No-frills ferry put to the test

Brittany Ferries launched a no-frills service to France and Spain earlier this year. Bev Fearis tested it out on a crossing from Le Havre to Portsmouth.

Photo by Maritime Photographic

Brittany Ferries isn’t always the cheapest when it comes to crossing the channel but its ships, on-board facilities and service are, in my opinion, superior to other ferry operators. So, I was intrigued when it decided to launch a no-frills option with prices as low as £79 one-way for a car with two passengers to France.

According to the press release, Brittany Ferries economie had been designed to appeal to those who wish to travel from Portsmouth to Le Havre or Santander at lower fares without onboard services normally available. Although there would still be ‘French catering’, said the release, the choice would be limited. Cabins would be ensuite, but they would have no carpets. Entertainment would be restricted to a movie lounge. If I’m honest, having spent many previous ferry crossings sitting through magic shows, watching balloons being twisted around, and spending hours confined to the children’s playroom, the idea of only having a cinema was quite appealing. I wasn’t as keen, however, on the idea of cabins without carpets. What would they have instead? What if the sea was rough and one of us rolled out of bed?

We arrived at Le Havre for our 10.30pm overnight ferry an hour earlier than we needed and were delighted to see the ferry port is located right next door to a massive indoor shopping centre. Unfortunately it was already closed, but I made a mental note to arrive even earlier next time. The shopping centre restaurants, however, were still open so we decided to go for a pizza, not wanting the kids to eat too late and worried about the ‘limited’ choice on board. I was travelling with my son Freddie, 4, my friend Sarah and her son, Kellen, 3, so the idea was to get them to get on the ferry and get them to bed as soon as possible, in the hope that we all got a decent sleep before facing the morning rush-hour traffic on the M27. The pizza restaurant seemed like a good idea, until the waitress brought the children’s menu ice creams loaded with chocolate sauce. Suddenly the kids didn’t look like they were ready for bed.

We boarded in no time and I immediately recognised the ship, Etretat, as one I’d been on before under a rival’s name (DFDS Seaways/LD Lines). The reception/information desk was at one end of a wide corridor, next to the small cinema. The corridor then led to the bar, past a screened-off seating area and a small children’s play area, and into the large self-service restaurant.

The children’s play area had rubber matted flooring and some savvy passengers had already laid out their sleeping bags and pillows on the mats, reserving their spots for the night ahead. Freddie and Kellen jumped over the makeshift beds to get to the children’s colouring screens (like the ones you get in IKEA), and Sarah and I took it in turns to queue for teas and coffees.

The food choice was better than I had expected, with plenty of hot options (soup, fish, pasta, roasts, vegetarian dishes) and cold starters and deserts (smoked salmon, salads, cheese, chocolate mousse, creme brule). We sat in the bar for a bit, watching the boys on the driving arcade game (too young to realise we hadn’t put money in and they were actually just steering the wheel while the demo played). The brightly lit bar was busy with groups of lorry drivers and couples. 

Once the boys had tired themselves out a bit (around midnight), we headed to our cabin – an outside four-berth. It was more spacious than I had expected, definitely larger than the four-berth cabins on the bigger Brittany Ferries ships like the Pont Aven. The beds were wider too, with bigger duvets and pillow cases. I didn’t even notice the lack of carpet. Instead the floor was a lino covering. The bathroom was the usual size, compact but big enough. The shower was just the right temperature and towels and shower gel was provided. Teeth cleaning done, we settled into bed – children on the bottom bunks, Mums on the top. The crossing was gentle and the boys were soon asleep and I slept well too. The extra width of the bed and the larger pillow helped. 

I woke before our alarm and peeked through the curtains to see if I could see land. The blind pinged up noisily and woke everyone else up too, so we got up and headed to the restaurant for breakfast – fruit salad and croissants. Then the announcement was made and we made our way down to deck 3 to our car. No sooner had we got the kids strapped in than it was time to start the engine and disembark. The beauty of being on such a small ship is that you get on and off much more quickly.

All in all, it was a painless and hassle-free experience, even with two under fives, and I wouldn’t hesitate to take the no-frills option again. However, not having very good sea legs, I would perhaps think twice about going economie in the winter months when the crossing can get a bit rough. In my experience, the smaller the boat, the more likely you are to feel seasick. On a choppy day, I’d rather pay more to be on the Pont Aven.