Voyages on the 'Holiday Fleet' (Brittany Ferries)

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Product:	Brittany Ferries
Date:	17/05/02 (164 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Open Deck space, Good acommodation, Very good catering

Disadvantages: Some small spaces, Perhaps more facilities?, Ageing vessel

I recently went on a tour of Normandy with a group, seeing the sites (Bayeux, Caen etc.) and the beautiful Normandy scenery, blue skies, long, golden beaches, palm trees and crystal waters.... or maybe not.
Anyway, it las a long drive down to Portsmouth from Newcastle upon the Tyne, several hours long, except we arrived at Portsmouth a few hours early! oh well. Once we were told we could begin boarding, there was one slight problem. Where was the boat? All we could see was one huge P&O ferry, a Commodore ferry and the entire naval fleet! After asking around, some exploration, the coach driver found us the Duc de Normandie, nestled next to a rather ugly vessel (I think it was the Pride of Hampshire, or some such).

The old 'Duc' is a little more aged that the rest of Brittany Ferries fleet now, but I am told she is soon to be replaced. Once onboard and safely snuggled in the comfy reclining seats, a very helpful sort of stewardess gave us a brief overview of the ship's facilities, and told us a few general rules on safety. WE were then freee to explore! You could tell the bessel was coming up to retirement, having been on some of Brittany Ferries more modern vessels, i thought some areas were a little cramped, and slightly grotty. After 'browsing' in the tiny shop, i went to the cinema. Not too impressesd there, either. It was basically a white board with a small projecter showwing images onto the small screen. However, the seats were comfy.

At lunch, I went to one of the various areas you can eat in, the food was actually quite good and enjoyable, and all for a fair price. Cafeteria was roomy too. The weather wasn't too great, but I risked a trip onto the outdoor decks, where there was ample room for a stroll, or whatever else you would want to do on the decks. Throughout the crossing there were various activities to do, enough to keep most people occupied, and even if that wasn't enough, you can always snooze in a

recliner!

The return crossing: Aboard the larger and far better Normandie. Same rules aplied. Stewardess told us the drill, no running shouting, screaming etc. and a safety drill. Far more facilties, areas to sit althouth it was a rough crossing, i spent half the time being asleep/throwing up. The shop was big, although the stock was poor. Lots of the same, useless items and strange cds (this was 2001, and i found 'Hits 98!')

Overall, a pretty good crossing, I enjoyed it. Nice one, Brittany Ferries!

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