New Ferry to France (Launch Offer)

tennis12

Wally Runs wrote: »

While we are at it, some other tips about driving in France, if it is your first time, you will need (should have):
• Lights and Safety:
o Beam benders (unless your headlights can do it themselves)
o Beware some brands are hard to get the adhesive off if you leave them on too long.
o Spare bulbs (watch out in the German discounters for sets)
o Emergency tri-angle, you might have it in the boot already
o High-vis vests, to be accessed from the car, not in the boot!
o A French breathalyzer, easier and cheaper to buy locally, must be NF stamped!
• Paperwork and Insurance:
o Driving licence – not so obvious.
o Copy of insurance and proof of ownership (registration certificate). Originals? Keep a copy of all your documents with someone you trust at home, so you can get them if they get lost.
o Car breakdown insurance, invaluable if you need to get the car back to Ireland. Prices from €85.00 to €250.00, shop around or not bother.
o Check your own car insurance T&Cs to see if you have to notify the insurance company that you will be in France. Normally a simple formality.
• Others:
o You have to disable you GPS speed camera warnings if you have one?
o Bring the spare set of keys!!!!!!
o Map or GPS
o They drive on the other side, it can take a while to get used to this!

In the 8 years holidaying in France I have never had been stopped by Police and asked for any of the above, but better safe than sorry.

Very good advice.
In all my years i was stopped twice.
Once to be brethalised and once for licence and checked the car ownership which i had with me. On the way back from the beach checking all foreign cars.

First Up

tennis12 wrote: »

Very good advice.
In all my years i was stopped twice.
Once to be brethalised and once for licence and checked the car ownership which i had with me. On the way back from the beach checking all foreign cars.

Isn't a fire extinguisher required too?

paddydriver

July 4

So lads and lassies.

Seem to be a few of us going out on the 27th June.. Me senses an impromptu boards.ie few pints on board that night?:D

Let's try get something organised closer to time. Would be good to get a chat.

galait

August 8

unkel wrote: »

I'm guessing I know what campsite that is

You must be going in June, the high season (July 6th - August 31st) is far more expensive than that, at €146-€170 per night for a 3 bed mobile home!

Did you pay their web prices, or that you get a better deal on the phone?

Been to france in 06 and 05 both times in June , 05 in Sab Delones was empty and nice weather , In 06 down near bayonne and it rained for 2 weeks , We ended up going to Lourdes for 2 days for something to do in the rain ,Thats why its cheaper in June !

MidlandsM

paddydriver wrote: »

So lads and lassies.

Seem to be a few of us going out on the 27th June.. Me senses an impromptu boards.ie few pints on board that night?:D

Let's try get something organised closer to time. Would be good to get a chat.

I'm on the 20th June Sailing - anyone else? would love to meet for a few boardsie pints!

tantipie

740 for my ferry..I'm out:(

billie1b

galait wrote: »

Been to france in 06 and 05 both times in June , 05 in Sab Delones was empty and nice weather , In 06 down near bayonne and it rained for 2 weeks , We ended up going to Lourdes for 2 days for something to do in the rain ,Thats why its cheaper in June !

Great little chocolate shop on a side street in Bayonne town, they make you fresh hot chocolate with real chocolate and a small serving of cream on top and extra cream in a ramikin if you'd like more. Every year we go to France (just beside Biarritz) we go to Bayonne a few times with the kids for a hot chocolate

billie1b

Just found it on-line, now i'm dying for one.

ScouseMouse

July 4

paddydriver wrote: »

So lads and lassies.

Seem to be a few of us going out on the 27th June.. Me senses an impromptu boards.ie few pints on board that night?:D

Let's try get something organised closer to time. Would be good to get a chat.

Are you suggesting a BOARDS BEERS onBOARD?

I think I could manage that. :pac:

dockleaf

August 1

Pity we're going in July, no boards beers for us!

We usually pack special bags for the ferry too- over night bag with pjs, toiletries, a change of clothes and a little medicine box with calpol, neurofen, paraceptemol or whatever we think we might need. Kids have their own backpack with their ( can't sleep without) cuddly toys, and then we always stock up well before we go with some puzzle books for them, bring colouring stuff, dvds, a book, a magazine and pre-load the laptop with a few films and games just in case. They have their tablets, I always bring a book or two.

Food wise we ALWAYS bring our own. Even down to a bottle of wine, maybe a cooked chicken, salad, bread, dessert, sweets, taytos, loads of water, and then when on board would buy chips in the restaurant for the kids with their chicken if they don't fancy the salad on its own. We would normally have breakfast on the ferry but I think this time I will bring some cereal packets too, sound mean but the prices on the ferry really add up- for what you'd spend on a breakfast on the ferry you could buy a nice seafood lunch in france ( I know which I prefer ).

