Eurolines: Dublin -> London my experience

DArnas

Hello everyone! The last message was written here a long time ago and many things have already changed. I tried the Eurolines trip from Dublin to London and back a few days ago so I am going to share my impressions and things that were going on!

So my trip from Dublin to London was on 8th of August. The Busaras station was so crowded that coming an hour before departure was a mistake so that I was the last who boarded the coach. By the way, there were 2 coaches going from Dublin to London that evening (one directly to Victoria Coach Station (I was onboard it) and another one with stops in Birmingham etc.). The trip was really hellish. A lot of passengers from African countries and a few mothers with young children. Although there was quite enough space to stretch my legs, but the biggest problem was air conditioning. I heard a lot of stories about the broken air conditioning system which makes the trip terrible, but that night there was TOO MUCH air conditioning. People were literally shivering and wearing their jackets and even their knitted caps. I asked that stupid driver to reduce the cold but he didn't want to hear anything. The only stop was near Birmingham at around 5 am in the morning for half an hour. That was OK though because at least the toilet wasn't out of order. After a 6 hours ride from Holyhead to London packed in a completely full coach it was a relief to step out and relax.

On 13th of August I took the same trip back to Dublin. Arriving 2 hours before departure was a good idea as I was one of the first passengers to do check-in so I was happy to get to the coach earlier and take a normal seat. By the way, there were 3 coaches going to Dublin that evening so I came up to an idea that so many people take cheap coaches instead of planes, because even Ryanair tickets got so expensive nowadays. My coach was full of Irish people, especially students, so I felt more relaxed than being seated between angry and unfriendly looking Africans. The driver was also great as he made 3 short stops all in all and cared about the atmosphere onboard. We went directly to Dublin, too, and we only took a few more people in Golder's Green Station. However, the coach was old and seats were not reclining! After an almost 7 hours ride we reached Holyhead and continued our trip by ferry.

Ferry is the best part of the journey. It's Ulysses (Irish Ferries), a very big and nice ship, especially for those, who are taking it for the first time. Also, it's very simple to get around the ship and it's not likely that you will get lost. The only thing you MUST remember is the deck number and stairs you are taking after leaving the parked coach. Remembering some faces from your coach and a registration number for checking you're in a right place is worth, too. In that way the 3 or 4 hour journey by ferry will be a complete relax comparing with what are you facing into after it or before it, depending on whether you are going to London or to Dublin. On the way to London the worst part comes after leaving Holyhead when you realise you will spend the whole early morning on an awkward coach. On the way back to Dublin the ride is better, but staying in a ferry awake if you hadn't take a rest before will be exhausting.

To sum up, I don't want to say that I am very disappointed about the Eurolines service. No, I knew what I am going to get and I was ready for any inconvenience. And I am happy to complete this both mental and physical challenge (as someone has mentioned). This trip was great for me who was travelling to London for the first time and was enjoying the views of England and Wales even at night. Taking a ferry is a great experience, too. But you really get what you pay. If I had paid 100 euros each way I would be angry. Now I paid 73 euros for a return trip (it's even cheaper when you travel not during summer) and that was a real bargain. It's very good when you can choose a challenging but cheap way to travel. If I travel again, I will consider a sail&rail option though.

So if you don't want to pay much and you are ready to have a likely sleepless night full of the things to cope with, then go ahead! But don't trust the advertising on eurolines.buseireann.ie! You are not going to get a "luxury coach"! All the coaches are different and it's your luck to get a better one! And finally here are a few more tips:
1. Get to the station at least 90 minutes prior to departure. Be ready for a messy boarding.
2. Take warm clothes because you may need them.
3. You will have to clear the customs only in Holyhead (it doesn't matter whether it's a trip to London or back). It's simple and you will only have to show your passport to a policeman. You may also have to take your luggage out.
4. Remember the place where your coach is parked in a ferry. However, it seems more difficult than it actually is. Then explore the whole ship! And remember you will not be able to take your luggage with you. It will remain in the luggage store.
5. Be on time during the stops in motorway services. You don't want to be lost in the middle of England. Be sure about the time you are allowed to spend there.
6. And everything else that you already know: always take your valuables together, check if the onboard toilet is working (the driver will not make an additional stop just for you), don't get drunk (yeah, one passenger was left in Holyhead because he was caught drunk during the security check) etc.

Have a safe trip!

grimm2005

€73 return!? :eek:

That isn't cheap! You can get €40 return regularly with Ryanair if you book about a month in advance, addon around £15 for a return shuttle to/from the airport. I'm flying to London this Friday with Aer Lingus for €85 return and an extra £6 return on the shuttle bus and that was the expensive option. Even when megabus do their promos and you can get a return for about €20, I'd still be weighing up the pros and cons before committing. If there's no savings to be had, it's a no brainer!

DArnas

Yes, you are completely right, if money isn't a problem, then of course plane is a better option. However, onboard the bus I heard many passengers talking to each other about how they would fly earlier but now are taking a coach. One lady from Ghana told me she's travelling to visit her husband who's working now in England and after checking all the prices she ended with choosing Eurolines. Let's check now: let's say I want to go to London next Saturday (23th of August) and go back on Wednesday.
Eurolines: 73 euros.
Ryanair (to STN): 140 euros.
Aer Lingus (to LHR): 183 euros.
...and so on.
Those prices are also the cheaper ones. If you prefer a flight not in the early morning, and you want to change some days, then the prices go up to unbelievable 400 euros. Nonetheless, it's without baggage.
Sure there are lots of pros and cons and you can get really cheap flights if you have flexible dates and you travel with hand luggage only. However, it's a wise idea to choose Eurolines because there's a fixed price and you get directly to the city centre.

grimm2005

But my point is that it's actually cheaper to fly. If you're booking one week in advance, yes it's going to be more expensive but if you book one month in advance it's cheaper and you don't have to go through that experience.
Take Friday September 26th to Monday 29th for example, the flight over with Ryanair to stansted can be got for €20 - 30 on both morning and later flights, and the flights back are all €20 - 25 throughout the entire day. Or if you start looking in October then flights start leveling out at €20 for the majority of flights: http://i.imgur.com/Vm2URmo.jpg?1?3660

Granted, you won't always be able to forsee certain events and might need to get over to London urgently but in most cases a bit of forward planning means you can be paying half of what the bus costs with a tenth of the hassle and less wasted time

jjbrien

If not flying i personally prefer the rail and sail €46 each way. You can get up walk around the train. Usually its virgin trains so theres a snack car and wifi too. Able to plug my laptop and phone in also. Its also faster than going by bus too and you can have the option of traveling during the day so no overnight trip needed but you can if you want.


If going by bus I agree megabus is a cheaper option and they usually have better coaches than Eurolines.

spurious

Having done both the bus and the train option, I'd go with the train too. If you're not in a rush to be anywhere, it's fine.