we are heading to the isle of wight soon & was hoping to take owe cocker spaniel 'mary' with us , i know some ferry operators insist that the dog's are left in the car while saling , but mary would not be able to cope with this ,can we stay with her in the car or can we take her on to the boat,s deck with us....looking forward to your replies already...pete.
do gs on i,o.w ferry
- Thread starter GingerPete
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We go to the Isle Of Wight quite often and use Red Funnle and Wight Link and im sure ive seen dogs on the open deck on both companies. Im over there again this weekend so i will keep a look out and ask for you,but to put your mind at rest why not give them a buzz.
Unlike cross-channel ferries you can stay in your car on the IOW ferry. It gets a bit annoying with all the car alarms going off though ... (message to all forum members - please disarm your alarm on the IOW ferry).
Dogs are permitted on the top deck or they can stay in a vehicle with the owner. Nothing to worry about.
Dogs are permitted on the top deck or they can stay in a vehicle with the owner. Nothing to worry about.
On Wightlink a lot of Islanders stay in their cars (especially in the peak season) so that they don't have to mix with the grockles.
Damian
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Living on the Island, and using the ferries quite a lot, we always stay in the car with the dogs whichever route we use.
Not using the "lounge" area and "services" is purely down to not wanting to purchase the on board products at extortionate prices.
The "dog" decks , if located in a reasonable place would be fine, but they are at the highest part of the boats, and our Mastiff simply cannot climb the stairs to get there.
Not using the "lounge" area and "services" is purely down to not wanting to purchase the on board products at extortionate prices.
The "dog" decks , if located in a reasonable place would be fine, but they are at the highest part of the boats, and our Mastiff simply cannot climb the stairs to get there.
Damian
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Forgot to add , for Pete, dont forget your Passport, local currency and the mandatory white "England" shirt, sunglasses and basball cap , so that you are easily recognised as a visitor, and extra alowances can be made for erratic driving as you wont know where your going!!
The blatant erratic driving that you will encounter wil be the locals copying the antics of lots of visitors.
The blatant erratic driving that you will encounter wil be the locals copying the antics of lots of visitors.
some of the "islanders" want to be carefull what they say on this forum, caravanners are after all the biggest industry on the island.
Where would the island be without us ? probably bankrupt.
As with other responders we have had no problems taking the dogs up on deck on both companies.
Where would the island be without us ? probably bankrupt.
As with other responders we have had no problems taking the dogs up on deck on both companies.
Damian
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Sory to disagree Icemaker, but caravnners make up only a very small part of the overall Island economy.
Would the Island be bankrupt without caravanners, definately not.
The only supplier to the Island who may, but only "may" be at a loss of minimal proportions would be the freey operators, but then they would recoup the loss by being able to load more cars and other transport.
There are only 2800 camp site pitches on the Island, and only a very small number of those are caravan pitches.
Out of a summer transient population of around 250,000, that is a very small drop in the ocean, or Solent to be precise.
Would the Island be bankrupt without caravanners, definately not.
The only supplier to the Island who may, but only "may" be at a loss of minimal proportions would be the freey operators, but then they would recoup the loss by being able to load more cars and other transport.
There are only 2800 camp site pitches on the Island, and only a very small number of those are caravan pitches.
Out of a summer transient population of around 250,000, that is a very small drop in the ocean, or Solent to be precise.
Damian
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The figures you have worked out are about right, but pale into insignificance compared to the the other "tourist" things going on, such as hotels, guest houses, etc etc etc., not to mention the Nokia Festival, followed by the Bestival a few weeks later, and of course the sailing side of things which attract huge revenues for the Island.
As for shopping, as most people buy in supermarkets, the income is taken by the likes of Sainsbury, Tesco, etc etc, the once local shops have al but gone, thanks to them.
We have never had a helicopter place on the Island, we do have Britten Norman, who make the Islander and Trilander aircraft.
Westalands as I think you were referring to produced aircraft parts , such as wings for various aircraft, and of course the Hovercraft, but has shut down now and the building is being taken over by a very high quality luxury yacht maker specialising in stainless steel hulled craft.
As for "a few market gardens",totally wrong I am afraid, yes we do have them, one of wich supplies most of the supermarkets with all their tomatoes, and is the biggest glasshouse in Europe at the present time.
Then there is the world renowned Garlic Farm, who supply world wide.
We also have the the largest producers of GRP products in the UK, from small mouldings to luxury yachts, motorcruisers and fishing boats, wind turbine blades, motorhome bodies
Add to that BAE (Radar) who develop new Radar technology and train operators from all over the world.
At least here on the Island we still speak English when in the company of visitors, unlike some parts of the UK who revert to local dialect.
