has anyone used this portsmouth to bilboa ferry will be using it in june and wanted to know what its like
If its anything like the Plymouth - Santander ferry in June, I would pack your disco gear !
Used it coming back from Bilbao…Bilbao is quite a way from the ferry, so I think more people go Santander for the ■■■■ up! Was OK…Cap Finistere is the ship…Unless I’m mistaken. Nice boat.
Hiya i thought the portsmouth to bilboa had been knocked of and everything was going to santandare
i’ve come home on the bilboa ferry a couple of times its 36 hours. it leaves biboa wednesday at about
16,30 and got into portsmouth just before 0800 friday.someone said disco wow it goes on all nigtht.
may i say the crossing is a bit uneaven so a half asleep drunk as a skunk usless dancer trying to perform
on a ship tossing around in the bay of biscay is quite a sceen… talk about h&s!!! nowt in it
John
I used it to get to F1 testing in Spain once, 48 hours each way, loades to occupy yourself including 2 swimming pools various bars and lots of sun deck space, I loved ever minute of it each way … mind you that was 1999 on the ‘Pride of Balbao’.
bigvern1:
Used it coming back from Bilbao…Bilbao is quite a way from the ferry, so I think more people go Santander for the ■■■■ up! Was OK…Cap Finistere is the ship…Unless I’m mistaken. Nice boat.
This^^^^^^
It’s 24 hours. Wifi is expensive on board but there’s enough to do to keep you occupied. Free wifi in the port at the booking office 
cheers chaps looking forward to it
3300John:
Hiya i thought the portsmouth to bilboa had been knocked of and everything was going to santandare
The P&O route has been taken over by brittany ferries.
3300John:
i’ve come home on the bilboa ferry a couple of times its 36 hours.
The Brittany ferry is much quicker, and much less of a “mini cruise” its now around 17-21hrs
I`ve used both ferry companies albeit to taken my motorbike over to Spain.
There is another option for anyone going over for leasure, and thats the “land bridge” ferries run by LD lines
Take the ferry from the UK to france then travel overland to Nantes and take the ferry from St Nazaire (Nantes) to Gijon"
it is a pleasure trip depats 1630 arrives next day at 1730 return trip is two hours quicker took me a while to figure that out lol
shame its not still the old p&o boat, had some cracking laughs on that 1
and you could always find a hidden stash of cheese, biscuits and wine in the drivers lounge if you knew where to look 
was it santurtzi, near bilbao it docked? decent chinese in town.
The Portsmouth - Bilbao ferry now run sadly by Britanny Ferries is usually 24 hours duration, however given the time they ■■■■ arse about loading and unloading you can get 25 or even 26 hours! First on last off is the rule generally. The ship is the Cap Finistere - ex Superfast 5.
Unlike the Pont Aven where you get a sole use cabin (as you do on the freight ferry from Poole) you will have to share with up to 3 other drivers in a cabin not much larger than a Stralis cab, upgrades to sole use may be available if they deem to allow a driver to upgrade for £30.
The food on the Finistere is generally dire at best and is well known for loosening peoples bowels, rapidly. Add to that the impressive entertainment, usually bingo or a quiz and unhelpful, rude and arrogant crew you will find the crossing most enjoyable, I doubt!
And for those who think this is sour grapes, I have had the misfortune to have to use the damned boat SEVEN times this year alone.
Didn’t we have this conversation quite recently? I think it’s OK. If you go on with attitude…I think you get attitude back. The cabins CAN be hit and miss. Sometimes you strike it lucky and get a solo cabin.
Couldn’t find anything wrong with the food. It was Ok and that suffices. What more can I say. If you are on the standby list for boarding. Get to check in ASAP. Me and as guy from Poole were 1st and 2nd on the list, and we literally squeezed on. The 3 left on the quayside were well ■■■■■■ off. The loading was shocking. You could have parked 10 more artics at least, if they’d loaded properly.
Think that covers it! This MUST help!
bigvern1:
Didn’t we have this conversation quite recently? I think it’s OK. If you go on with attitude…I think you get attitude back. The cabins CAN be hit and miss. Sometimes you strike it lucky and get a solo cabin.
Couldn’t find anything wrong with the food. It was Ok and that suffices. What more can I say. If you are on the standby list for boarding. Get to check in ASAP. Me and as guy from Poole were 1st and 2nd on the list, and we literally squeezed on. The 3 left on the quayside were well ■■■■■■ off. The loading was shocking. You could have parked 10 more artics at least, if they’d loaded properly.
Think that covers it! This MUST help!
You can rest assured that i have never boarde the Finistere with “attitude” nor do I live my life in such a manner, I am in fact so laid back I could fall over. However as I have said before and will say again the Finistere crew and facilities are bloody dreadful. I travel on brittany ferries long boats at least twice every seven days and have done for a long long time, I have friends who work on their boats, I simply speak as I and many other long suffering regulars find.
I would suggest Bigvern that you are not a regular user of the the Santander / Bilbao routes and as such have little real experience of what really goes on.
Hombre…I never said YOU had attitude. I said if you (In general) Go on moaning, and demanding things. Then THEIR attitude and the shrugged shoulders begin. I have been on enough times to offer MY opinion. So not pointing fingers at you. Thank you. Hope THIS helps. 
I have no expierence of that ferry .
Hope that is of some help.
I have more than a bit of experience. So I hope I’m helping.
bigvern1:
Didn’t we have this conversation quite recently? :
We did indeed Vern 
Barely a month ago
Hope This Helps
I think you are helping a great deal , thankyou .
HTH.
billybigrig:
bigvern1:
Didn’t we have this conversation quite recently? :We did indeed Vern
Hope This Helps
I thought so…It helped a lot. I like when things help…It helps!
bigvern1:
billybigrig:
bigvern1:
Didn’t we have this conversation quite recently? :We did indeed Vern
Hope This Helps
I thought so…It helped a lot. I like when things help…It helps!
Thanks Billy that also helped me alot too .