New ‘state-of-the-art’ Ireland-to-Spain passenger ferry service has launched

All action on the high seas...

Brittany Ferries has launched its new ferry, the Salamanca, carrying over 1,000 passengers and accepting customers on foot and bike for the first time on the route. The "state-of-the-art" 214.5m “cruise-ferry” will depart from Rosslare on Wednesday and Friday mornings, with the journey taking 29 to 30 hours, and with one to two nights spent on board. One-way rates for two passengers and a car sailing from Rosslare to Bilbao are quoted from €232, with reclining seats included, at the time of writing, with the price for two people with a car and cabin starting from €342 each way. Accommodation is also compulsory on the sailings, with seats starting from €12 each way and four-berth cabins from €135 each way this month. Named after the heritage city in Castilla y Léon in Spain, the Salamanca replaces the freight-orientated Connemara vessel, more than doubling the capacity, with space for over 1000 passengers in 343 comfortable cabins. 22 of these cabins are specially designed for passengers travelling with their pet dog, however, these pet-friendly and upgraded cabins cost extra. The vessel promises a Spanish-themed experience, with the interior decorated with the work of Spanish artists, Spanish cuisine cooked up in the Azul and Taberna de Tapas restaurants and a bar that's been designed to evoke Salamanca city’s spectacular main square. "Passengers will feel as though they have been transported to a Spanish city from the moment they step on board,” said Frederic Dumoulin, chief commercial officer for Brittany Ferries. The vessel is the first Liquefied Natural Gas powered passenger ferry to service Ireland, which Dumoulin says promises "lower emissions and a smoother, quieter voyage". This article originally appeared on Lovin.ie