I do apologise to u @andrew for disliking the video. Its not personal to u but the ferry & the company it stands for. I can only imagine that the Duty Free shop is larger because in any other case that would’ve been the self service restaurant on any other ferry (bar P&O) Such a shame that this will be the only ever view I will get to see inside this vessel as its obvious I won’t ever use them in future.
Thanks for showing her ... i won't ever sail on her due to the miserable way P&O treated their staff...surprised there is no formal restaurant but I guess they know their market.. 15:36
Great vlog, as always. I take it for granted that you always give unbiased opinions on products and services as it's your nature to be honest. Looking ahead, P&O treatment of staff aside, their history is to allow vessels to look and feel very run down so will be interesting to see if they've factored in a meaningful maintenance budget. I would say DFDS are better at this.
I fully appreciate and understand your desire to draw a distinction between P&O's dreadful approach to staff relations, and sharing this innovative and very impressive vessel. As others have said, as things stand I would not give P&O my custom if they were the last operator on the water; however, if I was a pet owner, I would certainly find the strength of my principles tested by the fantastic provisions made here. It is to be hoped other operators will follow the excellent example set by this design.
I was on this exact ferry recently, while returning from Poland, It was at night so... There wasn't that much to choose for food, but in the duty free store, I nearly got lost in there, there's so much perfume. Just to say, impressive journey, I wish I could go again.
Sorry Andrew, whilst it's an enjoyable and informative video, as always, you've simply given a company that fired all it's staff for no reason (other than that they could be replaced with cheaper staff) a free advert. The only UA-camr invited? I suspect it's more likely that you're the only one that said yes.
Great video Andrew. As someone who lives in Hull I now drive to Newcastle to avoid P&O after what they did to their staff last year. But your video as always, very informative 👍
Appreciate this is an old film now in the grand scheme of things but being a shipping enthusiast, I was keen to see what you made of the P&O Pioneer. Like you, I really enjoyed my crossings on her, I travelled Club Class the the CC lounge was really nice. Having just bought an EV to live along side by ICE car, I was also happy to see chargers. I sailed on her not long after she entered commercial service Whilst I seldom sail on the Dover Calais route, I'm normally on Brittany Ferries services and I do like the distant thrum of the engines, but that's probably nostalgia speaking.
Thanks for your lovely comment. The 'gentle thrum' of the engines is something else at the aft end of the Spirit of France or the Oscar Wilde! ;) I really do like the vibration-free smoothness of the Pioneer & Liberte.
Great looking ferry and the designers of the pet lounge have come up with some really good ideas . Pity it’s a ferry run by an awful company that treats its staff like dirt ( especially loyal staff ) although I must say a lot of companies due to cost of living seem to treat their staff with contempt. I would rather poke my eyes out with sticks than use such an awful corrupt company . We are hoping that Calmac starts to improve and they never treat their loyal staff in the same way ! Rant over 😂 and lovely to see the stars of the show at the end and I think Dougal and Ted do deserve their own chartered ferry to themselves 😊
Love the pet facilities! I see that this ship has also installed a Changing Places facility, which is a fantastic step in the right direction for accessible travel. 😊
I've been on it's sister ship, and have to say it's much nicer than the old stuff I last sailed on about 15 years ago. The one thing I do miss is a proper café rather than the self-service area with limited range and everything food wise is so overpriced! I'm tempted to give the Club Class lounge a go as a one-off in December when I next plan on travelling as have a half price voucher to use, and might pick up a couple of bits to take with us whilst out all day in France & Belgium.
Looks like a lovely vessel. Nothing is ever 100% but it dies look above average. I don’t know I’d ‘honour’ is quite the tight word but possible quite amazing to be the only YT’r to be invited on board 🥇👍🤩
I travelled with a fellow ferry writer in her first week of commercial service and I hate to say it, but we were pleasantly surprised! The highlight for us was the Club Lounge. Although it is the most expensive premium lounge of all three Dover operators, this is compensated for by the hot food offering. How nice to have a vegetable curry on a plate with cutlery! They trialled an £8 entrance fee to the Quiet Lounge, but they have since dropped that and rightly so in my opinion.
Great stuff George. I was told on this trip that the Club Lounge offering was revamped after my review at Christmas where it was below par - so glad to hear it's better now.
Enjoyed the vid very much Andrew, like you I was in the Merchant Navy, in my case for 26 years, 14 as a Chief Engineer before joining the MCA. The point made by the Chief about Hi Fog as a fire extinguishing medium is well made. Most regulatory bodies would prefer ships to use Hi Fog as the one thing that you are never short of at sea is water. I have been retired for 7 years now and in my day Chinese built vessels were a bit shoddy, for example, bulkheads in tanks were not fully welded resulting in common tanks, plastic hoses used instead of steel pipes. I do hope that they have upped their game.
Hopefully things have indeed moved on. Thanks for your input as this is a hot topic (no pun intended) at the moment with more and more EVs travelling. Thanks for watching!
