Ferry chaos Portsmouth Caen

[purple haze]

Have been using this Brittany crossing for a number of years but this year it was dreadful. Chaos at both ports - separate checking in and then customs for both departure and arrival resulted in huge time delays never experienced before - e.g. passport being stamped and minutely scrutinised - first time in 10 years. We used to be just waved through. Yesterday was asked by Briitany to check in at 1pm for a 4:30 pm crossing. Chaos on loading resulted in us leaving nearly an hour late. Due in at Portsmouth at 9:15 and arrived past 10 - we only made up 5 minutes on flat calm crossing. Finally left Portsmouth at 10:45 so not chuffed.

Did others experience similar delays on their crossings or is it just Brittany/Portsmouth? Seriously considering the Chunnel for next year even though we live in the West Country and Portsmouth is nearest.

[The Leaper]

purple haze said:

Have been using this Brittany crossing for a number of years but this year it was dreadful. Chaos at both ports - separate checking in and then customs for both departure and arrival resulted in huge time delays never experienced before - e.g. passport being stamped and minutely scrutinised - first time in 10 years. We used to be just waved through. Yesterday was asked by Briitany to check in at 1pm for a 4:30 pm crossing. Chaos on loading resulted in us leaving nearly an hour late. Due in at Portsmouth at 9:15 and arrived past 10 - we only made up 5 minutes on flat calm crossing. Finally left Portsmouth at 10:45 so not chuffed.

Did others experience similar delays on their crossings or is it just Brittany/Portsmouth? Seriously considering the Chunnel for next year even though we live in the West Country and Portsmouth is nearest.

All one of the advantages of us not being in the EU any more.

R.

[CloudStuff]

The Leaper said:

purple haze said:

Have been using this Brittany crossing for a number of years but this year it was dreadful. Chaos at both ports - separate checking in and then customs for both departure and arrival resulted in huge time delays never experienced before - e.g. passport being stamped and minutely scrutinised - first time in 10 years. We used to be just waved through. Yesterday was asked by Briitany to check in at 1pm for a 4:30 pm crossing. Chaos on loading resulted in us leaving nearly an hour late. Due in at Portsmouth at 9:15 and arrived past 10 - we only made up 5 minutes on flat calm crossing. Finally left Portsmouth at 10:45 so not chuffed.

Did others experience similar delays on their crossings or is it just Brittany/Portsmouth? Seriously considering the Chunnel for next year even though we live in the West Country and Portsmouth is nearest.

All one of the advantages of us not being in the EU any more.

R.

This. It's a direct, unarguable consequence of Brext.

But it's outwieghed by the Brexit dividend. Or so I'm told.

[Blib]

Back in the 70s, our geography teacher told us that we were armed with nuclear weapons in order to defend ourselves against the French.

Plus ca change......

[butaclor]

Have been using this service for 25 years , these delays have ,on occasion always happened . One crossing disembarkment that was particularly bad was caused a guy handing out flyers for a bar / restaurant at the port exit.

[Chrisgr31]

We went out Newhaven Dieppe and the checking outbound occurred at Dieppe. It was relatively efficient. Came back Calais-Dover and the checking was at Calais. French and British quite efficient however we were delayed as someone a few cars in front of us was denied UK access. So sorting that out took a bit of time. However we got to the port at 8.45 at check-in were told we were too late for the 9.35 crossing so put on the 10.25, however got through passport control in time to be put on the 9.35.

[ch37]

No problems here on the Caen route (Wednesday and Monday AM). Maybe 25-30 minutes to go through passport checks at either end after disembarking, hell of a lot quicker than an airport at the moment! They said to arrive at least 60 minutes before sailing (both ways), I arrived about 90 minutes before and it was fine, I think we set sail maybe 10 minutes late both times.

Passport checks at both ends are annoying but not unexpected, always happens on a flight so not sure why anyone would think it is any different on a ferry!

Landed at Portsmouth at 13.30ish yesterday and I was home before 4pm, and that's with a 2hr drive after.

