# Ferries to Spain



## Snowys (Apr 27, 2012)

Has anybody used the LD lines services from Poole to Santander or Gijon?

How do they compare to the Brittany Ferries Service?


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## wug (May 19, 2011)

Have a look at this voyage report, written for BF ferry enthusiasts. It seems reasonably fair.Report

We've been on the Pont Aven and Cap Finistere and would say they are well appointed cruise ships and quite large. They have restaurants, cafes, shops, bars etc, carpeted throughout, good seating and entertainment is also laid on. The 2 berth cabins are slightly small, but have all you need with a good en-suite shower/wc and controllable aircon. Pillows are not very good but are being replaced. They have free wifi. The CF has some pet friendly cabins and are reasonably spacious. The Norman Asturias doesn't take pets. The BF staff are French, but speak English and we've found them very helpful and friendly.

Loading/unloading takes about an hour or so and is well organised in my experience.

I believe the NA option is cheaper, but BF are introducing an Economie service, which will be open to booking soon and will sail to Santander on a Saturday, and Le Havre Monday-Friday. BF uses a dynamic booking system so the earlier you book the cheaper it is. They also have a Travel Club which offers savings of 30% on the cost of the ferry. You pay £100 to join and £100 pa.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

A very fair report IMO and one that would raise concerns for me about the loading of vehicles on the open deck for the Bay of Biscay........ salt spray is very corrosive and not easy to remove even with a hose and unlimited water......

BF has always provided a reasonable service IMO, they are not the cheapest but I believe you get what you pay for........

There are several aspects of the report that need explanation from LD, which could potentially cause problems - e.g. the crew's experience and training for the task of loading lorries and other vehicles for a crossing of arguably the potentially worst piece of sea in the world.....

The BoB is renowned for the ferocity of storm conditions, but the experience of that reporter, and others on the same thread, suggests the ship as currently being operated may not be the most suitable for that route.

It's a potentially very expensive way to save money......

Dave


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

There was another thread very recently on the same subject but concerned about the new Gijon to Poole service, which is/was to undercut the BF ferry prices.
Unfortunately, as yet there are no published prices for this service after the first week of September.
I know little or nothing about LD lines who are to run the service but their prices are much lower and they seem to be including a cabin as standard.
As Portugal is much closer to Gijon, this service has some plus points as far as I am concerned. I await being shot down in flames.

Alan


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## Al42 (Aug 4, 2011)

The Norman Asturias as been operating with a very good Portuguese crew across the Bay of Biscay from Gijon/St.Nazaire for the last 3 years.

Loading can take a while as some trucks have to reverse on, the crew know what they are doing, guiding the trucks in very close.

Facilities are good but basic compared to the Pont Aven.


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

Snowys said:


> Has anybody used the LD lines services from Poole to Santander or Gijon?
> 
> How do they compare to the Brittany Ferries Service?


I've recently booked with BF to sail return from Portsmouth to Santander end of April having first looked at the LD offering.
From what I saw on their website I thought the ferry they use looked a bit spartan for such a long voyage.
But I suppose in the end its a personal choice.


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## christine1310 (Apr 10, 2008)

Hi

We sailed from Poole to Santander on 15th with LD lines. We always use LD lines from Portsmouth so we thought we would give this route a try.

The facilities are fine onboard, except don't expect 'haute cuisine' in the cafe, but everything was comfortable. However, it was blowing a gale - the ship (coming from Spain) was actually delayed outside Poole harbour due to the weather and didn't berth until about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. We did get underway that night and arrived in Santander about 7 hours late (we were compensated for this with a free 1 course meal and drink).

Most of the staff are Spanish and give them there due they were very friendly and helpful considering the awful voyage they had had from Spain and then turning everything around in a short time and setting sail again.

I would recommend LD lines to anyone.

Christine


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## sooty10 (Feb 22, 2009)

We were booked on the sailing this week the 25th Feb. Got a message the day before to say the crossing had been cancelled. We were offered a refund or wait 'till Saturday and go to Santander. Decided to sail to France on the Portsmouth to Le Havre. Not well pleased but not much we could do.

Keith


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## delfy (Mar 27, 2011)

We are booked on 21st April and we have had our crossing changed by a day. We are still going because we have never done this crossing befor and are prepared to give LD a chance as they are cheaper than Brittany Ferries. Delfy


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