Mixed Feelings! Plymouth to Roscoff with Brittany Ferries MV Armorique.
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- Not a good start to this trip I'm afraid! The ferry terminal at Plymouth, I'll leave you to judge whether it's suitable for foot passengers or not. Once on board, it was time for a quick drink before heading to bed for the night, arriving in Roscoff the next morning.
Roscoff is a lovely town and easily accessible by foot. Heading back to Plymouth, I had plenty of time to look at the ship but I have to be honest, I wasn't much impressed with that either. Or the crew!
But let me know what you think of this trip. Have you done the same? What do you think of Plymouth as a port? Is it suitable for foot passengers? As always guys, I really value your considered opinions and all likes, comments, subs are massively appreciated.
Cheers for now!
Mark
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📖Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:45 - Boarding the ship
06:00 - The cabin
09:19 - Leaving Plymouth
10:47 - Arriving into Roscoff
15:27 - On the way back
27:34 - Arriving into Plymouth
28:27 - Summary
Brittanyferriesophile here.
The main issue with the Plymouth to Roscoff service is Plymouth. The PAX terminal is very dated and poorly serviced, whilst it takes a fraction of the traffic that Portsmouth does (as it takes the cruise ships as well as the Brittany Ferries and Condor ferries' vessels). Roscoff is wonderful! The best way to experience this service is via car on Pont Aven (as she does 1 return to Roscoff per week for crew changes).
I've never fallen in love with Armorique, she's my least favourite of the Gourvenec era vessels and just doesn't have the public spaces that Mont St Michel does which is of a similar era. The cabin accommodation is really good on her however, but she feels like a bit of a motorway service station; she doesn't have the warmth and character of the other vessels. A lot of people like her, so who am I to say, but she's one of my least favourite vessels in the fleet (past and present).
Sadly Milbay Docks is run by ABP, there's limited space and it's just awful access for both foot and car traffic. The worst part of it is the lack of infrastructure for inbound customs and border control. The queues I've experienced there are unrivaled with any other UK part (with the exception of Dover) and by the time you've gotten through from both Roscoff and Santander services, you're spat out into the city close to rush hour. I try to avoid Plymouth as much as possible.😂
Portsmouth every time for me - fantastic access for both car and foot passenger traffic, the port confines are right at the end of the motorway, you dont have to go into Portsmouth at all (although I highly recommend a day at Old Portsmouth), probably my favourite place in the UK, especially if you're ship nerd; there's so much to see and do with the Historic Dockyards, Spinnaker Tower, the IOW feirres coming in and out, the hovercraft, the cross channel ferries, the cruise ships, naval vessels and harbour tours; it really is a great day out.
Excellent comment mate - one of the best I’ve had! And your experiences reflects mine very closely. I too remember driving off Pont Aven into Plymouth and a massive bottleneck as half-a-dozen lanes are squeezed into two or three at border control, taking an age to get out of port! Just hopeless infrastructure compared to Portsmouth. And the ship itself, I have travelled on her before but don’t remember it being so bland! Maybe it’s because I’ve done all the other ships over the years and feel more able to judge. I like BF overall, just a shame this one (and the crew) are just not giving as good an experience as the others (imo). Again, thanks for the comment, really appreciated 😊
@@LetsMakeaTrip I think as she's aged, her interior styling has become even more bland. I haven't sailed on her in quite a few years but was not wowed like I was with the rest of the fleet. Even the old Duc de Normandie which was sold off in the early 2000s to make way for the MSM had nicer interior. I hope they do a comprehensive refurb on her soon although they rarely do these days. I think the last big refit in the fleet was Bretagne to add the upper reclining seat area and Salon de Thé which was an excellent upgrade.
I always take PA when sailing from Roscoff - I'm usually quite flexible with timings and tend to time by trips to France around what vessel is sailing!
Yes, you're right, you get funnelled off the ship in about 4 lanes which go into two and heaven forbid you should be on a Santander crossing with 100+ motorbikes which I variably happens in the summer months, you're there for AGES! The queue has backed up right onto the ship sometimes too....yet there area always morons who sit their with their engines running. 🤣
You forgot to mention Plymouth discovered America, defeated the Spanish armada, put Napoleon in Dartmoor prison, has the biggest dockyard in Western Europe ,and is a wonderful place 😂
@@grahambyrne7868 I live in Plymouth and if you think it is a wonderful place then I am sorry I disagree 100%
@@briannash1982 move then you dafty 😄
My first trip on Brittany Ferries was 40 yrs ago 😮 I was 14, school trip. The crossing was diabolical. Everyone was being sick, including the staff.
