Dublin to London by boat and train. Any advice?

Dinarius

What's the cheapest option?

Best option?

Any extras I should consider? (I was told that a lounge on one of the ships was worth paying the extra for - can't remember which)

Book in advance or at the ferry?

Anything else?

Thanks.

D.

boombang

Don't think there's any need to book a lounge if you're travelling during the day. Any ferry I've taken has had ample space.

I don't know how long the sailings from Dun Laoghaire last after the summer, but I find that more convenient to get to than Dublin port.

I think there can be a booking charge when paying with a card, so you may be better off paying at the port if you want to save every last euro. Although, I think there can be a small premium if the ferry is very busy.

Food on board is hit and miss. I've used the onboard wifi on the ferries and found it very poor, so don't necessarily plan on relying on that.

Know what times and where your changes are on the train on the way to London as the information boards at some of the UK stations can be poor.

jjbrien

All the ships have an extra lounge. Stena Plus or Irish Ferries Club class. Its not really worth paying for them unless the sailing is packed and this time of the year it wont be. If you pay on the day its a little more than doing it a week or 2 in advance. Advance fare to Liverpool is 40 euro one way or 46 euro one way if booked on the day. Irish Ferries cost a little more than Stena and I find Irish Ferries always more croweded than Stena.

http://www.stenaline.ie/ferries-to-britain/rail-sail
http://www.irishferries.com/ie-en/offers/sail-rail/

veetwin

There would want to be some extraordinary reason to take this expensive slow option over a €20 fifty minute flight to Stansted or indeed any other London airport with sufficient planning.

zagmund

veetwin wrote: »

There would want to be some extraordinary reason to take this expensive slow option over a €20 fifty minute flight to Stansted or indeed any other London airport with sufficient planning.

I was going to take the boat & train in November, but it was cheaper & easier to fly with Cityjet to London City for €34, including a little something to eat & luggage. Given the potential for bad weather at that time of year I decided to take the easy route.

z

scudzilla

The crossing is 3 1/2hrs, you're on the boat for just over 4hrs, IMO it is WELL worth paying the extra (what is it, 18euro) for the Stena Plus/Irish First as all snacks/drinks are free, you can hit 15euro buying 2/3 coffees and a few snacks in the ordinary bar, also it keeps ya away from the riff raff (people with 38 screaming kids )

As for the train, i only go to North Wales, but as you're going to London check out the times of Virgin Trains from Bangor (30mins from holyhead), if they suit get any train to bangor(they all stop there), get off and get on the direct Bangor - London train, LOADS more room, and as it's first stop you get a choice of seats

Rackstar

http://www.seat61.com/Ireland.htm#.VELfKfldWb8

Good info here

hawkwind23

agree with poster above , worth the few quid extra for the cheap snacks and theres wine
nice and chilled up there.
Its a great way to travel and the perfect option if you need to fly from UK with loads of baggage , long haul holidays, students etc

Louche Lad

Beware of travelling overnight: the first train from Holyhead towards London is the 04:48 so you could potentially have to wait for several hours in Holyhead.

Spanish Eyes

Is there a particular reason you want to travel by ship?

It's mostly truckers and car drivers I'd say. Fine if you are going to North Wales, but the journey to London is long and boring. I did it in the good old days when Aer Lingus charged 400 quid to get to Heathrow. No contest.

I just wondered, that's all. Best of luck, I haven't been on that route since then, but I'm sure its fine.

There is also the Bus that goes all the way to London via Dublin and other towns.

http://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/to-britain-from-ireland/

jjbrien

There is also Megabus too which you can grab a deal for little as one pound each way

https://www.megabus.com

jill_valentine

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Is there a particular reason you want to travel by ship?

It's mostly truckers and car drivers I'd say. Fine if you are going to North Wales, but the journey to London is long and boring. I did it in the good old days when Aer Lingus charged 400 quid to get to Heathrow. No contest.

I just wondered, that's all. Best of luck, I haven't been on that route since then, but I'm sure its fine.

There is also the Bus that goes all the way to London via Dublin and other towns.

http://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/to-britain-from-ireland/

Butting in, but if time isn't an issue for me, I far prefer the boat. Much more comfortable way to travel, far less hassle than an airport, and you can make an event of the crossing itself if you're with friends. Far better if you're transporting something/moving/what-have-you, too.

