There is really very little Irish about Irish Ferries. It should be Eastern European ferries. The ship is clean and well maintained. The low paid staff are a pleasant bunch recruited via agencies as they can be easier shafted than the Irish staff that were all shafted many years ago by managing director Mr Rothwell, who has literally skimmed many tens of millions of euro from this floating cash cow and is still in the trough. I very much doubt that he would eat the overpriced food served up here at breakfast or the ok coffee at about a fiver a cup. When you are ripping folks off you should at least offer a modicum of quality. No? Those who check you in and board you always do a great job and all are welcoming and courteous. The biggest irritation for me is that there's no free WiFi. Mr R as they say in Polish nieszczęśliwy krwawiący is a miserable bleeder. read more

Irish Ferries - Comfy cabin. Costa coffee and croissant. And so to rest. - Ferries Near Me - Ferryport, D

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Outstanding service from Irish Ferries - Dover to Calais I had an absolutely amazing experience with Irish Ferries when traveling from Dover to Calais. While waiting to board, my car battery went completely flat after charging my phone with the car turned off. I went to the Irish Ferries office for help, and the manager went above and beyond to assist me. He first tried to jump-start my car, but when that didn't work, he offered to personally take me out of the port to buy a new battery. He drove me all the way into the city, waited while I got a replacement, and then even helped me change the battery using his own tools. You don't often meet people so genuinely kind and helpful. I'm incredibly grateful for his time and effort. it turned what could have been a stressful day into a really positive experience. Thank you so much to the Irish Ferries team at Dover -- truly exceptional customer service! read more

We had tickets to travel on the 16:10 ferry from Calais to Dover. Check in closes one hour before departure. We arrived at the check in gate with a few minutes to spare after a 7 hour drive. The woman at the gate took so long to process our tickets and passports that it caused the one hour mark to pass. Without telling us until the very end, she put us on a ferry 90 minutes later meaning we have to wait in the parking lot for hours. I spoke to her colleague in the parking lot and showed him our ticket and he said he would see if there was room on the boat. He loaded the boat and when I came back to him after the cars had loaded he said it was too late. He showed absolutely no care or intention to help us. Terrible customer service and terrible communication. read more

Very bad communication of delays and low competences of the staff. If things go as planned you will be fine. If something goes wrong no one takes responsibility and you have to solve everything your self. The staff even refused to sign a letter that proves the delay of the ferry. Very long waiting times for boarding and unboarding (40 min+). Very high prices for low quality food. read more

Been at Calais since 11.30pm To do the check in . Had the ferry at 01:35 am. It's now 03:05 am , still haven't managed to do the check in . There's cars pushing in , people fighting , this is disgusting. The other ferry companies are running just fine . Got a child in the car that's hungry needing to go Toilet . Unbelievable , never again I will be using Irish Ferries read more

worst ferry company like a pirate boat from Somalia how did th y even get a license to operate? held together with rust and hope booked and payed for club class on boarding informed that they closed the club a year ago!!! but still taking money from unsuspecting customers I normal use DFDS.... far better, even P&O ist better than this read more

I took this ferry from Holyhead in Wales to Dublin. We had a car, too. We ordered the tickets online and everything with check in and parking on the boat was very smooth. The inside of the boat has a cafeteria, lots of seating, a lounge upstairs with comfy chairs and big TV, plus lots of private cabins. We just got the general seating option. Our trip was very easy and followed exactly as scheduled. We left and arrived on time. The facilities on the boat, while not luxurious, were very clean and orderly. This is a great way to get from the UK to Ireland and vice versa. read more

