Dublin to Holyhead ferry

masterboy123

Hi,

Looking to travel to Holyhead by our car.

On the direct ferries website, I see different ships, Astrid, Ullysses, Adventurer, etc.

1. Which ship is the best?

2. Is it recommended to book club lounge access or berth cabin?

3. Any discount code please?

thebiglad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058319022/dublin-to-holyhead-ferry

Don't know about Irish Ferries, I typically travel with Stena and always try to get the Adventurer as I consider this the better of the boats but, travel time may also come into it and pick the ferry which best suits your arrival time preference.

Cabin is purely dependent on time you are travelling, it's only 3.5 - 4 hours crossing so for me, I just book the lounge but, there are plenty of seating/sleeping areas around the ship.

If you sign up to Stena Line's newsletter they used to send a 10% discount code. Similarly its worthwhile to sign up to their loyalty program on the same basis. The discount code took up to 24 hours to arrive so, even whilst you are considering options sign up, you can always unsubscribe.

ednwireland

estrid is the newest.lovely ship.

all of them are smooth even in rough weather.

foods more expensive and worse on irish ferries imho.

was over and back regularly last year personally prefer stena.

irish ferries cancelled the swift on me last year (seems very common) so ended up on the evening stena sailing as irish ferries didn't have an evening sailing.

brendan001

Same here, Swift was cancelled. Weather was given as reason but I didn't think it was. Suspect it was a strategic cancellation. Avoid the Irish Ferries Epsilon also. Its basically only a truckers boat. I will only use Stena now.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058319022/dublin-to-holyhead-ferry

I wouldn't bother with a cabin, the ferry is 3 hours max

I've only gone with Irish Ferries recently. Club lounge has some nicer seating, a view out the front of the ship and complimentary tea, coffee and snacks

It is pricey though, and a lot of people bring younger kids in their so if you're hoping for quiet then think again

Ulysses is probably the nicest ship in their fleet, but is obviously slower than the Swift

mondeoman72

I'm a million percent stena. Irish ferries have a fast one but is prone to cancellation due to weather. Also the Ulysses, big, comfortable and reliable. Finally the epsilon. A truckers boat only useful if the time suits. It's rough. A truckers ship.

Stena has the Adventurer. Massive, comfortable, reliable, a workhorse. A good ship. Also the Estrid. Fairly new, comfortable, nice, a fine ship.

Stena staff listen to you, are polite and friendly. Food ok on board, my absolute first choice

Irish Ferries served my family slop. Tilted the luke warm plate and the grease collected at the side. Tried to talk to them but selective not understanding. Only use them as a last resort

An honest experience.

thehairygrape

Do this crossing a lot in our camper. Stena all the way for reasons mentioned above. Always get a cabin, and the best one we can afford at the time. Always have a shower in the cabin and close my eyes at least and arrive fresh. Depends on how much driving you’re doing when you get off the ship, but we swear by the cabin at this stage. We bring a few sandwiches with us so we’re holed up in the cabin and not spending any money on the boat so it’s almost cost neutral.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121266371#Comment_121266371

Interesting, I feel like I wouldn't be able to relax in the cabin so I'd probably end up getting 30 mins sleep and be f**ked up when I wake because I didn't get a proper nap

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121266371#Comment_121266371

Is there sea view window in the cabin?

masterboy123

Thanks everyone for sharing feedback.

Stena will be the way to go.

thehairygrape

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121266591#Comment_121266591

Depends. Dearer ones yes. The last time I used the lounge it was packed. Left it and went to the deck but only possible because the weather was good. I think some of the cabins have their own door out to the deck, but I haven’t used them. Can’t comment on which boat as we book based on our travel schedule rather than the boat.

munchkin_utd

for an afternoon ferry a cabin is overkill but for the 2am sailing or even 8am, you’ll either want a lie down because it’s the middle of the night or you have got up in the middle of the night to get to the port for the ferry (not everyone in Ireland lives in Dublin )

regardless of sailing time, if you’ve small kids then a cabin with a door that you can lock is a great investment .

Zico

Is there Duty Free on these trips again?

I'm sure that was touted as a Brexit benefit.

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121267812#Comment_121267812

Thanks.

We live 2 hours drive from Dublin port.

If I am supposed to take ferry at 8am, what time do we have to be there? Is it like air flight with 2 hours in advance?

Considering to get a cabin with 2 beds.