I spent the whole trip outside trying not to be throw up. As soon as you opened the door to the inside, the smell of sick hit you......
Fortunately lots more pleasant voyages after that - Pont Aven is.my favourite.
I think we all have had that kind of trip
Another great video. Really enjoy these ship/crossing reviews. I keep checking for a new video everyday it is such great content and you cover all the relevant details with a bit of history. Keep it up 👍
Thanks for the comment, really appreciated. I’ve got quite a few work/travel commitments coming up so the vids are going to be a bit sporadic tbh but if you click the notification button it’ll sure let you know when a new one’s released 😊
We`ve just got back from Spain, having done the mini cruise from Plymouth to Santander. Out on Wednesday and back on Friday, as a foot passenger, cabin included, BF had it on special for £99 each. I was glad we were on the Pont Aven as she`s a comfortable ship, and we had a great time. Santander was an eye opener, a dedicated foot passenger terminal, maybe 25 metres walk into town and the place is smart, tidy and welcoming. I agree with you about Armorique, we found that she wasn`t very comfortable to sleep on and seems more suited to being purely a day sailer. We drove to Plymouth and the parking outside the terminal was confusing, the machine was out of use, I didn`t have a mobile phone so had to go into the terminal to ask what to do at the BF counter, luckily there is a big touch-screen inside to use. Fair play to you for walking from the train station to the ferryport, I used to live around the North Road area in the late `80s and it was always a bit rough. The Millbay road area was the city`s red light district, you couldn`t walk through there after dark without getting accosted by a few ladies of the night along the way. I understand that the area has gone through some re-generation in the last decade though.
An enjoyable video - I appreciate that the ship was a bit below the standard of the other ferries in the fleet - but your observations of the service (and the staff!) are what make these the treat they are ! Keep up the good work !
Thanks mate and cheers for commenting. 😊👍
A great video I love your ferry reviews and I also like your rail reviews as well you give out such a lot of information about the times and the schedules.
Cheers Simon, well his one didn’t work out that well but I will be 100% honest so hopefully that comes across. Thanks mate 😊
Hi Mark. I'm pleased to hear you are doing more of these videos as they are highly enjoyable.take care.
Cheers David, thanks for watching and I have another one coming very soon too 👍
Last time i went was the year 1997 with my parents. Still gives me nostalgia. I remember always the strawberry tarts with custard. Heaven and lots of milka chocolate and at the time glass bottles of origina.
I’ve been across the channel hundreds of times over the last forty years and never had a problem except for a couple of years ago. I arrived early at Cherbourg on a dark winters night and was first in the queue. No-one told me where I had to go so I ended up driving round the port looking for the boat. Thing was all the cars behind just followed me as none of them knew where to go either!
Well done Mark, you made a great video despite all the challenges you had before & whilst on board. I think you were very fair in your summing up of the trip. Looking forward to more ferry trips, and i do remember your Santander video - excellent :)
Cheers Andy and thanks for watching both 😊👍
I would like to see more Brittany Ferries ship tours we had our first crossing with them last year and your Portsmouth to Santander video was very helpful
Thanks very much. I’m glad the Santander vid was useful (it did very well for me too!). I’ve done the St Malo route with MV Bretagne but that didn’t do particularly well once channel for some reason. I would definitely try that ship if you can whilst she is still in service. A real classic ship 👍
When you mentioned the TV it made me think how much I used to watch years ago to what I watch now. It is so little!!!!
If you’re like me Ian, I switch the tv on, then go straight to CZcams!😂
If you’re like me Ian, I switch the tv on, then go straight to CZcams!😂
I'd love to see a video about the Portsmouth-Caen overnight crossing (and the onward bus+rail connection to Paris?) - the Roscoff-Cork ferry would also be nice...
I thought this was great video, subbed to see what's next! 😊
Thank you for an excellent video! !Yes id love a review of Pont Aven and a cruise p&o is good one!
Thanks mate, it will definitely happen at some point 👍
Poole to Cherbourg on the Barfleur
we do get pont avon aswell as armorique in plymouth
Great vlog !!Hull to Rotterdam is a good two nights out!!
It is, I would get lots of hate from the P&O aspect though!
Yeah, it used to be better pre P and O though in the 80s and 90s
Great video would love to see a cruise! 👍🏻
Thanks Emily, I’m certainly not a cruise expert but never say never!
