David Williams

Bore Bay is still in the timetable until the end of March ! However I thought that Kerry was on a 1 year contract so unless BF have other plans for her, it is unlikely (unless it will be used to replace the Pelican !) ps - maybe it is just a ruse to get some EU subsidies to connect Ireland and Spain ! pps - this is probably not a sailing update topic !

Has anyone got the Newhaven / Dieppe figures as I would have thought that is also relevant to any Le Havre changes. The other negative Le Havre change over the years is that all of the underpasses at the Junctions on the road out of Le Havre towards the bridge have been removed !

That might be the case for the port as a whole, however am convinced that 2018 and earlier the passports were checked by the Police Municipale, not sure about 2019 as I avoided the port due to the Brexit schedules.

I like Normandie, the Cabins are good and have USB sockets, the restaurant is also good, the main problem is the narrow lanes in the garage when busy. By contrast the MSM cabins look tired with outdated sockets, the main good bit is the hidden bed in the roof and better lame widths. I note from the Honfleur video that the upper bed is fold down from the wall which is a shame. Going back to Le Havre, apart from the regular strikes, I also dislike the fact that passport control is usually done by the local Police and is usually slower than Ouistreham ! I liked the old P&O Le Havre two ship service, it would be good to move back to that ( I was on the P&O ship that dented HMS St Albans that led to better tug regulations at Portsmouth !)

Cruise Economie ?

It's not a cruise, it is a Cruise Ferry which is basically a comfortable ferry. It will never be a cruise, I have just signed up for a Caribbean cruise and included such luxuries as the Premium Unlimited Drinks Package, fast wifi and lots of onboard credit as well as the standard all you can eat- I can't see BF offering those (including the wifi !) ps - and the entertainment is not a patch on the cruise liners and I can unpack all of our bags on a cruise etc etc

I see that I get a confused reaction from Gareth ! We already get the Portsmouth - Santander - Plymouth rotation in the normal timetable & the BDS Le Havre call etc. Given that we will end up with 3 similar ships which are slower, there is more opportunity for triangular routes or more returns to Le Havre / Cherbourg interspersed with the Spanish routes.

I would imagine that the days of most ships doing returns on the same route may change.

I thought that P&O closed the route due to a failed Brittany Ferries deal, the linked article gives some background, https://www.onboardpoferries.com/features/lehavreclosure.html

At least time of year there are alternatives and Ouistreham is normally strike free, however you only know they are on strike when they block access ! If this continues for much longer why would BF continue with Le Havre ?

BF are now publicly talking about the Summer.

I think that it would be a bit boring ! I am sure that BF would cooperate with looking at cabins available for more than one crossing, however the hanging space is not that great so moving cabins will not be that much of a chore and would allow cleaning to be done. I would imagine that the 2 night cruise (https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/offers/ferry/mini-cruises/whale-dolphin-cruise/itinerary#tab-3) is in the same cabin.

Apparently it started on the 3rd January.

Looking at recent tweets, there seems to be a change in the CV breakfast allowance in that it is worth £8.50 in the self service or £10.60 in the a la carte (ie no supplement for the buffet).

We like the atmosphere and buffets, however the main course is so so, the rack of lamb when it is on is usually ok. I generally have the starter buffet and the main, however my wife is more than happy with just the two buffets as she gorges on all of seafood and has a really good meal