Condor Ferries to the Channel Islands, Jersey and Guernsey

Here's Gary's video review of the journey from Poole to Guernsey, on to Jersey and back to Poole. Music from Bournemouth Philharmonic Orchestra. Enjoy.

Arriving and checking in at Poole Ferry Terminal

Arriving at Poole.

Reaching the ferry terminal at Poole harbour is a reasonably straight forward affair, although if you are unfamiliar with the place, as I was, there is a tendency to get the roundabout wrong by taking the slip road away from where you need to go. Provided you got that right, which I didn’t, you simply follow a lane with a ferry sign on it all the way to check-in. Please make sure you plan your journey there well, as there are many potential traffic hazards along the way. The A303 is a treacherous road with many accidents and can be closed for long periods. I approached Poole from the North, Glastonbury to be exact, which involves going via Wincanton, Templecoombe and Blandford Forum – a particularly tedious journey with many speed cameras, road works, villages without public toilets and poor road signing. Sat-Nav is the answer, plus an early departure from home. You need to be at the port at least one hour before or boarding is tricky.

View Larger Map

Checking in and loading.

Checking in is a no-brainer, you simply tell the nice lady your reservation number and she will hand over a sticker to place on your windscreen to tell the Condor ferries staff where you are going. You then get directed to the appropriate lane to queue and wait for loading.

Loading a catamaran is somewhat more complicated than a usual ferry. These vessels have to be much more creative with space, being rather unconventional in shape, so cars must be very carefully parked inside to fully utilise it. This means several staff directing you right up to where you stop. Your car could be parked in any position inside, with some having to be strapped in for extra security. The whole process is nonetheless efficient and speedy, with access to the seating areas upstairs convenient and safe.

Seating Arrangements

You have three main options here, which can be chosen at the time of reservation: Standard seating, reclining seats and Club Class.

Club Class Seating

Condor Ferries Club Class service offers is a smaller section towards the rear of the vessel, which offers above all some nice comfy seats which recline, you get a table to work on if you want, a steward, complimentary newspapers, cake, tea and coffee.

Standard and Reclining Seats

Now, if you have any intention of sleeping on the Condor Ferry, like I do to avoid sea sickness, book the reclining seat. I didn’t, and got a very sore backside from trying to sleep of the standard seat. The standard seat is perfectly comfortable if you are up and about, and offer a great view as well as having tables in many cases, but on the longer journeys the soft leather of the reclining seat is very welcome. Because the standard seating area is full of people trying to save money like me, the reclining seat section tends to be quieter too.

Arrival at Port

About ten minutes before arrival, an announcement goes out advising drivers to go back to their cars to prepare for disembarkation. This can be a bit of a head-spin because you are sitting in your car while the vessel is turning around to line the doors up with the ramp. At least that’s how we felt. As with loading, you are guided safely out. All pretty quick and easy. Make sure you have your tickets with you at this point as we were asked for them on arrival at Guernsey (but not at Jersey). At Jersey we were handed useful maps to help us find our way. We didn’t take our sat-nav, so the timing was perfect.

Visit The Condor Ferries Website

Go to the Condor Website to get full details of routes, timetables, the vessels and online booking.

Eurodestination is not responsible for content on external websites.