Brittany ferries and 997.1 GT3
Discussion
Very excited to be taking GT3 on another Euro trip in July.
Last time I took the Eurorail to Calais, but we are taking the ferry this time to get a little further down the coast.
I was given some very useful tips re. the cars grounds clearance, and was wondering if I there is a pool of knowledge available re. the ferries?
Good experiences and bad?
Any tips as to how to get on board?
Ground clearance is very low on the GT3!
Last time I took the Eurorail to Calais, but we are taking the ferry this time to get a little further down the coast.
I was given some very useful tips re. the cars grounds clearance, and was wondering if I there is a pool of knowledge available re. the ferries?
Good experiences and bad?
Any tips as to how to get on board?
Ground clearance is very low on the GT3!
I live in France and do the crossing several times a year. A Boxster is obviously a bit higher than yours, but they are always happy with me taking my time, and as was said earlier, they do kneel down and check clearance if you're worried.
You'll normally be parked quite close to the vehicle in front, and the one behind will be close to you, but side to side there is plenty of room, even when the boat's heaving, which it generally is over the summer months.
Enjoy La Belle France.
You'll normally be parked quite close to the vehicle in front, and the one behind will be close to you, but side to side there is plenty of room, even when the boat's heaving, which it generally is over the summer months.
Enjoy La Belle France.
We went from Portsmouth to Caen last summer with Brittany Ferries in the Mercedes E55K that I had then. There were no problems with clearance getting on the ferry or space behind and in front of the car, but the lanes were really narrow. The Merc was quite a wide car but once everyone was parked the gap between cars in our lane and the one to our right was only a couple of centimetres. I had to climb out of the passenger side into the walkway. 
It wasn't because of crap parking either. Everyone was where they were supposed to be.
It wasn't because of crap parking either. Everyone was where they were supposed to be.
I think your lucky just being able to afford to go.
Brittany ferries have got so expensive to travel on we have no option other than to cancel our Spanish trip this year. 10 years of driving around the Pyrenees and mucho spend euros there, finished. Those trips were normally twice a year.
Back to the OP. Yes we have found them very patient on loading/unloading in the past.
Have a great holiday :-)
Brittany ferries have got so expensive to travel on we have no option other than to cancel our Spanish trip this year. 10 years of driving around the Pyrenees and mucho spend euros there, finished. Those trips were normally twice a year.
Back to the OP. Yes we have found them very patient on loading/unloading in the past.
Have a great holiday :-)
Have used them loads for various trips back and forth with 'toys' ranging from Caterham to F430.
Loading is no bother, the Brittany Ferries team will always help you and generally they love the cars and understand you being cautious. They will usually ask the following cars to back off to allow you time to traverse the loading ramps onto the boat. Ask the ground marshalls who control the boarding process to let you stick with the MPV's / 4x4s otherwise they might try to send you right up to the upper car deck which is pretty steep (and you will be one of the last off the boat..!).
Also stick with your car until all other passengers have left the car deck (I always pretend to be attending to something in the engine bay or cleaning the lights or somesuch like) and you will find people don't then bang their bags into your car as they squeeze past or open car doors onto you - as they know you are still around and likely to take umbridge if they do...! Likewise be the first back onto the car deck on departure to repeat the process in reverse.
Oh and you also might spot some delightful french fillies who work in the Restaurant/boutiques... :-) Bonnnnnnnnnnjoooooooooooourrrrrrrrrr.......! Ooooh la la.
Have a good one
240
Loading is no bother, the Brittany Ferries team will always help you and generally they love the cars and understand you being cautious. They will usually ask the following cars to back off to allow you time to traverse the loading ramps onto the boat. Ask the ground marshalls who control the boarding process to let you stick with the MPV's / 4x4s otherwise they might try to send you right up to the upper car deck which is pretty steep (and you will be one of the last off the boat..!).
Also stick with your car until all other passengers have left the car deck (I always pretend to be attending to something in the engine bay or cleaning the lights or somesuch like) and you will find people don't then bang their bags into your car as they squeeze past or open car doors onto you - as they know you are still around and likely to take umbridge if they do...! Likewise be the first back onto the car deck on departure to repeat the process in reverse.
Oh and you also might spot some delightful french fillies who work in the Restaurant/boutiques... :-) Bonnnnnnnnnnjoooooooooooourrrrrrrrrr.......! Ooooh la la.
