New Ferry to France (Launch Offer)

L-M

Tabnabs wrote: »

If I said a white A4 and a blue A6, would that analogy work?

Well every angle and window line up so Id say it's blue A4 red a4

bbam

Tabnabs wrote: »

It may sound better to tell the neighbours you're cruising to France, but the OW was designed as a ferry, on a relatively short route, in sheltered waters (Oslo to Kiel), so she's no converted Cunard liners, sorry...

While she may seem nicer, under the decks, she's a 1980s design and build.

I think its childish of you to resort to twisting what I said..
I was merely giving my experience of 20 crossings, these ferries are not as comfortable on the route as either the PontAvon or OscarWilde. Its a great introductory offer, and hopefully it will lead to lower crossing prices all round. Leave the playground jibes where they belong !

Tabnabs

Limerick man wrote: »

Well every angle and window line up so Id say it's blue A4 red a4

Doesn't even have the same amount of seats and windows... Mk 4 and Mk 6?

Tabnabs

bbam wrote: »

I think its childish of you to resort to twisting what I said..
I was merely giving my experience of 20 crossings, these ferries are not as comfortable on the route as either the PontAvon or OscarWilde. Its a great introductory offer, and hopefully it will lead to lower crossing prices all round. Leave the playground jibes where they belong !

bbam wrote: »

The Oscar Wilde was designed as a cruise ship so passenger comfort was designed in. The Celtic Horizon style were designed to move people cheaply and feel like they were suited to shorter routes.

Not sure what words I'm twisting here? The OW was never designed as a cruise ship. You stating it was doesn't change that fact.

She was and remains, a ferry.

Her she is in her first colours in the late 80s.

wextipp

bbam wrote: »

I think its childish of you to resort to twisting what I said..
I was merely giving my experience of 20 crossings, these ferries are not as comfortable on the route as either the PontAvon or OscarWilde. Its a great introductory offer, and hopefully it will lead to lower crossing prices all round. Leave the playground jibes where they belong !

Meow ! Boards is a bit of a playground at times but you shouldn't be running back to tell your mammy every time the big boys tease you a little in it.

micka

Yeap, cool offer. Heading off for the month of june. In total £206.5 or €250.32. SOme info on my statement said - RATE 0.8414, CHARGE 2.45, ERTF 2.45. Anyone know what ERTF stands for?

So two adults, one kid and a car. Great offer.

By the way, if you can go in june Flowercamping in France are offering some great specials here.

A lot are for for small chalets for €126 a week.

BenEadir

August 1

micka wrote: »

Anyone know what ERTF stands for?

It's a debit or credit card charge. It's added when you select payment type.

Ben

rgfuller

micka wrote: »

. SOme info on my statement said - RATE 0.8414, CHARGE 2.45, ERTF 2.45. Anyone know what ERTF stands for?

ERTF = Exchange Rate Transaction Fee

BenEadir

August 1

rgfuller wrote: »

ERTF = Exchange Rate Transaction Fee

Oops, my boo boo

Ben

micka

Tired of paying these fees. Tis' a rip off. I wonder if vendors can take direct payments (such as LD Lines)? Save a few bob that way. Will try this new Irish outfit called CurrencyFair.com. See if they save me cash...

clevtrev

July 18

£199 offer seems to be over - returns in July are now between £380 and £450 which is still half the price of the other robbers !

ScouseMouse

July 4

Think the party may be over boys and girls.

Just put in my dates again and my ferry not showing but alternatives are 770 euro.

Just as well I got in at the right time and paid 350 euro :pac::pac::pac:

September1

July 11

I was trying to make a booking and got prices much higher. :-(

MidlandsM

superscouse wrote: »

Think the party may be over boys and girls.

Just put in my dates again and my ferry not showing but alternatives are 770 euro.

Just as well I got in at the right time and paid 350 euro :pac::pac::pac:

yep, looked at my dates and now showing €758 :eek:

glad I got in there for €320 ish

now it must be questioned if LD are going to be any good at shaking up prices on the irl-fr route, with these new rates? I can't see IF or Brittany sh1tting themselves?

BenEadir

August 1

Yep, looks like the special offer quota has been reached. The one way trip I booked yesterday for July which cost €165 is now €259. Still good value mind.

Ben

Eight Ball

Yeap my trip has changed to 700 euro from the 329 special offer. Still some 400 cheaper than IF for the same dates. Glad I got in when I did . Thanks OP

Eight Ball

MidlandsM wrote: »

yep, looked at my dates and now showing €758 :eek:

glad I got in there for €320 ish

now it must be questioned if LD are going to be any good at shaking up prices on the irl-fr route, with these new rates? I can't see IF or Brittany sh1tting themselves?

400 euro is a huge saving as well as the ferry taking you further south it's win win.

