FERRY DISASTER. Sailing on Irish Ferries in winter - not recommended.

[@DavidDoyle-o2j]

Just to confirm Irish Ferries are not part of P&O Ferries they are both separate companies, The Norbay has been chartered by Irish Ferries along with her crew for 6 Months . They have shortage of ferries at present, The Ulysses is in dry dock so the WB Yeats is operating the Dublin to Holyhead route, while the Norway covers the France route. The Norbay is due to take up the Rosslare to Pembroke route in February until alternative tonnage can be sourced.

[@nakedireland]

Thanks for the clarification David. It’s good to think that the present situation is temporary, I really do hope the Yeats is back in service again Dublin to Cherbourg and that it continues to run all year. But it’s simply inexcusable for IF to think that the Norbay could be a substitute for the Yeats. An association with P&O, even if only to lease a vessel, is a bad one, and in this case the customer is paying the price.

[@Oakleaf700]

@@nakedireland I just looked up Norbay, and seems she's a freighter built in the 1990's...so pretty old as ferries go. Stena Europe was pretty old as well..she had spartan cabins, too...but not quite as bad. She was an old Lady, but still working around Greek islands, having been pounded by the Celtic and Irish Seas for too long.

[@nakedireland]

⁠Good to know. I’m sure there’s life in the ship yet, but not as a passenger ferry, and Irish Ferries needs to sort out why there are constant delays. I’m guessing that’s a crewing problem. As I mentioned in the video, on one trip we were loaded onto the wrong part of the ship and had to turn and drive off again - you can imagine the chaos that caused! P&O, who I’m told are currently leasing the boat to Irish Ferries, sacked all their staff a few years ago if you remember. Nice company! That could perhaps be at the heart of this.

[@stuartkelly3106]

I think they are the same no?, both owned by DP world

[@TheDuffaloUK]

@@stuartkelly3106 DP World owns P&O, and Irish Continental Group own Irish Ferries.

[@RodneyDevitt]

Was also bumped off the Irish Ferries Isle of Inisfree from Roslare to Pembroke in September, and put on the Isle of Iniseer at short notice, a ship specifically for trucks and truckers. Very limited seating for all the car drivers and coach travellers. Large number of American visitors were not impressed.

[@nakedireland]

Yeah, that’s not good Rodney, I sympathise. Thanks for sharing that.

[@mehitabel1290]

It's funny, because I think of Irish Ferries as a kind of saviour, after I had three Stena sailings cancelled from under me in rapid succession, between Fishguard and Rosslare!- and had to swap, at VERY short notice, to I.F. On the Wales-Ireland leg, I had to dash over to Pembroke, in heavy rain and fog, which was one of the most stressful drives ever! The Irish Ferries staff on the phone were professional, sympathetic and helpful. And on the ship, also great - Baltic statesers every one. I'm sure there are bad experiences (and really, can the steep steps on any ship be helped?) but so far, I'm a fan of Irish Ferries.

[@nakedireland]

Your a fan of Irish ferries (as I was) only because you haven’t yet sailed on this heap covered in the vid. My other IF experience, on the WB Yeats was fine. But don’t give us a cargo ship and charge the same as for a well fitted passenger vessel.

[@TRexo-ds5ze]

As has been said P&O and Irish Ferries remain separate operators. The Norbay meanwhile is pretty effective as a cargo ship for freight drivers, which it has always been used as until this Irish Ferries charter. IF simply haven't been able to source more appropriate ships to use so they have placed this vessel on their main passenger routes - in my view it's the operator's problem rather than the ship as such. The thing about P&O's employment issues is that in many ways they were in part precipitated by IF doing the exact same thing all those years ago, with similar disregard for the Irish crew members who were sacked. When IF opened their own Dover-Calais operation in competition a couple of years ago they brought their low-cost crews to the Dover Strait. Whilst the other Dover operator DFDS have maintained their primarily UK/French crewing model (at great cost to their profitability) P&O felt the only way to survive was to match what Irish Ferries were doing. Which they did brutally, unfairly and illegally. It's all a bit grim but if you want to sail ethically the best operators remain Brittany Ferries, DFDS and Stena Line who have signed up to the Seafarers Charter with commitments to minimum wages and proper working conditions. Irish Ferries and P&O both have not. However nice the Yeats and Ulysses are, it's difficult for me at least to forget that ethically Irish Ferries are in the same bucket as P&O.

