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Beware Brittany Ferries - it’s a customer service disaster zone at the moment.

D

Donald Dub

Messages
21
Location
Ashbourne, Derbyshire, UK
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 204 4Motion
After a fantastic two weeks of touring France in the Cali we returned to Ouistreham for our return ferry on Sunday morning (19th July). Our experience on the ‘Normandie’ to Portsmouth was truly horrific.

The 45 minute checkin has now been extended to 90 minutes, but the reason for this was unclear on arrival. We boarded at the same time, the same speed and the same format as usual so don’t break your backs trying to get there too early folks. Beware the new blue stickers that they now place on the windscreen (in the drivers line of sight in my instance). They are not easy peel and are a devil to remove. The staff at the terminal in Caen were and absolute delight and the French customs official had us laughing at his jokes as he checked our passports.

All the jollity changed the moment we got on the ferry. The charmless staff were barking out orders from afar. We were not allowed to lower our van windows to talk to the ‘customer service’ woman (who signalled she wanted to speak to us) until all our masks were in place. She told us we could only remove our masks in our cabin and we must remain in our cabin ‘at all times‘. I asked if we could remove our masks if we went for a meal or a drink and she just shrugged her shoulders. We then bumped into an elderly British couple we had met at a campsite and as we talked a Brittany Ferries employee interrupted our conversation. At full shout he instructed her to put a muzzle on the dog she had with her. As she was explaining to the employee that the muzzle was in fact on and in place (you couldn’t see it because of the curly fur around it’s face) he shouted that he was ’not interested in her excuses‘ and she must put the muzzle on the dog immediately. It was a truly awful boarding experience.

All services on board were closed except for the restaurant which opened from midday to 1pm (we had planned having breakfast on board but that was not an option) and the bar was also open briefly. When the restaurant did open, the food was absolutely disgusting to the point of being inedible slop and, just to make all the mask wearing completely pointless, the cups and crockery were all dirty. Old lipstick and the remains of someone else’s dinner underneath your dinner is never that appealing.

Later I decided to go to the bar for a soft drink. I was the only person in the entire room save for one couple that had chosen to brave it out and and sit in the bar and consume the drink they’d purchased, against all the advice from the staff. As I approached the bar I inadvertently walked the wrong way alongside the temporary stretch-belt barrier. The bar women shouted at me and genuinely expected me to walk back and around the barrier and enter from the correct way even though she was 5m away and the brave couple were 20m away. I refused to do so and stood my ground. She raised her arms as if her entire world had ended right then and she reluctantly served me. The male partner of said brave coupled piped up from across the room and said ‘She was the same with us mate. She’s a Rottweiler’.

Our crossing from Hull to Rotterdam on P&O Ferries two week previously had been a fantastic experience. Everything was open as normal and the staff were truly fabulous. Brittany Ferries on the other hand have been going down hill for years and I think it will be curtains for them soon. They were only 1/4 full at most in my opinion with very little freight traffic. This is the last time I will ever use them.

My advice is that if you do have tickets booked with BF then take your own packed lunch/breakfast/dinner and drinks on board to consume in your cabin. If you are lucky enough to not have yet booked then choose an alternative option for the time being. Clearly Brittany Ferries want to keep all customers confined in their cabins for as long as possible as paying customers are simply a massive inconvenience to them.
 
After a fantastic two weeks of touring France in the Cali we returned to Ouistreham for our return ferry on Sunday morning (19th July). Our experience on the ‘Normandie’ to Portsmouth was truly horrific.

The 45 minute checkin has now been extended to 90 minutes, but the reason for this was unclear on arrival. We boarded at the same time, the same speed and the same format as usual so don’t break your backs trying to get there too early folks. Beware the new blue stickers that they now place on the windscreen (in the drivers line of sight in my instance). They are not easy peel and are a devil to remove. The staff at the terminal in Caen were and absolute delight and the French customs official had us laughing at his jokes as he checked our passports.

All the jollity changed the moment we got on the ferry. The charmless staff were barking out orders from afar. We were not allowed to lower our van windows to talk to the ‘customer service’ woman (who signalled she wanted to speak to us) until all our masks were in place. She told us we could only remove our masks in our cabin and we must remain in our cabin ‘at all times‘. I asked if we could remove our masks if we went for a meal or a drink and she just shrugged her shoulders. We then bumped into an elderly British couple we had met at a campsite and as we talked a Brittany Ferries employee interrupted our conversation. At full shout he instructed her to put a muzzle on the dog she had with her. As she was explaining to the employee that the muzzle was in fact on and in place (you couldn’t see it because of the curly fur around it’s face) he shouted that he was ’not interested in her excuses‘ and she must put the muzzle on the dog immediately. It was a truly awful boarding experience.