Amazing ferffy .I ove the electric chargers and gadgets that will make things so much easier Hope you and gorgeous paws are well .Please some film.0c them.wjen ypu hqve time. Been with you for many years now and love everything you do do please with summer on horizon more please!.Love S x.
Sorry, late watching this as I had to watch Blondie at the IOW Festival! She is amazing and at 77 puts us all to shame! Anyway, back to the video! Loving this new ship! Stylish and modern! Very impressive as was this video! I have to agree about ferries, they should all be as modern as this one! Keep up with the times as it were! Great video, thanks for sharing! Wasn't sure you were uploading one today, the weather is acting up wherever people are at the moment! Had some strange storms here! Big clap of thunder in the night then nothing! Weird! I used to watch them with my dad on the balcony at 2 in the morning! Miss him so much especially today! Keep safe, see you in the next one! Hugs xxx 🥰😘🐶🐕
Interesting to see a new ferry with some well thought out features and a fair amount of EV chargers, here's hoping they are free. Well done getting an early peek at it Andrew, looks nice and smooth
Is their onboard WiFi at least free, nowadays? Last time I travelled with them even that was paying. So I doubt EV charging will be free. Not with P&O.
Hari Om Well, this shipaholic loved every second of that, Andrew. It does raise the question as to whether the redundancy fiasco was in any way informed by the R&D that has clearly been required for this admittedly lovely vessel. The food is about service standards and speaks to the company's ethos... Now for more ships like it! YAM xx (from her first park up in the van at New Lanark under a thunderstorm!)
Great vid as usual Andrew. Like you I think P&O are hardly employer of the year, but what a ship. She is an absolute beauty and great to see the investment.
Thank you Andrew, appreciate your introduction speech. It looks like a lovely ship, My channel crossings are usually as a solo driver to Spain, I look forward to ordering a ferry meal....not so keen on using an input screen!.
So was it a U.K. crew? I thought they sacked them all? Interesting ferry and much nicer than the old ones but will be interesting to see how many they use. I wonder if they are just doing 1 for the headlines
Enjoyable video as always Andrew - many thanks. Looks a great vessel but, sadly, I'm highly unlikely to use it for the same reasons as expressed by others below - the former crew were treated appallingly IMHO. There are alternatives, thankfully, and I've always found the DFDS a better product and service overall. Like you, we like to enjoy a relaxing meal onboard, not a fast-food experience, so that's a real thumbs down as far as I'm concerned. But we generally use the tunnel as, living in Kent, we don't usually need the time to relax before continuing our journey and just like to get to France ASAP.
Thank hou very much for this high-quality review and sharing some nice insights about the Pioneer vessel. I was wondering, how long does the entire trip take and I suppose the hybrid vessel will be faster than the old vessels ?
Hi Andrew. What a lovely looking ship/ferry. I am so pleased Ferries are joining the 21st Century. The Car deck decks are amazing not gloomy like current Ferries. We have to admit we do not like the Take away Meal idea. There will be a cue for the whole trip and generally the meals from these places is not that good (substandard). Thanks for sharing this with us all. Phil & Juliet. 👍🙂
Another great video Andrew. Ferry design has come a long way. I think back to my crossing from Helsinki to Tallinn a few years ago where I had a cabin right next to the engine... vibration!!! At Tallinn the Finns pack has much alcohol as they can into the ferry... literally using fork lift trucks.
Hello Andrew, i cant go onboard that ship or go on P&0 because of what they done. I know a lot of faces on your video so its bittersweet. My friend is a manager on there, so ive got mixed feelings about this ship. Hope your ok.😊
Very impressive boat. The Pet Lounge will be a huge boon to us should we take P&O across the Channel for certain! Overall, quite an engineering achievement as well.
Hi Andrew. That looks more like a cruise ship rather than a ferry, very luxurious. Exciting that you had an invite to join the sailing. I might be able to go on it if could do a round trip and didn't have to disembark. 😆 I don't have a passport. 😜 ilona
Sadly you can't do that any more Ilona, because the border controls are juxtaposed. You officially enter France in Dover, then you need to exit the ferry to re-enter the UK in Calais. This was never an issue before B*****t.
Thank you for the interesting video. It's a pity you can't tell which ferry you're taking. Grab n go.... I'm ambivalent about this - it's OK for such a short crossing, but for a longer trip I'd prefer a proper restaurant. Thumbs up for new ferry with the great ambience. I can't say anything about the price or the company's policy.
Nice to see the future planning to allow for diesel removal in future. Looks like they got their pet space ideas from Cal Mac. Hopefully, Cal Mac will get the ship design in return.