Same on teh way back, raid the deli counter of the nearest Leclerc, patisserie etc.

We got in early too on the offer and have booked a self-catering apartment near the seaside for 500 for ten days near Biarritz, so altogether our holiday will be 862 which is a complete bargain. Apartment was booked on www.leboncoin.fr Go boards!

MidlandsM

dockleaf wrote: »

We got in early too on the offer and have booked a self-catering apartment near the seaside for 500 for ten days near Biarritz, so altogether our holiday will be 862 which is a complete bargain. Go boards!

a billy bargain! enjoy!:pac:

mcgarrett

July 4

I don't think LD Lines are going to turn a profit on the 27th June with the number of Boardsies going
I'm getting a T shirt for the trip with "Don't blame me it was Johnny_Fontane" written on it.

A few people are concerned about the extra travelling time on the ferry. I've been going every year for the last 12 years and to be honest I would rather be relaxing on the ship than in a car on the motorway.
It's a five hour drive to the vendee from Roscoff/Cherbourg compared to under an hour from Saint Nazaire to where I go.

I'm also taking into consideration the saving on fuel and the lack of worry over whether my poor car with a roof box, 3 bikes and 7 passengers will make the 420kms to the ferry incident free.
At least if I break down on the way to Saint Nazaire I'm close enough to be towed on.

The only problem I have is the kids whinging over missing our regular stop at Decathlon in Betton (Rennes) and the bridge at Nantes.

First Up

mcgarrett wrote: »

I don't think LD Lines are going to turn a profit on the 27th June with the number of Boardsies going
I'm getting a T shirt for the trip with "Don't blame me it was Johnny_Fontane" written on it.

A few people are concerned about the extra travelling time on the ferry. I've been going every year for the last 12 years and to be honest I would rather be relaxing on the ship than in a car on the motorway.
It's a five hour drive to the vendee from Roscoff/Cherbourg compared to under an hour from Saint Nazaire to where I go.

I'm also taking into consideration the saving on fuel and the lack of worry over whether my poor car with a roof box, 3 bikes and 7 passengers will make the 420kms to the ferry incident free.
At least if I break down on the way to Saint Nazaire I'm close enough to be towed on.

The only problem I have is the kids whinging over missing our regular stop at Decathlon in Betton (Rennes) and the bridge at Nantes.

It sounds like the bar will make a profit! Go easy though; a few hundred kids with cabin fever won't be much fun with a hangover!

Qwerty?

July 18

superscouse wrote: »

This boat wont dock till 7pm and allowing unloading time, we may not be off till 7.30/8pm. Not to mention delays..... This all has to be thought about when choosing a campsite.

Anyone else doing this, please post. Bit of intelligence from others will be very useful.

HAS ANYONE BEEN ON THIS YET? Any tips or observations? Lets hear them.

We are planning on staying in an etap/ibis in Nantes, 60 Euro for a family room, then heading down past Bordeaux. They are cheap and cheerful, but heading anywhere far on the night you arrive would be silly. Head off the next day and enjoy the campsite before you can book into your accommodation, normally around 3 or 4.

Moonbeam

paddylonglegs wrote: »

***Naive new parent alert!***
Will have a 1 year old by the time we sail in August, any tips for entertainment etc for this age? Sorry I know it's not the parenting forum, this will just be a completely new experience and travel time. Thanks

I will have a 1,3,5 year olds and a new baby that will hopefully be around 8 weeks old.
The 3 and 5 year old can have the ipad/android tablet and will colour for hours and I think I will put some videos that he likes on a tablet or laptop for him. He loves "The Snowman" and nursery ryhmes. He will be asleep by 8 so I am not too worried.

nkay1985

MidlandsM wrote: »

I'm on the 20th June Sailing - anyone else? would love to meet for a few boardsie pints!

I'm on that sailing too and will definitely visit the bar for a pint or two if for no other reason than to pass some time. There's been a few others from the thread saying they're going on that date too. We'll be falling over each other on board!

We went to a hotel in Westport on a Pigsback deal and I didn't speak to one person who wasn't there on the same deal - I have a feeling this will be the same.

ScouseMouse

July 4

First Up wrote: »

It sounds like the bar will make a profit! Go easy though; a few hundred kids with cabin fever won't be much fun with a hangover!

Thats what mammies are for

frash

July 25

dockleaf wrote: »

Pity we're going in July, no boards beers for us!

We usually pack special bags for the ferry too- over night bag with pjs, toiletries, a change of clothes and a little medicine box with calpol, neurofen, paraceptemol or whatever we think we might need. Kids have their own backpack with their ( can't sleep without) cuddly toys, and then we always stock up well before we go with some puzzle books for them, bring colouring stuff, dvds, a book, a magazine and pre-load the laptop with a few films and games just in case. They have their tablets, I always bring a book or two.

