Who knew a ferry could be so awesome?! Ok, so I really loved the ferry. A lot. Too much? For a 33 year old woman, yeh, I probably did enjoy it too much but it's the small things in life, right? We got the ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick and back again for a long weekend away. Booking online was pretty simple - we were taking the car, so booking in advance is recommended. It was about £50 return for two passengers and the car which I thought was reasonable. We were on the 12.30pm sailing and you need to arrive 30 minutes beforehand and park your car in the loading area. I assume if you're not there, they'll give you spot to someone who's waiting in the unbooked area so get there early! Once you check-in, you can park your car and go into the terminal building for the loo/a cup of tea/a comfy seat/snack, or you can just sit in your car. Once the ferry arrives, you need to get back in your car and they'll load you on. I found this part SO stressful as I am such a worrier but it is really simple and there's staff to show you were to go. We were parked on the mezzanine level and they'll wave you forward into position, then you can get out and go onto the passenger levels of the ferry. On board, there's a proper canteen doing food which is way better than I expected. I had the special of the day which was some kind of fish served mornay style, and it was lovely. I was impressed with their commitment to Scottish produce and they seemed really proud to show that off which was nice. There's loads of seating as well as a special area for dogs (which is obviously where I wanted to sit, but husband-with-allergies wasn't so keen). I liked the upstairs observation lounge most of all, as there's comfy couch-style seating and a nice view if the weather is nice. There's an announcement to tell you when to go back to your car to get ready to disembark and again, the staff will tell you what to do. As I mentioned, we were parked on the mezzanine level and I totally freaked out as this was lowered down so we could drive off the ferry - it was a pretty nerve-wracking experience but then I am a bit of a stress head so normal people probably wouldn't have an issue with this. And that's it - you simply drive off the ferry and on your merry way! It's amazing! So yep, I was really impressed with the ferry and this made me super keen to explore more of Scotland now that I know how simple it is. It really did make it feel like we'd gone really far away for a holiday, even though we were still quite close to home. read more

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My ferry experiences to date have included only the largs to millport ferry so I was a little but excited to be going over to Arran on a proper Ferry!! We booked our tickets online which is vital as we were getting the last ferry home and this is often fully booked so dont turn up last minute! Going over we were driven onto the mezzanine level and i can sympathise with Briony on this one. Thankfully my bf was driving so i let him navigate this one! Since it was a beautiful day we sat outside during the 55 min crossing and took in the views. I love that they have little pet areas for the doggies to congregate. The canteen sells really reasonably priced food and there is a littke coffee shop and gift shop on board also. The staff announce over tannoy when its time to go back into your cars to departe and its all a very smooth process. Im looking forward to my next ferry trip! read more

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I strongly agree that the staff are marvellous and professional through and through - nice and friendly as well. The terminal building is clean, pleasant and a comfortable place to wait for the ferry. Everything was clean and looked after on board the ferry too, from the interesting shop, seating areas, cafe and the toilets! Highly recommended. read more

Caledonian Macbrayne - On the Caledonian Macbrayne ferry (Ardrossan behind) - Water Taxis Near Me

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Great ride from Ardrossan (on the mainland) to Broddick (on Arran). The Caledonian Macbrayne ferry was big, beautiful, and sparkling clean, with lots of seats both in and out of doors. The best view in the house was from the Observation Deck at the stern--big curvy couches and big windows, from the highest indoor point. Walk-on tickets are really cheap (£8 return?). The ferry also takes cars, and serves hot meals and drinks. read more

We recently used this ferry for a trip to Arran. I was very impressed with how relaxed yet orderly the ferry ran. We brought our bikes (which were free with a paying passenger). The boarding process was very smooth. The restaurant offered great dinner options (we tried steak pie, fish and chips and mac and cheese which were all great), and we enjoyed the Arran Beer. We'll look forward to using the ferry again in the future! read more

Staff in both the ferry terminal and on board the ferry to the Isle of Arran cannot be praised highly enough.Professionalism personified would just about cover it!!! From the staff who greet you at the ticket desk to the staff behind the food counters and the guys who are responsible for opening and shutting gangway doors,to a person they all work with such confidence that it exudes a feeling that if ever an occasion arose you would feel assured in the knowledge that the crew would cope with any emergency situation. read more

The staff are mostly quite helpful - but not all are unfortunately. I've had a few 'less pleasant'ones dealing with my tickets, etc. The terminal building is ok - not great, but ok. The waiting room is a bit like a train station (not nearly as nice as the one at the other side at Brodick) but at least you can see out to see when the ferry is coming. It's all quite well organised - from the cars queueing to the ticket sales and cafe. A pretty bog-standard ferry terminal really. read more