:) Very good! No two weeks ago I was travelling with P&O (who has been my favorite ferry company for more than a decade, abruptly ended up with their way to sack their crews) and was only half happy. Very friendly people, from the check-in over the club lounge stuff and even in the duty free shop they had excellent skills and have been very helpful. Downside: The vesel was in disrepair, dirty (outside, inside quite alright) and many parts of the furniture really has been worn out. As long I'm much better in swimming as in diving, I always prefer ferries to cross the channel. And i was never really happy with DFDS, I remember a consilience of the worst Spaghetti Bolognese and the most expensive I've ever had. I got a booking for the Pioneer already, with EV also, I'm looking forward if they can deliver the quality of service in real world conditions! Thx for your video, I'm pretty sure, Buddy, my OES, will enjoy the pet lounge more than the boot of a car either! :)
Oh wow - the interior of this is beautiful for a ferry - looks like they're almost trying to take a bit of a steer from the cruise world to make the time spent on the ship more pleasurable than the more 'traditional' ferries. It's good to see P&O actively investing in the fleet!
Still wondering why this vessel launched with its own unique version of the P&O logo, and why P&O hasn’t changed it to match with 1. The rest of the fleet 2. The same ship, pictures of the ship’s nameplate show P&O Pioneer’s name in the regular font
The only ferry I been on is the one to the Isle of Wight. This one looks very posh, how long is the journey from Dover to Calais? I live near Newhaven and was considering travelling on the ferry there to Dieppe and back in a day, is that possible?
Hi Cathy, Dover to Calais is 90 minutes. Do check out the Ferries Playlist on my channel page for my experience aboard the Dieppe Ferry. Thanks for watching!
Any prediction on how much faster the crossing will be? Obviously there's a saving from not turning the vessel round, are they going to run it faster/same speed/slower than existing vessels?
I feel you could have explained the likely impact on ferry prices will this vessel increase capacity on the short straits will it be cheeper to run, I guess not until it has low cost shore power to charge the system.
Nice video, as a guest on the first "passenger"round trip I have to agree with most of what you say, however being on a mobility scooter a , what to me was a major problem, are the disabled toilets and getting into them. Otherwise a great experience. As far as to say my first word driving on to the car deck was "wow' the lighting is well thought out.
Interesting to hear your experience Alan, as this ship apparently has the first Changing Places facility on the channel. Glad you had a good trip otherwise. Thanks for watching!
Agreed once access was obtained to the disabled toilet the one on deck 7 was extremely well equipped, apart from access couldn't really fault it. Chatting to the senior captain he said a lot of thought had gone into the car deck lighting to improve the transition from natural to artificial light. Agree with you about the food offering, but apparently the kitchen area is quite small.
I would now seriously consider using an alternative ferry company even though P&O have added these lovely new ships. Part of the pleasure of taking this Dover - Calais sailing has always been sitting down and having a civilised Breakfast or any meal... Their "grab and go" offerings don't pass muster. They are dismal, and a poor excuse for providing no personal service.
Bravo P&O for the pet lounge! Slowly businesses appear to realise that pets are family and is like leaving your children in the car. Pets are usually better behaved! Clearly a lot of consideration has gone into the entire wonderful ferry, although Grab'n'Go is uncouth and not for us.
Call my cynical but a lot of the “features” are automated! No need or certainly less people required! I’m sure the car chargers will not be free and imagine a busy bank holiday, a queue of cars and trying to get the right one by the right charger! Doesn’t matter how ‘wonderful’ the ship appears to be, I used to travel P&O a lot, NEVER again after the way they treated people!
Dogs are family, so the pet lounge is a welcome upgrade from abandoning doggo on the car deck. P&O are a disgrace of a company the way they treated their long-standing staff during the recent redundancies and while this is a great feature I still won’t be using them on principle.
Looks good but I've some concerns about the chargers. Undoubtedly convenient but the electricity is coming from (for now) diesel generators burning pretty dirty fuel.
I know you acknowledged P&O’s behaviour at the start but you should have turned down the invitation. I now use LeShuttle to cross the channel despite living only 25 miles from Hull. P&O don’t deserve your free promotion. Other than that, your review was fabulous. I just wish it was for something that mattered.
It was not a decision I took lightly, but at the end of the day, denying its existence won't make it go away. P&O has already reclaimed 43% market share on the Dover-Calais Route apparently.
@@andrewjdittonI think that's because of price. I wanted to go DFDS but it's £171, Irish Ferries is £155 in comparison to P&O which is £99. Ethics aside, my pocket can't justify the high price to cross the channel.
I don't see why not, although how they load the cars to get the EVs adjacent to the requested charger ('I wanted 34kW DC not 22kW AC!') remains to be seen.
As a company that employs cheap Labour and is registered in Cyprus because it’s cheaper, I can guess that they will indeed charge for their ev charge points!
Great video. I don't think they should remove the engines. A backup is always needed, if the port was closed due to high winds/incident, or if there was battery issue, a secondary power source is wise. Just a pity the glory days of cross Channel travel are behind us, I grew up on Townsend Thoresen etc., but this is a good technological step.
