Irish Ferries Reviews 

I purchased a ticket from Calais to Dover for August 23, 2026. While researching before buying, the 18:20 sailing was £174 and the 20:40 sailing was £80. I decided to pay an extra £94 for the 18:20 ticket just so I could get home sooner.
However, when I arrived at check-in at 17:15, they moved my booking to the 20:40 departure instead. When I asked the staff member how this was possible when my ticket was for 18:20, they rudely told me that if I didn't like it, I could leave the lane and buy a new ticket, adding that I could file a complaint later. Since I was already in line and exhausted from a long drive, I had no choice but to accept and board the 20:40 ferry.
I was made to wait an extra 2 hours and 20 minutes past my scheduled time, only to end up on the very ferry that originally cost £80—despite having paid £174.
I've been trying to resolve this for days with no success, so I wanted to share my experience. My only request was a refund for the extra £94 I was charged over the £80 fare, but I have received no solution. I do not recommend Irish Ferries to anyone. I have decided never to use them again for future crossings, and I will be advising everyone I know to avoid them as well

23.00 pm ferry turn up 1.30 then we sailed to Dover 1 hour later we ment to arrived 23.30 local time. We arrived in uk 3.30 am in the morning what nite mare

Arrived as requested with hours to spare. It is a Tuesday evening. Waited for three ferries to be cancelled and was meant to leave Calais at 7pm. There was no bad weather or extenuating citcumstances announced. Eventually got through all the passport checks by 12.30 due to no fault of ours, just delays after delays. No one available to speak to. Contact options are closed for the night. No one shared information. Not even an email or text update from Irish ferries. Hundreds of people sat with children for hours on a dock with no help at all. At 1.30am we boarded a ferry. 6 hours late. Rude staff met us on board telling children off for trying to sleep on the sofas at nearly 2am.

This is the most ridiculous and disgusting place to travel
We was waiting for the ferries 6 hours because all the time was delayed
Then we was with the dog we pay to get to pet area where all dog was together not any separate space not close space very small not enough space for all dogs , lout every one can come to see dogs
We will never use this company
This is joke

Next time I'll fly. Not a great experience our ferry to Ireland was slow taking an hour more than scheduled. Our return ferry to the UK was over an hour late setting off. I have fond memories of taking the ferry to Ireland as a child but sadly the service is too slow. Flying is much more convenient.

We have tried Irish ferries twice, the first trip outbound was fine on the return trip. The delay would’ve been about eight hours. How do we not have been put on a slightly earlier ferry? That was still two hours late! Our Ferry was still in Dover as we arrived on the alternative ferry. Today our second trip away we’ve arrived at Dover to then have our ferry bumped another two hours making our journey this afternoon incredibly late to drive to the Netherlands. Yes, they are slightly cheaper than the competition, but I don’t think it’s worth saving £20 to have such appalling timekeeping and service.

On other ferry companies I feel like, I imagine, an animal feels being transported in a truck. Irish ferries keeps some of the atmosphere of a voyage not an overpacked commuter train, You can eat in a civilised way and not by paying extra.. The booking process was the easiest compared to the other companies.

From the checking in process, I started to question the quality and service. Checking in and boarding was with minimal interaction, interest or direction. This resulted in cars going the wrong direction and a near collision boarding and disembarking.
Once on, I headed to the Pet Den as I was travelling with my dog. I have been spoilt with the Stena Pet Lounge where we have comfortable seats and decent complementary tea and coffee. Here, on Irish Ferries, there is floor space with patio furniture. I couldn't find a place to top up my dogs water bottle as the water that is in dishes on the floor looked like that had been there from the early morning sailing. There is nothing more. Nothing to mop up spills or messes or provide fresh water. There was a poo bin, but it appears to be broken with the front jammed open.
Anyway, when seated, I decided to get a Cappuccino from the machine.
£3.95 and I got a cup of light brown water. Didn't even smell of coffee.
I took it into the bar area to point out that I think the machine is empty and needs replenished.
The response was "sorry mate, nothing to do with me!".
With that, the barman turned to serve someone else.
Very disappointed. Spending £3.95 and not getting anything for it and nobody cares.
I would give 2 stars for the following reasons:
1. I got to my destination (30 mins late)
2. The boat was not overly busy.