A nice way to travel. I had never taken a ferry on this kind of journey before so I had no idea what to expect from the start. I booked a sailrail which was a ferry to holyhead and two trains to London so it was the start of quite journey. Because I was new to this method I arrived at the port way earlier than needed but it turned out to be a good thing. Turns out my ferry at 8:45 was cancelled due to sea conditions. I waited in the line not wanting to believe it but when I got to the front the guy said I could get on the earlier ferry which left at 8:05 so I went with it. The ferry was huge! After getting aboard there were already loads of people on the boat that had already established places of sit. As I didn't book a cabin I wandered about looking for a place to camp out. I was in the kids area for a while but it got noisy so I went up a few flights. On the top by the decks was a space I just made mine and it worked out great! There were places to get food on the ferry and coffee and there was a cinema and shops. All in all it was a pleasant experience. Relaxing and pretty stress free in terms of travel especially going from country to country. The only con was the ferry got in later than my original ferry was supposed to so connections train wise were off but it didn't end up being a big issue. Also, the ferry said there was wifi aboard however I was unable to connect for whatever reason. read more

Irish Ferries - Ferries Near Me - Ferryport, D

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Visited in the summer of 2011 and took the Ulysses from Holyhead/Dublin Port to Wales. The ferry is pretty massive and impressive. At sea it was definitely smooth sailing so there's no issues there. The ferry has a number of cabins if you want your own room/space which I'm sure is needed if there's any overnight or very long distance type traveling. Boarding was simple, and there's quite a few rooms to hang around in, many chairs, couches and lounge type settings. There's plenty of bathrooms, there's a cafe and restaurant, shops, bars, and more! There's free wifi on board to use for guests which is nice. If you want some fresh air take a walk out on the deck and check out the view. read more

Don't bother, book Stena..these boats are rubbish. Trust me for the extra £20 you'll thank me..awful manky boats

Took the Dublin Swift ferry from Holyhead to Dublin and a return trip a week later. Was fast (a little over 2 hours) and efficient. Arrived and then drove right on, it was March so wasn't that crowded. Lots of seating options, food and shopping. I'd take this again - the cost and time is comparable to flying - if you need your car in Ireland this is the way to go. Here's a tip - put your phone in airplane mode!! read more

Irish Ferries - Seating - seats recline - Ferries Near Me - Ferryport, D

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Visited April 2015 Trip from Holyhead to Dublin The trip was smooth sailing and didn't even realize we were out to sea. The staff was accommodating, food was decent, the seats were comfortable, and I took some amazing pictures while aboard. read more

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This is undoubtedly the best-kept secret in the domain of transportation services operating in and out of Dublin. To brand Irish Ferries' £29 single-way train and ferry ticket a 'bargain' is a fierce understatement. To clarify, for £29 London-Dublin one-way as a foot passenger you receive the following: Travel from London Euston direct to Holyhead (the shipping port on the west coast of Wales) at 09.10am Mon-Fri or 08.50am on Saturdays via Virgin Atlantic's plush, air-conditioned 'Super Voyager' train on a pleasant journey lasting 3hrs 40mins. The train is equipped with T-Mobile WiFi, power sockets for laptops and mobiles and a buffet car serving a fair collection of scrumptious snacks and drinks to gratify the needs of any modern commuter. You can enjoy such sights as the illustrious Conwy Castle in North Wales before crossing the picturesque Menai Strait to Anglesey, adding to the already enjoyable nature of your journey. Once you arrive into Holyhead, you alight the train and walk no more than 50 yards into the ferry terminal. I remember being flabbergasted when I first saw just how close the terminal was to the train station. The train practically drops you off inside. A left luggage office is available at Holyhead, and the town centre is just 5 mins walk across a footbridge if you have time for a stroll. Once inside the ferry terminal you go through the amazingly unproblematic process of checking-in. A speedy check of your ticket and passport at desks rarely blighted by queues (I recall never having more than a couple passengers at the most queuing in front of me at any given time), positioning your unlimited ('unlimited'!! It is such an indulgence to be able to say that in the era of low cost airlines discriminatorily charging a fortune for the 'privilege' of hauling a measly, if not derisory 5kg!) check-in baggage on a conveyor belt yourself and finally boarding a free courtesy bus to the luxurious Irish Ferries ship named 'Ulysses' at 2.10pm, and that's it! When weighed against flying, this is fast and trouble-free - almost embarrassingly so when you experience it for yourself and realize just how much time is needlessly wasted in the process of boarding a flight. Neither relentless security checks nor inevitable hold-ups are experienced here. The sea crossing on one of the most comfortable ferries serving the British Isles takes only 3hrs 15mins, ensuring that you arrive in Dublin Ferry port at 5.25pm. Just in time for dinner. Once you dismount the ferry this is where your privileges terminate, the £29 will take you no further but of course, the ferry services' consummate customer service up until now does not stop on account that they are no longer making money out of you. Therefore once you have collected your baggage (every time I have gone to collect my bag(s) I have never waited longer than 10 minutes - again another step up from airports) and step outside the front door of the terminal building a shuttle bus is there to take you to the Busaras - Dublin's main bus station) that is 2 minutes walk from Dublin's Connolly station for trains to Belfast, Wicklow and Sligo for €2.50. You cannot make a case against this level of good organization. So, for an overall price of just €31.50 you have enjoyed a serene and easy journey from London all the way to Dublin city centre minus any maddening airport taxes or the especially unreasonable baggage fees. This ticket price of £29 therefore extraordinarily covers both train and ferry. What is even more astonishing is that it is not a 'from' price. It is a permanent price applicable to any day and any date. You can even book on the same day as you are travelling and it will still be an almost-too-good-to-be-true £29. No stressful airports or flights, no lousy coach journeys on eyesore motorways, just a relaxing ride through the British countryside by train and across the Irish Sea by ferry. It's the traditional, time-honoured way to reach Ireland, the environmentally friendly alternative to a short-haul flight. Bring a bottle of your favourite wine along (try doing that on Ryanair!), sit back with a good book and enjoy the ride. read more