[@nakedireland]

Well said. Totally agree. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@daveninnim7897]

Agree with everything that he said ^

[@GaelicLad]

Who do you recommend to sail with then?

[@nakedireland]

Well if you’re certain that you’re gonna sail on the WB Yeats, then Irish Ferries are good, but if they put on a a substitute ship, beware.

[@pinkbubblebath]

What is the light reflection that shows up in several of your videos? The light dances around your frame and it doesn’t look like a lens flare. Great videos BTW

[@nakedireland]

Many thanks. That’s the little Irish good luck fairy, who follows me everywhere. Only those that believe can see her, everyone else just sees a dancing light.

[@-DC-]

Only sail with Stena Line now no one else comes anywhere crossing the Irish Sea.

[@nakedireland]

You’ll have seen a nice Stena Line ship moored beside our piece of junk in the film. Shame they didn’t put us on that.

[@Oakleaf700]

@@nakedireland I remember approaching Dover and seeing a lovely looking ferry{ Boat train}...only to find that we were headed towards a rust bucket called 'Chartres'. ..I do feel your dismay there. At least the journey was only 1.5 hrs approx. Your journey was at least calm. That was the only good thing to say about it. {I don't like rough ferries much}

[@mehitabel1290]

Really? My recent experience with Stena on the Irish Sea suggests at least one of their ferries should be called "Cancellation". Locals in Fishguard actually burst out laughing when you say you WERE due to sail with Stena...

[@elizaphe58]

That's mad not been on Ferry since 1996 Dover to Calais.

[@nakedireland]

Don't go on this one!

[@eddiestaunton514]

You think this is bad I almost got shot once at Cherbourg Ferry Terminal! True story, was walking there at 5 in morning, there is a big army base in Cherbourg and 2 off Duty French Squaddies were firing an air rifle, one ricoched right beside me as i walked towards them but being Irish and all didn't take much heed unless it hit me, I ended up drinking a bottle of JD with them and shooting bottles until 8am

[@nakedireland]

All’s well that ends well!

[@donall72]

Thanks for the heads up as I from time to time drop people off to the ferry. I think I tell them to bring their oars instead.

[@nakedireland]

We all need to buy dinghys!

[@ed7269]

If you think this is bad, try the Dunkirk to rosslare route 😮 that’ll open your eyes buddy,,, oh and do it in winter if you really want a challenge

[@nakedireland]

I’ll maybe give that a miss if you say it’s worse that this! Thanks for watching.

[@WelshRob1964]

What a nightmare! I would have been fuming. I have sailed many times with Irish ferries many times and never had any problems, used Rosslare to Pembroke and Dublin Holyhead, though I do not like Dublin port. Stena on the other hand I gave up on after so many cancellations at short notice. That p&o boat clearly geared for freight traffic, IFs Epsilon like that but nicer than that p&o one. You complained in writing to them?

[@nakedireland]

I complained by email, but the weren’t interested. As far as the delay was concerned they just blamed the weather, but I’ve never had a more smooth winter sailing. That’s their get outa jail free card - bad weather. When I asked them how they determined the weather was bad I felt they link me to some shipping forecast, but it was telling that they just claimed that ‘the captain said’. I guess I’d prefer more independent proof as if they claim bad weather they don’t have to compensate passengers. But yeah you’re right, it’s more of a freight ferry. Terrible.

[@WelshRob1964]

​@@nakedirelandI never was once delayed by IF, and I crossed in some really bad weather. P&O sound really poor operator. From what I see online IF and P&O not same company. Perhaps IF hired the ship as theirs out of action. When you booked was the ship named you booked on? It was when I used them but its been a few years.

[@nakedireland]

Yes, I knew in advance they’d booked me on the P&O sardine tin. Doesn’t make it any easier to take though. I think, according to Wiki, P&O and IF are one and the same now.

[@WelshRob1964]

@@nakedireland You weren't to know, it might have been all Ok. Having seen your vid, if, and when, I book a ferry to Ireland again I will watch for that and if P&O cancel it.

[@nakedireland]

Good move.

[@stevenmc4446]

others have pointed out the inaccuracies in your report I do agree that it is a rotten experience and Irish Ferries are not a customer focused company however I also believe that when booking you were not told that the WB Yeats was your ship as she was not rostered on the service and had been scheduled to the central corridor for chirstmas new year and for Ulysses dry docking months in advance

[@nakedireland]

Interesting. Which inaccuracies would they be I wonder? And you’re making the incorrect assumption that I knew that a replacement ship would be totally unsuitable for this kind if passenger service. We turned up at the port and found ourselves on a vessel that we then realised was totally below standard, and I think my film reflects that.

