Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries Recenzje 

I recently had the unfortunate experience of traveling with Wightlink IOW Ferries, and I must say that I was deeply disappointed with their pricing structure. Not only were the prices unjustifiable, but the inconsistency in rates left me feeling frustrated and inconvenienced throughout my journey. Comparatively, it became apparent that airlines do not hike prices as drastically as Wightlink Ferries does.

One of the major issues I encountered was the nonsensical differentiation in prices for a three-night or four-night stay on the island. It is bewildering that the duration of my stay should affect the cost of the ferry crossing. This practice creates an unnecessary burden for travelers who wish to plan their trip accordingly, leaving them feeling taken advantage of.

Furthermore, the disparity between ferry prices during peak hours and midnight crossings is downright cruel. Travelers should not be penalized for having to travel at specific times, especially during emergency situations or unavoidable circumstances. It is unfair to impose higher fees on those who rely on midnight crossings due to work commitments, medical emergencies, or other urgent matters.

The exorbitant prices charged by Wightlink IOW Ferries ultimately forced me to make the difficult decision to leave the island and relocate. It is disheartening that an essential transportation service can contribute to the displacement of individuals who may have otherwise chosen to remain and contribute to the local economy. This outcome highlights the negative impact that such pricing practices can have on both visitors and residents.

In comparison, airlines generally maintain a more reasonable and consistent pricing structure. While some fluctuation in airfare is expected during peak travel seasons, the degree of price variation is significantly lower than what I experienced with Wightlink Ferries. This discrepancy raises questions about the fairness and ethics of Wightlink's pricing policies.

Overall, my experience with Wightlink IOW Ferries left a bitter taste in my mouth. The unjustifiable prices, differential rates based on the duration of stay, and the significant discrepancy between peak and off-peak fares were major drawbacks. As a result, I was compelled to leave the island and seek alternative means of transportation. I hope that Wightlink IOW Ferries takes this feedback into consideration and reevaluates their pricing structure to provide a fairer and more consistent experience for all travelers.

Wightlink staff are unfailingly friendly and helpful. However the costs of the service, both when travelling by foot on the catamaran and on the car ferry, are prohibitive for many families wanting and needing to travel between the Island and the mainland. Furthermore, whereas before Covid the frequency of the catamaran services and join up with the trains might it perfectly feasible to commute by boat/train to London this is now much more difficult. Wightlink’s unwillingness to commit to permanently reinstating the late evening sailings creates a further source of anxiety for those needing to travel to the mainland and stay into the evening.

I requested for an earlier sailing than the 1800 I was booked on. ‘I will try and get you on the 1720’ I was told with the usual Portsmouth terminal ‘you are lucky we are here attitude’ incidentally the only terminal where this seems to happen. As it happens I was put on the 1600 which had dozens of empty spaces when it left. This may have been caused by one of two things; the booking system is not brilliant or because I was travelling ‘scum bag class’ (Multi link). I’m very wary of complaining as I was once told that if I continued to do so I would be refused service. They know I have no choice!!

Was all set to travel to see family on the mainland for the afternoon, turned up at the initial wightlink gate to be told there would be delays. We politely asked how long, as we have our autistic child in the car and we need to be able to provide him with a plan of what is going to happen next, the reply was "no idea, maybe a couple of hours..." our next question was "is there somewhere we could wait outside the queue in case we needed to leave." Her reply was "no you have to queue with everyone else, there are loads of other children waiting". I can only guess she does not appreciate the additional stress and trauma a change of plans has on an autistic child...
Turns out it would be a 2 hour wait, and our son had started on the road to meltdown not long after pulling up. We managed to flag down a Marshall and get ourselves extracted from the queue and made our way home... with a very stressed and upset child.
Tried calling wightlink for 2 days to get a refund and to discuss the lack of accessibility, but the recording cut you off and left no room for messages... £65 for nothing apart from an eye opening experience in how uneducated people still are about autism... oh and a disappointed family on the otherside of the Solent.

The increase in the cost is eye watering. Some of my friends on the mainland have said they can't afford to visit me this year and I will be taking less trips.

Increasingly there are timetable changes. Christmas was hideous. I was bumped from a 3pm to a 2am.

The fastcat winter timetable felt like an island curfew.

On a positive I have always found the staff on the ground helpful.

Ferries are overpriced, tatty, aged and often dirty. Crumbs, spilled drinks, torn seats, mouldy windows. For the price I have to pay I’d expect a much better service. Use a local foot passenger ferry service from Cowes if possible.

Total rip off.
Was considering a trip to the Isle of Wight in the summer. Return ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne over £350! Can fly to Greece and back for less than that!

Shocking service and shocking prices. Always late or cancelled yet the green pie charts always tell a different story!
If they are not busy they mysteriously are cancelled for a variety of made up reasons. The wightlink book of excuse’s must be a sight to behold and I think they have used every single one!! They work as a duopoly with the other shocking ferry service to hold the island to ransom, killing opportunity and economy. All they care about is profit.

The cost of the ferries are extortionate.
There are frequent cancelations and delays.

This company pollute the water and air whilst over charging a vulnerable and captive market. Extortionate ferry prices mean we stay poorer and the ferry company gets richer. This company are scum bags for putting profits before people.

Rude to customers If you request to be near lift/access to ramp on check in. This is a repeat issue I have with Wightlink. The online form is completed by myself in enough time before travelling. Check in staff are rude and insensitive to needs when requested.

We live on the Island and travel weekly. Service is always excellent. I can see most negative comments here are price driven. Yes it's not cheap, but presumably you have a choice as a visitor. Watch for discount vouchers and choose non peak times and of course book in advance.

Held to ransom yet again.

Will someone please rescue us from these pirates, at least Red Funnel are doing day returns cheap at 47.50.

Cheaper to have a wip round and buy a ferry ⛴️

Does Not Accept Cash!
Does Not have Manned Ticket office.

Prices are just ridiculous. Us islanders have no choice but to use these companies to get off the island and they know it… so they hike their prices up. If you need to pop to a shop, hospital appointment or go holiday it’s a massive chore but to have to plan the whole day out around the ferries. What makes it better is most of the time they’re running late or cancelled. Our last holiday was so stressful trying to get back to the last midnight boat otherwise we were stuck for hours because Wightlink don’t think there’s any demand for late night foot passenger crossing. We ended up have it to run to a taxi off our train to run and get it. Always a stress.

Absolute rip of merchants!!!

Charging overpriced fares for islanders and visitors alike.

The company has you over a barrel as it’s the only way on and off the island unless you have the money to have your own boat.

Always cancellations and delays, given the price you expect a smooth service.

About time they looked at amending their prices especially to islanders.

Just awful - overpriced!

Very expensive for a 40 minute journey. Also a cold and uncomfortable area to sit with our Dog. The staff were polite enough but couldn’t give us and information as to why our sailing was delayed.

The prices are insane. People who usually visit us aren't coming this summer because they can't justify over £200 for a return ferry. You can consistently get to France cheaper. How they can justify it is beyond me.