Hi Mark. I've noticed that Brittany Ferries has opened up their crossing from Portsmouth to Le Havre for foot passengers, not sure if you have done that crossing yet , I'm planning on it later in the year. I've done Portsmouth to St Malo and Caen and have had great experiences on both trips. Great channel, thanks for all the time you take to detail your trips. I went from Tallinn to Helsinki off of the back of one of your videos , something that I wouldn't have probably thought of doing while on my visit to the Baltics.👍👍
Cheers Ian and thanks for the kind words. Great to hear you did the Helsinki ferry - such a scenic approach that one. I’ll have a look at the Le Havre crossing, thanks for the heads up. 👍
Like many we love your ferry vlogs, and from our point of view the more we see the sea the better! Cruise ships are wonderful too. So please don’t be put off by landlubbers, but coming from a different angle would be refreshing. Good to see you are almost at 25k subscribers - congratulations! 50k by end of year. David & Joy.
Thanks both! Another ferry vid coming out this week. Not sure if I’ll get to 50k subs tbh, can’t afford to retire and devote enough time to it just yet unfortunately. One day though and cheers for the encouragement 😊
Great video, your ferry videos are always very nice! Would love to see you try some more Nordic ferries some time, like Silja Serenade or Viking Glory!
0:34 Ye🎉s please review the Pont Aven, perhaps combine with the narrow gauge railway? 😊
Ahh, I was waiting for your vid on the Armorique, she's my favourite ship !
Ooh, sorry Joshua I wasn’t that impressed with her tbh. Great deck space is a positive though 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip yeah I understand, I just have great memories about her and all the crossings so I guess youn know often you just have great memories, I hope you'll do other BF ships in the future !
In actual fact, during the heyday of the transatlantic liners, there used to be a station at Millbay to enable passengers who were in a hurry to disembark at Plymouth and take the train to London, thereby saving a day's travel. Presumably that was killed off with the advent of fast, cheap air travel, and the station was demolished in the sixties or seventies if my memory serves well. The Plymouth Pavilions now stands on the site of the former station.
Imagine properly integrated rail and ferry services and, yep, unsurprisingly there used to be one but no longer there. Progress eh. Cheers David. 😊
Love the ferry reviews but omg please don't start doing cruise videos 😂 I watch a lot of travel/transport content and I am so completely uninterested in cruises, but CZcams *keeps suggesting cruise content* no matter how much I say I'm not interested. Don't add weight to the algorithm, please! Anyway, that's my purely personal reason for wishing against them. Love your videos, and thanks for another great one.
Thanks for the feedback. Yes I get a lot of cruise channels recommended too. If I do have a go, I can promise you it’ll be a bit different to the norm!
My brother is on a cruise this week. They go on them quite often. His wife doesn't like flying, so it is a good alternative for them to go abroad.
Regarding this video. I wouldn't like to go to that ferry terminal at night on my own. Glad you found your way around. Take care 🤗
This is a ferry, not a cruise ship. Yes, the boundaries get blurred sometimes in the search for higher revenues, but the fact is this is an integral part of the European transport network.
From Plymouth Railway Station you could of got any bus to the City Centre (Royal Parade) then took the City Bus Service 34 which passes the port entrance (there is a stop immediately passed that entrance).
Great video as always. I don't think I recall you doing it before but I'd like to see you do the Denmark to Faroe islands/Iceland ferry. Epic trip.
Cheers mate. I haven’t done it, it’s on my list so it’ll definitely be planned in at some point. It looks like an awesome trip!
@@LetsMakeaTrip excellent. I've been looking for reviews on it and they're limited so far
Armorique used to be just freight only then after a while let passengers on its just a basic no frills ferry where truck drivers could get there heads down and get some food which was rubbish as the french crew did not bother about the look of it some times you get that ship on plymouth to bilbao via roscoff
Thanks Mark great review, not the best ferry journey I've seen, cant believe she couldn't rebook your cabin for return journey, sounds like she couldn't be bothered, that fish and chips looked like a frozen meal from a supermarket freezer, certainly nothing there to entice me on that one, and yes bud, a cruise would be amazing, I did a Caribbean one years ago, loved it, also these mini cruises are fantastic to 👍
I might try a mini cruise as a kind of halfway thing. What’s the worst that could happen! 😂
Great video
Thanks Luis mate 😊👍
I use Brittany ferries to France but usually Spain 2 to 3 times a year but always with a car. The problem is that you HAVE to travel from Plymouth if you want to travel on the Pont Aven, as said on the video this is their best ship by far. Useful video; and more informative than BF's own website! Overall though I do find BF to be pretty good.
