We sailed from Bilbao to Rosslare on the MV Galicia on 28/3/24 through some very rough seas. We have now sailed on The Kerry, Connemara, Salamanca, Santona and Galicia on this route. Had it been the Kerry or Connemara the sailing would not have taken place. The E Flexers are excellent in rough seas. On the way out it was the Santona in very calm conditions and the journey did resemble cruise, especially sailing close to the Brittany coast. When we were leaving Bilbao the ship had to literally ride the waves and at stages during the night it got very rocky. However we were three hours late getting into Rosslare and it seems as if the Captain was staying just behind the bad weather expertly.
The Galicia is not as quite as the two LNG powered Salamanca and Santona but in all other aspect it is identical. The Ireland/Spain route in the off season is mostly trucks and trailers with a relatively, if increasing, number of passengers. This has the effect of at times seeming like a ghost ship. The public areas are never crowded and the restaurants are also relatively quiet, probably different in the high season.
My only gripe was we were on a Flexi ticket and it cost us more to bring the sailing forward than if we had just rolled up and booked standard on the day. However the Flexi did allow us to change but not sure if we will pay the extra again.
