Any tips for Brittany Ferries Plymouth to Santander?

[PembsGSA]

Travelled with Brittany Ferries Plymouth/Santander (Pont Aven +return) many times over the years. Last time was September 2023...

Always booked an outdoor 4-berth (as others have recommended)...the indoor berth is quite claustrophobic.
Restaurant is excellent and highly recommended. Self-Service restaurant is very good too if you can't be bothered to que & book the restaurant. Great bars... Rugby World Cup matches were shown on large screen.. it was a great atmosphere in the bars (France were playing).

As others have said... don't be in a rush to get down to your bike upon arrival... you'll end up standing around in a very hot stairway, listening to very loud Harley's firing up their trusty steeds

We were the very last to ride off the ferry, and quickly caught up all the fellow bikers waiting at the Customs gate.

I always feel its the start of the holiday when the ferry departs Ol' Blighty (not when you leave home) and you can relax with a nice meal/wine in the restaurant and look out across the sea .... La Mer (Charles Trenet and all that)

 

[MickDB1]

Thanks for puttin up this post.
I am embarrased to say been on pont aven over a dozen times and never done the restaurant for brekky. Nearly always just gone self service, and to be fair, its ok but only ok.
Q 1 any ideas whether you have to book at the restaurant for brekky and what times it open till in the mornings. Going on 14th I hope

 

[RedRick Esq.]

Thanks for puttin up this post.
I am embarrased to say been on pont aven over a dozen times and never done the restaurant for brekky. Nearly always just gone self service, and to be fair, its ok but only ok.
Q 1 any ideas whether you have to book at the restaurant for brekky and what times it open till in the mornings. Going on 14th I hope

usually just turn up for breakfast no booking needed as for some odd reason it isnt as popular as dinner but it well worth the cost IMO

Spend an couple of hours making a complete piggy of yourself with many many courses

Thats what I do anyway

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

if i fill up on the way into plymouth i stil l have to fill up on the way out of santander

Small tank syndrome
It’s a bastard

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Or try Stugeron if you get motion sickness.

Does Nicola help out ?

 

[RedRick Esq.]

Small tank syndrome
It’s a bastard

17L just a thirsty bastard

 

[PembsGSA]

Thanks for puttin up this post.
I am embarrased to say been on pont aven over a dozen times and never done the restaurant for brekky. Nearly always just gone self service, and to be fair, its ok but only ok.
Q 1 any ideas whether you have to book at the restaurant for brekky and what times it open till in the mornings. Going on 14th I hope

No booking necessary for breakfast... first come first serve basis for table allocation.

Booking required for evening dinner however. It's best to join the que (located at the restaurant entrance) as soon as you get on board (or soon after you've dropped your kit in your cabin)... was a bit of a wait until the Staff open for bookings, fortunately however, its located near a bar area.

I can recall that I had monkfish for dinner...both outward and on the return journey... very nice it was too.

 

[AustinW]

Ya bunch of oiks. Go Commodore class and a table in La Flora is reserved for you in advance. At your leisure you just saunter to the front of the queue and get fawned over as you are guided to your superior table. Then you can stroll back to your conveniently located cabin to relax in your suite sipping on the complimentary Champagne, petites fours, delicious macaroons and fruit. Later turning in wearing the provided PJs in the king size bed. In the morning breakfast is served in your room. It’s all very very civilised.

Yah Rabble!!















I’ve only done it once in CC when I got a special special offer from BF. I’m normally in an inside 2-berth.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

21 years ago, after numerous pints my crossing ran into force 9 winds. I’ve never thrown up as much in all my life.

Downside is I’d no water in the cabin. And didn’t want to drink the tap water. Now the first thing I do is buy a 2L bottle of water to make sure I’m not dehydrated.

Regarding fuel before or after….. I’m not a fan of a fully laden and full of fuel GSA on a ferry. Hard to manoeuvre and peace of mind during a rough crossing if she’s not top heavy.

 

[sven]

Precisely
You’re on holiday
Usually take the buffet breakfast for the reasons stated and more often than not the a la Carte restaurant too, in the evening
Life’s too short and 24 hours on a ferry can go really slow

Totally agree and you can while away a couple of hours in the morning in a comfy seat topping up your coffee occasionally It’s the waiting around I hate, especially on the return journey

A posh cabin makes the trip a lot more comfortable, but was far too expensive on my last trip in October 2022. I upgraded in 2013 for the return leg as it wasn’t too ridiculous at that time.

 

[lmg]

I took the €22.50 euro buffet breakfast in the fine dinning restaurant - as recommended.

That must be the best piece of advice I’ve ever got off this forum - I was in there 3 and a bit hours - didn’t rush my breakfast at all. Had 4 - 5 courses whilst there and the waiter also put me at a double table so I could use my laptop and do some writing during that mega event.

I was comfortably full which lasted me for the rest of the day and saved me from having to try the quite exotic basque meals the restaurant in my hotel only offered.

I shall be doing the same coming back to the UK.

PS. Today confirmed it’s a very small world here on this forum ….

 

[boxer]

I took the €22.50 euro buffet breakfast in the fine dinning restaurant - as recommended.

Did you have to make a reservation?

 

[lmg]

Did you have to make a reservation?

Reservations are only for the evening meals. The breakfast - just rock up at 0730hrs and elbow the coffin dodgers out of the way to get a window seat. The looks I got from the elder class as I had the audacity to be in a window seat

Food was great, incidentally

 

[boxer]

Reservations are only for the evening meals. The breakfast - just rock up at 0730hrs and elbow the coffin dodgers out of the way to get a window seat. The looks I got from the elder class as I had the audacity to be in a window seat

Food was great, incidentally

Thanks

 

[Wapping]

…just rock up at 0730hrs and elbow the coffin dodgers out of the way to get a window seat. The looks I got from the elder class as I had the audacity to be in a window seat….

 

[Tinytim]

I took the €22.50 euro buffet breakfast in the fine dinning restaurant - as recommended.

That must be the best piece of advice I’ve ever got off this forum - I was in there 3 and a bit hours - didn’t rush my breakfast at all. Had 4 - 5 courses whilst there and the waiter also put me at a double table so I could use my laptop and do some writing during that mega event.

I was comfortably full which lasted me for the rest of the day....

Well, with the initial recommendations from certain fat barstewards and this endorsement, I shall definitely follow suit in September thank you all . Sounds great and sounds better value than the bastards in the Bank View Cafe at Langsett on the A616 that charged me 7 pounds fekkin fifty for a bacon and egg sarnie. Not that I'm bitter, oh no, not at all, no, not bitter one bit with the robbing cnuts.. ..




l shall still have emergency hard boiled eggs secreted here and there on the bike though.

 

[Urban Rider]

A few of us are off on the Portsmouth - Santander ferry on the 3rd May. Departs 0000 on the 3rd (delayed from 2200) and gets into Santander at 0830 on the 5th, i always thought it was around 24 hours but apparently not this time...

 

[Mr Bean]

i always thought it was around 24 hours but apparently not this time...

It used to be on the Pont Aven.

 

[Arsey]

A few of us are off on the Portsmouth - Santander ferry on the 3rd May. Departs 0000 on the 3rd (delayed from 2200) and gets into Santander at 0830 on the 5th, i always thought it was around 24 hours but apparently not this time...

Do you mean 0000 on 4th ?
Otherwise it’s taking 56.5 hours !!

 

[lmg]

It used to be on the Pont Aven.

About 22hrs Plymouth to Santander and vice versa on the pontoon aven