Irish Ferries Keep Canceling Dublin Swift for "Operational Reasons"?

blobert · 24-08-2025 11:49PM #1

Hello,

I get the ferry to/from Dublin to Holyhead each summer as part of driving to the south of France. I normally use the Dublin Swift.

This year I was booked in to taking it but the evening before in July they texted me to say it had been canceled due to "Operational Reasons"

This was annoying as we had to take the slower ferry and ultimately did not arrive at our stop for the night till several hours later than planned.

I was making the return trip on Wednesday. This time I checked the evening before and it was showing as set to sail. We set off very early from Calais in France to make it to Holyhead in time for the ferry but once again it was canceled that morning for ""Operational Reasons"

This was really annoying as the next Irish Ferries sailing was not till that evening. We managed to bust a gut and make it to a slightly earlier Stena sailing instead but to have both legs canceled like this was very annoying/inconvenient.

I saw the Dublin Swift sailing out from Dublin Port yesterday so it's not as though it's broken down.

Am I right in saying they are probably just dropping sailings on days when it's not that busy and putting everyone onto the slow ferries to save costs?

Would like to know for next time. I won't plan around using the Swift if it's not likely to reliably sail.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

axe2grind · 25-08-2025 12:25AM

Cancelled last Tuesday as well…for same reason. My daughter was to take it.

"Am I right in saying they are probably just dropping sailings on days when it's not that busy and putting everyone onto the slow ferries to save costs?"

Exactly what I believe And now she won't book it again.

AndyBoBandy · 25-08-2025 07:03AM

it’s the weather most of the time..

The Swift can’t dock in Holyhead in anything above a Force 4, so if that’s what’s forecast, she doesn’t sail….

I was due to sail on it to Holyhead on July 4th and we got bumped into Big U… Leaving Dublin it was fine but about 2/3 of the way over the swell had increased to about 1.5-2m and she can’t live with that and still keep passengers from vomiting..…

Then coming back last Sunday she was limited to 25kts due to ‘engine issues’…

She’s a bit of a dog…. She’s a US Army tank transporter not a passenger ship… so she’s only comfortable in very mild conditions..

Exiled Rebel · 25-08-2025 08:10AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058422632/irish-ferries-keep-canceling-dublin-swift-for-operational-reasons

Putting aside the Swifts issue would you not be better off just getting the ferry direct from France to Rosslare?

It would save a hell of a lot of driving and only 1 crossing versus 2.

AndyBoBandy · 25-08-2025 08:53AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123751579#Comment_123751579

Or the ferry from France to Dublin direct (depending on where in Ireland the OP is), (though I'm guessing the OP used the Chunnel so still only 1 ferry crossing)… though having taken that route 3 years ago (to then drive to Northern Germany to catch another ferry), I wasn't a fan… The W.B. Yeats isn't a great ship at all.

This year we went Dublin - Holyhead and then Harwich - Hook of Holland, so by the 2nd morning (8am) we were already in Holland only 600km from our next ferry in Northern Germany later that night… 3 years ago by the 2nd morning (lunchtime) we were only arriving in Cherbourg with about 1,300km (and an overnight in a hotel) to get to the next ferry in Germany!

Essentially we covered roughly the same driving distance, but half of the drive was on day 1 and we didn't need an overnight on land, so the trip was 1 day shorter…

But if I was driving to somewhere in France the direct boat to France would be very appealing!!! the drive from Holyhead to Harwich, and vice-versa last Sunday was a bit of a trudge…

Exiled Rebel · 25-08-2025 09:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123751650#Comment_123751650

I was going off the fact they mentioned Calais and assumed, possibly incorrectly, they were staying on the peninsula hence the two crossings assumption.

Nevertheless it's a bit of trek up to the Chunnel nevermind the god awful long trek from SE England to Anglesey with both London and Birmingham traffic to deal with along the way.

AndyBoBandy · 25-08-2025 10:07AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123751747#Comment_123751747

yeah, I don't think I could hack the M25, and then the M6 a few hours later…

Was driving the tolled section last weekend and it was bliss, them the tolled section ended and it was a nightmare… especially given the fact I was fighting tiredness.. so stopping regularly for coffee breaks!

Innisfallen · 25-08-2025 10:18AM

Irish Ferries are switching her to bio fuel, which is causing some problems with her engine, and resulting in cancellations. Sounds like she is also running on 3 of her 4 engines when she is sailing also.

blobert · 25-08-2025 12:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123751533#Comment_123751533

Nice pictures!

