Changes to Cal Mac Ferries
There have been some changes to Cal Mac Ferries which may be of interest to those that don't book but turn up at ferry terminals. Cal Mac
David
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An interesting development. It looks as if the number of LV's wanting to use ferries has increased and folk with just a car may have been prevented from reaching their destination for the night.
Booking is easy by phone so that’s the simple thing to do to avoid problems.
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This from The Herald.......
Finlay MacRae, head of operations for CalMac, said: "To prioritise customers without alternative accommodation and to optimise deck space at the end of loading, motorhomes, campervans and vehicles towing caravans will no longer be given a standby or waitlist position on all bookable routes - either at the reservation stage or on the day of sailing.
"Restricting larger vehicles in standby lanes will allow us to make the best use of any remaining space for smaller vehicles, whose occupants may not have alternative options available for accommodation. It will also remove the issue of larger vehicles filling up standby lanes, and smaller vehicles having to be pulled out of car lanes if that is all that can be shipped at the end of the loading process."
Looks like the locals are getting sick of Motorhomes and Caravans!
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We have usually booked our CalMac ferries. I do recall a race to Tarbert (Kintyre) to get home one Winter, in a car though. Locals had heard that this service was closing early that particular season, so there was a mad dash to be on it, as it was only a small ferry. We managed to be third in queue, but needn’t have worried as it turned out. Cal Mac used a much larger ferry than usual.
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Seems another consequence of the big growth in LVs in this country, and the very noticable site occupancy partly due to so many new LV owners and staycationers and them still expecting to just turn up at a site when they have had enough, without booking "what do mean you have no vacant pitches", the same with calmac ferries "wot no space?"
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I fully understand the locals’ frustration at not being able to book even a car onto said ferry, which they may well use more frequently than visitors. However there will be quite a number of businesses who rely on the trade of visitors and it seems very shortsighted of the state owned ferry company not to add additional sailings to accommodate those who wish to visit, particularly in the holiday period and following the pandemic.
The alternative is not to travel to these places and spend your hard earned elsewhere. I, Mrs Sturgeon, will be one of them.0 -
Have the two new ferries that were ordered by CalMac and paid for by the Gov of Scotland been accepted into the CalMac fleet yet? they were dogged with more problems ,than was being admitted ,but until they are operational , CalMac were struggling to maintain the basic services ,so not a lot of chance enhancing any services
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Have no idea and frankly don’t give a damn. I’m not one for excuses or inefficiencies, life’s too short and there’s always other options. If you offer a service you need it to be good service, otherwise your customers will go elsewhere and it’s very difficult to get them back once they’ve gone.
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The ban on standby tickets for CalMac Ferries was originally to be from 31st March, but was delayed because of covid,
They are desperately short of ferries, as the new biuld ferries it seems are still not in service(2018 was First date of introduction)to help out CalMac have hired in a ferry from the Isle of Man steam packet Co .for one of its busiest routes
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These are often open decked ferries and require quite a bit of manouevering to get a variety of vehicles on board including supermarket containers etc. I can see the reasoning behind squeezing a few more small cars into awkward gaps to get the optimum revenue out of the deck spaces.
Locals get subsidised and free journeys on some routes and they already have priority.
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Perhaps that's just the idea, to get rid of some of the chancers, and rely on the locals and regulars who know the system. Those that really want to visit would book in advance, so giving the ferry company foreknowledge of how many to expect and perhaps they are then able to organise additional services. They certainly won't want to alterations or order additional or a larger vessel if the hedgehog there.
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I would never dream of turning up for these crossings in high season without a booking.
Maybe tourists should have to prove they have somewhere approved to stay on the islands, before being allowed to travel to them. That would cut down a lot of the problems some of the islands face.
The 2 new ferries are not yet built and will not be ready until I think now 2023
totally disgusting the way the island communities have been let down by the Scottish Gov.There was a report in the paper yesterday that the man now in charge of getting these ferries built, is the highest paid public servant in the UK.
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