Awful awful awful! Even the one star is too much. Theres 300cars waiting behind us at the moment for who knows when the next ferry will arrive!

Questionable customer service -no one has any accurate information from the customer service team! In 2026, such a company should cease to exist

Good service and price. Ferry was on time, boarding was easy, everything was great.

Best experience with my two cats on board! Will always choose travel with this company! There is room for pet area improvements and hopefully this will be looked at in future! Great customer service and good value of money!

I've been travelling with Irish Ferries since I was a child. Genuinely thought they were one of the good ones. That trust is gone.

I booked a SailRail return, Holyhead-Dublin, on 12 August, paying £96.19 for a trip I'd been planning for months — my first ever solo trip, something that took me a long time to work up to. At the time of booking, no passport was required for this route, as has been the case for years under the Common Travel Area.

Two weeks later, on 26 August, with zero warning, Irish Ferries announced passengers would need a passport from 28 September — a date that falls squarely between my outbound and return sailing. I now can't use the return leg of a ticket I paid for in full, through absolutely no fault of my own.

I contacted them directly, laid out the situation clearly, and asked what they intended to do for existing customers caught by a rule change made after they'd already taken payment. Their answer: no refund, no exception, and a cheerful suggestion that I simply move my holiday dates — as if that undoes the fact that I paid for a specific service they can no longer provide as sold.

This isn't a case of me changing my mind. Irish Ferries changed the terms of the contract after taking my money and are refusing to take any responsibility for the consequences. That's not customer service, that's just keeping money for a service they can't deliver.

I'm now having to raise a formal dispute with my bank to get my own money back. A company that's been part of people's travel for generations shouldn't need a chargeback to do the right thing.

Won't be booking with them again, and I'd think very carefully before you do either.

We have traveled winter and summer on Irish Ferries for years and can’t fault it… five stars all the way …… !!

Clare from Irish Ferries provided a great set of options for our group, which was attending a large competition in Killarney, with good discounts and very flexible sailing options in terms of dates and crossings. This was much appreciated by the group so they could make the trip more of a holiday too either side of the competition.

A wonderful pleasant trip from Dublin to Cherbourg on the WB Yeats and return journey on the Isle of Inisheer. Sailings were punctual and smooth, and our family of five slept soundly in our assigned cabins. Staff were helpful and friendly on both sailings. The Club Class option on the WB Yeats surpassed our expectations and added an extra level of comfort and luxury to our journey. Would recommend travelling with Irish Ferries and will definitely book a trip onboard again. Our three girls, two teenagers and an eleven year old, enjoyed the freedom of walking around onboard, playing games and eating at the restaurants. Wi-Fi on board provided us with hassle-free Internet connection and made everyone very happy!

Traveled from Dublin too Hollyhead 17th August.
It was the late ferry so we went for food in the cafeteria.
The food had clearly been sitting there for hours.
A supposed beef stue that was solid and yellow mashed potatoes, don't think they were supposed to be yellow!, all for the price of..£16.50.
Anything else on offer was pretty much the same.
Eat before you get on the ferry..
We went hungry!!

Never again.

Very rude and unhelpful staff. We arrived on time, 2 hours before departure, yet we were made to wait 4 hours for the next ferry. Extremely disappointing service and poor customer experience. I would not recommend it.

Cafe on board. Long wait with just 2 grumpy serving staff. Coffee undrinkable - weak and tasteless.

took my dogs when I went on a tour around Europe and, as I didn't really want to leave them in the camper, it was nice to have the option of a pet lounge. Dogs could go outside when necessary, which made the crossing much better for them.