With beautiful weather forecast I thought I would throw a backpack into the car, drive down to Portsmouth, park up and get on the first ferry to the continent for a weekend away as a foot passenger.
Fancy coming with me?
Arriving in time to catch the afternoon departure to Caen (Ouistreham) we would have an arrival time in France of early evening, spend a few hours ashore and then return on the same ship back to the UK, which would arrive early the following morning. Our 'home' for the next 18hrs or so will be Brittany Ferries Mont St.Michel.
Named after the beautiful island town of Mont St.Michel in Normandy, this ship offers a host of facilities, essentially making this trip a minicruise.
If you have read my blog Normandie (link at the end) you will be familiar of the Portsmouth ferry terminal setup. So, I will meet you aboard.
Welcome aboard Mont St.Michel
Unusually the port shuttle bus has driven us aboard one of the ships' vehicle decks resulting in foot passengers having to climb the aft stairs or use the elevator up to the main passenger decks - this was owing to a particularly high tide and the quayside foot passenger gangway not being able to securely fit onto the ship.
Vehicle decks are located on levels 3 through 6 (two kilometres of vehicle space) and with cabin accommodation located at the stern of Deck 7 we are directed to the the first deck with facilities located the full length of the ship - it is not appropriate for a coach load of foot passengers to walk through lengthy cabin corridors to access the main amenities.
We emerge at the stern of
Deck 8.
Lets go for a look around.
On this occasion we will be starting at the top of the ship and working our way down - a little back to front so please bare with.
Our first glimpse of the ships' public amenities is the exterior deck - localised decking and lounge chairs, we will come back here later!
Entering the ship via a set of doors on the port side we are greeted by the highly luxurious Les Romantiques A La Carte Restaurant with copious amounts of wooden panelling, flooring and glazed display cabinets. Nice!
A stunning piano can be seen through the glass wall which divides the dining room with the bar. The later is a cosy affair located on the ships' port side and appears to be open only during restaurant opening times. The seating for the bar is limited to a small corner, though a very large 'dining table' is nearby adjacent to the display cabinet. Whether this is just decorative or serves a purpose is unknown.
The main entrance to the restaurant is very welcoming and does have the 'wow' factor with its wooden flooring and framed by beautiful wood and glass display cabinets.
Walking forward localised seating is dotted along the port side arcade as far as the central atrium; limited sea views are obtained from between the lifeboats. Even so, this is a very nice area to relax and do some people watching.
The relatively small 'Le Kiosk', more akin to a newsagent, is positioned just off the atrium . Filled to the brim with international newspapers and magazines, travel guides, travel sweets, souvenirs and small children's toys, this is an Aladdin's cave of goodies and although essentially a shop of necessities, it is a very pleasurable experience spending some time in here, mainly due to the deep pile carpeting, attractive displays and background music.
This is the amidships Deck 8 atrium. Isn't it impressive!
Another ship (La Vitrine) can be seen on the other side of the atrium.
Here is the atrium looking in the other direction. You can see aforementioned Le Kiosk to the right of the stairs which gives access to Decks 9 and 7 and the entrance to Les Romantiques Restaurant to the right.
La Vitrine can be seen on the left.
La Vitrine is catered more towards fashion accessories, handbags and sunglasses, though some audio equipment is available such as headphones.
Le Galerie Self Service Restaurant dominates the forward portion of this deck.
After a hearty meal just sit back, relax with a glass of wine and browse the onboard magazine as the world passes by - we are on holiday!
Decorated in shades of yellow and white, the seating area is on two sides (port and forward) with the Commercial Drivers Lounge on the starboard side. I am so pleased this is a fully carpeted facility as hard flooring would make the ambience completely different - the carpeting makes this area feel like an informal dining room and a place to spend time gazing out over the sea after our meal.
Seating consists of sofas and individual chairs and those positioned by the windows have outstanding views of the passing seascape, particularly if near the windows overlooking the bow.
Very attractive facilities aren't they.
Lets go down a level to Deck 7 for an explore
Accessing Deck 7 either via the central atrium or the spacious staircases on the port/starboard sides with their wide treads and floor to ceiling windows, the information/bureau de change/tourist office and large shopping centre can be found.
Foot passengers board/debark within this area in Caen (and usually in Portsmouth, except on this voyage owing to the extraordinarily high tide). First impressions DO count and this view makes passengers feel like they are in a plush hotel lobby, not a channel ferry.
When boarding in Caen, passengers are offered a complimentary welcome drink. Well, it would be rude not too - we are on holiday!
The shopping centre (Boutique) is located forward off the main embarkation hall and is filled to the brim with a range of tempting products including regional French delicacies, fine tea and the usual wines, beers, tobacco and spirits.