Have a good one
240
Off-topic of Brittany Ferries, so sorry OP, but just a random ferry story...
P&O have a couple ferries that are a few years old now with the most appalling ramp/lane setup you've ever seen, even golfs and the like ground on it, had the most dreadful time getting the Cayman onto the top car deck. Then during the disembark, the car directly alongside me was scraped heavily by a campervan, tore the side wing off, ruined the door panel, shattered the lights and glass to bits. Two holidays ended before they had even started, P&O's fault for allowing the campervan onto the narrow and confined top deck. Dreadful experience, if you are sailing with them stay extra vigilant.
P&O have a couple ferries that are a few years old now with the most appalling ramp/lane setup you've ever seen, even golfs and the like ground on it, had the most dreadful time getting the Cayman onto the top car deck. Then during the disembark, the car directly alongside me was scraped heavily by a campervan, tore the side wing off, ruined the door panel, shattered the lights and glass to bits. Two holidays ended before they had even started, P&O's fault for allowing the campervan onto the narrow and confined top deck. Dreadful experience, if you are sailing with them stay extra vigilant.
OP we took these to the Isle of Man last year the outward ferry was quite old but there wee no dramas and the GT3 RS had to take a sideways approach. On the way back we had the CAT version and this was a bit more fiddly in as much as you had to turn and go up a couple of slopes while on board and my GT3 was left on the slope. All was well but you should watch out for the sway sensor setting the alarms off. I just left my car unlocked and it seemed ok. To be honest there were more hairy bumps to negotiate around our hotel once we were there. Anyways have a good trip.
Spy said:
Good topic and quite timely for me 
Any experience with DFDS Seaways. I am booked for a Euro trip with them in June
Used them last year en route to Frankfurt in my Scirocco R. No problems. I reserved and was in a line of R8s and their ilk - no scraping on ramps, the lane between us and other cars was empty (although it was far from a peak-time sailing), and we were against the outer wall of the ship. If I remember correctly we only went up one ramp. I took the time after embarking to install the little Euro headlight adapters, taking plenty of time over it mainly to be sure that nothing untoward happened whilst the cars loaded.Any experience with DFDS Seaways. I am booked for a Euro trip with them in June
Incidentally, if "first class" is still only 10 pounds then do it - lovely seat, coffee, papers, no crowds, next to the lift down to the car park.
I have taken the GT3 on DFDS a few times. No real bother. As others have said, take your time on the ramps and pick your approach angles and you can get on and off without any incident. When I got the ticket I did mention that the car was low and they said when I got to the boarding ramp I should ask for the 'load master' and he would sort me out. Sure enough he was quite helpful and kept an eye out on clearances as I boarded and didn't send me to the upper deck.
I used DFDS to go from Dover to Dunkirk last year when taking the GT3 to the 'ring.
Booked telling them I had a very low car, no problems. Checked in an they sent me in with the caravans so I wouldn't have to go up the ramp so all was looking good until some utter prick working on the dock side dragged me out of the cue and made me join all the other cars.
Luckily the guy on the boat had a brain and sent me back with the caravans on the lower deck, all be after driving up to the ramp and grounding the splitter out, luckily I had a pile of spare clips in the car.
Booked telling them I had a very low car, no problems. Checked in an they sent me in with the caravans so I wouldn't have to go up the ramp so all was looking good until some utter prick working on the dock side dragged me out of the cue and made me join all the other cars.
Luckily the guy on the boat had a brain and sent me back with the caravans on the lower deck, all be after driving up to the ramp and grounding the splitter out, luckily I had a pile of spare clips in the car.
Spy said:
What would you recommend I do once I get to the port. Inform them about the car at check-in ?
Yes, that's what I did. They then told me to find the 'load master' when I was going on. When it was my row's turn to board the ferry I just drove over to the chap with the walkie talkie standing near the boarding ramp and told him I was told to come and see him as my car was very low and may have an issue with the ramps and he sorted me out from there. He initially told me to wait up by the side of the ramp as most of the other cars boarded, but they were all going to the upper decks so I needed to wait until the lower deck boarded. Might have been slightly easier had I been given the 'correct' row for the stuff going on the lower deck in the first place, but it was no big deal.Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff