For 25 years the Ben-my-Chree sailed back and forth across the Irish Sea as the flagship and largest vessel ever owned by the Steam Packet.
However, little over a year ago, her supremacy was brought to an end as the Manxman rolled into town.
While Manxman’s introduction wasn’t smooth, there were more than few teething troubles. There were wind restrictions, Manx rumours about tinted windows and her first winter coinciding with more weather alerts than at any point in previous years which led to cancellations.
While there are still some peculiarities, including the door system which continues to befuddle travelling coach parties, the way the drinks machines only fill a hot chocolate 2/3rds the way full, the safety video being totally out of sync with the audio and Manxman’s ability to shake like a defecating dog when the right circumstances align, she has settled in to her role.
Now, with the Manxman in dry dock for a service and due to have her berthing trials in Liverpool, the Steam Packet has tagged in the Ben to carry out the Heysham runs for the next couple of weeks or so.
All of The Lights
I started writing this because it’s 4am, I’m in the Legends bar on the Ben and I can’t sleep. It’s cold, she is loud and the lights are just on.
That led to me thinking about how the two compare, so for what it’s worth, let’s take a look.
Comfort
Manxman wins hands down, her bar/cafe lounge where I tend to sit is brilliant, the chairs are comfy, the are charging points and on night boats, you can find somewhere onboard that’s dark enough to bed down and get some sleep.
The Ben, wow, we really put up with this? The chairs in the Legends bar are awful, trying to sleep on the floor is your best hope and those aforementioned lights are just awful for sleep.
Facilities
Did you know Manxman has public showers? I stumbled across them by accident, they’re just there.
Other than that, the coffee shop outlet at the front is great, the lounges are comfy and the cabins are better than some hotels I’ve stayed in, plus the shop is big, you can walk around and it’s just a pleasant ship to be on.
The Ben, erm, yeah.
Food
Same food on each ship, it’s better than I can ever remember it. If I was being critical, the bacon could do with a bit longer to crisp up, but it has always been good.
Outdoor Space
In truth, this is a space the Ben can claw back points. I love the outdoor deck on the Ben, you can wander out, go up top and look out over the bridge, or if you don’t fancy that you can take a seat on one of the metal benches, I’ve even slept on them coming back on a summer overnight.
However, I find the Manxman’s outdoor space to be abysmal. The area on Deck 9 is nothing to write home about (though my mum will read this so I suppose I just have), the space at the back of the bar isn’t much better and overall it’s just quite crap, which is shame if you like listening to music and staring out to sea like you’re the main character in a Netflix drama.
Stop the Count
I don’t buy in to the thing about her being a mini cruise ship, in truth we just didn’t know how much the world of ferry travel had moved on while we were sleeping on the floor of the Ben.
Overall, it’s a clear win for the new flagship for me.
Unless, of course, you prefer tearing across the Irish Sea bound for Liverpool, in which case, Manannan kicks both their sterns and this entire exercise has been a total waste of your time and mine!
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