Reviews of Marine Atlantic - Channel-Port aux Basques Ferry Terminal (Winery)

T T

Loved this experience!! We travelled at the night and got a cabin. So well worth it, because you can basically sleep the ride away. The departure was 11:45pm and you are expected to arrive 2 hours early by 9:45pm. Don't be late because that is when they start loading the vehicles. The bad part is if you arrive too early, you get put on deck 1 which is kinda the basement of the ship. It's a tight space and you are the last to leave the ferry in the end so you are stuck 20-30mins extra on the ferry waiting to leave. The cabin rooms were clean and comfortable. There is a bar seating area to hang out and have some drinks before the ferry leaves. There are some playroom for toddlers.

Peter Nelson

Great crossing despite being an overnighter without a cabin. Very efficient loading and on time departure

Rick

TV in the room didn't work but otherwise fine

ArekSm7

Expensive, customer service bad in solving problems. Charge me twice for ferry than reimburse me but didnt get money back right away.

Yvette LeRoux

Im home! I'm home! Hello beautiful Newfoundland!

Hussein Mahmoud

Very nice and clean cabins and friendly staff

Nick Kerhulas

This Ferry Terminal is pretty standard with lines of vehicles and trucks awaiting boarding. I have found the staff to be friendly and helpful and the crossing to be quite fun. We ended up renting a cabin as we were embarking on a long road trip and wanted to wake up in Sydney somewhat rested but it can be forgone as there are multiple areas to sit and ride out the voyage.

Ray Thomas

Had a good trip across Cabot Straits on the overnight ferry, berth was very clean and had a good sleep. Very friendly and informative crew. Breakfast was good and reasonably priced.

David Laite

Great Breakfast very generous with the portions and all you care to drink coffee with take away cups for the ferry!

Sarah Robinson

Very professional, reliable service. I have taken at least 20 trips over the course of 9 years and have never had a bad experience. Each vessel is clean and well equipped, with a very friendly and accommodating staff. I recommend bringing your own food however as the prices at the restaurant/ snack bar are very steep.

Jean-Francois “JF” Lyras

Great process and people.

Claude Raymond

One rude employe, all the others are very Nice. Cabins Cabins and beds very clean. During covid19 hoax , no restaurant service

Ryanator 1117

Great way to travel on a nice summer day.

Wayne Bignell

Awesome ferry ride recommend to anyone who lives or visting Newfoundland

Horia Andresan

Excellent service, friendly and professional staff. Extremely clean.

Bharathi Sivachandran

Very good and professional staffs, restaurant was good, gift shop on boat, nice rooms in the ferry with showers, not much crowded in the early spring, resting area is clean, the staffs are friendly, suggest you to book ferry room when you are going in group.,

roger nelson

Great experience and an a very helpful staff. Hope to be able to come back soon.

Aiden Schultz

First time to the 'Rock', ferry was pretty cool, I was lucky and got a cabin with a window. Wind had kicked up and she rolled a little during the trip, nothing crazy though. Got to Port Aux Basques early morning, the ferry staff got us sorted out real quick. Then I met the entry staff, you got to make sure you have your forms and plans sorted out or you could be delayed for awhile. Its a really tiny place and I didnt have a chance to look around because of the COVID. Let me tell you the roads are interesting, good sections for the most part, the bad sections have potholes that you can lose a tractor trailer in. ????

Sher V

The male workers behind the front service desk should help ladies with their luggage especially when it's heavy and you know we are struggling! I am disabled and it was listed on my information and I was offered no help at all! My 78yr old mother-in-law had to help me as 2 men behind the counter watched and chatted!!! Very disheartening...

Chicken Mama

Amazing trip. My trip should be on 22Dec at 11:45 am. But we received a call from the staff on 21 Dec 19:00 to tell me that the ferry on 22 Dec was canceled due to high wind. And 22 Dec 23:45 ferry will delay to 04:00. And we can go before 2:00 am. But we have no cabin from the change. But we are enjoying our cabin when we return. Very great experience. Very surprised that you should shower on the ferry. Thank you to all staff who work hard there.

james viau

Excellent service and great food at the terminal.

sam thind

Helpful staff and great service

David Bouwkamp

Nice terminal with very courteous staff. The only reason for four stars is because it's not as nice as the terminal in North Sydney. No wifi or variety of seating areas.

