brittany ferry Galicia

Hi Alicia

I’m booked on the Galicia on March 10 so if no replies by then I’ll let you know. For the crossing and a commodore club cabin I paid £408 one way which includes a breakfast and dinner and as many hot drinks as you want in the commodore lounge. 

We travelled on Galicia in December.  To be honest, I was underwhelmed.  I had seen so much hype from Brittany Ferries beforehand about how wonderful it is, but frankly it didn't feel much different from their other ships.  

The Spanish influence that they have been keen to promote did not seem significant to me, in fact the tapas bar food option was dismal (tired dishes sitting in cabinets).  There were some other food options to buy in the tapas restaurant which I think may have included a pizza.  Generally I have excellent sea legs, and have no problems when the boat is lurching around, but bizarrely I felt very queasy on this crossing. My wife on the other hand, who can barely sit in a bath without feeling seasick, had no problems.  I wonder whether the nature of the motion is somehow different.

To be fair to BF, the fact that they are operating under covid restrictions hugely affects their service.  Bars aren't open, the food offering is limited, and mainly you try to keep away from other germ-breathing passengers; this has a much greater impact on customer experience than the boat itself and I think for the time being we have to accept that it is just a means of transport for getting from A to B, rather than a pleasurable activity.  

On the plus side everything was shiny and new on Galicia, which was nice, and you do have a basic continental breakfast and a meal included in your ticket price.  If you are Club Voyage then you can combine your limited inclusive breakfast and your Club Voyage allowance and cover all bases.  Also there was loads of room in the garage.  Whether that was because they have more space in there now as they claim, or whether there just weren't many travellers, I'm not sure.

I didn't use the Commodore Lounge, though I am booked to go later in March (not sure yet whether we will travel) and have included it this time to give it a try.  It was hard to come by anything to eat or drink (vending machine only) outside restaurant hours otherwise. 

thanks very much for your reply we are booked for August but do not think we will be travelling even then.  Looks like still carry on board the coffee making and snacks that we took on the Pont Avon,  

Hi Alicia,

We came to Spain on the Galicia less than 3 weeks ago. I think the others have probably confirmed what I was going to say. It was far from a smooth crossing & it rocked side to side so in bed for us it was head to toe. It started about 9pm just after our dinner & continued right through until we came in to Santander the following afternoon.  I couldn't eat breakfast at all. I felt terribly sick but wasn't.

I thought the menu was limited & I didn't see any pizza on the menu. I agree with the person about the tapas bar. 3 plates of food wrapped in cling film, most unappetizing. It was a nice place to have a drink though.

The restaurant closed at 9pm English time & reopened 6am English time I think it was. After 9pm everything is shut so no hot water for a brew, only vending machines.

I really hope I never have to go on a boat again but it was a means to get here without going through France. We had our 2 cats with us as well.

Good luck if you do the crossing. It is a nice, shiny new boat but dont think it has very good stabilizers, if any

funny thing is Sue that in their promotional video they say that the stabilizers are much improved on the older ferry!  We are hoping to travel in August so the sea should be flatter then.  Looks like we will continue to carry on board our kettle and cool box with lunch snacks even with the breakfast and dinner included in the tickets.  Luckily from Santander you can pick up a nice baguette before you board.

How was the cabin?  were they  noisy with the tv and films on in each one?   Suppose they don't have tv's in the communial areas then.  And of course no pool now for a quick dip. 

Hi Alicia - thought I would just post a follow up as I travelled again on Galicia, Santander - Portsmouth in March.  Now recently returned by road via Eurotunnel.  This time I did use the Commodore lounge, and I felt it was worthwhile.  Bear in mind that the bars are all closed and only the cafeteria style restaurant is open, so it was pleasing to sit in the lounge and have perfectly decent snack food (ham/cheese platters, olives, anchovies etc) plus soft drinks and wine freely available.   I also chose to have breakfast there rather than in the restaurant - fine if you just want continental. 

My only concern was that there were very few people on my crossing, and if the lounge was busy I could imagine a different scenario.  I presume they have a limit on how many passes they sell to the lounge, because if they allow a lot of people in I can imagine the slightly more upmarket feel of the lounge rapidly descending into a bunfight over the food and drinks. 

We've just travelled from Santander to Portsmouth on the Galicia. Our cabin was on deck 8, on the port side. When we reached the corridor to our cabin, there was a faint smell of diesel fumes. Every time we left our cabin, we were greeted by the same faint smell of diesel fumes. We went for our included evening meal; after just a mouthful, my wife felt unwell and was sick on the return to our cabin. Was this due to the smell of diesel fumes ? 

By Sunday afternoon, we had to leave our cabin as the smell of diesel fumes had become much stronger and unbearable. We asked at the information desk and were told that Brittany Ferries were aware of the problem and were trying to fix it. We completed a complaints form, explaining that we had to leave our cabin due to the unbearable smell of diesel fumes in our cabin and the corridor. A number of other passengers also left their cabins, due to diesel fumes, and completed complaints forms. Even this morning, I still had a taste of diesel in my mouth.

During our crossing, there were 2 occasions when a helicopter had to land on deck, both on Sunday morning, separated by over 2 hours, for medical emergencies. Were these reactions due to the strong smell of diesel fumes? 

I've had a quick google to see if this has occurred previously. The first reports I've found are from early March:

https://www.talkquesada.com/quesada-general-discussion-f9/a-travellers-tale-t52094.html

 https://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=168028&p=2740447

It's now December, some 9 months since the first reports and it's still not been fixed. Why are Brittany Ferries still selling these cabins on decks 7 and 8 on the port side? Don't they have a duty of care to their passengers?

We won't be using the Galicia in future. We'll limit our travels to sailing on the Pont Aven.

We where on her last Sunday and yes it was a little rocky but not too bad. Compared to the other ship we went over to Spain on its a different class. The main restaurant has a good choice of meals which are included in the price. The cabins are small but nice with a tv which pick up live uk TV. So all in all we had a nice crossing and will definitely go on her again.    

My wife and I have crossed on Galicia four times this year and, with the exception of the reference to diesel fumes which we did not experience, can confirm most of what other people are writing about the ship.  Between May and October, all our crossings were smooth.  The lanes on the spacious car deck are wider, allowing for growing vehicle sizes.  The rest of the ship was a huge disappointment and I let Brittany Ferries know about it after our first trip.  Commodore Class cabins are nothing short of a 'rip-off'; a basic cabin with a tea & coffee tray, two bottles of water, a BF pen, and a slightly larger TV screen.  No space, no fridge, no safe, and only one "chair" (more like a stool) that tips over when you lean back on it.  Whoever was responsible for the selection of the furniture needs to go back to basics, looking at 'function before design'.  The furniture in both the restaurant and the lounges just doesn't fit, it's the wrong height, size and shape for tables.  Two lifts, one at each end of the ship, only one of which, for passengers, goes to deck nine.  That in itself does not affect walking distances but the reduced capacity does have an impact on waiting, particularly at busy times.   Even allowing for Covid restrictions the food was pretty awful.  From the servery, on every journey, the 'hot' food was barely warm and definitely cold by the time one had got seated.  I doubt whether we shall ever see the famous Brittany Ferries cold buffet ever again.  We spent almost the whole of our four crossings in the Commodore Lounge where the food was of better quality; it was quiet and restful there for most of the time and definitely worth the extra money if it is not included in your cabin price.

For two of our crossings next year we are booked on Salamanca.  The ship looks to be very similar to Galacia but remembering the luxury on Bretagne, we shall have to stick with it to avoid driving through France.