Hi, we bought Brit rail tickets that include a Dublin to Holyhead crossing. When we called the Stena ferry line to get a reservation, they said we could not get a reservation with Brit Rail tickets, but could only get a reservation if bought their tickets directly. The question is do we need to try to get a refund for our Brit Rail crossing tickets, or should we trust that we can just walk on to the ferry without a reservation? We plan on crossing Friday May 31, at 8am. Is the ferry very crowded? Do we stand a chance of not making it across at that time? Thanks, John
I can't comment on the ticket requirements, but I've never seen a ferry maxed out for foot pax. However, I've only made that particular crossing twice. Ferries will cube out for vehicles due to hgv and road trains, but I've never seen one that didn't have at least a third of the interior seats somewhere empty. I wouldn't occur to me to even think about it.
I've only ridden on the Dublin to Holyhead one time. These are very big ships and I'd be more than a little surprised if they are maxed out. When I rode, in mid-May, the vehicle parking deck seemed pretty full of cars/buses but the ship didn't seem nearly full of passengers (the weather was cold enough to keep everyone inside) there were plenty of seats available inside and no lines for toilets, food or gift shop.