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First Impressions - we arrived at
Portsmouth international ferry terminal at around 21.00 for the
23.00 sailing. The terminal was busy, but not surprising in the run
up to Le Mans. The Brittany check in counter remained closed until
around 21.30, when things came to life.
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The Port - Portsmouth has a pub (The
Ranworth Cellars) 5 minutes walk from the check in and also a small
terminal building which was full of foot passengers and school
children.
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Embarkation - we waited until 23.00
before being ushered onto our over height deck on the MV Normandie.
The French crew were polite and efficient. We were handed
instructions on how to find our cabin and the van on return in the
morning.
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Comfort - We each had an inside twin
bunk cabin on the main deck with en suite facilities. They are clean
and comfortable. The only intrusion is the cabin wake up music which
starts over 90 minutes before arrival in port. I could not seem to
turn this off.
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Facilities - Although the boat was
full, the service was good. We passed on dinner and enjoyed a
bottle of beer or two in the bar and headed for bed. In the morning
a quick and simple breakfast of coffee, orange juice and croissants
can be got from the self service restaurant. There was no time to
sample the delights of the cinema, kids play area or the sleeper
seats!
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The Journey - It's a 6 hour trip, but
to allow for a sensible overnight passage the ship takes 7 hours
allowing for the one hour time difference. The sea was slightly
rough, but the crossing felt relatively smooth on board.
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Disembarkation - Much faster than
loading, we were off within 15 minutes of arrival and rapidly passed
through French customs formalities. The 7am arrival allowed us to
get through Caen ahead of the Monday morning rush hour.
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Value - This crossing was relatively
expensive at nearly £600 (we were over height and over length)
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Overall - despite the cost, we felt
Caen was a great port to aim for - just 100 miles straight to Le
Mans and the chance to have a shower and get some rest before
pressing on. 7/10.
