Forum Discussion

D_D_Wanderers's avatar
May 28, 2015

Newfoundland ferry

We will be arriving on the east coast in a few days and taking the ferry to Newfoundland. The rear end of the MH rides low to the ground and has caused ferry boarding and exiting problems in the past. The oil cooler hangs down and if ripped off, its a dead horse right there, not to mention the mess and inconvenience to all. Are the on and off ramps to the Nfd ferries going to be a problem? Do we need to make reservations for early June crossing.
Thanks for any info.
  • It's very unlikely that you'll have any issues with the Gulf ferry or the Argentia ferry. As others said they are big boats. Don't be disappointed if you cannot get on some of the smaller coastal ferries.

    You will have a great time here.
  • We made the trip last summer with a 34 foot gas class A towing a Honda CRV

    Note that I am talking about two different ferry crossings here

    The Marine Atlantic ferry from Sidney Nova Scotia to Port a Basques Newfoundland is big. It has 3 vehicle decks and it feels more like parking in a large football field ( with a roof ) than a ship. I can’t see any problems here.

    We also took the trip from St Barbe Newfoundland to Blanc Sablon Labrador just to say we went to Labrador. This is a smaller, single vehicle deck ship. Still has room for plenty of semi trucks. The man directing the loading looked at our motor home and said “ If you don’t stay RIGHT BEHIND that truck, you wont get on. “ It was a big gasoline tanker trailer and as I closely followed 10 feet behind him I got to read all the safety and warning labels on the back of the tank.
    Coming back to Newfoundland from Labrador they did not say anything, so it may be tide and load conditions that change the ramp to boat angle.
    If you take this part of the trip, this ferry may be the one to watch. The loadmaster knows what he is doing, and he does not want a hung up RV blocking his ramp. However he might not see something hanging down under the motorhome
  • We are likewise headed there this summer. General consensus that I found regarding ferry reservations was to make them - particularly if you are a big rig. It was recommended to us to make them at least 2 weeks ahead of time - obviously the sooner the better if you need a guaranteed date. Easy to do on-line. We made ours without difficulty, but there was another fellow on here who claimed he had to cancel his trip because he couldn't get them when he needed them. Dunno if he had tried more than 1 date/time, tho. ST
  • We took the Port aux Basques ferry with our 45' MH and I don't remember any issue. It is one big ferry. We spent a month on the rock and had a great time. We also took the ferry to Labrador with the toad.
  • Most embankment and/or ferry have adjustable ramps and can accomodate difficult situations.
  • Check with Marine Atlantic. They may be able to help. Which route are you taking? To Argentia or Port aux Basques? It might make a difference which ramp and boat you are taking.
  • Sometimes you don't know if you are still on the ramp or on the ship. It can be that smooth. These are BIG ferries. We had a problem on ferries with our 1999 Adventurer on some ferries do to the back end. But on the Newfoundland ferry, no problems at all. Be aware that you will not be able to stay in your MH on the ferry and your propane will be off.
  • I would measure how far off the ground, then call them. Having some wide planks along may be helpful