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Amidst the volcano crisis I've been trying to help a friend get back from mainland europe. With the irish ferries website down I tried their call centre - turns out that even in a crisis their call centre is more efficient than most (even if their website is total pants). The hold times were surprisingly short considering the world and his mother is trying to get a ferry right now. When it seemed that all the places were gone the lady at the call centre told me that she would try later and call me back - now in the normal every day world that's a fob off... and in any sort of crisis/busy time it's just a downright lie ... kind of like "I'm fine, how are you" - these non-truthful statements we make and everyone knows the score... So imagine my surprise when abuot an hour later she did call me back... and with a spot on a ferry for my friend. I can't remember the last time somone at a call centre told me they'd call me back and actually did. Kudos to Irish Ferries! read more

Wow, Irish ferries have given their ferries a very good face lift. They are really nice boats now and not at all as horrible as I remember them. I was on the Ulysses boat going from Dublin to Holyhead and I was really impressed with the layout, decor, carpet, seats, sofas, cafes, bar, restaurant and duty free shop, or whatever it is now as I don't think duty free exists any more does it? There is plenty of space and lots of places to spread out and lie down and sleep especially if you are heading on one of the ever popular night time sailings from Dublin port. The ship is really smooth and reasonably quite, I found it much quieter at the back of the ship for engine noise but on the down side it was extra noise as it was the kids area. Irish Ferries do a great sail and rail offer from Dublin to most places in England and for 44euro you can get the ferry from Dublin to London and it is cheaper then buying the tickets separately and cheaper then the ferry and Euroline coach. On the down side of this you do have a four hour wait in Holyhead till the first train arrives if you get the evening sailing. A tip, bring your own food as the stuff on the boat is expensive. The food is good and fresh and hot and filling but very expensive. Also, if you are on the night sailing it gets cold on the ship so try get a seat to lie on away from the sides and windows, the best places for warmth are the cafe, restaurant and down in the kids area. read more

