We're not talking about little green dwarfs, trolls or leprechauns here. We left our hotel in Waterford on 8/9/13, in the southeastern part of Ireland, very early in morning to catch the first ferry which departed at 8:45 a.m.. We boarded the "Isle of Inishmore" ferry in Rosslare for its sail to Pembroke in Wales. The ferry over to Wales took about four hours. It arrives about 12:50 p.m. Ship Details: - Built by Van de Giessen de Noord in Rotterdam, Netherlands and purchased for 60 Million Irish Pounds. - Powered by four Sulzer Diesel engines - Service began in March 1997 and it was the largest ferry in Northern Europe at that time - 598 feet 9 inches long - It can carry 2,200 passengers, 186 berths and 856 cars - There was an incident that happened before the ship was about to set sail in 2008 where a fire broke out in a thermal boiler by the engine room. Everyone was put on standby as the ferry was cancelled. This stuff is interesting to me because I have a friend who works as an engineer on large ships. That is one tough job. The Good: - This is one big ship with 11 Decks. The 11th and top deck has the Club Class Lounge. I am curious if they have better food selections. I could tell they had a great view. Check out the video on their website. There is a large outdoor area up on the top which is great for taking photos because most of the windows are covered with sea water residue. - Travel Galleria - I didn't have a lot of time to shop in Ireland and when I did I was usually getting the "Don't spend any more money evil eye by the hubby", so I was happy to be able to get that last minute shopping for Irish nick naks out of the way. Warning! Make sure you take your Dramamine before you venture into the gift shop. Had I not taken mine I would have been in big trouble with all the swaying. I bought a couple T-shirts that I wasn't able to try on an they were definitely meant for guys. Don't buy any for your girlfriends. - If you want to get some exercise while onboard just climb up all those stairs to Deck 11 a few times. The Bad: - The ship is supposed to have Wi-Fi. I walked around that ship numerous times trying to connect to their Wi-Fi and nothing. Thankfully, my hubby bought a data plan for the trip and I was able to check in with that. - When you are in the bow area on the lounge areas of Deck 8 and 9 it is really hard to see out the windows because the ledge is so high. I guess that could be good if you don't want to see the water line moving up and down. The Ugly: - The food selections are awful and there are a couple restaurants. I guess that is good if you are worried about getting seasick like me. I took my Dramamine, but I still felt a little queasy with all the rocking going on. Recommendations: - Bring something to eat with you or eat a good breakfast. - Find a nice sofa in the Bow on one of the decks and try to take a nap. - If you have problems with motion sickness you really need to take something for this trip or you may look like a little green leprechaun by the time to get off. read more

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We took the Isle of Inishmore from Pembroke to Rosslare at 02:30 and was a seamless transfer from checking in to boarding. We chose the deluxe cabin, which was a great decision. The cabin itself had plenty of room, comfy bed and a nice little shower. All the amenities such as coffee/tea/biscuits and water were offered, as well as a small bowl of fruit. This ferry journey we would give 5 stars. A note here--from comparing companies, it seemed that Irish Ferries was the only one to offer double bed rooms rather than singles! We took the Dublin Swift from Dublin Port to Holyhead in the morning. Overall, we do not regret taking the "swift" vessel as it was much faster than the other ferries...we believe about two hours faster than the larger ferries. This is good to note upon booking--word of advice. However, we experienced an engine problem on our journey, which delayed us by about 30 minutes. As we had plans to take a train later in the day, this put a bit of stress on our travel schedule. By the way... the WIFI worked on the Isle of Inishmore, but not the Dublin Swift. We were disappointed by that. Also, food is pretty expensive...you can bring your own. I wish that I could comment on the staff...but thinking back I don't believe we exchanged many words at all. It would be nice to have been welcomed to the ferry, but maybe that is me bring picky. Overall--great journey! I think the best way to travel between England and Ireland. read more

Irish Ferries - Irish Ferries - Boating Near Me - Pembroke Dock, PEM

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We took this last week from Wales to Ireland. It's a really nice boat, it has a big duty free, restaurant, and a pub. You can even rent a cabin so you can sleep. I highly recommend this ferry if you plan on going to Ireland. Also the website is user friendly read more

Irish Ferries - Ireland bound - Boating Near Me - Pembroke Dock, PEM