I vowed never ever to use P&O after their illegal treatment of their staff, although before that their decision to close the proper restaurants (a haven of peace away from children and the fast food seemingly the backstop of typical travellers) had left me very disenchanted. Nothing here suggests I should reconsider that decision, but it was an informative tour. I would take the view of the French coast over the white (grey?) cliffs any time
good report from this new P&O ferry so particular but functional ,she seems good inside , first time i see a electric charge for EV car on garage deck ! on the Detroit 😉👍...but Cyprus flag ! awful for the British 's sailors !... good idea for pet's deck 👍
Just a reminder, so makes all this a sad event really, great looking new ship, but what they did to their employees over shadows it. How many staff did P&O sack? On a bright March morning a year ago, it took just a few hours for P&O Ferries to bring the careers of its seafaring crew to a shocking halt. Recalling the fleet to port, it summarily sacked 786 people, many by video message - with foreign agency staff lined up to take their place.
Before mid-July you can get a daytrip for £39, John. Do check out the website. There are lifts galore on this ferry and even the first Changing Places facility in the English Channel. Thanks for watching and thanks for sharing the video!
If I were shipwrecked on a dessert Island and a P+O ship came to rescue me, I’d tell them to bugger off! due to their poor treatment of staff. Actually I think I’d be quite happy on a dessert Island with my top ten vinyl records of all time. Not sure how I got shipwrecked with a record player though 🤔
Sterling job Andrew, Although I drive a euro6 diesel I love the trail breaking that Hybrid/EV's are making and this New Ship is no exception, Absolutely World Leading in a Class of it's own, WTG Andrew and a standing Ovation for P&O for showing the World what can be Done when you put your mind to it, Awesome on all Accounts.
Andrew: You said at the start of the video that "My presence here is no reflection of my personal feelings towards P&Os industrial relations or business practices". I'm afraid that won't wash. P&O sacked all of their UK workforce without notice, employed cheaper international labour at rates significantly below UK minimum wage levels and admitted to a select committee in the House of Commons that they did it all knowing full well they were breaking the law. Many people would feel that a company who behaves like that is not a company they want anything to do with. But not you, obviously.
I do apologise to u @andrew for disliking the video. Its not personal to u but the ferry & the company it stands for. I can only imagine that the Duty Free shop is larger because in any other case that would’ve been the self service restaurant on any other ferry (bar P&O) Such a shame that this will be the only ever view I will get to see inside this vessel as its obvious I won’t ever use them in future.
Thanks for showing her ... i won't ever sail on her due to the miserable way P&O treated their staff...surprised there is no formal restaurant but I guess they know their market.. 15:36
Great vlog, as always. I take it for granted that you always give unbiased opinions on products and services as it's your nature to be honest. Looking ahead, P&O treatment of staff aside, their history is to allow vessels to look and feel very run down so will be interesting to see if they've factored in a meaningful maintenance budget. I would say DFDS are better at this.
Unbiased 🤣🤣🤣
This was an independently produced infomercial...
An amazing ship, Andrew. Thanks for the tour.
I fully appreciate and understand your desire to draw a distinction between P&O's dreadful approach to staff relations, and sharing this innovative and very impressive vessel. As others have said, as things stand I would not give P&O my custom if they were the last operator on the water; however, if I was a pet owner, I would certainly find the strength of my principles tested by the fantastic provisions made here.
It is to be hoped other operators will follow the excellent example set by this design.
Nice video Andrew, great to hear about the latest in ship technology as well as see a tour of the vessel! 🙂
Cheers Mike!
Fabulous tour Andrew, your vlogs are always so professional, detailed and informative. Always nice to finish with Dougal and Ted 👍
Thanks Andrew for such an honest and unbiased review.
Thanks for watching!
I was on this exact ferry recently, while returning from Poland, It was at night so... There wasn't that much to choose for food, but in the duty free store, I nearly got lost in there, there's so much perfume. Just to say, impressive journey, I wish I could go again.
Shame it’s P&O operating it, I might have given it a try ☹️☹️☹️ Otherwise another of your good & informative videos Andrew.
Great video - really fascinating to see inside. Thanks
Hello from France Andrew... I was very dubitative about this very unusual ferry, and you convinced me to try and sail her. Thanks for your videos
Très bien Didier, et je te souhaite un bon voyage!
That was super interesting! Especially loved the behind the scenes parts. Thank you 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sorry Andrew, whilst it's an enjoyable and informative video, as always, you've simply given a company that fired all it's staff for no reason (other than that they could be replaced with cheaper staff) a free advert. The only UA-camr invited? I suspect it's more likely that you're the only one that said yes.
Great video Andrew. As someone who lives in Hull I now drive to Newcastle to avoid P&O after what they did to their staff last year. But your video as always, very informative 👍
That was really interesting! Thx Andrew
Appreciate this is an old film now in the grand scheme of things but being a shipping enthusiast, I was keen to see what you made of the P&O Pioneer.
Like you, I really enjoyed my crossings on her, I travelled Club Class the the CC lounge was really nice.
Having just bought an EV to live along side by ICE car, I was also happy to see chargers. I sailed on her not long after she entered commercial service
Whilst I seldom sail on the Dover Calais route, I'm normally on Brittany Ferries services and I do like the distant thrum of the engines, but that's probably nostalgia speaking.
