Caen to Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries aboard the Normandie

Caen to Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries aboard the Normandie

well last night we stayed at the Ibis Styles in westerham because it is this close to the Britney feries terminal dead handy so it really is a short work for three Hoovers this morning myself my daughter and my granddaughter the upright the bagas and the little dustbuster now the fer is due to depart at 08:45 and so we rock up at about 7:30 to check in and you can can see it looks like we are the first the checking clerk informs us there are just five paying foot passengers this morning still the terminal Cafe is already open and serving and they’ve laid on some interesting leaflets for my short friend to investigate there’s also details of the bus transfer that we took in the other direction yesterday from can €180 each is indeed a reasonable price eventually we get called forward through passport checks and security and then is on to the awaiting minibus we were actually held for a good 5 minutes before the bus could enter the ship which was actually quite a long time for our youngest traveling member but then the bus entered the car deck and we finally pop out in the reception area on Deck s so whilst I Stow my big bag here in the left luggage let’s have a look at our route for today well it’s a fairly simple route on the map we’ll just head almost directly north from here in can up to Portsmouth now would you to depart at 08:45 local time and we’ll arrive in Portsmouth at 134 5 UK time making it exactly a 6-hour voyage as the little one is likely to need some quiet time Mickey has also booked a day cabin for the crossing so I’m by myself for a while just having a first look around the ship out of the back of the bar on Deck 9 is an outside deck which also features some covered areas and I think we can continue to climb onto the Sund deck deck 10 and when it opens out it’s pretty big there’s definitely enough space here for a game of coits Normandy is looking very gray this morning but there is a good weather forecast for later on so I think we can be hopeful and maybe I’m going to stop getting wet and up a few more steps there’s a helicopter landing pad no doubt in operation this area would get cordoned off I do love this sign on the funnel back in the day my son would have definitely wanted to climb that he’s in his 30s now and he probably still would indeed there’s some good parkour moves to be had all around here I reckon from deck 10 you can go down to the stern at deck 8 and from here there’s a good view of the entrance to the ship canal that runs all the way down to can itself this deck 8 seating area leads into the restaurant which is closed today so I’ll have to go back up the stairs to deck 9 back on Deck 9 I find the old Builder plate for this ship which makes it Nyon 33 years old and it looks like we’re now moving away from the port so let’s talk about the Normandy as we pull away as we saw she was built in Finland in 1992 and has been part of the Britany fairies Fleet ever since then pretty much always working this route for all those years she’s 161 M long with a gross tonnage of just over 27,500 and she can accommodate 2,123 passengers and 575 Vehicles we’re quite a long way short of that number today once she gets clear of the port she can make 20.5 knots and that equates so it says here to 38 kmph or just under 24 mph now this is going to be one of the last chances to ride this Ferry on this route before it moves away as Britney feries have sold it on and it’s now expected to Begin work between Marseilles and Tangier on this route in April another new hybrid Ferry the GM de Normandy will take over this service and it’s lovely to see the dark clouds over France seem to be getting replaced by Blue Skies over the channel the leabi bar has a stage and a dance floor and also a nice little interactive map which shows that we’ve just left Port the wine prices don’t look too bad and I’m sure this can get very Lively when everybody is here dancing the night away but right now there’s just three of us here just off the bar is the kids club and no doubt our little one will give it a go when she finally surfaces it’s clean and well stocked with paper and crayons too beyond the bar the dog walking area is clearly marked so let’s have a quick look where you’d walk your dog well there’s not much to that so let’s get back inside there’s some side stairs here but I’m going to go back to the main staircase and then drop down to deck 8 the gallery area on Deck 8 retains the equestrian theme and the flags are all out for the Six Nations rugby competition that is currently underway ah here’s one of the handy diagrams of the ship’s layout just forward from here is the doville alak cart restaurant which is currently all locked up so let’s go to the bow the ship where I think I should find the self-service restaurant I’m certainly ready for second breakfast oh well I wish I’d paid a bit more attention to the timings of the food offering the restaurant has literally just stopped serving breakfast mind you off the side of the main restaurant is this lovely little person’s room for having your meal well I’ve just met up with Mickey and she’s equally disappointed that there’s no food well at least we can use the microwave in the bar to warm up the dustbusters food so at least she won’t miss out get then I’m going to spend the next 20 minutes going in and out of the automatic doors I think we managed about 10 times through before finally somebody lost interest well once she’d eaten my little granddaughter was ready for a nap so once again we’re alone for a while time for some more exploring so let’s have a look at deck as we’re back at reception I’m reminded to tell you that for security the left luggage room is locked for the duration of the voyage carrying on forward there is a cinema which I think has probably had its day now for entertainment these days people download movies before they travel onto their phones and tablets the amount of recliner Lounge places is impressive and there didn’t seem to be any extra charge for these on this sailing the forward Lounge is obviously the most popular and I can see it’s a great place to relax by watching the sea Roll by beneath you and walking back