Brittany Ferries - Dogs onboard

[Rob 131 Sport]

Having not been to France for a couple of years we are thinking of going to our favourite Dordogne for 10 days over next May’s half term.

We’ve travelled mostly with Brittany Ferries for decades and I’m thinking of going out on the Portsmouth to Caen service returning via St. Malo (having stayed the previous night there as it’s a lovely place).

I see it’s Brittany Ferries policy that dogs can’t go in communal areas and restaurants and must be in designated areas. However is this the reality and is it like here where although pubs can say dogs can’t only go in certain areas and shops have a clear guide dog only policy, entitled dog owners pay absolutely no respect to such rules.

Even if I wasn’t allergic to dogs I wouldn’t want them near me on a ferry crossing. What I’m looking for is people’s opinions based on recent experiences. I see also that they have dog friendly cabins. However has anyone experienced having a normal cabin where a dog has clearly been staying there.

[StevieBee]

Rob 131 Sport said:

I see it s Brittany Ferries policy that dogs can t go in communal areas and restaurants and must be in designated areas. However is this the reality and is it like here where although pubs can say dogs can t only go in certain areas and shops have a clear guide dog only policy, entitled dog owners pay absolutely no respect to such rules.

I've made many a ferry crossing, including the route you mention, and have never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been in a pub or shop.

[NormalWisdom]

How interesting!

We do Portsmouth - Caen 5/6 times a year.

I honestly can't say I've ever noticed a dog on board (I'm sure I would have as I despise the things).

I spent the last 10 minutes pondering your post and our recent trips and no dog came into memory.

The newest boat on the P-C route (Guillame de Normandie) has a club lounge which is worth paying for - Definitely no non-humans in there

[Rob 131 Sport]

StevieBee said:

Rob 131 Sport said:

I see it s Brittany Ferries policy that dogs can t go in communal areas and restaurants and must be in designated areas. However is this the reality and is it like here where although pubs can say dogs can t only go in certain areas and shops have a clear guide dog only policy, entitled dog owners pay absolutely no respect to such rules.

I've made many a ferry crossing, including the route you mention, and have never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been in a pub or shop.

You clearly haven’t visited Cheshire or North Wales recently or perhaps been out of your house much

[mcm87]

We take their ferries to Spain regularly - I’ve never seen a dog outside of the designated zones.

[Rob 131 Sport]

NormalWisdom said:

How interesting!

We do Portsmouth - Caen 5/6 times a year.

I honestly can't say I've ever noticed a dog on board (I'm sure I would have as I despise the things).

I spent the last 10 minutes pondering your post and our recent trips and no dog came into memory.

The newest boat on the P-C route (Guillame de Normandie) has a club lounge which is worth paying for - Definitely no non-humans in there

Many thanks for the reply and it looks like I can book with confidence. I’ve always liked Brittany Ferries and had excellent service from them. I was also pleased that they’ve replaced the Bretagne that was looking rather tired on our last crossing in 2023. I’ve heard the new St.Malo ship is a massive improvement.

[mart 63]

I've been on Brittany ferries quite a few times with a dog. There is a dog section with cabins and kennels and you are not allowed to take dogs out of the section. Most of the outside areas that you can take dogs are at the rear of the ship.

[NoTreadLeft]

Rob 131 Sport said:

You clearly haven t visited Cheshire or North Wales recently or perhaps been out of your house much

Are you sure that France is the right destination for you? It’s far more dog friendly than the Uk. Most hotels & restaurants allow dogs - at the last 2* restaurant we went to more tables had dogs than didn’t.

[cliffords]

NoTreadLeft said:

Rob 131 Sport said:

You clearly haven t visited Cheshire or North Wales recently or perhaps been out of your house much

Are you sure that France is the right destination for you? It s far more dog friendly than the Uk. Most hotels & restaurants allow dogs - at the last 2* restaurant we went to more tables had dogs than didn t.

I was about to write a similar post . France is highly dog friendly, much more than the UK,as owners are generally more respectful and responsible. However it is likely there will be dogs in shops, restaurants and hotels. Often hotels accept dogs .
I am a dog owner.

[blueg33]

Never seen a dog in the communal areas and I travel with BF regularly. The dog areas stink.

[Joe5y]

I do Portsmouth - Caen up to 5 times a year and have never seen a dog on any of my 10+ years of completing this crossing. As highlighted, there are dog-friendly cabins, which I have stayed in on a few occasions owing to limited availability, but never seen a dog.

That said, they must allow them to cross, but I can't think this route would be best suited.

[WrekinCrew]

In our experience the dog-friendly cabins sell out very quickly so you're most unlikely to get one unless specifically requested.

[dave123456]

Rob 131 Sport said:

StevieBee said:

Rob 131 Sport said:

I see it s Brittany Ferries policy that dogs can t go in communal areas and restaurants and must be in designated areas. However is this the reality and is it like here where although pubs can say dogs can t only go in certain areas and shops have a clear guide dog only policy, entitled dog owners pay absolutely no respect to such rules.