Thanks for your lovely comment. The 'gentle thrum' of the engines is something else at the aft end of the Spirit of France or the Oscar Wilde! ;) I really do like the vibration-free smoothness of the Pioneer & Liberte.
Hi Andrew Thanks for the great video. Lovely ferry but I for one would never use P&O again after what they done to there staff.
Great looking ferry and the designers of the pet lounge have come up with some really good ideas . Pity it’s a ferry run by an awful company that treats its staff like dirt ( especially loyal staff ) although I must say a lot of companies due to cost of living seem to treat their staff with contempt. I would rather poke my eyes out with sticks than use such an awful corrupt company . We are hoping that Calmac starts to improve and they never treat their loyal staff in the same way ! Rant over 😂 and lovely to see the stars of the show at the end and I think Dougal and Ted do deserve their own chartered ferry to themselves 😊
Doesn’t treat its passengers much better.
Hi Andrew a brilliant overview of the ferry.
Thanks for watching!
Love the pet facilities! I see that this ship has also installed a Changing Places facility, which is a fantastic step in the right direction for accessible travel. 😊
Yes! I'm annoyed at myself for not mentioning that. Thanks for watching!
It’s a fantastic video and you can’t mention everything. I only knew because of a project I’m working on. 😊
I've been on it's sister ship, and have to say it's much nicer than the old stuff I last sailed on about 15 years ago.
The one thing I do miss is a proper café rather than the self-service area with limited range and everything food wise is so overpriced! I'm tempted to give the Club Class lounge a go as a one-off in December when I next plan on travelling as have a half price voucher to use, and might pick up a couple of bits to take with us whilst out all day in France & Belgium.
Looks like a lovely vessel. Nothing is ever 100% but it dies look above average. I don’t know I’d ‘honour’ is quite the tight word but possible quite amazing to be the only YT’r to be invited on board 🥇👍🤩
amazing how quickly improvements happen. lots to learn and appreciate.
Andrew-you created epic view~ bye. ))
What do you make of the P&O Pioneer? And would 'Grab and Go' food be good for you, or would you prefer to sit down for a proper meal?
Probably a beautiful ship, but the P&O policy does not have my approval. So I stick to DFDS. Your video is well made and very informative.
I travelled with a fellow ferry writer in her first week of commercial service and I hate to say it, but we were pleasantly surprised! The highlight for us was the Club Lounge. Although it is the most expensive premium lounge of all three Dover operators, this is compensated for by the hot food offering. How nice to have a vegetable curry on a plate with cutlery!
They trialled an £8 entrance fee to the Quiet Lounge, but they have since dropped that and rightly so in my opinion.
Great stuff George. I was told on this trip that the Club Lounge offering was revamped after my review at Christmas where it was below par - so glad to hear it's better now.
Awesome Video Awesome ferry
Glad you enjoyed it
Enjoyed the vid very much Andrew, like you I was in the Merchant Navy, in my case for 26 years, 14 as a Chief Engineer before joining the MCA. The point made by the Chief about Hi Fog as a fire extinguishing medium is well made. Most regulatory bodies would prefer ships to use Hi Fog as the one thing that you are never short of at sea is water. I have been retired for 7 years now and in my day Chinese built vessels were a bit shoddy, for example, bulkheads in tanks were not fully welded resulting in common tanks, plastic hoses used instead of steel pipes. I do hope that they have upped their game.
Hopefully things have indeed moved on. Thanks for your input as this is a hot topic (no pun intended) at the moment with more and more EVs travelling. Thanks for watching!
I'm hoping the Hi-Fog system uses fresh water as I wouldn't want to be spraying salt water on to an EV or any battery fire!
You make the best videos Andrew.
Thank you!
Very interesting video, as always, Andrew. Very professional and informative. And Ted's getting a lot bigger! Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Smahing! When I see how it looks, and how Côte d'Opale (for me just a truck big box) looks : what a difference!
Is this ship crewed with staff complying with UK law for payroll etc or foreign staff earning a salary that is below UK legal requirements?
Of course not! This is a P&O vessel like all others.
big improvement,which was needed
Amazing ferffy .I ove the electric chargers and gadgets that will make things so much easier Hope you and gorgeous paws are well .Please some film.0c them.wjen ypu hqve time. Been with you for many years now and love everything you do do please with summer on horizon more please!.Love S x.
This is the biggest step forward in ferry shipping since Townsend launched the Spirit of free enterprise.