D Ann D

The staff is very pleasant and make your trip as comfortable and fun as they can with the little that they are given. They need entertainment in the daytime or it can get quite boring. If you are going on the night crossing I suggest you just get a berth and sleep and wake up refreshed on the other side.

Michael Valdivielso

The terminals were always nice and clean. While waiting for our Ferry we decided to have lunch here and the food was okay. Nothing special but I was full afterwards and found it funny that everything had gravy. This terminal even had some historical exhibits, which was nice.

Jeff B (CashinOut)

Well organized and really pleasant, helpful boarding crew both sides. The crossing was comfortable and quiet.

Tonya Clark

Bright, clean, and friendly staff.

Jeremy Kurtin

The terminal is ok, but the ferry is very under staffed. They don't even clean the seats between ferry trips or replace the social distancing seat coverings. Which allows for very tight seating we felt very uncomfortable having people directly infront and behind us. Very disappointed Even after talking to the head Stewart on the ferry, she had more excuses then resolutions. Very disappointed.

Brian Daley

Always friendly staff

Jeremy Williams

ALWAYS VERY CLEAN. AND THE SAILING IS SPECTACULAR. STAFF VERY COURTEOUS AND APPROACHABLE TO TALK TO AND ASK QUESTIONS. VERY SMOOTH SAILING EVEN IN WINTER ???????? GET ON THE BOAT!!! IT'S WORTH THE TRIP ????????????????????

Elvis Hernandez

Good experiences 2x I've traveled on Ferry as I have traveled to my furthest point in St. John's, New Fondland, Canada been fortunate from worst weather related delays..... Overall through Covid restrictions it was a pleasant experience.... Elvis Hernandez

James T

Very clean and comfortable, would have been nice to go outside or eat at the café, but due to Covid-19 all guests had to stay in their quarters

Susan Browne

Smooth crossing. Friendly staff.

Mel Woodman

Great dog park for your furry friends.

Gary Twyne

Good crossing, I miss the arcade we used to have as kids!

Jove Cana

Went on 11pm overnight from Sydney Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques Newfoundland. Checking in was a breeze. Couple of questions, show some ID, prove covid vaccinations/exemptions,, get boarding pass. Boarding was easy, shoe boarding passes and visually ID everyone in the car. Loading the ferry was efficient and relatively quick. The ferry itself was a nice surprise.... Never boarded a ferry this size so don't know if the amenities are standard, but I was impressed. Leather seats fully reclined and included foot rest. Lots of room between seats. Each seat had a remote, and a USB charging port. Food from the small cantina was actually pretty good. More expensive than buying onshore, but if you're hungry, you could hardly do worse. Pizze was ready and fresh. The prepack refrigerated sandwiches were a cut above typical airline food, which is to say pretty decent Unloading was even quicker than loading. Short checkout... Complete a short questionnaire and show ID. Then you're free to go! All on all it was a pleasant ferry ride. Got to sleep while we travelled and woke up fresh and ready for the drive.

krystalynn manu

Took the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland (and back). All the staff from check in, boarding, concessions and cabin assignment were friendly, helpful and all appeared happy. It was a great experience, i would recommend to all.

Andrew Quinlan

I crossed with my two labradoodle dogs. They were afraid of the kennels and it was really stressful for me too. Attached is a picture of the kennel room on the MV Blue Puttees. You can see the large kennel space on bottom, medium in the middle, and small on top. This space is not designed very well - there could be much more room with just a little bit of welding and fabrication work. I recommend bringing a bungee cord or some rope to secure your dog’s kennel in place. The waves may move it or they could make it fall if it’s in the middle or top. There is a small pet relief area in the room (crushed stone with a garden hose to rinse). There was a wooden chair in there and also a security camera. Also a water cooler is in there as well (????).

Paul Lebrun

Ferry ride is long and tiresome. The lunch they handed us, roast beef sandwich and chicken wrap were not real meat and impossible to eat because of the smell and taste. One bite and into the garbage it goes. Had to make do with an Apple for the 6 hour duration.

