First-hand ferry reviews
Tested, not just listed
Routes our team has sailed, photographed and assessed – with honest notes on ports, boarding, cabins, food, children, vehicles and the journey beyond the ferry.
What a ferry crossing is actually like
A timetable can tell you when a ferry leaves and how long the crossing should take. It cannot tell you how the terminal feels with a packed car, whether the cabin is worth paying for, what you should take out of the vehicle before the car deck closes or whether the arrival port makes sense for the rest of your journey.
That is why FerryGoGo travels on the routes we write about. Our first-hand ferry reviews follow the whole trip: getting to the port, checking in, boarding, finding the cabin or a good seat, eating on board, travelling with children or luggage and driving or taking the train onwards after arrival.
We do not try to make every crossing sound wonderful. Some ferries stand out for comfort or atmosphere. Others are valuable because they are quick, avoid a long drive or put you in the right part of the country. Our aim is to help you decide which route fits your trip – and to be clear about what we tested, when we travelled and what may have changed since.
What first-hand means at FerryGoGo
We made the journey
The route notes come from a crossing taken by a named FerryGoGo author or team member.
We look beyond the ship
Ports, check-in, rail links, onward driving and the suitability of the arrival port all count.
We keep the claim precise
One sailing is not a verdict on every ship, season or service. We identify the route and vessel where relevant.
Choose the crossing you are considering
Start with the route or region that fits your plans. Each group below combines the first-hand report with the wider route choice it can help you make.
Dover-Calais and LeShuttle
We crossed between Kent and Calais with P&O Ferries, DFDS and Irish Ferries, then compared all three with LeShuttle. Doing the four crossings close together made the differences in check-in, waiting, comfort, outdoor space and total journey time much easier to see.
Our verdict: LeShuttle wins on speed. The ferry gives you a proper break from driving. If departure time and price are similar, P&O Ferries was our favourite ferry during this particular test.
Portsmouth, Cherbourg and Saint-Malo
We sailed with Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Cherbourg on Santoña and later from Saint-Malo to Portsmouth. These longer Western Channel routes solve a different problem from Dover-Calais: they can reduce the driving at either end and make the crossing part of the holiday.
What we found: Portsmouth-Cherbourg worked well as overnight travel time, while Saint-Malo-Portsmouth felt more like an experience in its own right. The best choice depends on where you start and where you need to be after arrival.
England and the Netherlands
We have travelled on all three main ferry corridors between England and the Netherlands: Harwich-Hook of Holland, Hull-Rotterdam and Newcastle-Amsterdam. We also tested the complete Rail & Sail journey from London to Harwich and onwards to the Netherlands.
Our route tip: Harwich is the natural option for London and East Anglia, Hull works well for Yorkshire and parts of the Midlands, and Newcastle is usually the logical choice for North East England and Scotland. Compare the whole journey, not only the hours at sea.
Holyhead-Dublin and the Irish Sea
We travelled from Holyhead to Dublin on the fast Dublin Swift catamaran with Irish Ferries and returned with Stena Line on a conventional ferry. That gave us a useful direct comparison between a fast ferry and a regular sailing on the same corridor.
What matters: Do not compare sailing time alone. Vessel type, comfort, weather sensitivity, check-in and the onward journey from Dublin can all influence which service works better.
Denmark and Sweden: ferry, bridge or both?
Our Denmark-Sweden loop included Puttgarden-Rødby, the Øresund Bridge, Helsingborg-Helsingør and the return crossing from Gedser to Rostock. It let us compare a short ferry break, a fixed road link and a longer Baltic crossing as parts of one journey.
Our route tip: The right combination depends on where you start and where in Sweden you are heading. Malmö usually favours the bridge, while Helsingør-Helsingborg can make more sense for Helsingborg, Gothenburg and the west coast.
Island ferries and speedboats
Not every ferry decision involves a car and an overnight cabin. We took the fast ferry from Ibiza to Formentera as a day trip and used a mixture of ferries and speedboats while island hopping in Thailand with children.
What we learned: The ticket price is only part of the day-trip cost. Parking, transfers, bicycle hire and food can add up. On smaller speedboats, luggage, heat, weather and seasickness matter more than they do on a large conventional ferry.
Latest reports from The logbook
Browse the individual journeys, onboard reports and practical guides. The newest articles appear first. Each report should be read as a record of the route, ship and circumstances we experienced at the time, not as a permanent rating of every sailing.
Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry: our overnight Rail & Sail experience from London (Captain’s Class)
Read More »
How we test a ferry journey
Our reviews are built around the decisions travellers actually need to make. We record the date, route, operator and vessel where these are known, then look at the journey from the traveller’s side of the ramp.
Before and during boarding
We look at the approach to the port, terminal facilities, check-in, border controls, waiting, boarding and what happens to passengers, luggage and vehicles.
On board
Cabins, seats, lounges, food, outside decks, children’s areas, pet arrangements and the overall atmosphere all matter, but only where we actually used or inspected them.
After arrival
We consider disembarkation, onward rail or road travel and whether choosing that port genuinely saved time, driving or stress for the trip we were making.
The people behind the crossings
These reports are written and reviewed by the people who made the journeys, including FerryGoGo co-founder JW van Tilburg, Jelle van der Bij and other confirmed FerryGoGo contributors. The trips include family travel with children, car crossings, foot-passenger journeys, Rail & Sail, fast ferries and overnight cabins.
Where our evidence is narrower, we say so. Sailing on one vessel does not mean we tested every ship used on that route. A price paid on one trip is historical, not a promise of today’s fare. Timetables, fleets and onboard facilities can change, so our route pages provide the current planning information alongside the first-hand account.
A note about shared traveller impressions
Our article about Crown Pearl between Copenhagen and Oslo is based on photographs and impressions shared by a FerryGoGo reader. It is useful visual context, but it is not presented as a full FerryGoGo team crossing.
Still choosing between several routes?
A first-hand review tells you what one crossing felt like. The wider decision still depends on your starting point, final destination, vehicle, passengers and preferred balance between driving and time at sea.