Sorry, late watching this as I had to watch Blondie at the IOW Festival! She is amazing and at 77 puts us all to shame! Anyway, back to the video! Loving this new ship! Stylish and modern! Very impressive as was this video! I have to agree about ferries, they should all be as modern as this one! Keep up with the times as it were! Great video, thanks for sharing! Wasn't sure you were uploading one today, the weather is acting up wherever people are at the moment! Had some strange storms here! Big clap of thunder in the night then nothing! Weird! I used to watch them with my dad on the balcony at 2 in the morning! Miss him so much especially today! Keep safe, see you in the next one! Hugs xxx 🥰😘🐶🐕
Wait...HOW can Debbie Harry be 77???!!!!! Glad you had a good time Anne, and thanks as always for watching. x
Good evaluation Andrew x
Interesting to see a new ferry with some well thought out features and a fair amount of EV chargers, here's hoping they are free.
Well done getting an early peek at it Andrew, looks nice and smooth
Is their onboard WiFi at least free, nowadays? Last time I travelled with them even that was paying. So I doubt EV charging will be free. Not with P&O.
Hari Om
Well, this shipaholic loved every second of that, Andrew. It does raise the question as to whether the redundancy fiasco was in any way informed by the R&D that has clearly been required for this admittedly lovely vessel. The food is about service standards and speaks to the company's ethos... Now for more ships like it! YAM xx (from her first park up in the van at New Lanark under a thunderstorm!)
Great vid as usual Andrew. Like you I think P&O are hardly employer of the year, but what a ship. She is an absolute beauty and great to see the investment.
Thank you Andrew, appreciate your introduction speech. It looks like a lovely ship, My channel crossings are usually as a solo driver to Spain, I look forward to ordering a ferry meal....not so keen on using an input screen!.
So was it a U.K. crew? I thought they sacked them all?
Interesting ferry and much nicer than the old ones but will be interesting to see how many they use. I wonder if they are just doing 1 for the headlines
Enjoyable video as always Andrew - many thanks. Looks a great vessel but, sadly, I'm highly unlikely to use it for the same reasons as expressed by others below - the former crew were treated appallingly IMHO. There are alternatives, thankfully, and I've always found the DFDS a better product and service overall. Like you, we like to enjoy a relaxing meal onboard, not a fast-food experience, so that's a real thumbs down as far as I'm concerned. But we generally use the tunnel as, living in Kent, we don't usually need the time to relax before continuing our journey and just like to get to France ASAP.
Thank hou very much for this high-quality review and sharing some nice insights about the Pioneer vessel. I was wondering, how long does the entire trip take and I suppose the hybrid vessel will be faster than the old vessels ?
Beautiful presentation 👌
Hi Andrew. What a lovely looking ship/ferry. I am so pleased Ferries are joining the 21st Century. The Car deck decks are amazing not gloomy like current Ferries. We have to admit we do not like the Take away Meal idea. There will be a cue for the whole trip and generally the meals from these places is not that good (substandard). Thanks for sharing this with us all. Phil & Juliet. 👍🙂
Thanks for watching and enjoy Holland!
You had me at double ended ! 😂
Looks nice inside but on the outside it looks like the bow sections of the spirit of France and spirit of Britain welded together
Another great video Andrew. Ferry design has come a long way. I think back to my crossing from Helsinki to Tallinn a few years ago where I had a cabin right next to the engine... vibration!!! At Tallinn the Finns pack has much alcohol as they can into the ferry... literally using fork lift trucks.
Great review thank you 👌
Thanks for watching!
Hello Andrew, i cant go onboard that ship or go on P&0 because of what they done. I know a lot of faces on your video so its bittersweet. My friend is a manager on there, so ive got mixed feelings about this ship. Hope your ok.😊
Very impressive boat. The Pet Lounge will be a huge boon to us should we take P&O across the Channel for certain! Overall, quite an engineering achievement as well.
Hi Andrew. That looks more like a cruise ship rather than a ferry, very luxurious. Exciting that you had an invite to join the sailing. I might be able to go on it if could do a round trip and didn't have to disembark. 😆 I don't have a passport. 😜 ilona
Sadly you can't do that any more Ilona, because the border controls are juxtaposed. You officially enter France in Dover, then you need to exit the ferry to re-enter the UK in Calais. This was never an issue before B*****t.
Thank you for the interesting video. It's a pity you can't tell which ferry you're taking. Grab n go.... I'm ambivalent about this - it's OK for such a short crossing, but for a longer trip I'd prefer a proper restaurant.
Thumbs up for new ferry with the great ambience. I can't say anything about the price or the company's policy.
Nice to see the future planning to allow for diesel removal in future. Looks like they got their pet space ideas from Cal Mac. Hopefully, Cal Mac will get the ship design in return.
Fantastic looking ship, but as its P&O my self and ide say a lot of people will not be using it. Great video as always.
Nice but shame it’s P&O. I wonder if the shipbuilder can supply smaller versions for CalMac. 😊
:) Very good!
No two weeks ago I was travelling with P&O (who has been my favorite ferry company for more than a decade, abruptly ended up with their way to sack their crews) and was only half happy.
Very friendly people, from the check-in over the club lounge stuff and even in the duty free shop they had excellent skills and have been very helpful.
Downside: The vesel was in disrepair, dirty (outside, inside quite alright) and many parts of the furniture really has been worn out.