Yes, I know about the mild weather limitations but both days were "Slight" forcast and very,very slight on the days in question, I've definitely been on it in rougher seas when it was still sailing.

I also booked on less busy days as I prefer to travel then so I think that was a factor also in them being canceled, as I say it was running again at the weekend after "operational reasons" mid week.

When I spoke to them on the phone about it they were shifty and said they could not discuss the reasons why it was canceled, just that it was "operational" :)

blobert · 25-08-2025 12:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123751579#Comment_123751579

Not a big fan of overnight ferries (a lot of childhood vomiting trauma on the way to France!) and still tend to be quite prone to sea sickness.

When I've been doing the 2,000km drive over to south east of France in recent years we've gone Dublin to Holyhead to Channel Tunnel on into France and down the east side. I've also done it with a couple of adult drivers/friends so we can share the driving and cover big distances in a day. If we get the 8am ferry we can be as far as Reims comforatably on day 1. Reach our destination on Day 2.

Ultimately it's quicker this way albeit with more driving/less ferry but I prefer to be driving than feeling mildly nauseous on ferry:)

Rock Steady Edy · 25-08-2025 01:04PM

If you book the Swift, you have to accept there's a chance that it won't sail (for whatever reason) and not mind changing your itinerary at the last minute.

You could just book 24 hours ahead of sailing when you had good visibility on current weather conditions and "operational difficulties" but you might pay a bit more for this and not get the sailing you want.

I don't think IF reimburse you for the extra if you accept a move you to another sailing. The Swift is obviously used by IF as a USP which is attractive to certain customers, but I imagine the business model they operate it on works on the assumption of a certain number of cancellations.

AndyBoBandy · 25-08-2025 01:09PM

When I was checking in at the Port to board Ulysses last month (when I should have been on the Swift), I asked the girl for a speedy exit (which I hadn't booked) as the change to Big U and subsequent later arrival into Holyhead meant we were under time pressure, and she happily gave me one..

Thinking now, I should have tried to blag some lounge access as well..

So for anyone ever getting bumped off the Swift, make sure to ask for at least a speedy exit, as Ulysses is a big ba$tard to unload and you don't want to be on the A55 with hundreds of cars/trucks/camper vans also just off the ferry ahead of you!!

AnnieinDundrum · 26-08-2025 07:46AM

re the overnight ferries to France, depending on your destination Brittany Ferries Pont Aven is a beautiful ship. Sails from Cork.

And my first trip to France was decades ago and I’d have walked barefoot rather than repeat it. I was persuaded in a

1990s to try again, bad mistake. However circumstances dictate I try again a few years later and it’s been a pleasure since then.

the cabins are clean and comfortable, the stabilisers are excellent so you rarely feel any motion.

I pay for a club class cabin when I can, and speedy exit. I bring a picnic and watch movies on my laptop, excellent wifi too in club class.

It’s not a cruise (been on lots of those) but it’s fine these days,

ednwireland · 26-08-2025 07:59AM

same 3 years ago got a message switching me to a ferry which was hours earlier and no later sailing so switched to stena. home at 2 am instead of 7pm.

wouldn't bother with it now too unreliable plan round the regular ferries.

AndyBoBandy · 26-08-2025 09:22AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123755085#Comment_123755085

In my epic trek home from Lithuania last weekend, and when doing the outbound about 6 weeks previous, we took 3 ferries each way to get to/from there (Irish Ferries (Dublin - Holyhead), Stena Line (Harwich - Hook of Holland), & DFDS (Kiel - Klaipeda), with overnights on the Stena & DFDS boats, and by a country mile the Stena boats were the best of them all. We sailed on Stena Britannica & Stena Hollandia, and the ships, cabins, restaurants were all stunning. On DFDS the outbound ship (Luna Seaways) was also lovely as it's fairly new, but we returned on one of the older boats and it was a bit of a sh1t heap… so not ideal for a 22 hour sail!

3 years ago we did the same journey to Lithuania but took the W.B. Yeats to Cherbourg and then drove straight to Kiel from Cherbourg over 2 days… in hindsight the only benefit of this trip was returning through Cherbourg so we got to fill up the car with wine before boarding the ship (which despite being relatively new, is a fairly awful ship), on this trip also, both the DFDS boats were older types but they didn't feel as bad as the one last week!

Main reason to avoid France this year was it gets us there a day quicker, and the same coming back,, also also coming back it was only myself and my 10yo son sitting in the back so doing the tolls in France would have been a bit of a sh1tshow!

Also, tolls is a great reason to avoid France!!

Irish Ferries Keep Canceling Dublin Swift for "Operational Reasons"?

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