It was Christmas Eve, there were storms a brewing and we were going to get a ferry over the Irish Sea - yikes! A few days earlier, as expected, the fast ferry we were booked onto was cancelled and our booking moved to the slower Ulysses ferry. My partner rang up to book us into their Club Class for the sole purpose that we would get priority disembarkation upon our arrival in Holyhead. Normally around 16 EUR a person, Irish Ferries booked us into Club Class at no extra cost - yay! To be honest the seats are not exactly first class in club class, but there are less people and free food. Or at least a free breakfast. I availed of their granola with fresh fruit and yoghurt. It was good. There was also pastries, smoked salmon and cheese. It was all very impressive. I would be very tempted to book Club Class in the future. As for the crossing, while there were gale force winds, the Irish sea itself was moderate. As a result there was no sea sickness incurred. The crossing did take a little longer, as they had to tack with and against the waves, but I wouldn't hold that against Irish Ferries, it meant for a smoother crossing. What I was fearing to be an awful or cancelled crossing turned out to be fine. Thanks Irish Ferries. read more

Recently took the fast 'Swift' ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. It was my first time taking Irish Ferries and was advised by other to go with Stena instead but I ignored them and chose Irish Ferries largely due to their schedule being better suited to mine. The fast ferry is definitely nice - cuts your travel time in half almost, however the service and quality of Irish Ferries is far below that of Stena Ferries. Everyone told me Irish Ferries would be full of 'travellers' but thought they were only joking... they weren't! Another note... bring some of your own food if you can. The food, especially the breakfast was absolutely horrible... and I'm not a picky eater. read more

I travel with Irish ferries on a monthly basis and I can honestly say that I look forward to it every time. The staff are friendly and are capable of eye contact (which is rare in this day and age I find) and they have the boarding and docking systems running smoothly. You can book online, by phone or at the ferry terminal. I recommend booking in advance and, according to Irish ferries "the cheapest ferry prices are available online". There are two boats: the Swift and the Ulysses. The latter being the slower of the two. I actually prefer the Ulysses and even have a favourite seat away from the maddening crowd. The Ulysses also has 2 small cinemas which show new release. My best ferry memory is watching the new Star Trek film alone in the Ulysses Ferry on a fairly stormy night...it was like being in a flight simulator. The Swift has a small and free cinema screen but they usually show kids movies like Over the Hedge...which is funny but I've seen it before. Food on the boats is nothing to write home about so I wont. I recommend heading into the town nearest the ferry port and getting something there. Oh, and if you want to go on a regular basis with your vehicle you can sign up to a frequent traveller scheme, I think you get a discount....fancy. I'm currently lobbying Irish Ferries * for a Foot Passenger Frequent traveller scheme. As a foot passenger you can get a bus from the main bus terminal in Dublin to the ferry port and get one from the ferry port on your return. They are timed to coincide with the ferries which is some damn good forward thinking! Bus tickets are €2.50 per journey, no concessions and bus tickets aren't accepted. *(ok, lobbying is a stretch but I do mention it whenever I'm in touch with them) read more