It's also been the case that, if I was looking to travel at late notice that the boat still worked out cheaper than flying once taxes etc had been considered.

Qualitymark

When you get to Holyhead, you can ask the clerk in the rail ticket office to print off a "travel plan" for you. This will give the times and stations of any trains you have to take.
It's generally better to book this trip by phoning Irish Ferries (haven't tried Stena), who will book you all the way through to London. The advantage of this is that they'll know which sailing will offer you the least time waiting for trains.
You'll change trains in Crewe or Chester - the Welsh trains are slower, so you have to change to the faster cross-England trains.
The system is no longer set up for foot passengers. Back in the day, you'd get the "boat train" to Dun Laoghaire, which pulled into a beautiful platform with a frilly cast-iron-and-glass canopy right beside the boat, and you'd walk straight onto the boat. In Holyhead you'd walk straight onto the trains, which were waiting right beside the ferry pier. No longer. Now you have to trundle a distance to get from bus or train to boat. It's all set up for drivers.
But there are shuttles and so on. If you're going from Dublin you get the bus at Busárus - I think it's around €2; watch out, the bus doesn't always pull up where it's supposed to.
Other advice: bring a couple of books and films on a tablet, and earphones, so you can disappear into your own little world if you want to. Make yourself a couple of sambos to bring with you and buy tea or coffee as you go.
It's a lovely journey, much nicer than the Guantanamo experience of travelling through airports, and you actually see the country you're visiting.

Dinarius

Thanks so much for an incredible range of replies and experiences!

The reason I want to take the boat is because I've never done it - simple as that. And I hate airports.

If I get the 8:05 boat, I'm in the centre of London at 16:30. So, door to door, it's about two hours more than flying, when you consider how long you have to be at an airport in advance of a flight.

But, plenty of food for thought either way.

Thanks again.

D.

Irish Steve

FWIW, my parents are in the late 80's early 90's, and prefer the train to flying from the west country, even though the time taken is considerably longer. They see the train trip as part of the holiday, and on the section from Holyhead to almost Chester, the scenery is spectacular, and it's not bad through Wales to Birmingham. I've also done the same trip, and it's a lot more relaxing than driving, especially if the weather goes bad, last trip there was snow most of the way, the trains were fine, but the motorways were not much fun from the reports I was hearing.

Irish Ferries are reasonably organised in respect to getting foot passengers on and off the boats, though the Swift fast ferry can be more difficult, the morning crossing from Dublin you end up walking off the ferry to the coach, and if it's blowing a gale and raining, even 50 metres can be uncomfortable. The other issue is that during the winter months, the fast ferry can be cancelled because of the weather, which can put a crimp in the timings. The Stena fast service doesn't run for most of the winter, and the ferries are handled the same, using coach transfer at Holyhead. Not all the ferries carry foot passengers, which can be a pain, just check before booking,

The comments about trains are valid, from Holyhead to Chester is not a fast line, and even the faster services from Bangor effectively get held up behind the slow trains, so from Holyhead to Chester there's nothing in it, other than the comfort of being able to get a seat at Bangor that will be right through to London. The first service in the morning at 04:48 from Holyhead to London gets into London for 0930, the only problem being that there's not much in the way of waiting facilities at Holyhead, and there can be "issues" if you have luggage, it's not advisable to fall asleep in the general waiting area, and the ferry gets in just before 0100, so it can be a long and boring wait, as the train can't be boarded until very shortly before departure.

"Club" on the ferry is a personal choice, and on the fast ferry, for under 2 hours, it may not be needed. Ariva trains to Chester/Birmingham/Cardiff usually carry a tea/coffee snack service that goes up and down the train regularly, and Virgin have a more up market service on their trains.

There are buses from the centre of Dublin to the port, both a special for the ferry from Heuston and Busaras, which can be prebooked and the normal Dublin Bus service.

Paying ahead is cheaper, ticket on departure costs more.

theteal

I would only ever do the sail\rail again if booking last minute and it worked out significantly cheaper. Euston to Holyhead was fine as its direct, coming back was a pain as the was waiting (30 mins) for the train at Holyhead, then waiting again at Crewe (20 mins) iirc.

The days of being early in the airport for a UK flight are thankfully long gone with home printed boarding passes. Get to the airport within about 30mins of "gates close" (i.e. when boarding actually starts) time and you're good to go - obviously if checking in a bag you're scuppered.

