Ferry + Car procedure.

red_fox

I'm planning on taking a ferry to the UK, bringing my car, but I'm wondering about a few things.

What about boarding, do I drive on etc.
How long should I arrive in advance (probably I'll be took when booking)?
How long does it usually take to get back on the road after arriving?

Thanks!

Raditub

yes you do drive on and will be instructed how to do so by staff! I'd say you will be told when to be there the latest when u book...but my experience is that you have to be there early...but that depends on the ferry i guess...goin to England mightnt be as bad because it goes on a very regular basis! And after arriving your back on the road in no time...they need to get all cars out fast and thats exactly what happens!

Fratton Fred

The ferry company's go on the basis that you have never done it before, so all instructions are very clear.

It depends on the ferry, but you can be waiting in your car for 20 minutes to get off, depending on where you are parked.

The trouble is, with the superferries you effectively get up to 2000 cars and lorries all being dumped on the street at once, so getting off the ferry can be quick, but it could be anorher ten minutes before you are on the open road.

It is still pretty easy though, much less hassle than flying.

zagmund

It's pretty straight forward, and all the ferries work in more or less the same way. As you approach the port there will be signs indicating lanes to get into for different ferry companies, so just follow the correct one for your company.

You drive up to a cabin (just like a toll booth) and hand in your ticket. They type stuff in or cross you off a list and will then tell you to go to lane <X> and probably give you a little piece of paper (to show you've been processed) to stick on your dashboard or hang from your mirror. Chances are that the lane will be the lane that the car in front of you just went to, but otherwise you just look for the big numbers on the roadway, drive to the correct lane and pull in behind the car at the back. Then you turn off your engine and wait.

At some point they will start taking cars from the front of your lane. Once you see the cars move you start up, wait for the car in front to move and then follow. Unless someone in a high-vis tells you otherwise, just keep following and you end up on the ferry.

They sometimes start and stop the queues a few times as they put in a line of trucks, or some campervans or motorbikes, but be assured that you won't be left behind as long as you are in line. It's just a question of waiting it out.

Once onboard they will direct you to where they want you to go to. In this case they want to squeeze as many cars in as tightly as possible, so you will be asked to keep coming forward until you're inches away from the car in front. Trust the guys doing the loading - they do this day in and day out. Note that you might have problems getting stuff out of your boot since the car behind you will be pulled up tight also, so have stuff for the crossing on the seat before you board.

When you get to the far side they will announce that drivers should go to their cars and get ready at a certain time. Unless you are at the very front of the first row, just take your time and make your way down. Between berthing, opening the doors, securing the ramp, etc . . . it always takes a while before the first vehicle is offloaded. As with boarding, just wait for signs of activity at the front of your row, then start up, wait for the car in front to move and then follow.

When you get off the ferry there will be signs indicating the way to the main distributor road (and most cars will be heading that way anyway) to get you out of the port and on the road so it's hard to get lost. Just follow the signs.

Done.

z

[edit] I forgot to add - the ticket will tell you when to be there, although when I took Celtic Link last year, the ticket said to be there 60 minutes before and the reservation said 90 minutes. In general terms 60 minutes will be fine. In practical terms, 20 minutes *should* be fine, but you don't want to leave it too tight in case they decide they are going to close the check-in early.

ncmc

Zagmund pretty much summed it all up, but I just wanted to add, that we always go for the premium fare when booking, it isn't that much more expensive than a regular fare (I think maybe €10 per person each way with Stena anyway) and this allows you priority boarding, so you're first on and also priority disembarking, so you're first off and get a headstart on all those pesky lorries and trucks. You also get to sit in a fancy area with computers, papers and snacks. The seating area is for premium customers only and a pin code is required to enter. When we were returning from the UK last year, the previous sailing had been cancelled so the boat was jammed to capacity and was like a zoo, we were very glad of our reserved area. We had an early sailing heading over last year and the snacks were plentiful enough so we didn't need to buy breakfast. So it was definitly worth the extra money for us.

I would think 45 mins is plenty of time to arrive before the sailing, it isn't like the airport where there is lots of security checks etc. But just make sure you know where you are going and it's always best to leave yourself plenty of time. We got lost trying to find Belfast port the first time we travelled via ferry. Luckily we had allowed ourselves plenty of time.

red_fox

Many thanks to all, very informative stuff.

I'm actually leaving from Belfast but I've been around the general area a few times (although not the port..) so hopefully it'll be fine, and I'll allow myself time.