I used the Steam Packet Ferry from Heysham to Douglas for the 2009 TT races. Granted, we booked it late but we booked it on the proviso that we could stand in line for stand by to come back a day early, we would not have booked it if we couldn't take our chances on getting back on the Sunday. I went down to the terminal at 6am on the Sunday trying to get on any of the departures that day (I had a booking for the next day, the Monday) to anywhere (L'Pool or Heysham) and was simply told that there was no stand by at all, completely contradicting what we were told on the phone when booking (of course we understood that we might not get on using stand by but we were told we could take our chances on it). So, at 6am I was told that there was no chance of getting on any of the crossings - how do they know if people are not going to turn up? This is easily the most inflexible, over priced, local business harming monopoly I have ever some across. I can now see why so many local firms are finding takings down over the TT period and are going out of business - I won't be coming back, purely because of this sham of a Ferry company, and I would not be surprised if this is why the TT is so quiet these days.
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Please don't let it put you off going to what is a beautiful and fantastic Island, just don't believe what they tell you at the time of booking. I would be absolutely ok if they just stuck me on a stand by list and then said at the end of the day that no one cancelled and therefore they couldn't fit me on, afterall this is what I wanted when we booked it (and what we were told would be possible - i.e. take our chances), but the way they have handled it is astonishingly poor. I am going to go back, but I think I will give the ferry a miss and go by plane instead - just means I won't be able to take my car or bike. I doubt this level of monopoly on the sea route would be tolerated in the UK 'proper'.
lorriellah 14.06.2009 10:17
hey a bit more info would've been good... its been years since i've been here. sorry you had a bad experience!
mcourt 14.06.2009 09:54
It is based from my outward journey last week.
In need of refit = everything looks old and from the 1970's
Dishonesty = we were told at time of booking that we could sit on stand by, this was proved to be a lie as this was not possible
Overpriced = £299 including £3 booking charge (!?!?!) - compared to the same booking cross channel of around £100 (ok, to IOM it is about twice the distance so should really be saying £200)
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Jun 14th, 2009
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