We paid $360 to take our car on a ferry to and from Sardinia, Italy. The trip was great, but there's one upgrade I'd book next time.

• My family and I paid 330 euros, or about $360, to take a car on a ferry to and from Sardinia, Italy.

• We booked a private cabin on the way to Sardinia and a junior suite on the way back.

• We'd take this ferry line again, though we'd likely stick with the junior suite next time.

As a family of three who live in Italy for a few months each year, we love exploring the country. Recently, we headed to Sardinia, a Mediterranean island with beautiful beaches that's only accessible by ferry or plane.

Since the ferry company, Moby Lines, has a port just 45 minutes from our home in Livorno, we decided to book an eight-hour ride to Sardinia with this service. We were even able to bring our car on board with us.

Including the price of our car, we spent 130 euros, or about $140, and booked a quadruple cabin — a small private room with a bathroom — aboard the Moby Fantasy. On the way back, we booked a quadruple junior suite and brought our car with us for about 210 euros.

Here's what the experience was like.

Loading our car on the boat was easier than I expected.

For me, the scariest part about booking the ferry was not understanding how our vehicle would get on and off the ship. However, we were pleasantly surprised by how easy this process was.

The ferry's loading area looked like a typical parking garage, and staff members were there to guide us. When we got onto the boat, there was plenty of space to drive and park.

There were no assigned parking spots, so we followed the person in front of us and parked directly behind them, as guided by the staff.

Then, we exited our car and headed to the ship's front desk to get our room key.

Unfortunately, our quadruple private cabin felt cramped.

When we booked our trip, we had the option to camp out in the ferry's public spaces, reserve seats (much like on a plane), or pay for a cabin or suite.

We chose a quadruple private cabin, which felt like a tiny hotel room, for the eight-hour journey to Sardinia. The room had four beds stacked in sets of two, bunk-bed style, with sheets and a single pillow each, and a very small built-in desk area with a stool.

I appreciated the private space, but the cabin was actually hard for us to move around in.

However, flipping the beds up (like a Murphy bed) created slightly more walking space. While in the room, we mostly hung out on the beds playing card games to pass the time.

There were plenty of on-board accommodations and activities.

The Moby Fantasy ferry had a play center for kids, an arcade, an upstairs open-deck area, and various spots where passengers could enjoy the view. I also came across a small shopping area with snacks and souvenirs.

Even though the ferry can carry about 3,000 passengers and 1,300 cars, it rarely felt crowded. Every time I walked by and peeked in, the restaurants and open seating areas had plenty of space for passengers.

The Moby Fantasy line also offered free WiFi, but I thought it was pretty choppy for most of the ride.

The open deck offered beautiful ocean views.

The upper deck had enough space for my family to comfortably enjoy the ocean views.

Though the ferry didn't pass any noteworthy landmarks, spending time on the deck and being outside was nice.

We saw a few food options but didn't order any meals.

Our ferry had a few different restaurants, including an on-board café, a buffet-style dining area, and a pizzeria.

We didn't get food at any of the dining areas because we're vegans, and we didn't see any options that fit our dietary restrictions. Luckily, we brought our own meals, so this wasn't a big deal.

The ship only felt crowded when it was time to leave.

The only time the ship felt crowded was at the end of the journey. As the ferry drew closer to the port, many passengers gathered at the stairwells leading to the parking area.

Though the area was initially congested, unloading our car was simple. We used the same method as when we boarded, listening to the staff's directions and simply following the car in front of us until we were off the ship.

We booked the same ferry line on the trip back to Livorno, but we upgraded to a quadruple suite.

The journey back to Livorno was a bit more expensive because we upgraded to a quadruple junior suite, which felt more like a mid-range hotel room. For this leg of the journey, we spent about 210 euros.

I thought this room was well worth the money because it was much larger than the quadruple cabin and had a more comfortable design. When we arrived, extra perks like room service, a TV, sparkling wine, and a fruit plate awaited us.

The room was also furnished with a large bed, a pullout couch with sheets and pillows, and a desk with a chair. We were more comfortable in this cabin, which made for a relaxing ride home.

Overall, we liked riding the ferry, and we'd book with this line again.

Overall, we enjoyed this ferry's easy booking and car-loading process and would recommend traveling with Moby Lines.

However, if comfort and space are important to you, I think it might be worth upgrading from a basic room to a junior suite so you can enjoy the ride.

Next time, I'd skip the quadruple private cabin and go straight for the more spacious junior suite. When you have a kid, that extra space becomes important.

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