All services on board were closed except for the restaurant which opened from midday to 1pm (we had planned having breakfast on board but that was not an option) and the bar was also open briefly. When the restaurant did open, the food was absolutely disgusting to the point of being inedible slop and, just to make all the mask wearing completely pointless, the cups and crockery were all dirty. Old lipstick and the remains of someone else’s dinner underneath your dinner is never that appealing.

Later I decided to go to the bar for a soft drink. I was the only person in the entire room save for one couple that had chosen to brave it out and and sit in the bar and consume the drink they’d purchased, against all the advice from the staff. As I approached the bar I inadvertently walked the wrong way alongside the temporary stretch-belt barrier. The bar women shouted at me and genuinely expected me to walk back and around the barrier and enter from the correct way even though she was 5m away and the brave couple were 20m away. I refused to do so and stood my ground. She raised her arms as if her entire world had ended right then and she reluctantly served me. The male partner of said brave coupled piped up from across the room and said ‘She was the same with us mate. She’s a Rottweiler’.

Our crossing from Hull to Rotterdam on P&O Ferries two week previously had been a fantastic experience. Everything was open as normal and the staff were truly fabulous. Brittany Ferries on the other hand have been going down hill for years and I think it will be curtains for them soon. They were only 1/4 full at most in my opinion with very little freight traffic. This is the last time I will ever use them.

My advice is that if you do have tickets booked with BF then take your own packed lunch/breakfast/dinner and drinks on board to consume in your cabin. If you are lucky enough to not have yet booked then choose an alternative option for the time being. Clearly Brittany Ferries want to keep all customers confined in their cabins for as long as possible as paying customers are simply a massive inconvenience to them.
You know there's a deadly pandemic happening, yes?
 
You tried to open your window without a mask on and didn't follow simple signage. Maybe spare a thought for people having to work in customer services during a pandemic instead of coming on here and bleating about perceived poor service
 
i'm with Donald on this one. some real little yellow vest wearing twats about. walking in one door and out of another when no one is around doesn't prevent a virus spreading. neither does closing the bar early or walking one way around a barrier in empty spaces. common sense should prevail. the bit about the dog muzzle if true is disgusting and i don't know how he kept his calm. ferry staff are not the only ones working through a pandemic with alot of people working far more dangerous and exposed jobs. rudeness helps no one and just angers the public.
 
And calling a member of staff a Rottweiler is ok? (Yes I know it wasn't the OP)
 
Suggest the Donalds stay on your island and wait for better days. All will be happy.
 
You tried to open your window without a mask on and didn't follow simple signage. Maybe spare a thought for people having to work in customer services during a pandemic instead of coming on here and bleating about perceived poor service
Well said! We had a totally different experience on the Normandie recently but maybe that's because we had our masks on at all times, took our own food into our cabin and stayed there until called to leave. Sounds like we had a lucky escape - we might have bumped into entitled, shouty, rules are for wimps type of British people that are exactly why we need to wear masks and take precautions. I'm popping back again on Thursday but will be home in France again by Sunday once I've seen my poorly mum. I'll be doing exactly the same as before - mask on, meal in bag, stay in cabin and be thankful for the staff that have to endure some of the less pleasant customers on board.
 
We also came back from Caen on Monday evening with Brittany Ferries. I agree with the extended check in comments. We were one of the first there and, typically, the last vehicle off!
The staff were extremely pleasant and friendly on both trips.
We felt extremely safe on the outward ferry and yes there is a mask requirement which is as it should be.
The ferries are quiet because to travel you are required to book a cabin.
The restaurant required sanitiser on entry and encouraged social distancing.
It felt very safe.
You could go on deck, the shop was open, again with a one way system in place so safe and all in all it was very nice to be back in an obviously well protected environment.
There were no confrontations, no one shouting and our homeward trip was just as easy, albeit we slept most of it.
After boarding at 11pm there were quite a few people in the bar, social distancing and obviously not wearing masks but seemingly getting it right.
At risk of being attacked on social media I’ll say this.
We seem to be in a situation where people don’t want to follow the law or legislation and seem to have a belief that they know better, or are immune but, at the same time put more cautious members of the public at risk.
Wearing masks in supermarkets is a good example of this reluctant behaviour.
It’s quite depressing.
I will say the French were very geared up in terms of masks, distancing and obeying the guidelines.
 