These and many other employers actually do contribute to the Island economy as the workers, mainly local people, live here all year round.
It would be a very silly idea to rely on the 12 week season for economic stability.
Are we self obsessed, maybe, but we have seen enough of "incomers" wanting to change the way of life and values of the Island to become more like where they have come from.
As for labelling visitors, I am certain that wherever one travels to, the locals have a name for the visitor population.
Just as a point in relation to my earlier comment about erratic driving, today, two pedestrians were knocked over by a visitor in a car driving the wrong way along a one way street,,,,,yet our road signs are the same as the mainland.
Whilst they may be on holiday, it does not include a holiday from observing the rules of the road, but it seems it does, especially as the road in question not only had the normal post mounted signs, but also white letters about 2feet high painted on the road surface .
It transpired that they had been stopped by a local man and advised that they were going the wrong way, but decided to continue anyway. I hope they like the hospitality of the local constabulary,as that is where they were heading shortly after, in a special taxi with blue lights on the top.
As for shopping, as most people buy in supermarkets, the income is taken by the likes of Sainsbury, Tesco, etc etc, the once local shops have al but gone, thanks to them.
We have never had a helicopter place on the Island, we do have Britten Norman, who make the Islander and Trilander aircraft.
Westalands as I think you were referring to produced aircraft parts , such as wings for various aircraft, and of course the Hovercraft, but has shut down now and the building is being taken over by a very high quality luxury yacht maker specialising in stainless steel hulled craft.
As for "a few market gardens",totally wrong I am afraid, yes we do have them, one of wich supplies most of the supermarkets with all their tomatoes, and is the biggest glasshouse in Europe at the present time.
Then there is the world renowned Garlic Farm, who supply world wide.
We also have the the largest producers of GRP products in the UK, from small mouldings to luxury yachts, motorcruisers and fishing boats, wind turbine blades, motorhome bodies
Add to that BAE (Radar) who develop new Radar technology and train operators from all over the world.
At least here on the Island we still speak English when in the company of visitors, unlike some parts of the UK who revert to local dialect.
These and many other employers actually do contribute to the Island economy as the workers, mainly local people, live here all year round.
It would be a very silly idea to rely on the 12 week season for economic stability.
Are we self obsessed, maybe, but we have seen enough of "incomers" wanting to change the way of life and values of the Island to become more like where they have come from.
As for labelling visitors, I am certain that wherever one travels to, the locals have a name for the visitor population.
Just as a point in relation to my earlier comment about erratic driving, today, two pedestrians were knocked over by a visitor in a car driving the wrong way along a one way street,,,,,yet our road signs are the same as the mainland.
Whilst they may be on holiday, it does not include a holiday from observing the rules of the road, but it seems it does, especially as the road in question not only had the normal post mounted signs, but also white letters about 2feet high painted on the road surface .
It transpired that they had been stopped by a local man and advised that they were going the wrong way, but decided to continue anyway. I hope they like the hospitality of the local constabulary,as that is where they were heading shortly after, in a special taxi with blue lights on the top.
I did some cycle camping on the IOW last weekend (yes, it WAS wet), riding there from Sussex. It was great fun on Saturday riding past all the cars queued up to get across - one of the busiest days of the year on the ferries.
Wightlink honoured some old bookings, but basically banned caravans last Saturday. There were just 5 on my crossing, which were put at the front and rear of the car decks meaning that both mezzanine decks could be filled with cars.
On the campsite I heard some negative comments about the ban, but at least caravanners have more flexibility with accommodation - many cottages etc are Saturday to Saturday and are understandably less flexible during half term weeks.
At the end of the day Wightlink can set the rules, and if it can fill its ferries with just cars then it makes more money. Not only can both mezzanines be used, but all levels can have cars three abreast - as long as there are not too many big 4WDs.
More evidence that caravanners are not the backbone of the Island's economy. I reckon coaches full of old ladies are pretty high up the list though!
Wightlink honoured some old bookings, but basically banned caravans last Saturday. There were just 5 on my crossing, which were put at the front and rear of the car decks meaning that both mezzanine decks could be filled with cars.
On the campsite I heard some negative comments about the ban, but at least caravanners have more flexibility with accommodation - many cottages etc are Saturday to Saturday and are understandably less flexible during half term weeks.
At the end of the day Wightlink can set the rules, and if it can fill its ferries with just cars then it makes more money. Not only can both mezzanines be used, but all levels can have cars three abreast - as long as there are not too many big 4WDs.
More evidence that caravanners are not the backbone of the Island's economy. I reckon coaches full of old ladies are pretty high up the list though!
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