge with the actual bar being centrally positioned facing forwards towards a dance floor - on my journey a 'pull down' screen was positioned here with movies (foreign language) being projected onto it providing great (free) entertainment for the passengers during the seven hour northbound voyage.
Sofas and individual tub chairs surround the dance floor and those positioned by the windows have excellent views of the passing vistas. This journey was undertaken during the day time, though I can imagine this would be a very social place to spend the evening.
As mentioned earlier, an arcade links all the facilities on this deck.
Positioned on the port side, it offers localised seating adjacent to very large windows and as the deck is open plan, the whole area is bright, and airy.
The Admiral Bar is located at the forward end of the aforementioned arcade affording a remarkable resemblance to a traditional British pub.
Beautiful framed wall mounted pictures, wood and polished brass fixtures and fittings are prominent. I noted one employee working behind the bar (who I've got to say was exceptionally polite, friendly and courteous) spending her quiet moments thoroughly polishing the brass and obviously taking pride in her surroundings.
The wooden chairs spill out into the arcade to allow passengers to have sea views from the picture windows and also helps to entice passengers to come in and have a drink.
A giant Loony Tunes sculpture can be found in one corner which does spoil the refined décor but, it's a Moby Lines 'thing' which sets them apart from other companies and to be fair, the kids love it!
Another sculpture can also be found by the bar main entrance.
Access to the truly enormous self service restaurant, which is located on the starboard side of this deck, can be found adjacent to the Admiral Bar and forward stairs.
Using the later one is greeted by another signature Moby Lines 'Looney Tunes' 'life sized' sculpture - this one holding pompoms and standing next to an attractive wooden reception.
The seating area is vast and appears to span a large proportion of this deck and whilst it could look bland and rather regimented looking with rows and rows of perfectly aligned tables and chairs, clever design and excellent use of modern lighting has made the area visually very attractive.
Large picture windows span the length of this facility making it very bright and airy.
Strangely every time I arrive to purchase a meal this facility was closed - perhaps owing to the relatively low passenger numbers however, peering through the heavy duty industrial shutters of the servery, a single counter where meals would normally be purchased could be seen though I cannot comment on the range of meals as no menu was visible.
Walking aft along the arcade we come to the shop.
Although its footprint is small it is sufficient for the route Moby Corse serves which being 7hrs in duration never got crowded as the journey is very relaxed and know one was in a rush to go in.
In typical Moby Lines fashion children are very well catered for and walking aft we come to the very large playroom with soft padded play equipment.
Decorated in bright colours this area is a haven to families - the parents can sit in one of the numerous chairs nearby and watch their children play in safety.
It should be noted that this whole area was once the duty and tax free shopping centre, which has now been knocked through to allow natural light to flood into the ship - checkout my vlog at the end of this post.
The same area is also home to the snack bar / pizzeria where freshly made to order pizzas are available at a reasonable price of 6Euro for two (large) slices.
Along with tables and chairs a long bench with free standing stools flank the picture windows
The picture below was taken in 1978 and is taken from roughly the same position to that above - how times have changed!
Although seating is plentiful in the pizzeria, there's nothing like eating alfresco.
Finally, at the aft end of the arcade there's a selection of gaming machines surrounding the entrance of the aft hall and entrance to a further snack bar.
The secondary snack bar has a very youthful atmosphere owing to the popcorn machine, lively décor and three wall mounted TV's showing dubbed American programmes.
The aft facing counter is divided into two with the port side serving snacks/drinks and the till, whilst the starboard side offers alcoholic beverages.
A partially frosted full height screen gives glimpses into the Moby Corse' formal dining restaurant next door.
Complete with a piano this restaurant is highly luxurious, though sadly not very well patronised on my day time voyage.
Access to this restaurant is off both the aft hall and the aforementioned snack bar.
Behind the snack bar are two Pullman lounges.
The lounge on the port side offers colourful aft facing seating with views to port......
.....whilst the second lounge is accessed via the first and is also used as a cinema as/when required.
Moby Corse has an exceptional amount of exterior deck space.
The port & starboard sides offer a very wide full length promenade with occasional wooden benches making it ideal to breath in the fresh sea air. Plus, it's (almost) possible to circumnavigate the deck allowing you to get your steps in as you take a stroll.
At the stern there are several terraced decks with wooden tables and chairs.
Access to the upper veranda deck adjacent to the funnel can be obtained from the terraced stern decks.
Although my journey was far from busy, it was with great regret the uppermost exterior deck above the bridge and forward of the massive funnel is no longer in passenger use and as such, no forward views were permissible.
Also, no exterior deck bar was available as such, it's necessary to go down to the main passenger deck (a long walk if you're on one of the terraced decks at the stern) to obtain your beverage and then hike all the way back again - believe me, having done this many times during the seven hour voyage it's a long way!
Introducing a 'pop up' bar on the exterior deck would be a huge revenue earner for Moby!
Cabins are not mandatory on day time crossings however, they are extremely beneficial to securely stoor your belongings and freshen up.
The cabin sampled on my journey was located on one of the ships' upper decks (as opposed to one located on the lower decks, some of which are located below the waterline), and was affordable, large & spacious with an oversized single bed with a second one stowed away in the wall, a vanity table and ensuite bathroom.
It was necessary to vacate the cabin just over an hour and a half prior to arrival in Genoa to enable it to be refreshed for the overnight return voyage back to Corsica;
this was not stated at the time of purchasing, which was from the ships' reception desk prior to departure from Bastia.
In closing Moby Corse is a fine vessel!
Highly cared for by her company she's in very good condition internally.
Very much a mini cruise experience, Moby Corse can be highly recommended and with a few tweaks she would be second to none - she has a large lounge/bar, a range of dining options, excellent children's facilities, ample exterior decks, a range of cabins and a cinema.
All that is needed is an exterior deck bar - I would reopen the area forward of the funnel (above the bridge), deck the whole area, open a bar, introduce a few planters, a Jacuzzi or two and speakers for ambient music and you'll have a great Mediterranean come Miami beach club.
If you need to travel from A2B (via the sea) and have the option of travelling aboard Moby Corse, don't hesitate - book yourself aboard for a mini-cruise.
So, as you may recall Moby Corse was formerly known as Dana Anglia, Duke of Scandinavia and Pont L'Abbé. Here's my vlog of my journey aboard the later back in 2006.
Why not [virtually] come aboard and checkout this dated footage which was originally filmed onto VHS tape.
Why not follow my adventure on Instagram:
