But on Wednesday the operator, which invested £50 million in the Liberation, blamed the unexpected nature of the events for ‘making communication challenging’.
The Liberation had been due to arrive in Guernsey from Jersey at about 4 pm on Monday but was informed that the Hebridean Princess cruise ship was occupying one of the berths. Due to safety concerns, Condor say, the decision was made to head straight to Poole instead, leaving scores of holidaymakers stuck in Guernsey.
In a statement released on Monday, Condor said that a combination of strong winds and the unwillingness of the cruise ship to leave the berth in harbour meant that the captain’s only safe option was to return to Poole.
UK holidaymakers Liz (62) and Trevor Dalgleish (59) were in Guernsey celebrating their ruby wedding with their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The couple said that their holiday was soured as their son and his family waited for more than 4½ hours with little information to return to the UK.
‘It was abysmal,’ Mrs Dalgleish said. ‘There was just no communication.’
Her concerns were echoed by other car passengers, who claimed that they only found out that the Liberation would not be picking up passengers in Guernsey through a local radio news bulletin.
Captain Fran Collins, Condor’s executive director of operations, said that it had been an unexpected event which had made communications especially challenging.
‘We try to give information to our passengers as quickly as possible in all circumstances, and we are always working to improve our customer communication when there is an unforeseen disruption,’ she said.
She added that she wished to thank the Condor staff who helped to find accommodation for passengers in both Guernsey and Poole, as well as alternative transport where needed.
