While taking the ferry to Calais might not be the same as a cruise holiday in the Mediterranean, one can hardly dispute the fact that modern ferries are faster, more luxurious and much more comfortable than their counterparts of yesteryear.

The trend of “bigger is better” has also found its way to the ferry market. Stena Line, for example, plans two giant new ships that will each have a passenger capacity of up to 1,200 for its Belfast-Cairnryan route. They will start operating in November 2011.

The ships, called SuperFast VIII and Stena Superfast VII, will be the biggest ferries ever to sail the waters between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Stena has appointed MJM Marine from Newry, a company that specialises in marine outfitting, to fit out the newcomers to the highest international standards. According to Stena this will ensure that they are “the most modern, comfortable and best designed ferries ever to ply the Irish Sea.”

Passengers can also look forward to a significantly reduced journey time when the new purpose-built terminal and port at Cairnryan is launched in November.

When asked to comment on the two new ships and the new terminal, the Route Director at Stena Line, Paul Grant, said “It will be a huge milestone for this service and the culmination of an ongoing investment programme which started with the construction of our new terminal at VT4 in Belfast back in 2008.”

If you have never tasted the joys of a cruise holiday before, a trip on one of Stena’s ships might be all you need to hook you forever.