I've made many a ferry crossing, including the route you mention, and have never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been in a pub or shop.

You clearly haven t visited Cheshire or North Wales recently or perhaps been out of your house much

I go all over the uk and France with my dog and don’t see any dogs where they shouldn’t be. Occasionally one on the beach near my house between the months they are prohibited.

Maybe get over your phobia and live and let live a little, yes there are some crazy dog owners, cat owners and car owners. In my experience there are a lot more entitled parents who expect everyone to tolerate their children, leaving a trail of mess.

[dunkind]

cliffords said:

I was about to write a similar post . France is highly dog friendly, much more than the UK,as owners are generally more respectful and responsible.

Are you serious? The French let their dogs st all over the pavements and never clean up. It disgraceful.

[omniflow]

You won't see any dogs in the bars or restaurants, or in the common areas and you most definitely won't have had a dog previously sleeping in your cabin unless it's a dog friendly one.

However, seeing as you're talking cabins I assume you're planning to go overnight, so I have a couple of additional points:

Compared to St. Malo, the Caen crossing makes zero sense as an overnighter. The boat leaves really late and arrives really early. There's not enough time to get a decent amount of sleep and the whole experience is less than relaxing. Also, the road network from St. Malo is just so much better than Caen if you're heading vaguely south.

Coming back via St. Malo, the crossing is only overnight one day a week. It always used to be Tuesday, but this may have changed with the new boat. If this works for you, then great. But you need to be aware of it. The day crossing is just a little bit tedious. St. Malo is indeed a lovely place.

[blueg33]

omniflow said:

You won't see any dogs in the bars or restaurants, or in the common areas and you most definitely won't have had a dog previously sleeping in your cabin unless it's a dog friendly one.

However, seeing as you're talking cabins I assume you're planning to go overnight, so I have a couple of additional points:

Compared to St. Malo, the Caen crossing makes zero sense as an overnighter. The boat leaves really late and arrives really early. There's not enough time to get a decent amount of sleep and the whole experience is less than relaxing. Also, the road network from St. Malo is just so much better than Caen if you're heading vaguely south.

Coming back via St. Malo, the crossing is only overnight one day a week. It always used to be Tuesday, but this may have changed with the new boat. If this works for you, then great. But you need to be aware of it. The day crossing is just a little bit tedious. St. Malo is indeed a lovely place.

Yep - for us always out to St Malo and back from Caen (Ouistreham).

[Puggit]

20 years of owning a house in the Pays de la Loire and being a very frequent BF customer - as everyone else states, the dogs stay in the dog areas without exception.

As above, St Malo for the crossing to France and Caen for the crossing home makes much more sense.

Although I take exception that it's easier going south from St Malo, the A88 to the A28 from Caen makes life very easy to get to Le Mans/Tours and then onwards.

[breamster]

dave123456 said:

Rob 131 Sport said:

StevieBee said:

Rob 131 Sport said:

I see it s Brittany Ferries policy that dogs can t go in communal areas and restaurants and must be in designated areas. However is this the reality and is it like here where although pubs can say dogs can t only go in certain areas and shops have a clear guide dog only policy, entitled dog owners pay absolutely no respect to such rules.

I've made many a ferry crossing, including the route you mention, and have never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a dog where it shouldn't have been in a pub or shop.

You clearly haven t visited Cheshire or North Wales recently or perhaps been out of your house much

I go all over the uk and France with my dog and don t see any dogs where they shouldn t be. Occasionally one on the beach near my house between the months they are prohibited.

Maybe get over your phobia and live and let live a little, yes there are some crazy dog owners, cat owners and car owners. In my experience there are a lot more entitled parents who expect everyone to tolerate their children, leaving a trail of mess.

I was wondering how long it would be until a dog owner tries to deflect the thread to other people's children. 2 hrs is longer than I expected. It happens every time anyone is negative about dogs.

[classicaholic]

Just come back from France with BF, we had a dog friendly cabin but our dog didnt like wearing a muzzle which is mandatory so on the return we left her to sleep in the campervan, she was much more at home there and didnt need the muzzle.
BF are very efficient at taking the dogs on and you board last and have to use a dedicated lift, there is a dedicated part of deck for exercise and peeing etc, as noted above though the pet cabins sell out very quickly.

[dave123456]

breamster said:

I was wondering how long it would be until a dog owner tries to deflect the thread to other people's children. 2 hrs is longer than I expected. It happens every time anyone is negative about dogs.

It’s pretty much a fact. My dog doesn’t bother anyone. Most dogs don’t. The odd yappy thing may.

Kids on the other hand seem to be everywhere. Either entitled children, entitled parents or both.

But, as you demonstrate, that’s off limits…