Irish Ferries

[Lewis McColl]

Not long back from my road trip to the Emerald Isle.
I booked the fast Swift ferry from Holyhead to Dublin, travel was to be on the Dublin Swift ferry sailing at 11.30 am, they cancelled the ferry due to adverse weather in the Irish sea. They also cancelled the return trip which was the 14.15 sailing on the 10th September again due to adverse weather.
We were transferred on both occasions to the ferry Ulysses, a really nice ship. But there is a €50.00 difference in cost of a return ticket. Irish ferries have not offered to refund the difference. I contacted them this morning and asked for a refund, they will not refund but offered a credit note for a further booking. I have said no and it has kicked off.
Anyway regardless of all this the sea state in the Irish sea on both those dates was as calm as I have ever seen. Let's face it if the weather was that bad that the Dublin Swift could not sail strange how the Ulysses arrived ahead of schedule on each crossing.
I honestly believe the decision not to sail The Dublin Swift was purely a commercial decision, funny how all those that had booked the faster ferry were accommodated on the Ulysses. Very disappointed with the customer service by Irish Ferries.
Regardless we had a great time over in Ireland and riding around the beautiful Wicklow mountains. Thankfully the weather was not to bad a few showers but nothing to spoil the weekend. One of our group was saying he had covered 1000 miles to get there and back home plus what ever mileage we covered over the weekend. My total miles covered was 2583miles um!!! really did have a numb bum by the time I got back home.wicklow mountains.jpgwicklow 1.jpgWicklow 2.jpgWicklow 3.jpgWicklow 4.jpg

[Lewis McColl]

Couple more Pics, Wicklow 6.jpgWicklow 5.jpg The photos were taken from what is known as the Wicklow Gap, really stunning scenery.

[robpage]

I've only travelled on one of those high-speed Ferries once it was a force for and the motion was not particularly Pleasant I just looked on TripAdvisor and they actually Echo exactly what you said about cancelled sailings and people catching the Ulysses instead seems to be a very regular occurrence next time you'll have to go Stena

[Lewis McColl]

Rob they have you both ways, Stena & Irish Ferries. Last year I went the Cherbourg/ Rosslare route, outbound on the Oscar Wilde and return Stena Horizon. The Oscar Wilde be her getting on a bit in years is a lovely ship, the Stena Horizon is disgusting all you could smell was cow shi-& pis-. It is a 19 hour crossing and the restaurant was a joke. What has really annoyed me is that Irish Ferries are conning people who book the Swift and it is mostly a commercial decision not to sail the Swift if they are light on numbers for the Ulysses. I am still awaiting a response from them.

[robpage]

I looked on a few of the tripadvisor type sites , they do it alarmingly regularly , when working for Sealink , now 30 years ago , out of boredom one slow night crossing , after a car deck sailor crushed a passengers car in the hydraulic mezzanine deck , I read the conditions of carriage ,basically there was no guarantee of time , ship , destination or anything at all , I bet Irish Ferries is similar reading

[happy daze john in oz]

We have a ferry service here from Melbourne to Tasmania.

If you have your MN lapel badge on when going to the buffet there is every chance that when you get to the pay point you will be waved through, no charge.

[Tony Taylor]

We have a ferry service here from Melbourne to Tasmania.

If you have your MN lapel badge on when going to the buffet there is every chance that when you get to the pay point you will be waved through, no charge.

This reminds me of when I paid off in 1970, in Belfast. Took ferry to Liverpool, spent the night in bar with one other (it was full of army officers until we let go), so had an enjoyable night on the sherbet (including the bar steward until he reminded us that he had to turn to for breakfasts). Next morning in large queue for breakfast there were audible moans about why we were getting twice as much chow as they were ha ha! After a nine month stint it felt like we were being treated like VIPs.

[John Arton]

In 79 a crowd of us were going over to le havre to join a bulker and c,p. booked us all on the overnight Townsend thoresen Southampton to Le Havre ferry. Upon sailing we all headed straight for the bar when it opened on departure but what did they do but advance the clocks to French time immediately the bar opened. The ferry sailed at 22:00 Hours Which immediately became 23:00 hours and they called last orders shortly after. We had time for only a couple of drinks before the bar closed and all our attempts to get the sour faced Harman to get us into the crew bar came to naught. The next morning in the breakfast line the completely camp steward serving us took a shine to the first trip cadet with us a piled his breakfast plate high with extra bacon, sausage and eggs, yet when one of us asked for extra we got a camp no. Although our tickets included breakfast it was the basic T.T. one, one of everything, when the cadet got to the end of the line where, another, sour faced stewardess sat behind the till he was told he would have to pay for the extras so it was back to the gay server with not "please sir can I have some more" but " can you take all these extras off", with the gay server saying " luvvy a young boy like you needs building up" don't think the cadet had ever encountered such an obvious gay in his life before and the expression on his face was priceless. Perhaps he was thinking what he had let himself for, choosing a career at sea and was he going to be chased around the ship by gay stewards offering him extra eggs, bacon and sausage in return for a kiss.
Rgds
J.A.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Wish they would bring back the Swansea - Cork.

K.

[Red Lead Ted]

This reminds me of when I paid off in 1970, in Belfast. Took ferry to Liverpool, spent the night in bar with one other (it was full of army officers until we let go), so had an enjoyable night on the sherbet (including the bar steward until he reminded us that he had to turn to for breakfasts). Next morning in large queue for breakfast there were audible moans about why we were getting twice as much chow as they were ha ha! After a nine month stint it felt like we were being treated like VIPs.

Tony, I was running in and out of Belfast on a little Container ship in the early 70s {M.V. Container Enterprise } British Rail, The cook used to post hear regular a guy called himself larraty, I believe he is cruising on his own yacht somewhere now in his retirement. Do you remember the squaddies posted every 25 yards on the falls road during the troubles, It was a week before xmas and we where invited to a xmas party I cant remember if it was the seaman's mission or a church hall, As you will remember you where never fully dressed without your silver buttoned barathea jacket I remember we all had badges sown onto the top pocket, An Irish guy called me away from the bar scouse he said you are getting a lot of attention if I where you I would take that jacket with the Cheshire Regiments badge on the pocket off at least until you are leaving