How early can we board ferry from Portsmouth to Spain

[Luminousnose]

Getting the ferry from Portsmouth to Spain soon and wondering how early to arrive. Brittany Ferries say final check-in is 45 minutes before departure, but no clue as to how much earlier we could check-in and board. The departure is 21.45 and we have a five hour drive (plus any stops). We’re aiming to get to the Portsmouth area well before departure, but not sure what time we should get to the terminal. Ideally, would like to board as early as possible.

Forgot to say, any advice would be appreciated!

Off the top of my head it's 2 hours (never done Portsmouth- Spain, but have sailed with Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth and Plymouth several times). People start to get in line in their cars quite a bit earlier though, open their doors, wind down their windows, have a car picnic, wander off to the loo etc ...

If my memory serves me right, you should get an email from Brittany Ferries soon advising you when to turn up.

You can't board early, they hold you all on the tarmac. I was at Portsmouth on Sunday to come back to France, we usually aim to get there 2 hours before sailing, expecting up to an hour to get through the checking in, car and passport check and if it goes quicker you just turn the engine off and wait. Usually boarding is around 45-30 mins before sailing so the earlier you are there, the closer you are to the front of the car queue but often it depends on which line goes first as to when you get on.

Also the cabins are often closed for the first 30 mins for cleaning.