up the corridor there’s more lounges with varying levels of privacy I suppose there’s also a little office meeting room here now I forgot to record the dutyfree shop but there is one and I think that would complete a decent selection of facilities they’re all clean and in quite serviceable condition I don’t think they’ll need to do much with them before she heads out from Marsailles in a couple of months or so meanwhile outside the sun is out the sea is calm and this is exactly the kind of Ferry Crossing that I’ve grown to love as it’s February it’s still pretty cold but the fresh air and the views are wonderful as we chog along across the channel [Music] once the baby sleeps I think I’ll just chill out in the restaurant reading my book you know I never bother with the maritime 4G or indeed on board Wi-Fi I like to be disconnected for the 6 hours we’re traveling I think it’s all part of the fun of cruising on a ferry the self-service restaurant reopens at around 12:00 noon UK time and as expected the hungry monkeys both appearer to make use of it two vegetable lasagnas with chips and veg and a glass of wine for me and a salmon starter for Mickey come out at around €36 so not bad and a small person was offered vegetables but wanted chips start getting really gry with the sper appearing ahead Mickey took me down to the cabin on Deck six to sort out her stuff and to get the dustbuster dressed for the outside she’ paid for a small forb birth and was certainly glad she did as it gave her more flexibility with the little [Music] one you going to edit out the sound no ready and three two one and and now she’s got her outdoor suit on I think it’s time my granddaughter went back on deck for a bit the sper at Portsmouth does act as a very clear Beacon for travelers to see where the ship is aiming although I doubt the captain needs such a visual cue just off the starboard bow is horse Sand’s Fort which was constructed to defend the UK against the French navy now it was only completed in 1880 and by then the threat of an invasion by France had passed enough of that I hear you say I just want to wander up and down the deck right as we’re uh on our way in we can definitely see the spica now we’re going into Portsmouth so uh the question is we’ve got somebody down by our feet so we might start walking in circles uh so what do you think about the Normandy yeah it us said it was made in the ’90s and I’m really vibing the 9s Decor I think it’s cool and it was obviously made quite well at the time because it’s still rocking a lot of that original Decor but the ’90s was quite a while ago now plus over 30 years yeah you’re aging us um so in that regard yeah good um I got a cabin because of the dustbuster and that that was definitely even as a day Crossing that was a game changer for us it was also cool to see the difference the yeah I’ll I’ll add details on the the day cabin cost on the bottom because uh yes as Micky says if you’ve got a little one that maybe has its afternoon or morning late morning nap exactly when you’re on the ferry um and just little things like you get your own bathroom then yeah nappy changing and all that kind of thing it was it was good to have that little bit of space so yeah that was a a brief resume of our trip on the Normandy yeah no doubt voice over man will be doing much better don’t worry Johnny I think you’re doing fine mate still as we go past Sai this approach takes you right past the Hoover Port sorry hoverport now that’s something I really must try soon what an absolutely glorious day this is for an approach into Portsmouth Harbor and just heading out is the 1315 wh link catamaran this will complete the crossing to ride in 22 minutes and tucked behind is the white link carferry to fishborne which will take a more sedate 45 minutes to complete its Journey next up we see HMS Warrior a 19th century armored frigate that’s been preserved here since 1987 here’s one of our two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers judging by the markings on the side this one is r08 Queen Elizabeth tucked behind the carrier is portsmouth’s historic dockyard with its marry Rose exhibition and we can just see HS Tre too after that there’s views of the more modern part of the royal Navy facilities with various gray warships lurking in the waters soon it’s time to flip our ship around 180° so that it can be slowly reversed into the dock side just alongside is the Fred Olsen cruise ship the Borealis no doubt getting ready for another trip out I’ve just got enough time to watch the ship dock before I run down down to reception to grab my bag and join the other foot passengers on the bus to the terminal as the lines go taught it is exactly 1345 UK time spot on [Music] time right the lers are going off so I’d better hurry but in fact there wasn’t much of a hurry as the bus didn’t depart until 20 minutes after we docked anyway it’s a short ride before we get to arrivals and then go through passport and Customs controls so I hope you’ve enjoyed this ride on the Normandy from cter Portsmouth for us it’s been a really nice comparison between the old ’90s faeries that are being decommissioned by Britney feries and the new hybrid e effect are class fairies that we’ll be taking over from them but do let me know in the comments which do you prefer well for me it was just lovely to have a few days in France with my daughter and my granddaughter so normal service will be resumed in the next video as I set out by myself again and if you’ve not seen the video of our outbound trip from Portsmouth to S Marlo then you can find it here but until next time it’s goodbye from Portsmouth International port

We’ve had a lovely few days in France, now it’s time for myself, my daughter and my grand-daughter to return to the UK. After crossing to France on the brand new Saint-Malo, we will be retuning from Caen to Portsmouth on the Normandie, which is over 30 years old and due to be stood down from this route in just a couple of months.

How will this old bucket hold up to the modern competition? Let’s have one more ride, before she heads out for a new life in the Mediterranean.

Departure: Caen, France
Destination: Portsmouth, UK

Date of Travel: February 2025
Operator: Brittany Ferries
Motive power: MV Normandie (1992)

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