Lisa Keefe

Omg ! If you are mobility challenged like me the accessibility cabins are exquisite. Roll in shower everything really is perfection right down to assistants helping with your every need. This is the best accessibility ♿ I have seen since leaving southwest Ontario. I with there were services like this at every hotel

Joe Sears

Was scammed out of $150. I left terminal to grab a bite to eat because there is no restaurant at the terminal. When I checked in there was no mention of an additional crossing. I gave my phone number with my ID and it was written on my manifest. Some manager decided to extort an additional $150 because they could not reach me saying they didn't have my number. Pretty sad I need to pay for Marine Atlantic mistakes. Thanks for making the crossing more expensive. Almost $900. Would really help to have food service as well.

Florent Lafitte

Very simple, lots of help, friendly staff.

Les Clements

Recent sailing was smooth but that was about it. On board amenities are slim. The crew had commandeered the passenger dining area due to covid. So that only left a small snack bar for passengers with very limited selection and no seating area. Could not the crew have eaten in shifts to free up the regular dining area? In the cabins, wifi was nonexistent, the TV and “radio” did not work on both crossings. On return trip, we arrived at PAB two hours before sailing only to have had to wait 30 minutes to get into the gate! Only two gates open, one for cars and one for transports and rv’s. There were at least two other gates that could have easily been open. When docked, everyone crowded around the elevators and stairways to disembark for half an hour. No social distancing then for sure. We travelled the ferry to the Magdalen Islands the month before and had a much better experience. Full restaurant seating, hot meals and better seating all round. Come on MA you can do better than that! Be advised, take your own food and entertainment with you on this ferry.

Arlene Provost

Awesome trip! The whole experience was more than I could have hoped for.

Forest

Clean and comfortable. I found staff to be friendly and the complimentary lunch during the pandemic to be decent. MV Highlanders is a fine vessel.

Beckie Mac

We traveled as a family with our dogs from NS-->NL-->NS through PAB this month and I want to rave about the excellence in customer service from the land and vessel staff. We had a personal trauma (lost a dog at Wreckhouse) and missed our return ferry while we searched for her (and found her!). I cannot thank Tracy enough for her continuous follow ups and ensuring we could be booked on the next vessel to get us on our way once all was well. Beyond customer service, the ferry is very clean and comfortable. We had a cabin both ways and it was wonderful in its comfort & amenities. At the cafeteria the breakfast/dinner was hot and delicious. I highly recommend Marine Atlantic and always enjoy my crossings.

Annette Koziol

We had reserved seating on deck 9. Top deck. We had an overnight crossing. The while Atlantic staff was kind and accommodating. They made sure my mom was very comfortable and we had everything we needed. The chairs we comfortable. I would not have been more comfortable in a sleeping berth. Some may be. But not even my mom took a sleeping cabin. It was very smooth and the whole process is amazing.

Carla Sheedy

Always a pleasant experience. Clean spaces, decent food options even with restrictions in place and friendly staff. Learned this trip that booking a cabin is a good idea whether day or night crossing.

Brian Pigott

Clean rooms but poor comunication

Fiona Bratvold

Crossing was great! Staff were polite and professional. The rooms were clean. Unfortunately the gift store and restaurants were all closed due to covid. We'll come back in a few years and see them and taste the food. We got on the waiting list at the last moment for a cabin coming back and got one. We felt like we won the lottery!

Samuel Pinard

Bedroom comfy enough to keep you asleep during the ride. The team just makes sure you have everything in these times of covid-19.

Manpreet Chohan

Nice place ????

Wim Vdm

As a truck driver : Only one (and a half) shower(s). Cafetaria is expensive! Friendly staff. No decent WiFi while waiting on the parking for 2 days...

Master iOqY

Orderly boarding procedures, friendly staff. Modern terminal.

Gary Randall

The ferryboat ride was way pricey at over $330 Canadian dollars for one senior and one adult and NO bunk. We left at 11:15 p.m. and I had to sleep on the floor. That ruined my next day's activities. The photo is leaving the port in Sydney mines Nova Scotia and headed for Newfoundland.

Dion Kendall

Only way to travel to n from NL.

Viola Benson

Just wanted to say that I think marine Atlantic in port a Basque channel is the best. Outstanding service. They do there best to accommodate all customers needs. They go all out to give u complete satisfaction. Thankyou Marine Atlantic ????????

Norman Potter

Considering the lack of other options for crossing to and from Newfoundland, it would be easy for them to skimp on amenities and services. But it's a great way to get to and from the mainland, and their current covid-related measures will have you feeling safe for your passage.

Mimi Godin

The ferry itself was fine and well maintained. The restaurant, cafe, and bar are all closed on board "due to covid" (seems to be everyone's excuse for cutting services these days). For your 7h/15h ferry ride your options for food are limited to pizza, paninis and soup of the day. There is Wi-Fi on board, but you will have difficulty even loading a basic web page on your mobile. Pack food and pre-download some podcasts or Netflix for your trip!

Edwina Thomas

Great crossing today. Smooth sailing, lovely service, delicious lunch and snacks.

Melissa Barr

Amazingly helpful employees and very comfortable trip

Davcam

Very helpful people at the commercial vehicle check-in.

Ravi Canada

Berg well organized ???? on boarding and off boarding. Travelled during covid time, so no restaurant was open. The food was handed over once we board and checking to rooms. Ontime departure and arrival.

Albert Pierucki

Bring something warm, blanket,etc and a pillow if you do not get a room.

Paula Tarrant

Good food, nice washrooms! Friendly staff. Loved the dog park, at least the dog loved it!

John Skinner

Always a Great Experience when traveling with Marine Atlantic. Sanitary practice used and friendly customer service! Enjoy!

John

Great staff friendly service restaurant was open so all was good including food for a great tasting meal at reasonable price.

Louis Levesque

Would be nice if restaurant did take out orders and have it delivered to the cabins or have passengers oder take out and given a time of how long it would take to prepare the meal and passengers could leave the cabin and go get the food and pay for it and return to the cabin to eat

Neville Feltham

Very disorganized. Do not come early, you will be near last boarding, wait for 2 hours or a little less before boarding time and you will board much earlier. Later you board, less likely to get good seating.

TerrySSSC

Heading to the mainland, friendly loading staff!

Alex Carr (Carrisonfire)

Boats are in major need of improvements and maintenance. Most of the usb plugs and headphone jacks on the Blue Puttees dont work, no wifi, TV in my room stopped working after an hour, the headphones provided are terrible and will break within a few mins. Worst of all no smoking area. By far the worst equipped ferry I've ever ridden on.

Sukhjit Singh

Full of adventure in blue marine . Supporting staff, neat and clean room and washroom..

Carol Welden

Great staff on board, very nice ferry ride ????

Leslie Hughes

Amazing experience with having a room. Wish the gift shop was open though, tv in the room was very difficult and hard to use but we had tablets so no issue

Tara Greenland

No wait to get inside. Drove straight on through to our spot in line.

Mr. W

Friendly stuff all over the place. Government people are awesome and very helpful.

M.M

very friendly staff, clean cabins and on time

Darin Stride

I was only there to pick up a travel trailer that came across the ferry and they treated me great and made sure everything was done right

Jason

World class customer service. Can't say enough good things about how well that service is run. The best staff. clean and comfortable cabins..........

Dee Russell-McLean

Loved the trip, staff was awesome!

Cassandra Filice

Always a great experience. Staff is absolutely wonderful. I actually love the beds and pillows -- so comfy. Also, especially important during Covid, the rooms are very clean and great safety protocols.

Doug Powell

Secured Housing Unit 8hrs at a time.. no yard time or rations..sentry guards strategically posted.. CC tactically trained.

Lynn Vardy

Rode the ferry from North Sydney to Port aux Basques. Customer service was great on the phone when I had to call and make some changes. Loaded in good time, left on time. Friendly service, clean boat. Would recommend paying for the selected seats if you want a foot rest to make it easier to sleep but if your not sleeping there was plenty of room in the other non-paid lounges. All the chairs had charging stations if you bring your adapter. Food was great and not jacked up prices. Enjoyed the trip and wouldn't hesitate to use again. Well done Marine Atlantic.

Derek Thomas

Crossed on the Vision. Nicer boat than the one I took over, which I can't remember the name of. The loading went much quicker than it did in North Sydney.