[@stevenmc4446]

@@nakedireland i think all your points about that terrible bucket of a ship are correct and you were treated badly however P&O and Irish Ferries are not the same company and when you booked you were informed of the vessel you were booking

[@nakedireland]

Informed of the vessel as you say Steven, but it didn't say in the information that this is a cargo ship, not fit for general passenger travel. Perhaps if they'd told me it was a below power bucket of crap I'd have thought twice about booking.

[@Randallator966]

@@nakedireland It had a red box that said about it not being suitable for Kids or elderly/ disabled, with P&O on Dublin-Liverpool they also took passengers

[@nakedireland]

@@Randallator966shocking!

[@christopherperkins3416]

Although I started watching this video because the subject was of interest, I gave up just over half way through because the volume of the music made it difficult to hear the commentary. Either have a commentary or the background music.

[@nakedireland]

Cheers Christopher for persevering.

[@DavidDoyle-o2j]

Absolutely agree with you. People should have been forewarned that the Norbay really is a freight ship only with very limited passenger facilities. It’s unfair to accommodate tourist traffic on the Norbay to France . Wb Yeats back on the Dublin to Cherbourg run from next month.

[@nakedireland]

Brilliant. The Yeats is good. I’ve no complaints with it. Thanks for watching and contributing with such helpful info.

[@Donabate2]

Irish ferries sacked all of its Irish based crew many years ago. Now cheap labour employed on their ships. The company is not even registered in Ireland.

[@nakedireland]

It’s a sorry state of affairs. Thanks for your comment.

[@ElmoBHD]

I go back and forward to wales from rosslaire. They introduced the the new Oscar Wilde to run that service and now they've put this rot box on as an "Ecomony Ferry". Sorry. Loyality will be set aside next time I travel and it will be Stena I use! Norbay looks an absolute crapper and in really seriously poor condition when you see it sat across the liffey!

[@nakedireland]

It’s a shit box! Thanks for commenting.

[@thomascampbell8293]

Not defending P&O's recent HR actions, but Irish Ferries (and Stena Line on certain routes) have been using the low pay agency crew model since the 2000s, long before the P&O's crewing fiasco. Also, Norbay is the smallest vessel in the P&O fleet, however from my experience, to be fair the crew were very decent and genuinely went the extra mile. The price you paid tho is outrageous. When Norbay was operating solely for P&O on Dublin to Liverpool (2002 to 2023), a cabin was €20.00 and buffet restaurant was fully inclusive. The Hull, Dover and Larne fleets of P&O are very good ships to be fair - cruise ferries, very different to Norbay.

[@nakedireland]

I agree completely. I have no problem with the staff on the ferry - very nice people. But the cost of this service is shocking and the quality is simply substandard. My gripe, as always, is with the horrendous and greedy management of the company. They need to wise up!

[@thomascampbell8293]

@@nakedireland Sadly other operators using this model have largely avoided any scrutiny. About 90% of people using Irish Ferries haven't a notion they pulled the exact same stunt as P&O back in 2005. And even Stena have followed suit on certain routes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXjEm3qEr8iUrdE

[@nakedireland]

@@thomascampbell8293yeah it’s not good. If we shout and criticise it won’t change anything immediately obviously. But perhaps if everyone did - who knows. Thanks for watching and contributing.

[@jeanjacques9980]

I’ve used ferries to and from Ireland for many many years. In general the quality of ferries has been very poor since the 1960s, I remember the Saints David and Patrick! Rarely are newly built ferries employed on the routes, Irish Ferries were the best in regard of new dedicated ferries but they were not replaced regularly. Stena always used second hand, “hand me down” ferries from more prestigious European routes. I was unaware that Irish Ferries and P&O are the same company?? In that case in Dover the company seems to be running two ferry services to Calais. How do costs compare using the land bridge to Europe from Ireland for car ferry passengers? I use Brittany Ferries when possible.

[@nakedireland]

Hi Jean, I'm not sure my information was correct regarding Irish Ferries and P&O being the same company, someone has since told me that in fact the current ferry sailing in place of the WB Yeats is leased off P&O. However, since when you sail on it, while you may be paying Irish Ferries, the ship and its crew are P&O, so I'm not sure there's much difference, certainly in the terms of service you get. I've used the landbridge before, Belfast - Liverpool and then crossing the channel in the tunnel, but it just adds that extra drive. I much prefer sleeping over on the boat and then arriving fresh in France.

