Travel
Ferries: booking, pets on board and your rights
The booking sites that cover most routes, the big operators' pet and wifi rules, fast-boat safety in Southeast Asia, and what you're owed when a sailing is late or cancelled.
Checked on 20 October 2026. Prices, fees and rules are from each company's own pages, or the law, unless we say otherwise. They change, so check when you book.
The short version
- A booking site may cost a little more. Direct Ferries "applies a small service fee to most bookings"; Ferryhopper says it doesn't charge extra fees on its own site. Direct Ferries, booking FAQs, Ferryhopper, booking info
- Travelling with a pet? Book the cabin early. Pet cabins are limited on many ships and rules vary by route: on DFDS's crossings from the UK to France your pet stays in the car, while on Dunkirk to Rosslare it can only travel in a pet cabin. DFDS, travelling with your pet, Stena Line, pet-friendly cabins
- Working on board varies. Tallink Silja gives free wifi of up to 10 Mbit/s on all its ships, though it warns it can be slow at busy times or in bad weather; Stena Line sells premium wifi on the Irish Sea for £2 a device, "fast enough to let you stream". Tallink Silja, wifi on board, Stena Line, wifi on board
- Late arrivals pay 25% to 50%. In the UK and EU you're owed part of the fare when a ferry arrives an hour or more late, depending on how long the crossing is, unless bad weather or extraordinary circumstances caused it. Your Europe, ship passenger rights, Regulation 1177/2010, article 19, Regulation 1177/2010, article 20
Booking sites
Alphabetical.
| Site | Covers | Fees to you | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12Go | Southeast Asia, including Thai island boats; names Lomprayah and OceanJet | Not published on the pages we read | Go to 12Go |
| Direct Ferries | Almost 4,000 routes and over 270 operators | "A small service fee to most bookings", shown before you confirm | Go to Direct Ferries |
| Ferryhopper | 170+ companies in Greece, Spain, Italy, Türkiye, northern Europe and North Africa | "We don't charge any extra fees" on its own site; prices come from the ferry companies | Go to Ferryhopper |
| Ferryscanner | 350+ ferry companies and 6,000 routes | Any fees are shown during booking; extras such as flexible cancelling cost more | Go to Ferryscanner |
Sources: 12Go, about (Polish page), Direct Ferries, booking FAQs, Ferryhopper, booking info, Ferryscanner, about us
Ferry companies
Alphabetical. Pet rules change by ship and route, so check yours when you book.
| Company | Routes | Pets | Wifi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baleària | Spain, the Balearics, the Canaries, Morocco and Algeria | Pet cabins; pet seats for pets up to 8 kg; kennels you usually can't visit during the crossing | Paid, by voucher | Go to Baleària |
| Blue Star Ferries | Greece and the Adriatic | Check when booking | Free on Saronic routes; elsewhere €5 to €14 a pack in Greece, €7 to €20 on the Adriatic | Go to Blue Star Ferries |
| Brittany Ferries | UK and Ireland to France and Spain | 106 pet cabins on five ships, says a trade report from around 2023; kennels, or your car, on others | Free with a code on your boarding card, says an older trade report | Go to Brittany Ferries |
| Condor Ferries | Guernsey, the UK and France; it left Jersey in March 2025 | Up to two pets in a pet cabin, or in your car | Not checked | Go to Condor Ferries |
| DFDS | The Channel, Newcastle to Amsterdam, Dunkirk to Rosslare, Jersey, the Baltic and Copenhagen to Oslo | UK to France: in your vehicle (foot passengers on Newhaven to Dieppe book one of two kennels). Newcastle to Amsterdam: pet cabins (£30 a pet each way) or kennels. Dunkirk to Rosslare: pet cabins only. Baltic: not left in cars since March 2023 | Not checked | Go to DFDS |
| Grimaldi Lines | The Mediterranean: Italy, Spain, Greece, Tunisia and Morocco | Pet cabins at €10 a cabin a journey; kennels | Not checked | Go to Grimaldi Lines |
| Irish Ferries | The Irish Sea, Dover to Calais and Dublin to Cherbourg | Pet cabins on some ships, kennels on some routes, or your car on the Irish Sea and Dover to Calais | Free on the Ulysses (Dublin to Holyhead), terms apply; other ships not checked | Go to Irish Ferries |
