Dead end for ferry passenger

The “weary travellers” referred to in Ronan Gingles’s letter (April 21) were lucky the train met up with their ferry at Rosslare.

Having spent several days trying to shoehorn a house guest onto a ferry (the Tourist Office in Cork had heard only of the Stena line), I finally booked the new Cork-Swansea ferry for her. Yes, she had to sit up all night, but she was grateful to escape.

When the ship docked at 7am, and after inexplicably waiting an hour for all vehicles to disembark first, some 300 foot passengers were greeted with ... nothing. No buses, no taxis and, more importantly, no help from the crew, one of whom mumbled “there were supposed to be three buses”.

My friend, who is 65 and was carrying a heavy suitcase, asked a crew member the way to the train station. He pointed to a road. As she started off on foot, a thrusting businessman charged up to the same man demanding the way to Hertz rent-a-car. The crewman immediately flourished a special key and unlocked a (presumably secret) passage, declaring it would save the man a mile in walking. When my friend asked if it would save her a mile also, he looked through her. She followed the businessman.

After an hour’s walk she missed her train by just two minutes, but eventually arrived safely in London.

I dread to think of what my friend – not only a lovely person, but a former diplomat and highly regarded author in the field of ecology – is now telling her wide network of acquaintances about our new ferry.

Perhaps the new chief executive of the Fastnet line – who, according to your report (April 21), has just hired a new PR person – would do better to concentrate on customer service.

Dr Ann Geneva

Drishane

Durrus

Co Cork