Thanks Antony. Yes that is an issue, PA has never gone from Portsmouth afaik. I do like her though so I may have to endure Plymouth one more time if I want to sail down to Spain on her.
Great Video 👍
Cheers Neil 😊👍
Watched this last week. Looked a bit of a faff at times.
Good video 😊
It was a bit. Thanks for watching and commenting Clare - appreciated as usual 😊
Great video! I recently sailed from Le Havre to Portsmouth and had the same issue regarding being unsure of the boarding time. I turned up 2½ hours before, and the terminal was basically a construction site, a bit unsafe to be honest. They told me boarding was an hour before, so I ended up walking back into Le Havre which thankfully isn't far.
My crossing was on Cotentin which is a very basic ship, but I actually enjoyed the overnight sailing. As the cabins are all at the front, it was probably the quietest ferry cabin I've ever experienced. If it was a day sailing, I imagine I'd have been a bit bored however 😂
Great video. Indeed when you thought about ferry operators dissuading foot passengers it definitely seemed the case in Plymouth. For example, DFDS has some services too that don't accept foot passengers.
Indeed from what I saw it is definitely not worth the money. My worst ferry crossing was back in 2017 from Catania to Malta overnight. The ferry had barely any facilities, and I spent the night sleeping on a deckchair. And even to get on the boat we had to be escorted by the port security in Catania
Cheers Enrico. Yep the terminal at Plymouth is just so unwelcoming with the dimly lit roads and no bus service. Yes you can get a taxi from the station but the point I was trying to make is that that is not ideal and costs more money compared to Portsmouth which is so much better for access. And yes the MV Armorique, not as good as the other BF ships imo.
Earlier in may we did DFDS/Transmanche Ferries from Newhaven to Dieppe..an alternative to dover-calais & returned Cherbourg to Poole... Next month having our first trip on Manxman
Enjoy Manxman, I haven’t been on the Newhaven - Dieppe route but it is on the list 😊👍
Good video Mark, agree with you about this ship just being ‘average’ but good that you enjoyed Roscoff, and, as usual, always a positive from you. I think you would enjoy a cruise around the Greek Isles, starting from Limassol, but failing that, what about a trip to the Channel Islands, if you haven’t already been to these lovely and very interesting islands.😊
Oh don’t tempt me! I did the Greek island-hopping thing many years ago but would love to go back. Channel Islands: my Condor Ferries vid from last year is on the channel and I’m doing the fast ferry to Guernsey next month too. 😊🙄
At least she was flying the Tricolour and not a flag of convenience like most P&O ships.
Yep, they always do 👍
Hi Mark...Thank you so much for another interesting and well filmed video.....I loved the 'adventure' of finding you way onto the ship.....I have mentioned before working on cruise ships some time ago and had many similar potential mishaps....Canary Islands...Santa Cruz.....my agent booked the wrong day and I tried to get on the wrong ship....Passengers loved it ...'Come with us across the Atlantic ...you'll love it'.... aaahaah..no hotel booked...on my own...next day....correct day.....no ship...diverted due to medical emergency ...aaahaaa...all ok in the end...ship came into Santa Cruz Celebrity Eclipse....and great experience back to Southampton....Love your videos Mark as you know...look forward to the next one...Take care....Liverpool Kev...
I very rarely make ferry crossings, and your experience with the inadequacies of Plymouth as a port does noi encourage me to become a ferry enthusiast. Indeed the thing which struck me most was the fact that though Roscoff is only a small town you rate its port facilities as much better than Plymouth!
I did. Roscoff is small but has a cafe (open) and a bus stop right outside. And a short but lovely walk into the town. Shame you can’t sail there from Portsmouth really. I think that route would do well.
There are plenty of taxis from the rail station to the ferryport. Frankly the ship is a bus that floats. Lots of cost cutting in the last few years. My wife and I do two or three trips a year Plymouth/Roscoff and back but that is with a car.
Cheers mate, yep I totally get the taxi point, but I was comparing the accessibility with Portsmouth which is much, much better 😊
Ooo, a nice trip to Spain by ferry would be jolly civilised.
The Santander one I did was pretty good but yes, plenty of other options too 😊👍
I would love a longer summer film from he round robin with a train, a ferry and a bus by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company
Plenty of buses into town from the station then probably only a 15 minute walk to the port,the port itself not the best a lot of work going on and the surrounding area never been on the ferry ,lived here for nearly 40 years,great videos always enjoy thank you
Cheers Kenneth. Yes the bus does make the journey easier and cheaper than getting a taxi. Just a shame there’s no bus stop outside the terminal or nearby (for port staff as much as anything).
@@LetsMakeaTrip I think there is a bus stop outside on the main road have seen them run along there going to King William yard which is well worth a visit but as you say they do make it difficult for foot passengers as if they are a hindrance
Station to the port just over a fiver. The ferry cabins are great.
Cheers. Yes taxi is an option but I’m comparing it to Portsmouth really (or Roscoff I suppose) where public transport or just walking is much much easier. 😊👍
Excellent 🍺🍺🍷🍺🍺⛴⛴⛴⛴⛴⛴⛴⛴
Cheers Derisley 👍👍👍⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
I'm going on the Pont Aven to Santander this weekend. I'm even more excited about the trip now that I've heard you saying how nice the Pont Aven is. On a contrasting note though, I'm managing and lowering my expectations accordingly though re the walk from Plymouth station to the ferry terminal, and the facilities there. 😂😂👍
Enjoy Rich. But get a taxi mate. I didn’t because I wanted to test out how easy (or not) public transport was. Never again!
I would love to see a Cruise experience, perhaps try P&O on an inter-Europe cruise to compare with P&O ferries and see if there are any similarities in service at all (hopefully not!).
One ferry crossing I would love to see is the HSS Condor Liberation, the idea of a wave piercing catamaran really does sound cool!
Nice video nonetheless, always a pleasure to watch :)
Great video as always mate, extremely informative, shame the whole experience was an average one! Cheers for now 😉
They are 2 mini cruise on the east coast ferry to Rotterdam, p&o (Hull) DFDS (Newcastle) would love a review of them both
It’s definitely on the list Jonny. Just struggling to find time to fit them in atm. Cheers mate 😊👍
Great video - I thought as the (new) Armorique doesn't have an a la carte restaurant, its self-service restaurant would be a cut above the rest - apparently not. Didn't have the chance to try the first Armorique all those years ago - did the crossing on the Penn Ar Bed instead.
Penn Ar Bed - I have the Brittany Ferries book somewhere and that ship is mentioned a lot. Before my time unfortunately but some great old ships I’ve read about. I just think the current Armorique is probably the worst of the BF fleet mainly because of the lack of facilities. Cheers 😊👍
I do enjoy seeing your ferry trips, Mark. Bit of a hassle at the start for you though😂
Cheers Sheila. Yep, if I did have to use Plymouth again, I’d get a taxi tbh.
Not a lot going on with this journey but thank you for making the whole trip into one video! So many on CZcams will now put out 3 videos for one trip like this and it feels like content for money rather than a really comprehensive whole trip report. Hope you can find a more interesting ferry trip in the daylight next time!
Thanks LDD. I did have someone moaning at me that I hadn’t filmed anything around Roscoff so I guess you can’t please everyone all of the time 😂 but I wanted to keep it compact so it’s good to hear you enjoyed it 😊
I feel jealous now haven’t been on the Armorique yet this year but might do a 24 hour trip sometime soon i think they should of added a club lounge in the cafe area
Idea for a trip get the stagecoach bus from Lancaster to Preston then get the stagecoach bus from Preston to Liverpool from there get the stageoach to manchester then a bus from there to sheffiels then the bus from there to leads from to York then to Scarborough endding up at take 2 days to do it in and tell us all how you got how you got on and tell us if you have a bus pass could you do in on one of those
We don't have buses come into the Dock unfortunately. I think it's a great idea.
I think so. I get that the frequency of the ferries is not great but for the staff and well everyone who work at Millbay, let alone the foot passengers even one an hour would be useful.
Myself And My Wife Done This Trip on foot In 2015 , We Where Shattered..
I was shattered before I’d even got to the ship! 😂
You are in my neck of the woods. I live in Plymouth.
I can empathise with your "hacked-off" feeling at the start of the broadcast when you are arriving at the ferry port and boarding the ship in a kind of "land that time forgot" atmosphere! Then to be followed by a negative experience when you tried, fruitlessly, to book a day cabin for the journey back.
The whole experience seemed to be very utilitarian and not in the league of "getting there is half the fun!"
I am sure that if the vessel had been busier and "buzzier" then there would have been more of a vibe to capture but your clip conveys a sense that you found the whole experience to be lacking anything to positively enjoy.
At least the weather was calm and the skies generally blue (rather matching the colour of the ship's interior and, dare I say it, the undercurrent of your mood!).
As usual, good watching.