ScouseMouse

July 4

MidlandsM wrote: »

yep, looked at my dates and now showing €758 :eek:

glad I got in there for €320 ish

now it must be questioned if LD are going to be any good at shaking up prices on the irl-fr route, with these new rates? I can't see IF or Brittany sh1tting themselves?

What do you mean? If we take it that the 750 I am now getting quoted is their "usual price", which it may be, thats still 350 cheaper for my dates than Irish Ferries and 250 cheaper than Celtic Link, and this ferry takes you further south.

MidlandsM

superscouse wrote: »

What do you mean? If we take it that the 750 I am now getting quoted is their "usual price", which it may be, thats still 350 cheaper for my dates than Irish Ferries and 250 cheaper than Celtic Link, and this ferry takes you further south.

actually, I take it all back, checked IF there for my dates - and they want €1574 ......:eek:

LD's a ruddy BARGAIN!

First Up

MidlandsM wrote: »

actually, I take it all back, checked IF there for my dates - and they want €1574 ......:eek:

LD's a ruddy BARGAIN!

Yeah, the introductory offers were obviously loss leaders but the "full" prices still offer some decent (and welcome) competition.

How do LD's prices stack up against Celtic?

ScouseMouse

July 4

MidlandsM wrote: »

actually, I take it all back, checked IF there for my dates - and they want €1574 ......:eek:

LD's a ruddy BARGAIN!

And heres mine

€ 539.00
Sailing Price

€ 139.00
1 x Cabin
1 x 2 Star 4 Bed - with window

€ 678.00
Return Price


€ 6.00
Administration Fee

€ 1,442.00Total

All taxes, port charges and card fees

INCLUDED!

Lima Golf

July 4

This is the best BA since I've joined boards. Seriously, it's saving everyone in and around €1,000. Well done op! There should be an award for bargain alert of the year and you get sent some goodies from boards

MidlandsM

+1

unkel

July 18

Booked. Just over €600 for the 5 of us including outside cabin. For the craic I had a quick look at Irish Ferries who would drop us off in Cherbourg (requiring many extra hours of driving to a bit further south than Brittany where we are planning to holiday, compared to St Nazaire) and they were looking for double that with less suitable times and durations.

Thanks OP

juneg

July 4

Shock Horror I have just typed my dates into the other ferries

Celtic Link 1,418
Brittany Ferries 1,430
Irish ferries 1,288 using Francec14 discount


Where the hell do celtic link get off charging the same as Brittany Ferries???

They weren't long getting on the rip off republic bandwagon

billie1b

juneg wrote: »

Shock Horror I have just typed my dates into the other ferries

Celtic Link 1,418
Brittany Ferries 1,430
Irish ferries 1,288 using Francec14 discount


Where the hell do celtic link get off charging the same as Brittany Ferries???

They weren't long getting on the rip off republic bandwagon

They owe a few million in debts supposedly, maybe thats why they upped the ante

highly1111

MidlandsM wrote: »

it's a no fills approach, like a ryanair of the seas. But big savings.

The Scintu is a run of the mill ro-ro ferry like many in service, built in 2009 - so not an old boat, and is very similar to the Norman Asturias that LD runs from Poole to Saint Nizaire...there is quite favourable reviews here of that boat and its standards....
http://www.directferries.co.uk/ld_lines_norman_asturias.htm
Interior Video here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uj32kYGdtg

The Norman Asturias is a 2007 build ferry, and the dimensions/stats are near identical, and the interior and facilities will be similar also, adequate to be fair for the price paid.
The Scintu is actually going to be renamed the Norman Atlantic in January 14', to match up with the Asturias it seems.

I've done my research and crunched the holiday cash numbers, and I'm happy with what I saw. So I'm booked, €320 odd €'s, rosslare-st nazaire return, car, 5 people, 2 cabins each way.....how bad ehhh, and the savings have afforded us to book a 5 star camp site.....so, we might have to endure no frills for a day going out and back, but it'll be 5 star all the way in france whilst there......so, ferry travel and 5 star campsite - all for the price of what Irish Ferries would have charged just for the ferry alone. :P

That is what its all about.......a real billy bargain!:)

can I please ask what dates you booked in order to get that price?

And, if I can be really cheeky, what campsite also?

Thank you so much.

Johnny_Fontane

August 8

Lima Golf wrote: »

This is the best BA since I've joined boards. Seriously, it's saving everyone in and around €1,000. Well done op! There should be an award for bargain alert of the year and you get sent some goodies from boards

I think this is a great idea!

MidlandsM

highly1111 wrote: »

can I please ask what dates you booked in order to get that price?

And, if I can be really cheeky, what campsite also?

Thank you so much.

the introductory offer is over i'm afraid.....

highly1111

MidlandsM wrote: »

the introductory offer is over i'm afraid.....

ok, probably a case of que sera sera anyway, as we really won't know our financial situation holiday wise until March. Thank you though.

