Calmac were excellent on this short crossing
5
5
Date of visit: June 2022
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: dexterity or coordination and moving around.
Overall Rating
Excellent
This was our first ferry trip with 3 potentially tricky situations: 1. Being a wheelchair user 2. First experience for my assistance dog 3. With a motorhome. I was worried about all three of these, but the whole experience was entirely positive!
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
The lifts on both crossings were working fine and I got up to the deck easily. There was plenty of room for hubby and my assistance dog in the lift too. Getting around the ferry was quite easy, though the outward crossing was very busy so I opted to find a table and stay in one place, apart from toilet visits. Hubby went to buy lunch and brought it back to the table but he said I would have been fine if I'd had to do that.
Parking & Transport
Excellent
At both ends (Ardrossan and Brodick) you arrive at a little kiosk where they check your booking and tickets. We had been told to mention being a wheelchair user to them and to let them know where we needed extra space for unloading it. They directed us into the freight lane (because we're a high/long vehicle) and asked us to wait there. After a few minutes, a member of staff asked us to move through and wait nearer the boarding point, so we would be ready when they wanted us to board. Quite a lot of vehicles boarded first and we were getting nervous about whether we'd been forgotten but then they suddenly came and directed us on. They'd arranged for us to be in the centre of the ferry, straddling 2 lanes to give us the extra width to unload the wheelchair and to be as close as possible to the lift.
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
Okay, we're talking ferry toilets so I wasn't expecting much. However, they were pretty good - plenty of room, good grab rails, clean, etc. The sink was big enough to wash hand without getting all wet and there were towels and appropriate bins.
Staff
Excellent
I honestly cannot praise the staff enough. They were so helpful and did everything they could to make the experience a positive one. From the first lady in the kiosk on entry, to the last smile and goodbye when disembarking, everybody was amazing!
Additional Information
One additional note about my assistance dog - I was worried about how well she would travel at sea. There were other dogs on board who clearly hated being there - barking, whining, etc. I didn't see any dog being sick or even looking unwell, even though the return crossing was rough seas. My dog was her usual perfect self! We were so proud of her! We took her favourite 'cafe-mat' for her to lie on and she just did her usual stuff and helped me as normal. So if you have an assistance dog and are considering doing a ferry for the first time, I would recommend taking a familiar item and just behaving as you would in any other cafe situation.
