The Best Way To The Channel Islands and France! (Condor Ferries)

Member Name: linzib

Product:	Condor Ferries
Date:	20/05/01 (352 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, friendly, great service

Disadvantages: small public decks, limited facilities

Condor Ferries are a company I had never heard of until my Grand Parents moved to Weymouth, and whenever my husband would go to Le Mans, they would always say "Why don't you take the Condor?" So we looked into it.

As it turned out we didn't use Condor to go to France because to go to Le Mans we sail to Caen, and Condor sail to Cherbourg & St Malo, however, we did get a chance to try them out on a day trip to Guernsey.

---Booking---
You have several options to book your crossing. Firstly the old fashioned way of walking into their booking office, which is located in Weymouth by the dock for the ferry, and therefore easily found because of the sign posting for the ferry as soon as you get near the town itself. Parking is easy - right outside the door (pay and display), and the whole process takes a matter of minutes, and I didn't have to queue.

They also have a booking option on their website, which appears to be very simple and secure, offering bookings on any of their routes, and also you can book any promotions or offers online too, which some companies fail to incorperate in their service.

---Pricing---
Whilst you would expect to pay more for a high speed crossing, prices are very competative, (in May) £218 for example will buy you a 5 day return to the Channel Islands for Car, 2 adults and upto 3 children. Whereas if you want to travel to France £154 will take a car and two adults on a 5 day return in May. Very reasonable.

We took advantage of one of their special offers, a day trip to Guernsey, at the end of March, which cost £9.95 per person as a foot passenger, and we got some 5 hours ashore to do a little tax free shopping. These special offers are always advertised on their site, and they are very much worth looking out for!

---Facilities---
The ferry we travelled on (high speed), is very impressive when you first see it, stunning infact, with its sharp lines a
nd steeply angled bow, it oozes speed. Once checked in a boarded (a very simple and quick operation) you arrive on board, which is deceptively small. There is a first class lounge, which leads past a soft childrens play area (with TV) into the lounge for us 'normal' travellers. In the middle of this lounge is a sweeping staircase rising to the bar and more seating on the higher deck, but that is it, apart from a small outside area (the only place on board you can smoke) at the stern (back!) of the ship.

There is quite a low capacity on board, and all passengers are allocated seat numbers so you know exactly where you will be sat, so no charging to get the best seat when you get on board. Seating in total, I beleive is for around 200, and the area is well designed with efficancy in mind (i.e. some seats feel cramped (by the stairs), and others feel great (any with table)), but there is plenty of room to wander around, and get to the DUTY FREE SHOP - YES! Believe it, Duty Free still exisits when travelling to the Channel Islands as they are a seperate state, and not part of the EU, so buy cheap cigarettes, booze and goodies on your trip! We bought 400 B&H for £25!!! Work out the saving - more than paid for the fare for us.

If you get hungry on your short trip there is a limited menu (3 meals) available from the Cafe, and cakes, crisps, tea/coffee (go for the bottomless cup) and usual range of sweets. We tried two of the meals, which where nothing to write home about, but they are alright, have all the right bits on the plate, but lacked that certain something to make it a proper meal.

The bar is a typical ferry affair, and reasonably priced and stocked. In keeping with all of the crew and staff of Condor that we met, they are all friendly, efficiant and seem to go out of their way to make you feel welcome, something very much appreciated.

There is no cinema, swimming pools, casinos, clubs, but you dont really notic
e in the short time onboard!

---Speed---
The high speed ferry travels at around 40 knots which is fast for a ferry, and the trip to Guernsey was a short 2 hour hop, not quite long enough to get board, but enough time to check out the Duty Free, get a bite to eat and relax

---Other Deals---
Condor also offer as well as day trips and standard crossings, weekend breaks, holidays, hotel booking, and car hire which all can be extremely useful to book all at the same place.

---Recommendation---
Depending on where you need to go to, use Condor. I enjoyed my experience with them, and would travel again. They are my prefered method to get to Guernsey, and Jersey, and pick up some duty free along the way too! The prices are good, staff professional, and you feel welcome on board, not part of a cattle market as you do on some ferries.

Summary: