Surfing on the success of last year’s event, the second National Ferry Fortnight launches on Saturday 8 May for two weeks of hot offers on ferry crossings and holidays both abroad and at home. As recent events have shown, ferry travel is reliable, convenient and offers great value.
With 40 million ferry crossings every year, there's more to ferry travel than you might think. Taking a ferry means a stress free check-in, no worries about going over your baggage allowance and plenty of room on board to relax and get into the holiday mood. But for National Ferry Fortnight (May 8 – 22, 2010) the Passenger Shipping Association has unearthed some intriguing facts and figures about travelling by ferry...
1. During the recent travel disruption due to volcanic ash, ferries have proven to be a very reliable way of travel. Discover Ferries members shipped hundreds of thousands of people to ensure they got to where they needed to go!
William Gibbons, Director of the Passenger Shipping Association, said that “Ferry companies have reported a massive surge in demand for both foot passenger and car bookings – up to a four-fold increase in some cases. As an island, ferry travel is an integral part of our transport network – ferries are reliable, flexible and convenient.’’
2. Over 70 destinations can be reached by ferries departing from UK ports as far reaching as Santander and Bilbao in Spain and Esbjerg in Denmark.
3. People have been using ferries as a mode of transport for hundreds of years – the first recorded Isle of Wight ferry service dates back to 1420.
4. Ferries let you take unlimited luggage at no extra charge, and it won't get lost. A survey conducted by the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) in 2010 showed that over three quarters of respondents (76%) saw ferries as the preferred choice of transport, over planes and trains when questioned on baggage restrictions.
5. Ferry travel is glamorous! Whitney Houston took an Irish ferries service during the ‘ash crisis’ to usher her between dates on her world tour, Robbie Williams charted a Wightlink ferry to shoot his video ‘Road to Mandalay’, playing golf on the car deck, whilst travelling on board P&O Ferries from Hull to Rotterdam inspired The Beautiful South’s hit single ‘Rotterdam’ back in 1996. At the turn of the last century, ferries were also commonly seen to transport performers. Both Wightlink and Stena Line have transported circuses, including elephants from England to the Isle of Wight and Ireland respectively.
6. P&O Ferries launched the government’s Pet Passport scheme after it carried the first pet into the UK in 2000. Thanks to this scheme you can now take your pet dog, cat or ferret on holiday by ferry. But some ferries have carried some more unusual wildlife. SeaFrance recently carried a King Vulture, Tatin, who was en route to Arnhem Zoo via Calais, in the hope that she’ll produce lots of baby vultures. Condor Ferries came to the aid of the Born Free Foundation transporting lion cubs from Guernsey to the UK (en route to South Africa).
7. Ferry travel also means seeing nature in the wild. The routes across the Channel, Bay of Biscay and the Irish Sea are an ideal place to spot whales, dolphins and other marine life. DFDS Seaways runs wildlife watching mini cruise with wildlife officers from whale and dolphin charity ORCA.
8. You can also have a cultural fix on board a ferry. Brittany Ferries is behind a programme commissioning contemporary art and there are over 200 works of art on board their flagship, Pont Aven. The operator even provides an audio commentary to help passengers understand the background to each piece.
9. Longer routes mean you can overnight on board – and in much more comfort than in an airline seat. Stena Line’s overnight cabins have DUX beds, which are hand-crafted by a generations old Swedish family firm and are also used in luxury hotels such as the Burj al Arab in Dubai, and the Setai in Miami. They use the strongest Swedish pine and fine luxurious cotton.
10. During NFF, Stena Line will launch its first ’Superferry’ - the Stena Hollandica (9 May 2010), which will be the world’s largest ferry, at 240m long, to carry both passengers and freight!
National Ferry Fortnight runs 8 – 22 May 2010 with fantastic reductions in ferry crossing and holidays.