I wish I could give it negative stars. Below is the email I sent their support detailing the worst customer service experience I have ever had. To whom it may concern, I am writing to inform you of a terrible customer service experience I received at your Dublin location this morning. I arrived at the port via taxi 20 minutes before my scheduled departure of 8:45am to two employees outside smoking and talking. As I emerged from the taxi one of the employees (a male with short hair, medium build, maybe 5'10" who refused to give his name) told me I was too late and had to leave, he said I might be able to come back at 9pm for another ferry. I was confused by this as I could clearly see the boat a mere 100m away sitting at the dock. He said I needed to get there 30 min in advance and that they were closed. Looking at the email whose subject is "Your Travel details for Booking Reference XXXXXXXX" I could see no such warning. Upon further inspection of a second email whose subject was "Irish Ferries Booking Confirmation - Booking Reference XXXXXXXX" I was able to notice that about 50 lines down (below the fold of any computer screen), below several other pieces of questionably useful information and my travel details and booking information there is a small note that check in time is 30 min before departure. Being a frequent airline and rail traveler I took this to mean check in starts 30 min before takeoff and the boat would sail at the scheduled time, listed several places throughout both emails and the website. Having taken a ferry in western Ireland and assuming your company operates like all other travel services I assumed the language would be used in a similar manner: start checking in 30 min before, take off at the scheduled time. The employee informed me that although the boat was sitting right there he would not allow me to proceed further and seemed upset that I would bother him while he was trying to smoke and talk with his coworker. At this point I returned to the taxi dejected and told the driver what had happened. The driver, in an exemplary show of the kind of friendliness and courtesy I have experienced throughout my entire 12 day stay in Ireland, rushed to my aid. He got out of the taxi and asked the two employees why his customer was not able to board the boat. They brushed him off and said to go away and it wasn't his problem. This upset the driver and he asked for their names to report their crass and dismissive behavior. They refused to give their names and told him to "get out of here." The driver again asked for their names. At this point the other employee, a woman in her early 30s with long brown hair in a ponytail with a slight build standing about 5'7" became very aggressive. She rushed up very close to the driver (inches from his face) and put her body right in front of his trying to provoke a confrontation. She then, using many expletives, told him to get lost and that he shouldn't care because it wasn't his ticket. She stood there blowing smoke in his face and spitting venom at this poor driver who was only trying to help. She then eyed me as if she wanted to start a fight (this coupled with the aggressive body language and harsh language). At this point the driver and I started to back away and he apologized profusely for her behavior. We drove down to the next terminal and I was able to book a ticket with another ferry company who once again provided great customer service. This was by far the worst experience I have ever had with any travel company, or any company in the service industry in general. Not only were they rude and unsympathetic to the customer but I actually feared for my safety due to the aggressive actions of the female employee. I have been travelling Ireland for 12 days now and every single person of the many dozens I have met have been nothing but kind, helpful and generous. It was by far the nicest culture of any of the dozens of countries that I have travelled to. I was prepared to return home and tell all of my friends and colleagues of what I consider the friendliest and most beautiful place on earth. I am saddened and upset that as I was leaving your country this impression was marred by the actions of your employees. read more

We took the ferry/cruise ship from Rosslaire to Roscoff, France because a)our destination was Spain and b)we were bringing our dog. The trip took about 15 hours in each direction and the crew did their best to keep everyone - meaning the vast number of kids - entertained throughout. There was a kids show from 6pm to around 8pm that included drawing, magic, and dancing. it was about as lame and corny as you can imagine, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. Though the magician did manage to remove a woman's bra - not really sure how this fit into the kid's show(or this review). they also had a few movies and a cabaret show for adults(I did not see the later so I cannot guarantee that everyone kept their clothes on). The food on the boat was not good and expensive - though there were prepackaged or simply prepared items that were fine - such as yogurt and toast(my daughter liked her ice cream). I brought sandwiches on the way to France - next time I will bring dinner in both directions. There was also a shop(opportunity to buy last minute gifts) and several bars to make the trip more enjoyable. We had a room with a window and one without - the window is definitely the way to go(though slightly more expensive), it felt less claustrophobic. Our dog was not thrilled with his accommodations, he was housed next to a very cranky border collie on the car deck, with a brief walk allowed every few hours. All in all a good experience for all except our dog. however, a 16 hour drive after a 15 hour ferry was not ideal. read more

On July 13, 2011 two friends and I had accidently scheduled a return flight to London on the wrong day. We were forced to take the ferry as there was no other way to get to London . To our surprise, this proved to be an excellent way to get back and we could not have been happier with the customer care that we received when we were checking in. We were supposed to catch a train from London to Paris the next morning at 6:30 and didn't find out until we got to the Dublin Port that the train we would be catching as the connection from the ferry would be leaving Wales at 4:30 and we would miss our other train (Eurostar) in London . The gentleman that was working the front check in that evening around 18:30 was incredibly helpful! He located the number for our train from London and even called to let them know that we would not be able to make our reserved seats because the connecting train for the ferry would put us in London around 9:30. The woman from EuroRail said she could not do anything and the employee at Irish Ferries encouraged us to talk to the people at Eurostar when we got in the train station next morning. When we got to London we were surprised to find out that they were going to change our tickets free of charge because the employee had called the night before for us. We could not be more thankful for the help and the service that we received from Irish Ferries. The gentleman that helped us was incredibly helpful and we were able to enjoy the rest of our trip in Europe because of the customer service that he showed which significantly exceeded any other customer service we received anywhere in Europe. Visited July 2011 read more