So now it looks like a no no for Spain and possibly France this year due to 2nd wave..latest news...so sad ! :(
 
There is a lot of requirements and rules at present that I do not necessarily agree with or see the logic for.

However I also find a health service in danger of collapse disagreeable and I also find the wilful disregard for the rules in place pretty disagreeable even if I do not like or agree with those rules, for where does it stop? Any rule I disagree with I can just ignore?

To be fair to the OP though, bad service is bad service in any crisis, although none of us know just what the staff have had to put up with that day.
 
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After a fantastic two weeks of touring France in the Cali we returned to Ouistreham for our return ferry on Sunday morning (19th July). Our experience on the ‘Normandie’ to Portsmouth was truly horrific.

The 45 minute checkin has now been extended to 90 minutes, but the reason for this was unclear on arrival. We boarded at the same time, the same speed and the same format as usual so don’t break your backs trying to get there too early folks. Beware the new blue stickers that they now place on the windscreen (in the drivers line of sight in my instance). They are not easy peel and are a devil to remove. The staff at the terminal in Caen were and absolute delight and the French customs official had us laughing at his jokes as he checked our passports.

All the jollity changed the moment we got on the ferry. The charmless staff were barking out orders from afar. We were not allowed to lower our van windows to talk to the ‘customer service’ woman (who signalled she wanted to speak to us) until all our masks were in place. She told us we could only remove our masks in our cabin and we must remain in our cabin ‘at all times‘. I asked if we could remove our masks if we went for a meal or a drink and she just shrugged her shoulders. We then bumped into an elderly British couple we had met at a campsite and as we talked a Brittany Ferries employee interrupted our conversation. At full shout he instructed her to put a muzzle on the dog she had with her. As she was explaining to the employee that the muzzle was in fact on and in place (you couldn’t see it because of the curly fur around it’s face) he shouted that he was ’not interested in her excuses‘ and she must put the muzzle on the dog immediately. It was a truly awful boarding experience.

All services on board were closed except for the restaurant which opened from midday to 1pm (we had planned having breakfast on board but that was not an option) and the bar was also open briefly. When the restaurant did open, the food was absolutely disgusting to the point of being inedible slop and, just to make all the mask wearing completely pointless, the cups and crockery were all dirty. Old lipstick and the remains of someone else’s dinner underneath your dinner is never that appealing.

Later I decided to go to the bar for a soft drink. I was the only person in the entire room save for one couple that had chosen to brave it out and and sit in the bar and consume the drink they’d purchased, against all the advice from the staff. As I approached the bar I inadvertently walked the wrong way alongside the temporary stretch-belt barrier. The bar women shouted at me and genuinely expected me to walk back and around the barrier and enter from the correct way even though she was 5m away and the brave couple were 20m away. I refused to do so and stood my ground. She raised her arms as if her entire world had ended right then and she reluctantly served me. The male partner of said brave coupled piped up from across the room and said ‘She was the same with us mate. She’s a Rottweiler’.

Our crossing from Hull to Rotterdam on P&O Ferries two week previously had been a fantastic experience. Everything was open as normal and the staff were truly fabulous. Brittany Ferries on the other hand have been going down hill for years and I think it will be curtains for them soon. They were only 1/4 full at most in my opinion with very little freight traffic. This is the last time I will ever use them.

My advice is that if you do have tickets booked with BF then take your own packed lunch/breakfast/dinner and drinks on board to consume in your cabin. If you are lucky enough to not have yet booked then choose an alternative option for the time being. Clearly Brittany Ferries want to keep all customers confined in their cabins for as long as possible as paying customers are simply a massive inconvenience to them.
Ok,not during the pandemic but used bf about 6-7 times in the past 4 years and always been impressed.
 
Just to add, went Plymouth - Roscoff and St Malo - Portsmouth over the last 10 days.
The ferries were fine, pretty much everything open on board, staff friendly, very quiet, no issues or hassles at all. Loads of space in the restaurant, cabins very clean.Heli-deck.jpg
 
DFDS Newhaven to Dieppe was fine; Received an email a couple of weeks before departure informing us that all cabin bookings were cancelled due to issues with COVID (possibly to do with the aircon in the cabins), so refund given for accommodation.

