Norfolkline Ferries, Rosyth. (Norfolk Line)

Member Name: PaulthePainter

Product:	Norfolk Line
Date:	20/09/09 (246 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Only direct ferry from Scotland to Europe.

Disadvantages: Price, quality, service.

ROSYTH FERRY - NEVER, NEVER AGAIN!
We used the Norfolkline ferry from Zeebrugge to Rosyth a few days ago (mid September) and it was the worst ferry crossing of our lives. Fortunately we went out with Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to St Malo and that was great as usual.

This review is not a knee jerk reaction to a bad day as we have done this route previously with Superfast ferries (fantastic experience) and crossed to and from the continent from the south coast for many years.

However.......
Booking.
Our Norfolkline experience went downhill on the day we tried to book it. You cannot book a cabin for 2 people without paying for a 4 berth - there is an under-occupancy fee and £400+ seemed a bit steep for one night in a tiny cabin. So for the first time in out lives we decided to use the reclining Pullman Chair option. This was a lot cheaper and seemed feasible as they always looked ok with P&O etc.

Sleeping.
Now if Norfolkline set out to design a sleeping area in the worst possible position then they have cracked it big time. The area is not signposted as being booked seats and other passengers use it as a general sitting and eating area and walkway to the outside decks. The area has a small open glass partition around it, it is not screened off and is positioned alongside the main (sorry - only) corridor by the bar, toilets and the only other small area to sit in. To say it is noisy is an under statement. But it gets better......I went to the reception (usually unmanned) and asked when they turn the lights out - to be able to sleep. The answer was 21.00 but the lights are not turned off, just some of them. It doesn't actually matter as when the lights are reduced the "entertainment" and disco lights start up next to you! This goes on until 1am in the morning along with the gambling table alongside the end sleeping wall. The entertainment consisted off some guy wailing to a computer screen and after a few hours of hell we sneaked off with all our gear and found a seat in the closed cinema room. At least it was quieter in there.

Well that was the sleeping arrangements or the lack of them. Other problems now.

Showers.
Should you want to freshen up and have a shower there appears to be only one shower available which is in the disabled toilet. This is not advertised or announced but with 60 Pullman Seats available, well it could be hell.

Food.
The food to be fair was reasonable (although expensive). My gripe is the quality of service. The restaurant was staffed by a mixture of young, poor English speakers. That is fine as many ships do similar but trying to ask for information or have a conversation is out of the question. We were not alone with this issue and many people gave up in desperation. We were asked "Did we want wine?" I asked what type did they have and the reply is "Red or white" - that was it, no idea of what type, size or price. Considering the ship was full of tourists returning from the land of wine this was not a satisfactory answer. We were also demanded payment for the wine in Sterling and when we said we only had Euro's that became a big drama. The whole of the dinner was a similar experience and when we complained to the person in charge at the end he was simply not interested. No sorry or anything, just a simple "I'll ask around" At breakfast we were suitably ignored and pushed away into an area away from our server.

Shop.
A tiny corner full of over-priced stuff and rarely manned with virtually no duty free.

So in conclusion this was a ferry trip from hell. They have no idea what customer service is as every element of the experience was badly informed. The ship is tiny and a complete joke with poor facilities, inadequately crewed, with nothing to do for 18 hours and the entertainment was a nightmare. Commercially badly presented with a ridiculous pricing structure. I wonder how many months they will continue running from Rosyth? We will continue to drive through England and use the southern crossings both ways in future.

We will never use this Norfolkline service again. Please come back Superfast Ferries - although still an expensive option your quality was loved and appreciated.

Summary: A complete nightmare.