Cheers Bob. Yep I tried not to be too negative about it (someone will always accuse me of whinging - guaranteed 😂) just showing the experience for what it is and I agree, later on in the year it’s probably different on board. Overall though, it’s difficult to justify going all the way to Plymouth unless it’s specifically for Roscoff. I’d choose Portsmouth every time 👍
I used to clean the Pont Aven years ago and she is a beautiful ship. Please do a review.
He has ...and mentioned it twice.
She is, I’ve travelled on her a few times as a car passenger from Plymouth. A great ship!
Finally in Plymouth
I liked the city, port facilities though 👎
@@LetsMakeaTrip atleast you didn't have to walk around town
Never had a problem with Brittany ferries, food okay therefore and holiday deals can be a bargain.
I find it easier to talk to them to get a good deal
ref cruise 7 days to Norway. Stunning scenary but expensive on land
I think that’s the one I want to do if I do try a cruise. It’s a scenery thing really 👍
How about the ferry from Bergen (Norway) to Hirtshals (Denmark)?
The Hirtshals route I was looking at was for the Iceland ferry. That would be awesome to do 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip That’s a pretty long journey, I think 😊
The service is obviously a bit underfunded but it did seem good value for a cabin. Roscoff looks lovely - will have to go sometime. Thanks for moving the captions up the screen - they show up much better now. About cruising… what about Drake’s Passage?? I would love to see Antarctica but would save up and fly as a lifetime experience - sailing there wouldn’t be for me! Thanks again for the videos and your fun sense of humour 😀
BTW most of the ships during quieter t8mes of year don’t open their sit down restaurants. I think I’ve used Armourique once and it was ok. Nice vlog
Cheers Alan. It’s nice to have the option I guess but yep, take your point.
Hi Mark. I understand what you mean with the Armorique, compared to the Bretagne, Pont Aven, MSM etc isn’t quite to the same standard. Thanks again for another great video. Also strange request but my best friend is turning 40 soon and he like me is a big fan of your channel and if you can send him a small message/video that would be amazing. Thanks again Mark
DM me with the details on X if you can mate. Cheers 😊
Great video as always, Mark. I felt they could have given you the same cabin on the return journey. They're not going the extra mile there. Were you wearing a cordless mic? I'm looking for one for my GoPro 12 and would be interested in the model you're using. Hope you're well. Andy.
Cheers Andy. Yep, no common sense applied by BF = I kept my money in my pocket. I’m using a MOVO wireless system which is fine and considerably cheaper than a DJI system. About £35
Wait, I thought UK ferry ports were shining beacons of light designed to welcome weary foot passengers with a warm, comforting blanket and a cup of hot cocoa on their long journeys to the continent ... no? 🤷♂🤣 Great stuff, cheers!
Haha, unfortunately not this one!
Love these Brittany Ferries reviews so I look forward to what you have in store for the future. Do you think there is a desire for ferry companies to do away with the foot passenger?
There doesn’t seem to be much effort to encourage them. Port facilities is sometimes the excuse but I don’t see why foot passengers can’t be bussed onto ship. Actually I can - costs money!
The railway station and the docks have always been a 30 minute walk and anyone planning a journey will know this. A £5 taxi ride is good value compared to 16.10 Euros for "average" fish & chips.
And they will also know that Portsmouth is a much easier port to access (which was why I mentioned this in the vid). Just a shame you can’t sail from there to Roscoff. Brittany is lovely.
I did Portsmouth to Santander on the Pont Aven with my motorbike. It took over 2 hours to disembark due to malfunctioning bow doors. Speaking to another traveller this had been a regular occurrence for more than 2 months. Not a good start to my Pico's tour.
I'd recommend DFDS Newhaven-Dieppe as an altenative.
I’ve looked at that, I would be interested to know how easy it is to get to Newhaven using public transport. One for the list for sure 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip dead easy, you just cross.the road from the train station. It's about 1/3 the price of BF for the same level of service provision. But no 1970s showrooms with singers.
This video encourages me to find other operators than Brittany Ferries next time I cross the Channel.
Trouble is John, BF have a monopoly on the western channel routes (apart from one Condor Ferries St Malo route).
It seems that Brittany Ferries see foot passengers as a bit of an inconvenience, if you turn up with on a bike, you are a double inconvenience 😂
Lacking excitement. Much prefer rail journeys.
OK, fair enough.
Hi. I've just noticed that you can do a mini cruise from Plymouth to Santander for £99 including cabin both ways.
