Irish Ferries, the nicest possible way to travel between Ireland and France. Dublin to Cherbourg

We start the film as I sit in the queue waiting to board the WB Yeats, which is Irish Ferries ship on the Dublin to Cherbourg route. We see it arriving in the distance, between the two caravans. And a bit of speeded up film shows it as it docks in port at Dublin Harbour.

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As we drive on board let me tell you what you’ll see in this film. I’ll show you what to expect from a crossing on the ship, the facilities, the cabin, restaurants, bars etc. Just so that you can see if this is the kind of trip you’d like to make. I’ll not tell you about pricing, that’ll most likely go out of date quickly anyway. Obviously too, the cost will depend on things like: time of year, type of cabin, how many passengers in your car and of course you can take the ferry as a foot passenger as well, which would be much cheaper. Those costs are easily found out on their website.

You’ll find that I’m generally a fan of this ferry route, it’s comfortable as you’ll see, but one thing that bothers me is that in 2005 Irish Ferries replaced all its workers with foreign agency workers in order to undercut its competitors. This is something I can’t say I approve of, and I’m amazed that all the staff on the ferry (mostly Eastern European) are so nice. I’m certain they’re not paid generously. Anyway, leaving that aside, let’s see what the ship’s like.

You can book a cabin either with a window or without, obviously there’s a difference in price, but it’s nice to be able to see out at the sea and watch the land disappear as we leave and come into view again as we arrive. The cabins are comfortable and can accommodate up to 4 people, two of the bunks pull down from the ceiling. You also have a toilet with a shower and a TV. To clarify, the TV isn’t in the toilet.

Up above there’s a range of spaces like this cinema called the Abbey and the Peacock for example (you’ll noticed that everything has a link to Irish Poet WB Yeats). And his poetry is exhibited on the walls.

If you are fortunate and get good weather for your journey you can enjoy the space out on deck. As you can see it’s a glorious day today. I’m always mystified as to how these big heavy iron ships float on top of the water! And remember the hull is full of cars, lorries and containers full of merchandise. I’m always similarly amazed by big airplanes flying through the air. But, sailing is a beautiful thing, assuming you get good weather. And it’s a very relaxed way to travel. You don’t have all the security stuff to contend with that you do with flying. And once you’re onboard, you can chill in your cabin, or use the other facilities.

This trip from Dublin to Cherbourg takes about 19 hours, but if you consider that a large proportion of that is spent sleeping, so that you’re fresh the next day, and the rest of the time is spent eating your evening meal or at breakfast, or perhaps having a drink at the bar, it’s a good way to get to your destination.

Back inside, and you have these communal TV rooms, and then we walk through to one of the casual bar and eating areas, where you can get pizza and snacks, and then on into Boylan’s Brasserie where you can have a more substantial meal or breakfast. The food is decent enough, with good portions, but it is a bit expensive. But, even more expensive should you chose the up market Lady Gregory’s restaurant.

And then we have the main bar area at the stern of the ship. Again, you’ll see the references to Yeat’s poetry on the wall here “tread softly because you tread on my dreams” a quote from, He wishes for the cloths of heaven. It’s great to be able to look out at the Horizon - and watch the sun go down in the evening – assuming you’re sailing eastwards, as we appear to be at the moment. They even have entertainment in the bar sometimes – I’m guessing it’s just in holiday season, but in any case this isn’t a bad way to start a holiday, kicking back and enjoying a pint….or whatever.

And then you can retire to your cabin for the night – and look out at the vast, dark sea, until you awake the next morning fresh, have your breakfast and then watch the land appear. Here we see the Napoleonic fortresses as we approach Cherbourg.

Then it’s time to disembark. In our case we’re arriving to a beautiful sunny day in France.