Fully carpeted wide corridors wrap around the Boutique to give access to the numerous reclining seat lounges and two cinemas at the forward end of this deck.
Ahead of the boutique within one of these corridors we can purchase tickets to watch a movie in the cinema.
Lets continue forward towards the reclining seat lounges.........
Wrapped around the forward, port and starboard sides towards the bow are a series of large reclining seat lounges; all seats facing aft other than those within the forward lounge which face the direction of travel affording great views through the picture windows.
Some of the lounges are separated by subdividing walls which allow for retraction if required to make a larger area. The seats are comfortable and luggage storage is available within.
The forward most reclining seat lounge seen below looks as if there is a counter service café with its own seating divided from the rest of the lounge by a wooden half height barrier however, it looks like it will not be open for our journey.
Vending machines where hot and cold beverages and chocolate treats can be purchased 24/7 are available in the nearby corridors - particularly handy if you choose to sleep within the reclining sleep lounge during the overnight voyage to save the cost on having a cabin.
If you look closely through the forward facing windows of the front lounge and look down you can see a narrow decked area. I wonder if we can get out there? Strangely, this area does not appear on the internal deck plans nor the ship guide given to us in Portsmouth when we checked in............
If we pass through the fire doors in the extreme corners of the forward lounge and go down, I wonder..............
Yup, as long as we have no walking difficulties as there is no elevator, we can access a forward viewing platform via a flight of metal stairs.
This platform is completely covered in wooden decking and has a full width bench adjacent to the windows above. Fantastic! A secret exterior viewing platform with the best views aboard. I love the expression on the faces of the people in the lounge and self service restaurant above. They want to join us!
This is such a great place to watch our arrival in port and we have it all to ourselves!
The aft end of Deck 7 is dedicated to cabin accommodation with a viewing platform at the stern.
With all this exploring, I'm in the mood for a drink - lets head to the bar.
We can go back to the ships' main reception hall and ascend the stairs within the atrium right the way up to Deck 9.
The ships main entertainment venues are located on the uppermost decks and are accessed from the central atrium - wow! The décor is amazing with bright colourful neon floor to ceiling light fittings, free standing tub chairs and brushed chrome fixtures and fittings. We will spend a few hours up here this evening!
Handy short cut down to the cabins and reclining seat lounges via the port/starboard side stairs.
This large venue consists of the Blue Note lounge/bar, Le Café Du Festival and Games Planet and being split level encompassing an area of Deck 10, this entertainment facility is very spacious and impressive.
Large bar, dance floor, great music system..... this area would not look out of place in a big city. That is why a crossing aboard Mont St.Michel is like a minicruise.
A comprehensive selection of seating types is offered within the complex which includes a slightly more formal affair on the starboard side where the décor resembles a sophisticated club for 'city types' with antique pine coloured hard flooring, cream coloured sofas, faux leather arm chairs, glass display cabinets and sophisticated lighting.
Have a sumptuous meal in Les Romantiques A La Carte Restaurant, then come up here for a nice glass of wine, then head on over to the dance floor before retiring to our ensuite cabin.
Is this really a ferry?
Light snacks and a selection of soft beverages can be purchased from Le Café Du Festival located aft on Deck 9 and is very handy first thing in the morning if you would like a hot beverage and fresh pastry for breakfast - which can be taken out on deck to watch our arrival in port.
I love the refreshing colour pallet in here which is decorated in pastel shades of pink, green and blue against the backdrop of white washed walls and pine hard flooring.
The gaming arcade on the upper level (Deck 10) is very impressive owing to its range of electronic games.
You can see why it is called Games Planet!
This is a real teenagers paradise......(cough) and someone who is in their mid 40's (cough) - I do like a game of air hockey!
A vast exterior deck wraps around Deck 10 and the Games Planet which is through the glass doors centre left..
Sandwiched between Le Café Du Festival snack bar and the huge funnel on Deck 9 are table tennis tables.
I hope you enjoyed your tour with me aboard Mont St.Michel.
She has an excellent array of facilities for the voyage from Portsmouth to Caen which takes between six hours and eight hours depending on the time of day.
Private ensuite cabins are available and vary from comfortable 'inside' cabins with no exterior window to wonderful suits which feature a wall mounted television.
Although a ferry Mont St.Michel is more akin to a mini cruise ship or, a cruise-ferry.
If travelling to the Normandy region of France (or beyond) or just fancy a weekend away travelling to France and back on the same ship for a mini-cruise, do consider travelling aboard this ship.
Travel by ferry to the continent.........
Why travel any other way?!
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