P&O Foot Passenger last to leave

[Weeklytraveller]

Is any foot passenger like me, getting completely brassed off with having to wait an eternity to get off the fastcraft ferry.

I appreciate the health and safety reasons, in not allowing cars and foot passengers off at the same time, but surely it wouldn't hurt to let foot passengers off first, so that they can quickly make their way to connecting trains, taxis etc.

Last Monday evening, along with all the other "foots", I waited 25 to 30 minutes from the point of docking at Portsmouth to actually walking off the ferry.

As a final insult we were being asked to wait until the final car, struggeling with a flat battery, had left. Needless to say we didn't.

[Liz]

I've had a similar experience with Brittany Ferries. The new ferry from Roscoff cuts down the journey time considerably so it is very irritating to be hanging about for ages just to get off. To add insult to injury, the last time I went to Plymouth we foot passengers got to a pedestrian crossing at the bottom of the ramp and were made to wait while the motorised traffic went past to join the passport check queue. I said to the to chap who was holding us back that I thought it was a pedestrian crossing, he didn't look too amused.

Liz (29)

[Linnorton]

Just complain and carry on complaining at the Information desk every time you travel and preferably in advance of the boat docking. I did that last year when P&O were insisting on letting the foot passengers off through the car deck everytime and eventually they stopped doing it. On one memorable occassion they kept 200 foot passengers on board until all the cars had gone. We waited for an hour for my son, daughter-in-law and grandkids to get off. Reception staff might flinch when they see me approaching with a list of complaints but I figure other people are doing it too and it keeps me entertained during a five hour crossing.

[Val50]

LAST EDITED ON 10-May-04 AT 04:54 PM (BST)

LAST EDITED ON 10-May-04 AT 04:53PM (BST)

Had the same problem when I got back to Cherbourg last week, there were only about 20 of us but we had to wait almost 25 mins. before we could disembark. To make matters worse we could see the bus waiting for us. It was pouring with rain and really slippy but we still had to go outside down those awful metal steps from club class to the car deck. It was pouring with rain and really slippy. I got soaking wet. I kept wondering what would happen if one of us fell, was almost tempted to try it! Seriously though I am sure it is a safety hazard, can't we get them on that? Always used to take my car accross so never appreciated what a nuisance it was but with the difference in prices between foot passengers and taking the car it just doesn't make sense to take the car with me, even taking advantage of the so called specials - it's cheaper to hire one in Portsmouth.





















Val
Val