YesMark I’ve seen that. Only get a couple of hours in Santander but not bad value all the same. 👍
We liked the pride of Bilbao, we are on the Galicia to Bilbao in June , been on it before , not impressed , it’s just convenient, we also like the mont st michelle
Living in Plymouth Millbay is the only sensible departure point for us. it is a long slog up to Portsmouth and only have used this route once in winter when Plymouth is closed. A lot of money is being spent by ABP to inprove the handling facilities, but like lots of these projects it is being progressed at a snails pace. The Border Force previous shambles has now been moved and it is much improved. Our last two trips through had no delay.
For foot passengers they have just started constructing a new walkway that will hopefully be far superior to the old gang plank that was so steep. I used the Pont Aven as a foot passenger last year twice and staff just didnt know what we were supposed to do. One said walk outside and wait by the bus, so about 10 of us were dutifully standing there like lemons when a loader walked past and shouted " what are you doing there ? You will miss the boat, you walk on" !! As we walked on the designated yellow area staff were shouting "hurry up we are departing" As an elderly couple who were struggling with wheeled suitcases got on they closed the ship up and we were sailing by the time we reached our cabin.
I agree that the Armorigue is the poor cousin of the fleet but I think this is a throwback to the original concept of Brittany ferries as a quick method for th farmers of Brittany to get their goods into the UK when the common market started. Comfor wasnt high on the agenda.
Keep these videos going, they are always enjoyable. Cant believe you didnt fit in a return trip on the Torpoint Ferry while you were in Plymouth. ( The cabins are dire)
How about some Greek ferries? Island hopping around the Cyclades??
That would be very tempting Elaine. It’s a good 20 years since I did the Greek island-hopping thing. I loved it!
Did you get a deckplan leaflet from them it tells you all about the ship.?
You should show it. When you travel on Brittany ferries next. Brittany Ferries are the best company to travel with. That ferry you where on is a rental ship. That's why she is different from the other ferries in the fleet.
Please do a cruise!
There’s a mixed bag of responses to this. I probably will at some point but it’ll be a bit different to the norm hopefully.
If Brittany Ferries cannot be bothered to improve their facilities at Plymouth, cannot be bothered to offer more than the bare minimum in their cabins, cannot be bothered to improve the on-board food, and cannot be bothered to train their staff to be helpful and pro-active, then I will not bother to travel with them. Thank you for your informative review.
Love the ferry videos it’s a way of seeing another place in a day. Plymouth don’t look to passenger friendly. Buses coach ferry train plane. But no cruise trips please.
Cheers Colin, I shall do my best to resist😊
All the good Brittany Ferries, ie. Salamanca, Galacia etc are actually owned by Stena RoRo and are on a permanent charter to Brittany Ferries.
Brittany Ferries don't own any of their ships, I personnally think Salamanca and Galicia are quite bland, they're nice ships but if we end up with all ferry operators using e-flexer it would be quite boring
Brilliant video and great review as always!! Seems as though most ferry companies don't want to accommodate foot passengers, or they do everything to make the experience rubbish so that foot passengers decide not to travel by ferry or fly Instead. not the greatest welcome or impression of the terminal at Plymouth being in the dark. Seems as though there is an accident waiting to happen. Hope all is well, take care
Cheers Peter. Yep, not the best tbh and it’s Portsmouth every time for me. 👍
Please do a video in Scotland. South Queensferry & North Queensferry
That’s an interesting one - I’ll add it to my list 😊👍
That’s an interesting one - I’ll add it to my list 😊👍
Maybe take a mini cruise to Bruges from Hull to Zeebrugge?
I’ve don’t the route the other way round. Big ship it felt like to me. Good plan though, thanks for the idea 👍
If it's a 45 minute walk, it's more like 2-3 miles than a mile and a half! My "local" railway station is about a 25 minute walk, and that is 1.3 miles (apparently).
Well, y’know, not everyone walks at standard walking pace so always look at the worst case scenario. Under promise, over deliver 🤔
Seems a bit of a mare Mark tbf. Still a great video👍🏻
Cheers Gazza. It wasn’t too bad, Roscoff was really nice 👍
A bus ride to the ferry terminal would have been a fairly cheap option from the train station?
I recently travelled on the MV Armorique, and yes it's not super fancy, but the crew are good, the food wasn't anything special though which is a shame, I had the same fish and chips and you could tell it was just frozen food heated in an oven, instead of being fried fresh.
