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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Jan 14, 2021 21:32:48 GMT -8
Stena Line over the last year have put two E-Flexers into service: Stena Estrid entered service on the Dublin to Holyheed with the first sailing on January 13, 2020. Stena Edda entered service on the Belfast to Liverpool with the first sailing on March 9, 2020.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Mar 28, 2021 20:24:05 GMT -8
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Apr 15, 2021 20:48:22 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on Apr 14, 2024 15:50:50 GMT -8
Last week, during a two week long trip to the UK and Ireland, my partner and I traveled on the overnight crossing from Liverpool to Belfast on the Stena Embla. The trip left Liverpool at 2230 and arrived at 0630 in Belfast, so I didn't do a ton of exploring beyond a quick lap around the ship before hitting the pillow, and a quick stop off at the cafeteria for a late night snack and at the gift shop for some souvenirs. We spent the night in a four-berth cabin that turned out to be reasonably comfortable for the trip, and the two bunks up top made for good storage of our packs. These Stena Line ships look dated from the outside, but the ship is only a few years old. The interior is exceptionally well-appointed with wide corridors, wide centre stairwells, and lots of amenities, all of which were open and serving at the time of boarding. It surprised me how similar in feeling the ship is to our Northern Expedition with a similar layout and familiar cabins, however the Embla having a couple extra decks and am on-board bar. These sailings are definitely geared towards people traveling with vehicles. I think given the cheapness of UK plane tickets, most potential foot passengers travel by air. So amenities at the terminal for walk-ons were limited. There were maybe a couple-dozen of us, and we were subject to a passport check and some minor security screening questions after check-in and before the boarding lounge. At time of boarding, maybe around 2100 or so, we were herded on to a bus that drove us to the lower vehicle deck (Deck 3) and dropped us in front of the midship stairs. Upon arrival, a bus came and picked us up at the same set of stairs in Belfast to drive us to that terminal building. This procedure is identical to the one on Marine Atlantic, and is meant to compensate for the lack of any foot passenger walkway, and keeps pedestrians out of the way of the extensive cargo operations that take place on the main deck. The trip was fairly uneventful and unfortunately since it was dark the entire time, and not enough room in the pack for a camera that is good enough to compensate for the lack of light, I don't have very many photos. But once I put our trips' iPhone photos through Lightroom, I'll re-evaluate and see if there are any worth contributing.
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