When you’re on a long ferry crossing, especially one that lasts over 20 hours, the last thing you want is to sit waiting to get off.

So when booking our ferry with Brittany Ferries, we added priority disembarkation on the outward journey.

We were travelling lots with long drives on a road trip across Spain and Portugal, so thought it would be nice to get off quickly and crack on with our first long drive. 

On the way home we decided not to pay extra for the priority disembarkation as we didn’t have such a long drive and thought we’d just save the money, as we were heading home anyway by this point.  

But did we make the right choice?

It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time.

But after experiencing both options, with and without it, the difference was huge.

10 minutes to get off the ferry.
Over an hour without it.
And a much smoother boarding experience, too.

But do you actually save time?

The cost for the priority disembarkation was £15 at the time of our booking.  We decided to book it one way only.

So, is it worth it?

What is priority disembarkation on Brittany Ferries?

Priority disembarkation is an optional extra that lets you be one of the first vehicles to leave the ship, skipping most of the queues on the car deck.

In simple terms, it means:

• You’re directed into a priority lane
• You’re unloaded earlier than most passengers
• You get out of the port much faster

It’s a small add-on cost at just £15, at the time we booked, but it can make a noticeable difference to how your journey ends.

Our experience with priority disembarkation

On our outward journey from Plymouth to Santander, we paid for priority disembarkation.

And honestly, it worked exactly as expected.

We were off the ferry in around 10 minutes.

No waiting around. No long queues of cars. No sitting in a hot car, wondering when things would start moving.

After a long crossing, that felt like a huge win and made the next part of our journey – a long drive – much smoother.

We also boarded the ferry faster

One thing we didn’t expect was how much smoother the boarding process felt with priority disembarkation.

We did have to arrive earlier than usual, around 1 hour and 45 minutes before departure, instead of the standard check-in time of approximately 45 minutes before, so roughly an hour earlier than normal.

But it didn’t feel like a hassle.

Instead of sitting around waiting in a queue, we were guided on much sooner than standard boarding, and could head straight up to our cabin.

That meant we could start settling in, exploring the ship, and getting comfortable while other passengers were still waiting to board.

It made the whole start of the journey feel calmer and more organised, rather than rushed or frustrating.

Our experience without priority disembarkation

On the return journey, we didn’t book it.

Same ferry. Same setup. Same expectations.

Completely different experience.

It took over an hour to get off the ferry!

We were sat in the car, barely moving, waiting for the decks ahead to clear. It felt slow, frustrating, and a bit draining, especially after already spending so long onboard and just wanted to get off the ferry as we hadn’t really enjoyed the ferry crossing at all!

You can read more about that in my article all about whether I’d recommend the overnight ferry to Spain from the UK or not.

The real difference: 1 hour vs 10 minutes

When you put it side by side, the difference is obvious:

• With priority: off the ferry in around 10 minutes
• Without priority: over 1 hour waiting

That’s not a small improvement.

That’s a completely different end to your journey.

When priority disembarkation is worth it

From our experience, it’s definitely worth it if:

• You’ve already had a long crossing and just want to get going
• You’re travelling with kids
• You’re tired and ready to get off
• You have a long drive ahead
• You value time and convenience

It’s a small extra cost that can make a big difference.

When it might not matter

There are a few situations where you might not need it:

• You’re not in a rush
• You’re happy to take things slowly
• You plan to wait until the queues clear anyway
• You’re travelling at quieter times

Some people prefer to stay onboard a bit longer and avoid the rush completely.

The reality

Priority disembarkation doesn’t change the ferry crossing itself.

You’re still on the same ship for the same amount of time.

But it does change how the journey feels at the start and the end.

And after such a long trip, that matters more than you might expect.

Final verdict

For us, yes, it was absolutely worth it.

The difference between getting off in 10 minutes versus waiting over an hour is huge, esepcially when on a long European road trip with lots of driving, and being in the car lots already. Getting on with the journey at either end as quickly as possible would be better!

The smoother boarding was also an added bonus we didn’t expect.

If we were to take the ferry again, this is one extra we would definitely book every time.

Next, read my article comparing the Commodore Cabin with the Deluxe Cabin on the Pont Aven if you’re struggling to decide!

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For Brittany Ferries crossings, priority disembarkation can reduce your wait from over an hour to around 10 minutes, making it a worthwhile upgrade for a quicker, less stressful arrival.