"Channel Islands Experience"
My journey to and from Jersey on Condor Ferries was interesting. I chose ferry rather than plane to see some scenery and the views of Isle of Wight, Poole Harbour and Sandbanks and Guernsey were good.
Onboard facilities such as food and drink, toilets and being able to walk around were good.
However, there are some important reservations that I would like to make, because if I was recommending ferry travel these are essential points to take into consideration.
Firstly how susceptible to weather these boats are, and it’s impact on travel. My wife and I were very fortunate. We sailed on Sunday 16th September ( the passengers from the day previously had gone about a quarter of their journey and came back to Poole due to mechanical problems. These could not be fixed immediately so the ferry was cancelled, and they had to travel the next day.) When we arrived in Jersey the weather was beautiful, and so it continued until Friday evening. However, the wind in the Channel was too strong and from Tuesday through to Friday the ferry was cancelled. Our ferry left on Saturday, and the Sunday ferry was also cancelled.
This meant we couldn’t visit St Malo or Guernsey during our stay as we were concerned as to whether we could get back to Jersey. The people stranded from Tuesday onwards had, in some cases, to book a different hotel, and some places hiked up their prices as a result. So, two points. One you must have travel insurance, and preferably with a low excess, and second, be prepared to lengthen your stay due to weather conditions.
We had internet and checked the Condor website once we heard of the problem. Right up to the day before, we were preparing for an extra couple of nights stay, but it turned out ok for us. All we had was a text and email from Direct Ferries saying the time for sailing had changed, and no other information. From Condor Ferries nothing at all, and some passengers said they only heard by chance at the last minute that the sailing on Saturday had been brought forward by 71/2 hours!!! Maybe some even missed the sailing, I’m not sure.
So I think travel insurance is a must ( the ferry company holds no responsibility for weather making sailing changes), and also check regularly by phone, online or in person to ensure you get daily updates, regardless of the weather on the island.
One other thing which we found made the journey better for us was to upgrade to Ocean Plus. We decided the Ocean Club didn’t offer much more and was considerably more expensive. Ocean Plus gives you a better seat for leg room and comfort, table or reclining seat, and it’s not so noisy or congested as the ordinary seating. Plus you get a panoramic view of the voyage. One complaint is that all you get is half an hours free WiFi which seems particularly stingy as you pay for the upgrade. After that time you pay by the hour for more internet. I thought that was not very good value.
Would I travel by ferry again? Yes, if I didn’t have to get back for a certain date, and I was having a reasonably long stay on the island.
Would I recommend it? Yes, with the provisos mentioned above.
We did enjoy our break ( in total 6 days and nights) but hadn’t quite appreciated how badly affected by weather ( even at this time of year) this ferry could be.
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Overall Rating:
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General:
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Catering:
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Cleanliness:
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Staff:
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Punctuality:
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Recommended?
Yes
Reviewed by Glyndwr who travelled with Condor Ferries on Condor Liberation
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