Brittany Ferries

[grantmac]

Well have just returned from my Spain trip and I must say I did find the Portsmouth to Santander ferry very good.
Some reasons for my inadvertent choice:

- For me to get to Plymouth would have been another 3 hours motorway riding

- I enjoyed the relaxing day on the ferry

- new boats. Built 2021

- to me comvenient boarding time and disembarkation giving a full day either side to do what you want. Boarding Portsmouth 1930. Arrival Santander 0800

- parking on deck 5 and only 2 flights of stairs to the cabins

- easy parking for bikes and crew to secure them for you

- decent bars although food not great

- good breakfast

- Santander is easy to get out of and straight into the hills at a decent hour. Arrival 0800 and off at 0830

- cost was actually Ok

I have read on here that on the return leg on the Plymouth ferry getting home is a real slog unless you live in Devon. For me it would be a 5 - 6 hour ride to Harwich at least and then another ferry

 

[Jeremy]

Couldn't agree more. The Brittany Ferries Portsmouth-Caen boat was a major upgrade when compared to other lines. Staff, food, cleanliness were all hard to beat.

 

[Arsey]

Also couldn’t agree more . The Brittany Ferries Guernsey- St Malo route is great and lets you arrive in Spain at any hour of your choosing .

 

[grantmac]

Also couldn’t agree more . The Brittany Ferries Guernsey- St Malo route is great and lets you arrive in Spain at any hour of your choosing .

…….fishing again?….I'm sure you’ll get a bite soon enough…..

 

[ymfb]

I chose Santander to Plymouth for next year, despite living only an hour from Portsmouth. The Portsmouth crossing is 31 hours and Plymouth 22, so the extra 2 hours ride in the U.K. made sense. I’ve done Portsmouth Bilbao/Santander a number of times, Brittany Ferries are very good but two nights on a ferry isn’t great and my wife isn’t a great sailor.

It’s a shame the Irish and Harwich ferries aren’t the same standard, especially the food.

 

[karlp]

The Plymouth- Santander route is however quite a bit cheaper. I always try to book a Club Cabin and the Portsmouth- Santander route is approx £350 more expensive - hence I go Plymouth

 

[Wapping]

It’ll all always be a compromise of some sort or another.

Where one lives in relation to the ports, the extra distance / time / cost, all maybe coming into play.

The departure / arrival times and maybe even destination.

Whether you value (and can afford) a Commodore cabin, prefer a couch or are happy dossing in the gents.

Want the better restaurant or are happy to use the baby bottle microwave, with its pleasing ping.

Want to lash it up in the bar for two nights with likeminds.

Have a particular desire to applaud or burn Son of Roy…. Though I can’t recall if he plied his trade on the Brittany Ferries route.

From my side, each time I have used the line, whether to France or Spain, I have been pretty much happy.

And of course, anyone can always ride their bike (or drive) all the way, once across the Channel.

 

[Arsey]

I chose Santander to Plymouth for next year, despite living only an hour from Portsmouth. The Portsmouth crossing is 31 hours and Plymouth 22, so the extra 2 hours ride in the U.K. made sense. I’ve done Portsmouth Bilbao/Santander a number of times, Brittany Ferries are very good but two nights on a ferry isn’t great and my wife isn’t a great sailor.

It’s a shame the Irish and Harwich ferries aren’t the same standard, especially the food.

Wise move as you get to go on a cruise ship from Plymouth rather than a @fuckingferry from Portsmouth

 

[Ectopic]

We use Brittany Ferries most years, and have gone from Plymouth and Portsmouth. The shorter crossing from Plymouth sounds attractive but (as I recall) it got us to Spain around 5pm. So you only have a couple of hours to your overnight accommodation. And you pay for an extra nights accommodation in Spain, of course.

The two night, one day crossing does get a bit tedious on the way out, especially if it's a bit rough, but at least you arrive well rested and with a full day ahead of you.

I first used the crossing when it was P&O back in the early 2000's. That boat was a noisy, rattly, rusty old bucket. At least Brittany Ferries have new boats and the two we've used recently - Salamanca and Santona - are very quiet. The older boats (Cap Finistere?) had the ever-present engine rumble that annoyed me.

 

[wessie]

We use Brittany Ferries most years, and have gone from Plymouth and Portsmouth. The shorter crossing from Plymouth sounds attractive but (as I recall) it got us to Spain around 5pm. So you only have a couple of hours to your overnight accommodation. And you pay for an extra nights accommodation in Spain, of course.

The two night, one day crossing does get a bit tedious on the way out, especially if it's a bit rough, but at least you arrive well rested and with a full day ahead of you.

I first used the crossing when it was P&O back in the early 2000's. That boat was a noisy, rattly, rusty old bucket. At least Brittany Ferries have new boats and the two we've used recently - Salamanca and Santona - are very quiet. The older boats (Cap Finistere?) had the ever-present engine rumble that annoyed me.

The times may have changed since you last used Plymouth. I arrived on 24 Sept at 1300.

Might be worth checking again but I note the Wed sailing is being moved to a different day and time.

I arrive back in UK on 9 Oct at 1100 giving me plenty of time to get home.

Pont Aven seems to be getting tired. Apparently a planned refit was deferred. Food in the restaurant was mediocre last month and last year. The starter buffet was okay but the pudding and cheese have been much better in the past. The duck main course was just poor. A tiny slice of duck in a watery sauce with no flavour.

I'm wondering how long before it is culled from the fleet.

 

[Berin]

The ETS will kill it off. BF are paying €27m a year in carbon taxes, even after introducing the new hybrid boats. This is expected to rise to €40m when British carbon taxes are introduced.

The irony is, of course, that the boats that BF retires still continue in use, in jurisdictions that don’t impose carbon taxes.

Net reduction in co2 - zero.

Almost like its just a stupid tax and nothing to do with making the weather better.

 

[OnHellas]

I seem to have changed my preference over the last few years from going from Kent to Calais via a ferry or the tunnel and then riding/driving from there.

These days, if heading in a direction that suits Brittany Ferries, they are my preferred routes.
I’ve made various crossings this year with a camper van, bicycles and motorcycles.
From both Plymouth and Portsmouth.
Using Santander, Bilbao, Roscoff, St Malo and Cherbourg.

No hassles, clean ferries. Decent accommodation and minimal fuss at the ports of arrival.
Food wise it’s so so on the quality and certainly doesn’t feel like a piss take on the prices.

In August on returning from Bilbao I paid £79 for access to the CC Lounge. (Per person).
As it was a 1pm sailing we had lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch and dinner before disembarking in Portsmount at 8.30 pm the following day.
Excellent value as it includes all the tea and coffee you want plus soft drinks. Wine was also available if you wanted it.
Add to that the calmness of the room helped by the ‘entertainment’ and 99% of the kids being elsewhere on the boat and it’s a thumbs up from me.