The staff and crew were outstanding. The weather, not so. However, the food and stores on board were very good. We walked on for a ride to Holyhead, Wales and took the train from there to London. It was good to know that they coordinate very well with the connecting trains. In fact, the Swift ferry had been cancelled due to rough seas and we ended up having to take a slower but much larger boat. The train was at the station waiting for us just the same as all rails were experiencing problems due to some of the worst weather in the UK in 60 years. Very happy with their services and commitment to safety. read more

Re. Katie-Ann's excellent review of the £29 train and ferry deal from London ...I will recommend this to my customers! I run a small "man and van" removals service and take my van (med/large Transit size) over to Dublin on the Ulysses about every two weeks sometimes more. Most of the people who's furniture I transport fly over (dare I say it!) and meet me over there but this train/ferry deal is amazingly cheap. I've sailed with Irish Ferries for over four years, in all weathers, all through the winter and as you'd expect, a force 9-10 with waves as high as houses is never pleasant. The Ulysses though has an excellent stablising system and makes it on time every time. Well fitted out and most of the staff pleasent and friendly. My only real critisism is that the ventilation seems to be better towards the front of the ship. The air is sometimes stale towards the rear and in my experience in some of the cabin areas. On the whole though, I'm another satisfied customer :-) Unfortunate that the normal return cost for a van is nearly £370 ....my customers often assume it costs about the same as a car and passengers (often only £99 rtn or less). Andy Thompson read more

Belfast sadly doesn't offer a crossing to Holyhead meaning a sleep over on a Stena crossing to Liverpool to then drive into north wales, Dublin however offers a selection of crossings to Holyhead and the Ulysses is the best of the Irish ferries fleet, even with a drive from Belfast to Dublin before a crossing to Holyhead the journey overall is quicker and at more convenient times with Irish ferries. They should consider operating a service from Belfast , even on a trial basis as Stena don't seem to want to send either of their fast ferries to anywhere else than cairnryan miles away from anywhere in Scotland. read more

The station, itself, isn't something to boast of, but the ships are. They put the SF ferries to shame in how elaborate they are within the interior. These huge liners can hold two levels of cars while they bus in those who've come on foot. The passenger areas are divided into two levels. The very upper level is for the first class tickets while the floor just beneath is for the rest. Both host eateries, shops, televisions, window seats with picturesque views, and walking spaces. There's a kid play area, too, for those needing movement. There is no worry about finding seating or being able to stretch one's legs from time to time. The only seats that people struggle to get are by the windows. Some areas of advisement to one who has never taken the ferry: 1) If one wants to avoid the many children that can run about and the babies that cry, pay a little more for the higher level. It's a little quieter upstairs. 2) Plan to have something to do besides watching their in house movie (often catered towards the kids) or heavily using your electronic devices. Their WiFi is spotty so I'd recommend a good book, crossword puzzle, talking partner, or nap. 3) While the bathrooms are clean they aren't plentiful for the amount of passengers. Be prepared to wait a bit from time to time. 4) If you've not brought a car be prepared to wait an extra 15 minutes before you can disembark. 5) You have to check in and pick up your luggage after the voyage if it is bigger than carry-on size and you didn't come by car. Fortunately, they are very efficient in getting your luggage transferred quickly to the carrousel from the boat. 6) The boat to Holyhead is about two hours, but the return to Dublin is near 4. Otherwise, very smooth and pleasurable experience on both their Jonathan Swift and Uylesses boats. The staff was lovely and they kept the interior very clean. read more

