Staff on the tarmac saved the day
Sailing was fine both ways, especially on the way back when staff on the tarmac in Calais offered us to drive onto our intended ferry that was about to leave only 20 min later (we arrived late at the port so we were rebooked on a later ferry). This was much appreciated as we travelled with young children and the earlier ferry easily saved us three hours. It would have been nice to sail with the Pioneer as booked but it wasn’t to be (technical difficulties apparently). Also, while we were informed of the change of vessel for the outbound journey in a timely fashion (by text), we weren’t told about the one-hour delay. That only became apparent when the planned departure time came and went. On the return journey, we weren’t informed about the change of vessel at all. Nevertheless, being allowed to drive onto the ferry last minute made this trip a million times less stressful.