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| CANADA, SUMMER 2006 Part Two continued: Madeleine Souris - Cap-aux-Meules Text and all pictures © matt@hhvferry.com except where stated |
| Top: The Madeleine leaving Cap-aux-Meules. |
| The bulk of the passenger lounges are on the deck above, Deck 5. This is identical in arrangement to that of the Dubrovnik (although the décor is very different) but significantly changed from the original plan. The three main saloons are linked together by a starboard-side arcade which features more reclining seating: aft is a comfortable but slightly predictable Irish Pub. Forward of this is the former Kilronan Restaurant (originally the location of the cafeteria) and, separated by the galley, right forward is the self-service cafeteria (in the space originally taken by the restaurant and its adjacent forward cocktail lounge which, after a B&I refit, became the Currach Café). One deck higher is the Boat Deck which features the remaining passenger cabins; the cabins beneath the car deck now appear out of use. The Madeleine features the classic wrap-around promenade deck which is so popular on this ship and her sister, particularly when the weather is sunny. Happily this was the case on our crossing and passengers massed onto the decks and stretched out on the fibreglass deck seating. |
| Above & below: Two views of the aft Bar on Deck 5. |
| Above: The bar counter at the aft end. |
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| Above & below: Forward of the bar on the port side is the ship's restaurant, the entrance to which (below) featured a variety of particularly corny 1980s B&I publicity pictures of the ship, her passengers and crew. |
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| Above: The main thoroughfare on Deck 5 is this arcade which runs right along the ship's starboard side from the bar aft to the cafeteria forward. This view looking aft also shows the compact children's play area on the right. |
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| Above & below: Looking across to port in the forward cafeteria (above) and the food servery area (below). |
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| Above & below: The main passenger spaces are completed by a further reclining seat lounge on Deck 6 (above), forward of which are some original passenger cabins, several of which were in a partially refurbished state during our crossing (below). |
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| The Madeleine was fresh back from refit (indeed work was still being carried out in some of the cabins) and so it was hard to tell what day-to-day maintenance standards were but she was in all-round pretty good shape, particularly on the outside decks. One sensed however that C.T.M.A. were rather more ship-proud than the operators we had used previously on this trip and on none of their ships was the ingrained grime to be found that had worked its way into the rather younger fleet operated by Marine Atlantic. C.T.M.A.’s blind spot instead appeared to come in their dining facilities. We considered the option of going to the ship’s restaurant but this was particularly expensive and having just emerged from a rather splendid B&B breakfast we settled on the forward cafeteria. Here plastic plates, knives and forks were the order of the day and the food was cardboardesque. Happily they redeemed themselves slightly with the offering of a large jug of wine for a reasonable price and things looked rather better all-round as this was consumed via a most satisfactory non-plastic cup. |
| Above & below: The top level of outside deck (Deck 7) enables passengers to get a close-up view of the ship's funnel, complete with still very visible 'B+I' markings (below). |
| Above & below: The wrap-around promenade deck. |
| Above & below: Excellent views forward are possible from the outside decks, and the ship's builders plate can be found at the stern area on Deck 6. |
| Below: Lunch. |