Ian Glennie

Great trip on the ferry. Staff was very friendly and very helpful. Good food and nice clean berths. Awesome trip over all.

M M

Nice peeps wifi pass is marineatl

Andrew Patey

Great staff. Friendly..goes over and beyond to make you feel accommodated..

Paul Winter

Great crossing both ways, smooth as silk. Ships are well appointed & have super friendly & helpful staff.

A I K

Courteous staff... comfortable cabins...always a pleasant trip...

Elaine

Took the noon ferry from Sydney to Port aux Basques. We had reclining seats and could unmask once seated. We could move about to go on deck etc. There was no internet or TV. There are chargers for devices on each seat. The crossing was smooth and the time passed easily.

Aiden Carey

Super helpful staff, Ronnie and Jacklyn (sp?) were awesome in particular, and other helped as well. My trailer broke down coming off the ferry, and I pulled over just off the boat, like 50 metres off the boat! They helped me out with recommendations on where to get parts, a few tools, and even lending a vehicle to go get the parts! Awesome crowd! Thx lots.

Trudy POWER

Marine Atlantic were very prepared for Covid-19 restrictions. We boarded the ferry and 6 employees directed us to our parking space. Then we were very efficiently sent to our cabin with only our group on the cleaned elevator. They had box lunches/breakfast snacks prepared as cafeteria not open. All staff are to be commended on their professionalism dealing with all of the passengers on the crossing.

R p

If anyone out there would like to know how it feels to be in prison they should travel marine Atlantic. You go to your room or chair the minute you get on the ferry and do not come out until the minute you go to your vehicle. Absolutely no services. No meals or coffee only a little bag lunch that your wouldn't feed your dog. Two things you can always count on with marine Atlantic is truck drivers will always be dirt under their feet and the prices will never drop

Shirley Walsh

Was great. All the protocols in place and being followed. Great little lunch unexpectedly given to us as we went to our cabin. Cabin was immaculately clean. Grateful for the bubble

Mike M

Well oiled machine. Staff was great and efficient, ferry and berth were very clean and well kept.

Kara Lackie

Marine Atlantic's berths are clean and comfortable. The seats are comfortable to sit in for long periods, with TVs everywhere, as well which was a blessing when we couldn't get a berth. The food is nice at the restaurant and we always enjoyed eating jello in our little room.

Felicia Emberley

I've crossed between NS & NL several times now on the ferry, great customer service and clean. Today's crossing was even better as I had accidentally booked the ferry leaving from the wrong province. They fixed my issue in seconds and even put me on a waiting list for a cabin & I got one as soon as I boarded the ferry !

Judy Reid

Very cautious about social distancing...Crew always helpful... Surprised to receive a free boxed lunch.. blanket and pillow, eat phones and seated in reclining chairs at no cost!! A very pleasant crossing on July 22 2020

KimandSteve Howe

I think they could do the covod line up better. If you have your online form completed lane 1, if not lane 4...for example. Good job otherwise.

darlene MacKenzie

Very friendly personnel. Boats could use some tlc. A lot of the headphone jacks don't work, and the chairs could be more comfortable

Lewis Feit

Always enjoy the boat.. can't wait till the restaurant opens up again ..

Brian Peyton

It is one of two routes off the island of Newfoundland by vehicle. The service is second to none. Staff are friendly price is affordable and they have Veteran/Armed Forces discount. Wheelchair service available, elevators.

Ken Weagle

Good food at the terminal

Joanna Chaisson

Friendly staff taking all precautions during the covid.had a great stay in our clean cabin and a good nites sleep.

Todd Atkinson

Very friendly, organized and on time.

Burt Hatt

Very comfy chairs. Decent coffee. Onboard wifi didn't work, but cellular LTE seemed to work occasionally. Each chair has a USB outlet for charging devices, but they're don't charge very fast. They have lots of TV screens in the sitting area and each seat has a 3mm audio jack for headphones to listen to the TVs. Although I didn't test mine. One thing that would've been nice, is for someone to inform/remind passengers that they need to fill out a NFDL COVID form before you leave the ship. Also, plan for an additional 30-60 minutes wait leaving ferry terminal while they check COVID Forms.