Anyway enjoyed the video, keep up the good work 👍
Cheers Norm. I think the closest you can get by bus is the entrance to the port and then walk from there (or so I’ve been told anyway). Yes the food isn’t anything special and if you do want something a bit more fancy, there’s no posh restaurant as on some of the other ships. There’s a few things I would do differently next time and I think Roscoff deserves at least a 1 night stay and I’d probably spend my cash in a nice seafood restaurant in the town. 😊
As for WiFi, was disappointed that Irish Ferries also charge. I think Stena give it free?
I’ll check next time. I’m sure to be on one at some point 👍
Love your videos, but having been many times on Armorique I felt the title of this video was too negative - we love this ship! I do understand what you say about the port experience for foot passengers - we take the car and the port is fine for motor vehicles. I think the ship is lovely - yes some aspects are a little dated but it's part of the charm. And actually while Pont Aven has more facilities, I thought it felt more dated and lacked the 'cosier' feel of Armorique. I wonder if part of the issue with this journey is travelling during a quiet time - the atmosphere in the summer seems quite different. Agree with you Roscoff is lovely & would love to see you do a video exploring the town some time. Keep up the good work 👍
Cheers Richard. I’ve had poor experiences arriving back into Plymouth with the car where all lanes seem to narrow down into a bottle next at passport control. The ship, well, I’m comparing it to the others I’ve been on (basically all of them over the years) and it just didn’t do it for me really. Yes it was quiet, I’ll have to try and think back to what it was like last time I sailed on her (during school holidays). Personally, I like the Pont Aven but because of the ‘Plymouth thing’ maybe I’ll try sailing out of Cork? One for the future anyway. 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip Thanks Mark - that's fair enough. It comes down to personal taste to some extent. Perhaps the excitement of going on holiday clouds my judgement! I've always loved the wake-up music 'Troellen' on Brittany Ferries too. I did love the Commodore lounge on Pont Aven - and again, maybe my view was skewed because on that occasion I was very tired so probably couldn't make the most of it. Am hoping to travel Portsmouth-Caen at some point so that'll be an interesting comparison as I haven't been on that route for a long time. Overall, I do like Brittany Ferries and their ethos (their origin story is interesting). Leaving aside the actual facilities, getting to Plymouth port by car feels like an easier journey from Wales than Portsmouth - one advantage being that you get a nice journey through Somerset and Devon with interesting places to stop. Would love to see a video from Cork!
I did Plymouth once, taking a motorbike to Santander. Never again… access is dreadful, zigzagging all through the town, the port is dated. And on the return journey we had to queue within the terminal complex for over an hour in torrential rain, just to get to passport control. Avoid at any cost.
I’ve queued in the car before now trying to get through passport control. Six lanes going down to half that, a total nightmare when all you want to do is get outta the place.
Hi mark, was 91 quid for a return ticket? Or each way? If return, I’d say that’s extremely reasonable.
£91 return which like I said was decent when it includes effectively 1 nights accommodation
Mark, looks like these were not your best days mate. Hope nothing was going on 'in the background' that coloured your mood..?
That 'person' who wouldn't take your £30 for the day room should be fired! Talk about paying lip service to customer service!!!! Jeeeez!
Roscoff is one of those North Western French coastal places I've always wanted to say 'been there' about, but not quite got there. Nearly did some years ago (from the land side) but got out voted 😶
Hope the next one is a better experience for you but, as always, it's the honesty of your travelogues that wins out 👍
Cheers Shane. Roscoff I would definitely recommend. But yes, getting there is a bit tricky from the UK if you don’t want to go from Plymouth. The cabin issue was a bit odd for me. One of those situations where you would think common sense and flexibility could earn them some money but unfortunately not. Never mind, saved myself a few quid anyway 😂
Good review, certainly looks average, I'd have expected better from Brittany Ferries. I'd have used a few hours in France to buy some groceries 🤣 have you thought about the Newhaven Dieppe ferry? Good rail connections at both ends!
I have thought about the Dieppe ferry yes. Just gotta find a good time to do it. Could be part of an onward travel plan 🤔
@@LetsMakeaTrip I took my car on it, but foot passenger access couldn't be easier, especially at Newhaven. Ideal for Interrail 🤔
One for the algorithm
It’s a shame the food is not a bit better on these longer crossings including to Spain as although I have not travelled on Brittany Ferries the reviews are not great. Looks an ok ship though with good deck space. I just wish the Norway/Sweden Ferries still ran as they would be much closer to me than the ones from the South Coast. I guess you just have enough time in port as it’s similar to the DFDS mini cruise to Amsterdam, where you have around 4 hours though P&O gives you longer from Hull.