suuusssiiieee Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 The point on the bright lights is a good one....i mean apart from taking a blindfold with you to sleep, or knock yourself out with a potent mix of sleeping remedies, how can you ever hope to get at least a crumb of half acceptable rest on a ship that's lit up like Blackpool illuminations? Is it beyond them to fire up the dimmer switch? Is that against H&S regulations i wonder? NorthLink may just go the whole hog and play "background" music all night, turn the telly (if they work nowadays) on full blast, and having repetitive tannoy calls every 10minutes throughout the night....after all they don't give a rat's backside if you don't take out the option of a cabin.... P.S As they say when you get off "Thank you for travelling with NorthLink Ferries", as if we have a bloody choice in ferry companies!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Mebee the Spannish naval architect that had the brief to make a slab sided ferry feel like a cruise ship thought dimmer switches would spoil folk wandering the promanade deck looking at all the fancy marble & bright finnish! Anyway on my last (pain) trip I had to laugh at something that persuaded me I wasn't alone in my absolute & total disatisfaction with Northlink, I was a few seats away from a single mum with her 10 or so year old wee lass. It was about 1 am and an old drunken Peterhead fisherman was pestering them so the lass asked me to speak to her in the hope of putting him off - Ha never been chatted up with that line before! so we spek awaa and he either got the message or became bored and staggered off muttering some classic doric profanaties. The we lass got to sleep & then mum culed up in her sleeping bag & said that she thought the fisherman was employed by Northlink's security mob to make the experience even better. They would never do that , would they - I said? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascoyard Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 If you don't like the boat----FLY!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencey7 Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 If you don't like the boat----FLY!!!!!Riiiiggghhht... You paying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 if you're paying for cabins it's half the price to fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njugle Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 The forward lounge does have a dimmer switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filskadacat Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 But then you don't have a car when you get there - so how do you get all round the Isles to see the family? Especially if there are four of you and the airways charge adult fares from age two... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Although a few light are turned off the security guard said the bulk of the lights were not allowed to be dimmed for safety reasons and you canna get a car or bike on the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascoyard Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 No but you can hire a car for £100 a week, cheaper than taking you own on the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanofNess Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Although a few light are turned off the security guard said the bulk of the lights were not allowed to be dimmed for safety reasons and you canna get a car or bike on the plane. You can't get a motorbike on the plane but I used to take my bicycle up all the time. After having spent a few nights trying to sleep in the forward lounge I did come to the conclusion that no matter how good a sleeping bag you get you'll always be cold in that room, some numpty will wake you up confusing you with someone else saying that they've not seen you in years and my personal favourite the folk who get bored and try and turn the tv on at 3am. I have to say I was more a fan of the P&O boats, maybe the entertainment wasn't as good, you lost the TV signal 3 hours into the crossing but you did have heaps of rooms with seat where the armrests folded up so you could lie down. It wasn't often I didn't end up with a recliner room to myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 But then you don't have a car when you get there - so how do you get all round the Isles to see the family? Especially if there are four of you and the airways charge adult fares from age two...adult fares from age 12, no unaccompanied charges for shetland flights either.not a driver - yet, but a lot of folk I know hire vehicles when they're up.must admit booking with flybe is a hassle - but the website's easier to navigate than northlink. the way I look at it is, £150 for one adult & one child by plane, no cabin costs, no "Mum can I have...", no trying to find somewhere suitable for sleeping with child in sleepingbags if there are no cabins available. as a single parent I have to buy a whole cabin - usaully a 4berth because children aren't allowed to share Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lapse Rate Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Northlink are not only totally crap but they are stupid beyond comprehension to follow airport security mentality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Ship_and_Port_Facility_Security_Code Its the times we live in. Dont blame Northlink, blame the fundamentalists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filskadacat Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 adult fares from age 12, no unaccompanied charges for shetland flights either.not a driver - yet, but a lot of folk I know hire vehicles when they're up.Don’t know about Flybe’s kids’ policy as have never tried them. But BA charge a child fare age 2-11 …which is … the same as the adult fare. As for car hire – been there, tried that. Drove two small children up to Aberdeen, left car at friend’s house, trailed on to Clair carrying wellies, waands, child booster seats as Bolt’s wouldn’t hire any, plus luggage, and then set about hiring car for two days for a trip to Unst. It was an uninspiring Fiesta which didn’t even have a radio, we had it for a third of our six days and it still cost not far off as much as bringing our own safe car with its built-in child seats and all the comforts all the way from home. So we never did that again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marooned in Maywick Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 No but you can hire a car for £100 a week, cheaper than taking you own on the boat. Where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I hired from Grantfield, 4 days, 2 drivers, and collision nearly 125. Was quoted 120 from Bolts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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