BRITTANY FERRIES CANCELLED

Just got back from Dover, shit that was a wet ride, we were supposed to be sailing out of Caen to Portsmouth last night at 2300hrs. got an email sat morning early saying sailing from Caen was cancelled , so we rode to Calais and boarded the 1945hr to Dover free of charge and will be getting a refund for the Caen/Portsmouth crossing . Sailed with MyFerryLink , well happy with the service they gave us .
 
Just told my old man about this.. he's not impressed as due to be sailing out to France on Wednesday, looks like he's got a long drive up to Dover at the moment..

I wonder if they are really thinking, Dad's view at the moment is that if they give me this much grief he's more likely to go P&O next time.. so they'll lose a customer..
 
Just got back from France tonight. I was booked on the Roscoff Plymouth return leg. I rang Brittany ferries and they gave me a refund for the return as they were not running. Now I see they have applied a handling charge for changing the booking.!
Got a ticket for the Condor Lines boat from St. Malo to Poole via Gurnsey.
They call this one the vomit Comet and it lived up to its name tonight. Most of the people were ill, sick everwhere. Never want to go one that one again.
 
inconvenient but ...

... having sailed with Brittany Ferries three times in the last three years I have to agree with the crew: they work extremely hard from very early morning to the late evening and cover several different job positions during the day and still remain very polite, smiling and helpful all the time :thumb2
 
... having sailed with Brittany Ferries three times in the last three years I have to agree with the crew: they work extremely hard from very early morning to the late evening and cover several different job positions during the day and still remain very polite, smiling and helpful all the time :thumb2

I'm sure a lot of people either side of the channel fall into that category - it doesn't mean to say that they will remain polite, smiling and helpful ...................... if they are out of a job.

If Brittany Ferries fail - you an be assured that the next incarnation will offer lower terms and conditions to the workers.

Al
 
I've lost count how often I've sailed with them, from the bad old days when they used that old bucket Quiberon on the Plymouth - Roscoff route, up to a couple of years ago.

I've used Brittany Ferries only because they are on my doorstep but they've always been at the top-end price wise mainly because they had a virtual monopoly on the routes that they used and their service was superior to most.

There was a time when Plymouth - Santander was the only alternative to a long overland schlep via France for those who wanted to get to the Iberian peninsula. Brittany was also only served by them but the alternatives (the Normandy ports) have become more popular.

They've been facing competitors who offer lower standards (in the quality of the vessels, the on-board service and the speed of passage) for some time now. Whereas people used to travel to Plymouth for an 18 hour crossing, they are increasingly opting for Portsmouth, a two night slow chug to Bilbao with the Chavs and the Hi-De-Hi entertainers in the bars. Something has to give.

Either they lower their standards to reduce costs, reduce profit margins for shareholders or reduce staff salaries.
 
They've been facing competitors who offer lower standards (in the quality of the vessels, the on-board service and the speed of passage) for some time now. Whereas people used to travel to Plymouth for an 18 hour crossing, they are increasingly opting for Portsmouth, a two night slow chug to Bilbao with the Chavs and the Hi-De-Hi entertainers in the bars. Something has to give.

Either they lower their standards to reduce costs, reduce profit margins for shareholders or reduce staff salaries.

Brittany Ferries have been losing money for the past 3 years apparently. They bought The Pont avon and Amorique into their fleet (at a cost of many hundreds-of-millions of euros I imagine) just in time for the end of the good times and start of the recession. I hope they don't go bust as the staff and boats are head and shoulders above any other cross channel ferry companies I have used and well worth the extra £50 you pay over LD lines etc.


edit: I see Brittany Ferries are reported to have lost 70 million euros over the last 3 years: hard to see how they can turn that around :(
 
I've lost count how often I've sailed with them, from the bad old days when they used that old bucket Quiberon on the Plymouth - Roscoff route, up to a couple of years ago.

I've used Brittany Ferries only because they are on my doorstep but they've always been at the top-end price wise mainly because they had a virtual monopoly on the routes that they used and their service was superior to most.

There was a time when Plymouth - Santander was the only alternative to a long overland schlep via France for those who wanted to get to the Iberian peninsula. Brittany was also only served by them but the alternatives (the Normandy ports) have become more popular.

They've been facing competitors who offer lower standards (in the quality of the vessels, the on-board service and the speed of passage) for some time now. Whereas people used to travel to Plymouth for an 18 hour crossing, they are increasingly opting for Portsmouth, a two night slow chug to Bilbao with the Chavs and the Hi-De-Hi entertainers in the bars. Something has to give.

Either they lower their standards to reduce costs, reduce profit margins for shareholders or reduce staff salaries.

Actually the crossing is just one night and 23 hours except on a Sunday which departed from Portsmouth at 2200 and stopped at Brest for a crew change etc then arrived in Bilbao early Tuesday morning........
 
Actually the crossing is just one night and 23 hours except on a Sunday which departed from Portsmouth at 2200 and stopped at Brest for a crew change etc then arrived in Bilbao early Tuesday morning........
If that's what Brittany Ferries do, you've missed my point. It's the likes of P&O that take two nights of slow chugging so that you're captive for longer, spend more money in the bars and rub shoulders with the booze cruisers. I'll bet that the P&O crossing costs more than the faster Brittany Ferries option by the time that the money spent on booze and food is accounted for.
 
maybe it will all be settled soon.

hope so, as i may have a chance to sneak off to portugal later next month :)
 
Hi
Came back on the eurotunnel yesterday travelling from bouillon, i was booked on 18.20 coming back, turned up 14.30 thought jump straight on .Ha the place was heaving, had to wait three hours, then found out ferries on strike no wonder. never seen so many people, Then it poured down all way home from tunnel and was nose to tail traffic on M25 Still better then working though,Hope Kev B and his mates got home ok met them in bouillon.



Dave :thumb
 
Well it has just been confirmed that tomorrow's santander sailing is cancelled so here comes an-addition 1200 miles riding. Keeping fingers crossed for Roscoff on thursday but not holding my breath. Oh happy days.
 
Well it has just been confirmed that tomorrow's santander sailing is cancelled so here comes an-addition 1200 miles riding. Keeping fingers crossed for Roscoff on thursday but not holding my breath. Oh happy days.

Must be a lot of things you can claim off your travel insurance?

Fuel, accommodation, meals etc?

That should take a bit of a sting out of it, at least.

Al
 
Well it has just been confirmed that tomorrow's santander sailing is cancelled so here comes an-addition 1200 miles riding. Keeping fingers crossed for Roscoff on thursday but not holding my breath. Oh happy days.


I believe the unions and management are having another meeting tomorrow so there is still a slight chance the Thursday night crossing to Roscoff might go ahead. I hope.
 


Back
Top Bottom