Oddly enough, I still like my overnight ferry experiences. The group booking was still a cinch and everyone that I dealt with was still very helpful and friendly. The problem was in check-in at the port at Holyhead. This goes back to my first review about the inconsistancy about the cabin for the courier for a tour group. Needless to say, the lady who was doing our check-in did not have to be rude about it. I simply asked the question and I am not going to argue, especially since no one seems to be sure about the policy, but there was no reason for her to be rude. In fact, she was the one low point to the whole trip because the staff at the Reception Desk where very friendly when I enquired about it, but ended up politely saying 'Sorry, but we cannot change the information entered at check-in. However there are still rooms for hire.' They apologized again, which I appreciated and I left it as is. read more

I took a beautiful ferry Holyhead to Dublin. The boat itself was in incredible shape and the ~3-hour journey was blissful and well-priced (as part of a RailSail deal). However, I must note: 1) The signage in Holyhead was not great (however, the locals were of course helpful). 2) It was not as clear as it needs to be that you need to arrive 30 minutes early. In fact, I'd really, really recommend *at least* 45 minutes early if you're on foot, as you need to check in and then take a bus to the ferry. 3) The ferry terminal in Dublin was complete rubbish. There was no ATM (it was removed recently). There was one bus stop, but they only take euros. Plus the bus was completely full, and it was going to take half an hour for the next bus to arrive. I ended up taking a taxi (driver was great), but it was just an unnecessary waste of money. The hub was full of irate ferry passengers with no good way to get to the city. There's just no reason that a ferry terminal with this much traffic doesn't have a an efficient way to get people from the port to the transportation hubs in the city. Other than those easily solvable issues, the ferry is great. But, especially #3 left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. read more

After eleven nights in Ireland it was time to move east to the United Kingdom (yes, I realize that we could've technically visited the UK simply by travelling north to Belfast, but we didn't). Given: 1. The amount of stress involved with the whole flying process 2. We didn't have to get to Manchester until mid-afternoon 3. We love boats anyway ..we made the decision to take Irish Ferries from the Dublin Port to Holyhead, Wales, where we'd rent a car for our trip north. We'd taken a car ferry once before, from Vancouver to Vancouver Island (there's a potential tongue-twister), but this time we didn't have our car just yet, so we got to experience the ride as pure passengers. Our taxi dropped us off at the terminal without incident, and we checked in. While waiting with scones and tea in hand, we ran across a trivia competitor from halfway across the world, and socialized... don't say that public transportation can't bring people together. When the time came we were all squeezed onto a bus for about a five minute ride to the boat itself, then boarded the beast. For those of us primarily used to taking commuter boats, this was a masterpiece. Granted, it probably has to be a bigger vessel just to cross the Irish Sea, but even so, it has almost anything one could ask for on such a ride. Plenty of food, coffee, drinks, desserts to go around, with a variety of options to boot. There's a movie room for the kiddies, and duty-free shopping for those who dig that sort of thing. Plus you can gamble, although I didn't see anybody wasting time doing that activity. Or you could just sit back and chill. Irish Ferries would've been a contender for five stars if it weren't for the return trip. The going trip was pretty awesome - we got to Holyhead in just over two hours, the passengers were decent, and the unloading process smooth. But on the return ferry we must've taken the kiddie boat from hell, as the young scallions spent the entire ride running back and forth. Or let me rephrase that... they would occasionally run and scream at the top of their lungs. The ride was also close to three and a half hours.. I guess I can't blame the company for that, but I can blame them for the overly arduous unloading process, particularly since we had to wait for every freaking car to get off the boat before we could disembark. When we finally did, we still had to wait another 30 minutes to get our luggage. But all in all, we were safe and where we were supposed to be, and the cost wasn't too bad either. Certainly there are worse ways to travel. read more