Edited by ch37 on Tuesday 14th June 12:45

[LFB531]

Used Poole/Cherbourg route Wednesday out and back yesterday. No real problems and we had the added entertainment of the French marines equivalent practicing attaching magnets to the ferry from RIBS as we sailed across.

I've used the Portsmouth route a few times over the last six months and the admin at Poole is certainly faster by comparison.

[stevetav]

It was complete chaos at Caen yesterday afternoon! We arrived home at 2am as a result.

Brittany are always pretty good. It is what it is. Will still be booking for 2023 with them.

[MrC986]

We were delayed on the Thursday overnight Portsmouth Caen ferry but it made up time to arrive broadly as scheduled. We were on the 4.30 return ferry yesterday but arrived at just after 3pm & were lucky to be loaded so were one of the first couple of dozen cars off in Portsmouth(mine was so close to the back of the ferry it was covered in spray!) & we avoided the queues with caravans, motorhomes & vans in. I think the IT is slowing things down when the Border team are doing their checks.

[BeeGT]

Lengthy check-in (45 mins) at Portsmouth on Tuesday morning but we departed on time; was over an hour from docking to clearing the passport check upon arrival at Caen.

On the return leg Sunday night it was fine on the Caen side but was also an hour to clear UK passport on Monday morning - many cars/caravans/vans being checked inside at the passport desks.

I travelled via Eurotunnel two weekends earlier and the delays for check-in were the similar / longer both sides, caused by insufficient capacity/slow French passport checks which then lead to the back up through to the check-in area.

[mike80]

Sounds we were lucky. We went out on the Thursday prior to scrutineering, Portsmouth check in was reasonably busy, but no issues departing. Passport control was slow in Caen though, took about an hour to get through. We were parked right at the back though!

Came back on the 08.30 on Monday, again quite busy when we arrived, but quick to get through check in, even with a passenger who I'd forgotten to add the details to the booking!

We got parked right at the front of the boat this time, and were the sixth car off, so straight through passport control and away.

[RL17]

Wed overnight ferry to Caen (first time as on Kent)
Over an hour to queue through passports so one car let out every 2 or 3 mins or worse.

Apart from cars eating for there group and few at coffee stop we only saw 6 or so cars from ferry on road - Not like a euro tunnel roll off

[kiters42]

We experience the delays on the Caen to Portsmouth turned up at 1pm as advised by the text and waited over three hours or more to get on the ferry they parked me at the front of one of the lanes to the right so we had a good view of what was going on there were some strange loading practices were only four cars would go on then a pause followed by another six cars et cetera very strange.

Then left the port to find the M27 junction was closed so went up the A3 then across to Winchester A34 to Newbury and down the M4 was not too bad nice drive along the road to Winchester though.

[joema]

It was slow checking in on Wednesday morning but I think it was fine mostly. Less staff onBoard though so wonder if they have significant staff issues.

We did Chunnel on the way back as there were no cabins on the ferry and tbh it’s too far for what is about 2 and a half hours of driving if we do Portsmouth Caen.

[The Surveyor]

Wednesday evening going out to St Marlo didn’t seem too bad, coming home last night from Caen was delayed ‘due to operational reasons’ but arrived on time and to be fair, getting through passport control felt no different. Just as slow as 2019.

[psi310398]

The Leaper said:

All one of the advantages of us not being in the EU any more.

R.

Not really. In my experience, BF has been running a stshow since Covid struck, while Stena is quite smooth and stress free.

I use BF and Stena (largely alternately) to cross over to the continent to go to North Italy. It is night and day at all levels - customer service, cleanliness, ease of boarding, delay to exit after disembarking.

Worse (and similar things also happened before during the pandemic when you might have thought they’d try a bit harder), having been denied access to our cabins twice on the bounce because they haven’t got enough cleaners to do the turnaround, we then found the previous occupant’s dirty socks on the floor and a broken lavatory, despite all that.