As long I'm much better in swimming as in diving, I always prefer ferries to cross the channel.
And i was never really happy with DFDS, I remember a consilience of the worst Spaghetti Bolognese and the most expensive I've ever had.
I got a booking for the Pioneer already, with EV also, I'm looking forward if they can deliver the quality of service in real world conditions!
Thx for your video, I'm pretty sure, Buddy, my OES, will enjoy the pet lounge more than the boot of a car either! :)
Thanks for your comment. One of my reservations is the lack of consistency between vessels, but at least you can see which one you are booking.
Oh wow - the interior of this is beautiful for a ferry - looks like they're almost trying to take a bit of a steer from the cruise world to make the time spent on the ship more pleasurable than the more 'traditional' ferries. It's good to see P&O actively investing in the fleet!
Still wondering why this vessel launched with its own unique version of the P&O logo, and why P&O hasn’t changed it to match with
1. The rest of the fleet
2. The same ship, pictures of the ship’s nameplate show P&O Pioneer’s name in the regular font
Afraid I have no idea, and as I say in the video, there will be a lack of consistency in the fleet on this crossing.
The only ferry I been on is the one to the Isle of Wight. This one looks very posh, how long is the journey from Dover to Calais? I live near Newhaven and was considering travelling on the ferry there to Dieppe and back in a day, is that possible?
Hi Cathy, Dover to Calais is 90 minutes. Do check out the Ferries Playlist on my channel page for my experience aboard the Dieppe Ferry. Thanks for watching!
@@andrewjditton thank you
Took 3 years to build yet haw long have Calmac been waiting?
Any prediction on how much faster the crossing will be? Obviously there's a saving from not turning the vessel round, are they going to run it faster/same speed/slower than existing vessels?
Apparently they will use the time saving to slow down the vessel to burn less fuel, maintaining a 90 minute crossing. Thanks for watching!
I feel you could have explained the likely impact on ferry prices will this vessel increase capacity on the short straits will it be cheeper to run, I guess not until it has low cost shore power to charge the system.
I think prices will continue to be influenced more by supply and demand than costs, as is normal in travel these days. Thanks for watching!
Nice video, as a guest on the first "passenger"round trip I have to agree with most of what you say, however being on a mobility scooter a , what to me was a major problem, are the disabled toilets and getting into them. Otherwise a great experience. As far as to say my first word driving on to the car deck was "wow' the lighting is well thought out.
Interesting to hear your experience Alan, as this ship apparently has the first Changing Places facility on the channel. Glad you had a good trip otherwise. Thanks for watching!
Agreed once access was obtained to the disabled toilet the one on deck 7 was extremely well equipped, apart from access couldn't really fault it. Chatting to the senior captain he said a lot of thought had gone into the car deck lighting to improve the transition from natural to artificial light. Agree with you about the food offering, but apparently the kitchen area is quite small.
She looks a great ship. Unfortunately, I am unlikely to ever get to use her given that I always fly to the continent.
I would now seriously consider using an alternative ferry company even though P&O have added these lovely new ships. Part of the pleasure of taking this Dover - Calais sailing has always been sitting down and having a civilised Breakfast or any meal... Their "grab and go" offerings don't pass muster. They are dismal, and a poor excuse for providing no personal service.
Bravo P&O for the pet lounge! Slowly businesses appear to realise that pets are family and is like leaving your children in the car. Pets are usually better behaved! Clearly a lot of consideration has gone into the entire wonderful ferry, although Grab'n'Go is uncouth and not for us.
When travelling with a pet nothing beats Le Shuttle.
Its just a shame they don't treat their staff as well as they treat the dogs.
Rather stick pins in my eyes than use P&O - DFDS all the way!
Call my cynical but a lot of the “features” are automated! No need or certainly less people required! I’m sure the car chargers will not be free and imagine a busy bank holiday, a queue of cars and trying to get the right one by the right charger!
Doesn’t matter how ‘wonderful’ the ship appears to be, I used to travel P&O a lot, NEVER again after the way they treated people!
Great vid watching now. Not keen on that P & O logo. Xxxxx to you three. R.
Dogs are family, so the pet lounge is a welcome upgrade from abandoning doggo on the car deck. P&O are a disgrace of a company the way they treated their long-standing staff during the recent redundancies and while this is a great feature I still won’t be using them on principle.
100% agree. Solidarity means boycotting them.
OH GROW UP!!! Jesus
800 were sacked on 17.03.22 so they could pay salary levels that have to be propped up with tax credits. What short memories.
Looks good but I've some concerns about the chargers. Undoubtedly convenient but the electricity is coming from (for now) diesel generators burning pretty dirty fuel.
Indeed, but 40% less of it which is something.
Luar biasa
I know you acknowledged P&O’s behaviour at the start but you should have turned down the invitation. I now use LeShuttle to cross the channel despite living only 25 miles from Hull. P&O don’t deserve your free promotion. Other than that, your review was fabulous. I just wish it was for something that mattered.