Chris Mosdell

Very poor service ! Actually no service in the terminals,Port aux or North Sydney ship crossings canceled with out notification when ample time was given. All your rights taken away under the guise of Coved. People with little or no training. Looked at the clift rock in Portaux Basque for 24 hrs in a cold car. Ridiculous time for upper management to get off their duffs!!

ray carpenter

Great crossing.

Crys Shelley

They got us across the ocean safe, Thank you.

Cat W

The staff at the terminal and on the boats is great. Eveeything is well organized. Waiting at the terminal is kind of boring though and it is too bad there is not much to do there while waiting to be loaded.

Kimberly An

Nice way to cross from NS to NL. We were on deck 8 and not able to leave the whole time (not sure if this is normal or due to covid). I think they had wifi but it didn't work for anyone. They gave you a bagged lunch but I would recommend bringing your own as it's a surprise lunch. Took 7 hours. A lot of the seats are blocked off for social distancing. They have a few tvs playing shows like Border Patrol

Valerie Fox

A great vessel nice quiet trip to. Port aux Basse NFLD.

Phatty Xo

My family and I travelled from Sydney to Port aux basques on this ferry. It was a good experience, quick and easy. I do suggest showing up extra early so you can be on the boat first and leave first off the boat when docking. The cabins are comfortable and they have wheelchair accessible rooms and elevators. There is a small restaurant to get food and you can go out on the rooftop of the boat and watch the beautiful scenery. I'd definitely book early if you want to get the date you want to cross over on as the spots book up fast. Overall a great experience and the staff is always helpful.

VTom650

The ferries are quite nice, clean and comfortable and the people aboard are friendly and helpful. Loading was well organized. The deck hands were very helpful in advising me when securing our motorcycles (I was totally new to securing the bike and needed advice on how to work the tries downs, etc. I know very well the actual tieing down was my responsibility.) Nicely run organization! Web site works well and is informative. Calling in for changes results in talking with very helpful staff that does their best to help out (and succeeded involving my challenges.)

Rebecca Forrest

The crossing was fine, but there was no and I mean NO social distancing waiting to get up to our seats/cabin. To top it off it was disorganized, we were directed to 3 different floors just to get seated, that's a lot of walking the stairs when one of you have mobility issues. Worst experience yet, and we cross yearly.

Ann Spencer

Great in every way!

Uli huber

Day crossing is no fun at all. Long time to sit and wait seats are comfortable and staff is good and do the best they can. Good service is limited, but acceptable, pizza was good and fresh. All together, it was a good trip, but I still prefers night crossings. Well done!

Brett Harmer

Great staff,very helpful. Very nice room on Blue Putees.

andy burton

I was delayed for 2 days. I miss the purchase of my house due to this. The purpose of the trip was the purchase of the house. I am not very impressed.

Jason Burton

Very clean, nice staff, just needs better wi fi.

Travis young

Given a cabin with no working tv.

Brian Gale

The experience was awesome. Even though Covid is putting a damper on things.

ricky cowie

Got my bread and Water sent to my cell for a while, now we're docked so I guess I get some yard time now lol.

Shirley DiLiberatore

With covid restrictions in place , everything went quite smoothly. We were told before we could disembark that they would knock on our cabin door when it was time to go to our vehicle but they made an announcement instead which brought everyone to the deck to leave at the same time. Bagged lunch provided consisted of a turkey and dressing sandwich, an apple and a bottle of water. The sandwich was better than I thought it would be.

Mary Warren

we had a smooth crossing on May 26th. full moon shining in our window til 3am! The service was great with a bag lunch to take to our cabin as we quarantined for the night.

Ozzie Carter

Helpful staff and access to the washrooms. Doggy pound available.

Tara Mac Mullin

Service was more than excellent on the Vision! Staff were extremely helpful and happy! Even observed 1 staff member going above and beyond to help a young family traveling! Great to know there are still people like this that care about others! And take pride in their work! Kudos to that man!

Rajpreet Gill

Cleaned washroom , good restaurant , stuck for 2 days coz of high winds , driver lounge closed due to covid

Jamie JG Rideout

Awesome boats