I do Dublin to Romford in about 3.5 hours door to door, add another 30mins if getting the bus instead of driving from Stansted, I cleared FF7 having bred a gold chocobo in the time it took me to over and back on the boat the last time i.e. a bloody long time for those unfamiliar with the game.

cdeb

SailRail is a great way to get to London if you have the time. Cheaper than flying too (one you factor in getting to/from the airport)

Ring Irish Ferries or Stena Line in advance to book your ticket; make sure you get a SailRail ticket all the way to London. You then collect all your tickets in Dublin Port. (Things get awkward if you're living in Ireland and want to book SailRail only back from London - I think they'll want a UK address. No issues with a return ticket though)

Do not get on the boat without having already booked your onwards rail ticket! It will be much more expensive to book your train ticket either in Holyhead or even on NationalRail.co.uk in advance.

I think you can book a SailRail by walking up to Dublin Port, but better to have it booked in advance. I think you can upgrade to lounge on the ferry.

NationalRail.co.uk gives you train times. They don't really synch that well with the ferries. But bring a print-out so you can keep track. It is the one annoying aspect of the trip.

Holyhead is a hole; don't be tempted to wait for the next train just to see Holyhead!

The section from Holyhead to Crewe/Chester is quite scenic (though not a patch on the DART from town south to Greystones - so don't expect to be completely blown away). Sit on the left-hand side of the train for views of the sea, including Conwy Castle and the Duke of Lancaster (nice) and windmills and caravan parks (not so nice). Maybe sit on the left-hand side again on the return journey for brooding glimpses of the edge of Snowdonia and an impressive - but fake - castle which was set up for some film set.

The journey through the midlands is a bit dull, though keep an eye out for the canals, which can often have nicely decorated barges on them. If you're a football fan, you should be able to spot Gresty Road (Crewe) and I think Villa Park and the Madjeski Stadium (Reading) from the train. They fairly stand out over the cityscape.

Don't be afraid to try to talk to the person beside/opposite you! They can fill you in on a fair bit of what you're seeing.

Trains in England aren't as good as in Ireland. They're more crowded (bring as small a bag as you can get away with) and more expensive (see earlier comment about not getting on the boat before booking a SailRail!)

Bring a book or other reading material! You will have lots of time.

If you're bringing electronic entertainment (for music/films, etc), beware of the quite carriages on English trains.

Summary? Relax and enjoy it. That's what travel should be about.

boombang

One other thing to add, bag theft can be an issue on the trains on that route. I was travelling to London years ago and left a large bag at the end of the compartment. Somebody stole it en route. I was maddened as there was nothing in the bag of any value to anybody, except me.

So, best to keep you baggage close if you can.

I would have never thought of paying a premium for the lounge, but didn't know about the free drinks and snacks. Good to learn something from the other posters.

Dinarius

Thanks again for all the replies.

A friend is trying to convince me that London City Airport is the only way to go!

Decisions, decisions!

D.

zagmund

I vote for London City (and this is from someone who likes train travel). I think I mentioned it above, but I'm flying to LCY for €34. The sail & rail is €45 or thereabouts. I'm making up for it by going overland (and undersea) the rest of the way to Berlin.

The thing that ultimately did it for me was the weather at this time of year. It could be a beautiful day in November, or there could be a horrendous storm blowing and you mightn't know until you wake up on the day you are due to travel. If it's a storm and you really have to be in London then you are in trouble. I would be more likely to go sail & rail in Summer.

z

Qualitymark

zagmund wrote: »

I vote for London City (and this is from someone who likes train travel). I think I mentioned it above, but I'm flying to LCY for €34.

Eh? How'd you get it for €34?

zagmund

Qualitymark wrote: »

Eh? How'd you get it for €34?

Apologies, €35.10. This was for CityJet, Thursday mid-morning at the end of November. I remember correctly most of the non-peak time flights were that price.

Flight payment and ticket
passengers flights taxes
1 adult(s) x (12.00 + 21.15) = 33.15 EUR
sub total 33.15 EUR
Ticketing fee +1.95 EUR
total for all passengers 35.10 EUR

z

[edit] I just checked and it looks like all flights for the Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at the end of November are at that price, except for one single flight at €55. I'm not checking every other day in November just for this post though . . .