Top Dog

Looks like they have zero room for pets so not much use to me.

murria

Same here Top Dog. The only reason we go by ferry is because we take dog on holiday to Spain. We could have had a fare at one third of price we pay with Celtic Link but LD don't have a licence to carry animals yet.:(

juneg

July 4

murria wrote: »

Same here Top Dog. The only reason we go by ferry is because we take dog on holiday to Spain. We could have had a fare at one third of price we pay with Celtic Link but LD don't have a licence to carry animals yet.:(

Do you drive down to Spain? How long does that take if you dont mind me asking?

Top Dog

murria wrote: »

Same here Top Dog. The only reason we go by ferry is because we take dog on holiday to Spain. We could have had a fare at one third of price we pay with Celtic Link but LD don't have a licence to carry animals yet.:(

How much do you pay with CL?

used them for the first time last week and was pretty impressed with their 6-day return deal.

murria

juneg wrote: »

Do you drive down to Spain? How long does that take if you dont mind me asking?

It takes 2 days. First night on boat then we drive to Bordeaux, stay overnight and next day do the 9 hour drive to just South of Alicante. Sometimes we take a little longer and spend a few days sight seeing, but the two day trip is still fine, especially the lovely drive through the Pyrenees.

murria

Top Dog wrote: »

How much do you pay with CL?

used them for the first time last week and was pretty impressed with their 6-day return deal.

It's around €800 we go for month of July. It's perfect for us, shorter crossing and cheaper than IF and BF. Dog can stay in car so he doesn't fret, it's his territory and he knows we're coming back, oh and no charge for him. We aren't looking for cabaret a d fine dining, so it suits us.

Top Dog

murria wrote: »

It's around €800 we go for month of July. It's perfect for us, shorter crossing and cheaper than IF and BF. Dog can stay in car so he doesn't fret, it's his territory and he knows we're coming back, oh and no charge for him. We aren't looking for cabaret a d fine dining, so it suits us.

Perhaps a silly question - but have you ever thought about buying 2 of their 6-day return deals? €220 x 2 = €440 instead of €800

redmissb

August 1

Prices seem to be down again, checked for my mum for late july early august..coming in at €374 for 3 adults and inside cabins.

First Up

Top Dog wrote: »

Perhaps a silly question - but have you ever thought about buying 2 of their 6-day return deals? €220 x 2 = €440 instead of €800

Celtic mention those six day deals but you still have to go into their search engine, put in your dates and see what comes out. Huge variation - the "€220" deal is apparently just the lowest price (of many) based on least attractive dates and times. It can be at least €100 higher, which puts it at (or above) similar prices with IF.

Wizard

The price of mine dropped, I booked a return on Monday for car and 4 and cost 269, checked this morning and it's now 219, was almost raging but it's still really cheap and got a siblu park for 11 nights for 550 so delighted with the price for almost a fortnight

clevtrev

July 18

The pricing seems to be a bit hit or miss - my trip is now £320 pounds dearer than when I booked it on Monday. I havent noticed anything going down in price though I m only looking at July

Tazz T

murria wrote: »

It takes 2 days. First night on boat then we drive to Bordeaux, stay overnight and next day do the 9 hour drive to just South of Alicante. Sometimes we take a little longer and spend a few days sight seeing, but the two day trip is still fine, especially the lovely drive through the Pyrenees.

You know the boat goes onto Spain after stopping in St Nazaire?

unkel

July 18

Tazz T wrote: »

You know the boat goes onto Spain after stopping in St Nazaire?

Have a wee look at the map. Murria is not going to that part of Spain

First Up

clevtrev wrote: »

The pricing seems to be a bit hit or miss - my trip is now £320 pounds dearer than when I booked it on Monday. I havent noticed anything going down in price though I m only looking at July

Does anyone know how prices compare for commercial traffic? A price war for passenger traffic during school holidays is all very well but these are year round operations and need more than holiday makers to be sustainable.

Tazz T

unkel wrote: »

Have a wee look at the map. Murria is not going to that part of Spain

At least it's in the same country.

Scarlet42

For what date Wizard??

unkel

July 18

Tazz T wrote: »

At least it's in the same country.

LOL, better get that map out soon and teach yourself a Geography lesson

ScouseMouse

July 4

Ok. I got in Rosslare to St Nazaire for 350 euro.

Yesterday it was 770 on nearest sailing, so that suggests its finished.

Today I checked again and its back to 330 euro.

GET IN FOLKS !

Scarlet42

for what date???????

Dai John

murria wrote: »

It takes 2 days. First night on boat then we drive to Bordeaux, stay overnight and next day do the 9 hour drive to just South of Alicante. Sometimes we take a little longer and spend a few days sight seeing, but the two day trip is still fine, especially the lovely drive through the Pyrenees.

We normally go twice a year to just south of Alicante (San Miguel de Salinas) and spend only 11 euros on tolls for the section between Bordeaux and Irun, the rest is free. I have to switch off the sat nav to make the savings but have proved my route shorter ,faster and cheaper.