Not many people in the ferry so easy to distance..but despite a clear instruction for masks to be worn at all times inside whilst onboard. Lots of people in bar area without masks; We spent most of the crossing on deck In the fresh air as it was a lovely evening.

Very little traffic in France on the toll roads, we had a 15min delay in Bordeaux but ended up hitting it during rush hour so to be expected. Avoided the Royan ferry as have had to queue for a few hours in recent years.

Everyone wearing masks in supermarkets, but no distancing when walking around the aisles; Hardly any social distancing in towns. Restaurant tables within touching distance of next table & very few people wearing masks (some have to them pulled down exposing the nose!) so can’t see the infection rate dropping over here!

But despite the above it’s easy to keep yourself to yourself. Shopping later in the evening avoids the crowds, avoid eating out & beaches / cycle lanes / forests were are not that busy.

1F5FB712-4250-4227-A9AF-0F8762A0583B.jpeg61A250B9-2E5E-4E99-8AB5-51D9C7AF0073.jpegB1FBFE3B-050F-4BE5-982B-E956E79BE304.jpeg
 
DFDS Newhaven to Dieppe was fine; Received an email a couple of weeks before departure informing us that all cabin bookings were cancelled due to issues with COVID (possibly to do with the aircon in the cabins), so refund given for accommodation.

Not many people in the ferry so easy to distance..but despite a clear instruction for masks to be worn at all times inside whilst onboard. Lots of people in bar area without masks; We spent most of the crossing on deck In the fresh air as it was a lovely evening.

Very little traffic in France on the toll roads, we had a 15min delay in Bordeaux but ended up hitting it during rush hour so to be expected. Avoided the Royan ferry as have had to queue for a few hours in recent years.

Everyone wearing masks in supermarkets, but no distancing when walking around the aisles; Hardly any social distancing in towns. Restaurant tables within touching distance of next table & very few people wearing masks (some have to them pulled down exposing the nose!) so can’t see the infection rate dropping over here!

But despite the above it’s easy to keep yourself to yourself. Shopping later in the evening avoids the crowds, avoid eating out & beaches / cycle lanes / forests were are not that busy.

View attachment 64379View attachment 64380View attachment 64381
I bet customers in the ferry restaurant /cafe, if it was open, weren't wearing masks. ;)
 
Returned on the same Ferry, Normandie, on 7th Aug. and can only express total satisfaction with the way the Staff are dealing with the Covid situation.
Did get caught out by shop opening hours, went out on the Mont which had shop open an hour before arrival and after a meal was convenient. The Normandie had the shop open during crossing and was closed during the hour before arrival so no shopping done.
windscreen stickers are colour coded to your cabin deck to enable loading/unloading one deck at a time to ease passenger congestion issues. The stickers are easily removed with any residue merely requiring a wet sponge.

I did mention in a previous note the poor behaviour of some Brits on board.
 
You tried to open your window without a mask on and didn't follow simple signage. Maybe spare a thought for people having to work in customer services during a pandemic instead of coming on here and bleating about perceived poor service
You are wrong, just plain wrong!
 
I think this is all irrelevant now.as I imagine France will require Brits to Quarantine for 2 weeks and then you will need another 2 weeks when you get back...Might just as well stay at home a find a nice campsite in the UK.
 
I think this is all irrelevant now.as I imagine France will require Brits to Quarantine for 2 weeks and then you will need another 2 weeks when you get back...Might just as well stay at home a find a nice campsite in the UK.
Possibly, note possibly, France will not put 2 week quarantine in force due to financial impact on tourism.

I hope not as booked to go again on 17th Sept. Can manage the isolation but 2 weeks food supply needed would be main problem.
 
I’m gutted that we can’t go to France and Spain. We have been doing it for the past 17 years and never missed once, till now...You can bet that France WILL make Brits quarantine as they don’t seem to see eye to eye on much lately...
 
I’m gutted that we can’t go to France and Spain. We have been doing it for the past 17 years and never missed once, till now...You can bet that France WILL make Brits quarantine as they don’t seem to see eye to eye on much lately...

We head back from France (2 weeks early) this weekend. Not much social distancing etc here compared to UK, so can understand why French Infection rate is rising.
 
Possibly, note possibly, France will not put 2 week quarantine in force due to financial impact on tourism.

I hope not as booked to go again on 17th Sept. Can manage the isolation but 2 weeks food supply needed would be main problem.
Isolation in France would be in a hotel where you arrive I guess - I don't think they would let you quarantine in your campervan???
 
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