It was not a decision I took lightly, but at the end of the day, denying its existence won't make it go away. P&O has already reclaimed 43% market share on the Dover-Calais Route apparently.
@@andrewjdittonI think that's because of price. I wanted to go DFDS but it's £171, Irish Ferries is £155 in comparison to P&O which is £99.
Ethics aside, my pocket can't justify the high price to cross the channel.
Great informative video. Pet lounge would be a winner for us. Do you think those ev charge points would be available to the caravan towing car?
I don't see why not, although how they load the cars to get the EVs adjacent to the requested charger ('I wanted 34kW DC not 22kW AC!') remains to be seen.
What are the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar doing wrong, that ferries as big as this are even feasible?
Good question! I think the simple answer might be Volume.
As a company that employs cheap Labour and is registered in Cyprus because it’s cheaper, I can guess that they will indeed charge for their ev charge points!
A second ferry had just been delivered. Not sure how many P&O ordered.
Great video. I don't think they should remove the engines. A backup is always needed, if the port was closed due to high winds/incident, or if there was battery issue, a secondary power source is wise.
Just a pity the glory days of cross Channel travel are behind us, I grew up on Townsend Thoresen etc., but this is a good technological step.
Great point! Although there are four generators and four Azipods so there is plenty of redundancy. Thanks for watching.
I vowed never ever to use P&O after their illegal treatment of their staff, although before that their decision to close the proper restaurants (a haven of peace away from children and the fast food seemingly the backstop of typical travellers) had left me very disenchanted. Nothing here suggests I should reconsider that decision, but it was an informative tour. I would take the view of the French coast over the white (grey?) cliffs any time
good report from this new P&O ferry so particular but functional ,she seems good inside , first time i see a electric charge for EV car on garage deck ! on the Detroit 😉👍...but Cyprus flag ! awful for the British 's sailors !... good idea for pet's deck 👍
Looks very beautiful. Maybe a bit too early to go electric if the infrastructure is not yet ready or even agreed upon.
Very impressive ship and built in China! What a pity it can't be built here... Those were the days never to return.
Just a reminder, so makes all this a sad event really, great looking new ship, but what they did to their employees over shadows it.
How many staff did P&O sack?
On a bright March morning a year ago, it took just a few hours for P&O Ferries to bring the careers of its seafaring crew to a shocking halt. Recalling the fleet to port, it summarily sacked 786 people, many by video message - with foreign agency staff lined up to take their place.
Does this ferry take foot passengers?.
Yes it does, but they are bussed on and off via the car decks.
vending machine food means 0 staff to pay hmmmm not keen on that at all
Interesting report on P&O but like you I'm a biker. So have they improved the tie downs or is it still a oily rope or strap?
Always enjoy your posts 👍
Blooming good question Richard, and I'm ashamed to say I didn't check that out. Sorry!
How environmental friendly is it when the crew come from all over the world rather than locally as it used to be
Pity the SNP didn't have the 2 new Calmac ferries built at the same shipyard.
Shared with my followers, I am disabled so might try it out some time. Although £250 for a day trip sounds a bit much for me and my mate.
Before mid-July you can get a daytrip for £39, John. Do check out the website. There are lifts galore on this ferry and even the first Changing Places facility in the English Channel. Thanks for watching and thanks for sharing the video!
Did you notice any signs prohibiting the charging of ebike batteries? They were very prominent on my recent Calmac outings.
No I didn't, but I can understand why. Maybe that will come as it would be bad news if it's a cheap battery with damaged cells.
If I were shipwrecked on a dessert Island and a P+O ship came to rescue me, I’d tell them to bugger off! due to their poor treatment of staff. Actually I think I’d be quite happy on a dessert Island with my top ten vinyl records of all time. Not sure how I got shipwrecked with a record player though 🤔
Sterling job Andrew, Although I drive a euro6 diesel I love the trail breaking that Hybrid/EV's are making and this New Ship is no exception, Absolutely World Leading in a Class of it's own, WTG Andrew and a standing Ovation for P&O for showing the World what can be Done when you put your mind to it, Awesome on all Accounts.
Are there security on there? Incase of some drunks fighting?
Built in China - only took 2.5 years for a very large hybrid vessel. Ferguson Marine could learn a thing or two from this :/
Seems like the present P&O management think more of pets wellbeing than they do of their staff. Disgraceful company, don’t deserve any business.
Andrew: You said at the start of the video that "My presence here is no reflection of my personal feelings towards P&Os industrial relations or business practices". I'm afraid that won't wash.
P&O sacked all of their UK workforce without notice, employed cheaper international labour at rates significantly below UK minimum wage levels and admitted to a select committee in the House of Commons that they did it all knowing full well they were breaking the law. Many people would feel that a company who behaves like that is not a company they want anything to do with.
But not you, obviously.
Pretending it doesn't exist won't make it go away.
@@andrewjditton Of course it won't. But by creating this video you have promoted the company and persuaded at least one person to use P&O.