| P&O Ferries | Dover to Calais, the North Sea and the Irish Sea | Dover to Calais: £15 a pet each way; in your vehicle, or the Pet Lounge for dogs (£12 each way) | Not checked | Go to P&O Ferries |
| SeaJets | Greek high-speed boats. If you cancel: full refund 14+ days ahead, 75% at 7+ days, 50% up to 12 hours, nothing after; cancel through whoever sold the ticket | Free, but you can't book them online | €3 for three hours on some boats | Go to SeaJets |
| Stena Line | The Irish Sea, Harwich to Hook of Holland, Scandinavia and the Baltic | Pet cabins on Liverpool to Belfast, Holyhead to Dublin and Fishguard to Rosslare; none on Cairnryan to Belfast | Premium wifi £2 a device on the Irish Sea, €4 on Harwich to Hook | Go to Stena Line |
| Tallink Silja | The Baltic: Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia | Pet cabins from €15 one way plus the cabin; kennels; your car only on Helsinki to Tallinn | Free, up to 10 Mbit/s; premium up to 50 Mbit/s on two ships | Go to Tallink Silja |
Sources: Baleària, travel with a pet, Baleària, internet on board, Blue Star Ferries (Attica Group), wifi on board, Irish Travel Trade News, Brittany Ferries pet cabins, Irish Travel Trade News, free wifi on Brittany Ferries (older), Condor Ferries, travelling with pets, Island FM, Jersey says goodbye to Condor, March 2025, Island FM, Brittany Ferries takes majority of Condor, September 2024, DFDS, travelling with your pet, Grimaldi Lines, pets on board, Irish Ferries, pets, Irish Ferries, Dublin to Holyhead, P&O Ferries, Dover to Calais with a pet, SeaJets blog, travelling with your pet, September 2024, SeaJets, FAQ, Stena Line, pet-friendly cabins, Stena Line, wifi on board, Tallink Silja, travelling with pets, Tallink Silja, wifi on board
Boats in Southeast Asia
Boats are a common way to reach the islands, and safety varies. This is the UK government's advice.
- Indonesia
- "Safety standards vary between providers." Vessels "can be crowded and overloaded and are often poorly maintained", so check for life jackets and lifeboats before you board, bring children's life jackets if you can, and avoid travelling after dark unless you're sure the boat is properly equipped. FCDO, Indonesia safety and security, September 2026
- Thailand
- "Boats can sink or collide, which has led to fatalities, including of British nationals", with causes including overloading, poor maintenance and rough seas, particularly in the monsoon. FCDO, Thailand safety and security, October 2026
When a sailing is late or cancelled
- Refund or another sailing
- If a sailing is cancelled or leaves more than 90 minutes late, you choose a refund within 7 days or re-routing at no extra cost. Your Europe, ship passenger rights, Regulation 1177/2010, article 18
- Compensation
- 25% of the fare if you arrive at least an hour late on a crossing of up to four hours, two hours on four to eight, three hours on eight to 24 and six hours beyond; 50% when the delay is more than double those times. Not owed if the weather made sailing unsafe or extraordinary circumstances stopped the service. In the UK, compensation worth less than £5 doesn't have to be paid. The rules don't cover very small boats (12 passengers or fewer), crossings under 500 m or sightseeing trips. Regulation 1177/2010, article 19, Regulation 1177/2010, article 20, ECC Netherlands, ferry rights, October 2025, Your Europe, ship passenger rights, Consumer Council (Northern Ireland), ferry travel
- Hotels
- If you're stuck overnight, the company must offer a hotel for up to three nights, which it can cap at €80 a person a night in the EU or £70 in the UK. Your Europe, ship passenger rights FAQ, Regulation 1177/2010, article 17 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Injury and luggage
- Under EU rules on passenger liability, a ferry company is liable for death or injury up to about €300,000, and up to about €490,000 unless it proves it wasn't at fault; about €2,700 for cabin luggage and €15,500 for a vehicle and its contents. Your Europe, ship passenger rights, Skuld, the Athens Convention and EU passenger liability, January 2026
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