I sailed with Irish Ferries at the start of January as part of a sail rail ticket from Dublin to London. As it turned out, there were a few problems but Irish Ferries dealt with the issues in an excellent way and I was pleased in the end. The sail rail ticket is a great travel choice to get from Dublin to London if the connections work out and the sailings proceed / no weather issues etc. Travelling on Irish Ferries is relaxing and the journey passes quickly. read more

*********Cancellations & poor customer service********* Having booked far in advance, to travel from Dublin to Cherbourg on 29 December, I visited the Irish Ferries site a few days ago to verify the times had not changed and to print my reservation. When I could not find my sailing, I contacted Irish Ferries who responded to say my sailing had been cancelled. The options given were (1) a refund, (2) sail two days earlier, without a cabin or (3) to travel the same day from Rosslare. For "operational reasons" they have moved the Epsilon ship to Rosslare. Despite the passenger rights regulation that if the operator changes anything, the passenger should be rerouted at no extra cost, so far Irish Ferries have refused to cover my incurred petrol costs and have made no goodwill gesture such as a cabin upgrade or free meals on board which would cost the company nothing. Despite several emails to them, Irish Ferries "Customer Support" have ignored them and I have yet to receive a formal notification or explanation of the cancellation or even the courtesy of an acknowledgement. On social media there are lots of unhappy customers who have had similiar experiences and others frustrated that the 2019 schedule for France has not been published. Now there are sailings cancelled due to bad weather, with passengers being accepted on Stena who are operating!!! Whatever operational problems Irish Ferries is experiencing, their customer service is terrible. Avoid at all costs. read more

I am a group of three adults, due to travel to Dublin in Ireland from Holyhead in Angelsey, Wales. I had only just booked the sailing when the Government did a shutdown in the country, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. I asked Irish Ferries for a refund, and after a while they said we could not have any refund and would lose 100% of our money, however they could let us travel any time during 2020/2021 and have a credit instead. Knowing that the Coronavirus could be around for many months, going into 2021, it would be wonderful if Irish Ferries, having our money, would let us travel in 2022 instead, thus hoping the worldwide pandemic is hopefully gone and therefore safe to travel once more. PLEASE IRISH FERRIES, LET US HAVE AN 'OPEN TICKET', OR AT LEAST BE ABLE TO TRAVEL IN 2022, rather than risking 2020/2021 travel and possible death if we get the virus. Money is tight, at least let our travel not be so imminent. Thank you! read more

The ferry itself was fine and the crossing from Dublin Port to Holyhead was nice as it was very calm conditions, however, the advertised departures and sailing times quoted by Irish Ferries are a complete work of deception. On a simple return journey from Dublin to Holyhead over a weekend, the "swift ferry" was late leaving the quay side for both journeys by over 30 mins each time. In addition, no sooner than we were under way, an announcement was made to the effect that the sailing time would be closer to 2 hours 45 mins, and not the advertised 2 hours. The only reason given was "operational reasons". The sea itself was calm, so it cannot be weather related. Seasoned travelers on the ferry suggested that it was simply down to the company saving fuel by traveling slower, which is really annoying if one is on a schedule. Not only that, but when we arrived back in Dublin Port the ferry for some reason docked in a different part of the complex from where we left which meant we had to get a shuttle bus from the boat back to the terminal where we had parked. This meant a further 30 min wait on the boat waiting for the bus to arrive. Finally when it did arrive and we got to board it, it broke down, and we had to wait a further 30 mins for a replacement bus to arrive. Despite our requests to be allowed to walk the final 200 meters to the terminal building, we had to stay in the broken down bus for some unknown reason and they used the cop out of "health & safety". If they only showed the same concern to get us where we wanted to go on time, it would be admirable. All in all, the advertised arrival time on the return journey as per our booking confirmation was 13:40. By the time we finally walked out of the terminal building it was 15:10. Really annoying as on the way out we missed our train connections, and on the way back, we had people waiting almost 2 hours for us. Service is fine if you have no worries about what time you leave at or get there at, but if you have time pressures at either end, avoid using the Irish Ferries Swift sailing completely. Alan (Dublin) read more