[@Oakleaf700]

Jeez...that's not good- that Cabin is like a jail cell. 200 Euro? What a total ripoff. Edit :Whatttt? over 800 euro return?? Jeez Louise, that's a cartel.

[@nakedireland]

It’s disappointing to say the least! Thanks for watching.

[@desmcharris]

I thought I saw a P&O board member walking with a distinct limp and a quacking noise ! Didn't you loose a wee rubber duck the other day?

[@nakedireland]

You noticed that.

[@desmcharris]

I did.........

[@Belfast-Biccy]

No problem with the voice audio here, thanks for experiencing that minging ship so we don't have to!

[@nakedireland]

Ah thanks, reassuring. And thanks for watching.

[@Oakleaf700]

@@nakedireland That ship looks ancient. If it was geared upon mainly for ''Freight'' why don't HGV drivers deserve better? Are they not human and deserving of comfort and safety? P&O are shockers how they treat their staff.

[@nakedireland]

⁠Couldn’t agree more. It’s alright writing off the obvious problems by saying, ah it’s just for freight. But a) lorry drivers deserve better after long journeys across Europe and b) if P&O (Irish Ferries) are gonna use it for regular passengers too, shouldn’t they update the ship? Or lower the prices? Or something?

[@Oakleaf700]

@@nakedireland Completely agree! Lorry drivers definitely deserve far better- I vote for much lower prices and a comfort upgrade. If you are paying low prices, say 200 Euro for the return trip in total, then one can put up with spartan cabins. That pain au chocolat looked hard and dry and really unappetising! .

[@nakedireland]

⁠​​Pain au chocolaté! I didn’t know whether you were supposed to eat it, or use it to prop open your cabin door!

[@DroneViewsMedia]

I would lose the rag if I had to settle for that piece of crap instead of the WB Yeats, it's not even comparable to the experience I enjoyed on my last trip to France.

[@nakedireland]

Exactly!! Imagine how I felt!

[@DroneViewsMedia]

@@nakedireland If this is how they are treating their customers, I think the revival in travelling by ferry won't have a future.

[@nakedireland]

They’re their own worst enemy. Treat customers well and they’ll come back for more - simple!

[@76notam]

it's a P&O Ferries ..not a Irish Ferries ( peharps a chartered Ferries by Irish Ferries )

[@nakedireland]

Irish ferries takes the fare! That’s who I booked with. It’s therefore Irish Ferries.

[@jacquicaffrey6607]

Such a shame because the WB Yeats is a pleasure to sail in.

[@nakedireland]

It’s a terrible shame. The Yeats is good and I’ve gone on record in saying that.

[@lesliebernat4769]

Been on the same ferry, its a bloody disgrace, food and service not fit for purpose. Never again P&O !!!

[@nakedireland]

My sympathy!

[@eddiestaunton514]

Oh no first Ryanair now this :-) heres a tip, buy cheap bottle of Wine in gift shop sit on deck get hammered

[@nakedireland]

I think that’s probably the only way to tolerate it! Good advice.

[@eddiestaunton514]

​@@nakedireland You have opened my eyes to a lot of Irish things that really are crap, no wonder we a Nation of drinkers

[@nakedireland]

Well, most of what is Irish is good? I think?

[@eddiestaunton514]

@@nakedireland if you have the money, Irish people want your money! Ryanair good example, but compared to North we have proper European quality transport system and infrastructure but nobody can afford a House to rent or buy! The North looks after the Homeless. Leprechaun economics make Ireland appear far healthier on paper than it is

[@nakedireland]

⁠Proper European transport system except Ryanair and Irish Ferries of course.

[@Oakleaf700]

Re the steep stairs- I'm early Sixties- knee is bad..It's no surprise that in ferry disasters that it's fit young men that have the best survival rates. As a little kid, I used to love the steep stairs..and watched as old ladies decided with trepidation.

[@nakedireland]

I think it’s fair to say that if you had any mobility issues that that ship would be impossible. I wonder if it’s even legal?

[@Oakleaf700]

@@nakedireland Possibly not if an old ship. Perhaps they have lifts- but in the event of a disaster, no one would be wanting to be trapped in a lift in a sinking ship..

[@nakedireland]

That’s exactly what I was thinking! I didn’t see a lift, but it’s possible they have one somewhere, otherwise how could they cater for wheelchair passengers and people with mobility problems? Surely that’s a legal requirement?