Food wise we ALWAYS bring our own. Even down to a bottle of wine, maybe a cooked chicken, salad, bread, dessert, sweets, taytos, loads of water, and then when on board would buy chips in the restaurant for the kids with their chicken if they don't fancy the salad on its own. We would normally have breakfast on the ferry but I think this time I will bring some cereal packets too, sound mean but the prices on the ferry really add up- for what you'd spend on a breakfast on the ferry you could buy a nice seafood lunch in france ( I know which I prefer ).

Same on teh way back, raid the deli counter of the nearest Leclerc, patisserie etc.

We got in early too on the offer and have booked a self-catering apartment near the seaside for 500 for ten days near Biarritz, so altogether our holiday will be 862 which is a complete bargain. Apartment was booked on www.leboncoin.fr Go boards!

I'm July too - the 18th

Thanks for all the tips above

redmissb

August 1

We're going on July 25th. Staying in St Nazaire on the night we arrive and driving down to La Palmyre on Sunday. Ac

First Up

Moonbeam wrote: »

I will have a 1,3,5 year olds and a new baby that will hopefully be around 8 weeks old.
The 3 and 5 year old can have the ipad/android tablet and will colour for hours and I think I will put some videos that he likes on a tablet or laptop for him. He loves "The Snowman" and nursery ryhmes. He will be asleep by 8 so I am not too worried.

I hope he's a good long sleeper. Ship docks at 7pm next day.

MidlandsM

nkay1985 wrote: »

I'm on that sailing too and will definitely visit the bar for a pint or two if for no other reason than to pass some time. There's been a few others from the thread saying they're going on that date too. We'll be falling over each other on board!

We went to a hotel in Westport on a Pigsback deal and I didn't speak to one person who wasn't there on the same deal - I have a feeling this will be the same.

pints so! :D

MelachiT

Raging I missed out on the opening offers with this new ferry. Without the offers it's just as expensive as IF but the arrival at St Nazaire might just make up for that.

We travel to France by ferry a few times a year and have done so for the last 15 years. You're all bringing back memories to me of when our kids were little and trying to keep them occupied. We found an old fashioned deck of cards invaluable for doing just that.

We're thinking of trying the new IF boat from Dublin this Easter, at least we'd save the driving time from here to Wexford.

Wally Runs

August 1

mcgarrett wrote: »

The only problem I have is the kids whinging over missing our regular stop at Decathlon in Betton (Rennes) and the bridge at Nantes.

Let me ease your worries there;

1. There is a Decathlon in Saint Nazaire, very close to the ferry.
2. The bridge in Saint Nazaire is even more impressive than at Nantes and you get to go under it too in the ferry!

Johnny_Fontane

August 8

1st - 20 August.....

First Up

MelachiT wrote: »

Raging I missed out on the opening offers with this new ferry. Without the offers it's just as expensive as IF but the arrival at St Nazaire might just make up for that.

We travel to France by ferry a few times a year and have done so for the last 15 years. You're all bringing back memories to me of when our kids were little and trying to keep them occupied. We found an old fashioned deck of cards invaluable for doing just that.

We're thinking of trying the new IF boat from Dublin this Easter, at least we'd save the driving time from here to Wexford.

I looked at the IF option from Dublin at Easter. The prices were nothing special and not worth the "downgrade" to their "economy class" service.
Booked the OW instead - car, 4 passengers, 2 cabins each way for €550. The drive to Rosslare is nothing - quicker than a boat will do it.

billie1b

First Up wrote: »

I looked at the IF option from Dublin at Easter. The prices were nothing special and not worth the "downgrade" to their "economy class" service.
Booked the OW instead - car, 4 passengers, 2 cabins each way for €550. The drive to Rosslare is nothing - quicker than a boat will do it.

I honestly think the OW is an economy class ship too, nothing special about it at all.

First Up

billie1b wrote: »

I honestly think the OW is an economy class ship too, nothing special about it at all.

Hard to understand why you think that. Spacious, comfortable, excellent restaurant, choice of bars, cinema and entertainment. Not sure what else you want - a pool and diving board maybe?

billie1b

First Up wrote: »

Hard to understand why you think that. Spacious, comfortable, excellent restaurant, choice of bars, cinema and entertainment. Not sure what else you want - a pool and diving board maybe?

No its just in bits, for everything they offer for the price you pay its just an economy style ship, food is mediocre in the restaurants for the prices, carpets are always filthy, cabins are small in size. For the same price on the PA you get bigger cabins, better food, not as expensive on board, better kids play area, more comfortable seats.....oh and a swimming pool and diving board

MidlandsM

The OW is an oul' tub at this stage of its life. Nowt Special.

Moonbeam

First Up wrote: »

I hope he's a good long sleeper. Ship docks at 7pm next day.

That would suck with kids ours docks at 10:) we are going via Celtic link .