Letters
My experience on Brittany Ferries' new boat was lacklustre
A reader writes of his experiences with the company
'The designer clearly thought form was more important than substance', says reader who has travelled with the company since the 1980s
MarkUK97 / Shutterstock
To the Editor,
I have always been a big Brittany Ferries fan. We have been using them since the 1980s and joined their Club Voyage many years ago.
We were looking forward to the new boat, Guillaume de Normandie, but a recent return trip found it to be the biggest disappointment since Brexit. If the Bastille was still intact, I would use it to incarcerate the designer who clearly thought form was more important than substance and had no idea about the basic needs of the customer.
We treated ourselves to a commodore cabin as my wife has been ill and we wanted a bit of comfort. The outbound trip was overnight and they completely fouled up the catering arrangements, providing us with a cabin breakfast just before we were told to vacate the cabin. The meal vouchers were useless as the restaurant was closed.
Our cabin was on Deck 9 and most lifts only went to 8. The cabin was supposed to have a window and a balcony. The window had been replaced by a mirror and the balcony door, once shut, could not be opened.
Read more: Brittany Ferries to increase frequency of popular France-Ireland route
On older ferries, there is comfortable outside space with chairs to relax on the voyage. This seems to be absent on the Guillaume. The only space we saw was on the top of the ship. Good luck finding a lift to get up there!
Those responsible for this vessel are full of self-congratulation for its state-of-the-art facilities and carbon footprint.
The general public have mostly realised that net zero is all about politics and as confidence in green initiatives plummets it becomes increasingly obvious that this ferry is yet another white elephant.
It is a real own-goal for Brittany Ferries who, in my opinion, have always been one of the stars of the travel business. I will certainly be checking out the older, more customer-suited vessels for our next trip.
A.D., by email
Editor’s note: Mr D has since received a £50 voucher from Brittany Ferries in response to his complaint. He says: “They are still among the top companies I have dealt with and I hope they take my feedback seriously.”
Have you travelled on the Guillaume de Normandie? How was your experience? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com