757TFFIU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121267817#Comment_121267817

Yes - there's duty free between Dublin and Holyhead. I've been over to Holyhead twice this year. First time using the Swift and second time on Stena Adventurer. At the time (June), the duty free on the Swift didn't represent much of a saving, in my opinion. However, I thought that Stena had some good value on spirits in August. 1 litre bottles of Absolut and Jameson were very good value. I can't comment on the price of cigarettes.

Unfortunately you can only bring 1 litre of spirits duty free into Ireland. It's now 4 litres of spirits into the UK.

Vic_08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121267871#Comment_121267871

The majority of your questions can be answered by reference to the ferry company websites. Latest car check-in is 30 minutes but leave yourself a margin as they will close promptly at that.

Unless they offer a significant discount don't book from 3rd party websites, use the ferry company directly and sign up for the loyalty schemes before booking if you will likely travel again within a year as you can get a discount on future bookings.

www.stenaline.ie

www.irishferries.com

orourkeda1

I don't mind either vessel. I tend not to eat or drink on sailings though. I'd usually have stocked up beforehand, so to speak.

I travel to England at the last minute quite and have no choice but to get the ferry.

road_high

I got the ferry back a few years ago late at night (2am) and the cabin was a god send. Work were paying but don’t think it was mad expensive and the luxury of a shower and privacy was lovely

SeanW

Yes, with Britain no longer in the EU, Duty Free should be the rule. From personal experience (YMMV) it can sometimes be worthwhile to book into a lounge, but from my memory you didn't need to decide that in advance. You could pay on board to access a lounge. (I last used Stena Line I think). One time I hadn't slept that well before travelling so I paid €10 to access a lounge and got a bit of rest in a quieter environment and a much more comfy chair.

masterboy123

Has anyone tried sembo.ie ?

They are offering hotel + stena line at a discounted price. But I am unsure if they are legit as I can't choose the ferry times.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121276216#Comment_121276216

Sembo is part of Stena Line, which I discovered after 5 seconds of Googling.

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121276241#Comment_121276241

A further research showed bad reviews of Sembo:

Any other website that does hotel + ferry deals?

Nibs05

is it worth getting the ferry vs flying hiring a car etc , seriously considering it next summer for Manchester/Birmingham, I’m only 40 minutes from Dublin port/airport.

Sono

I am getting the ferry to Holyhead next June with a 6 and 4 year old, will be getting the morning sailing, short drive to camp site when we arrive, having read this thread I’m now considering a cabin which I wasn’t before! Sounds like it could be worth it.

is there a good time to book in advance price wise or is it fixed?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121267023#Comment_121267023

Only gone Stena recently. Newish boat, couldn't fault it.

Internal cabin have no windows. We had a 4 bed on the way over. Then a double bed and exterior door on the way back. Everyone loved it. We thought a couple of us might get sea sick, hence the cabins but no one did. Peak summer and sea was flat. But our group either had a shower, watched a movie just or chilled out.

The lounges were decent though. I don't think you need a cabin unless you really want it. We enjoyed them though. Didn't think it was that much more expensive.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284518#Comment_121284518

Seemed cheaper in advance. Also we used Tesco points.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284457#Comment_121284457

Lots of faffing about flying and getting a hire car. Last time we had a lot of delays flying. Lots of delays getting a hire car and dropping it back. Parking in Dublin was painful.

But it depends how much you'll use the car when there. If you'll have parking etc. Be able to avoid peak traffic.

I'd be 50:50 on it.

Sono

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284567#Comment_121284567

Thanks, must look into Tesco points.

scudzilla

A bit of a hack i use that makes things quite a bit cheaper but only with Stena

My wife and i with 2 kids go, i book ferry for car with my toddler, wife and 7yr old book on as a duty free day trip, i drive onto boat with car and toddler, wife and 7yr old go on as a foot passenger, dont use the return duty free leg

Do the same on return, saves a bit

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284760#Comment_121284760

So just book the same day return duty free tickets x2?

It's only me, wife and 1 toddler.

scudzilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121286362#Comment_121286362

So you book car with your toddler only, return

Wife books 2 duty free day trips, think they're 16rtn each one, she boards as a foot passenger and meets you on boat, doesn't use return leg, probably gonna save you about 50quid

masterboy123

Any discount code for Stena please?

Hilly Bill

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121276216#Comment_121276216

Book direct with stena or irish ferries it's easier. Stena has a good club class lounge for €20 . There isn't much in duty free the last time I travelled, just the usually stuff but not the trays of beer. Be there for 7 and you will be fine. I think they wait until everyone has checked in which they do via your car reg as you approach and then they bring the sniffer dog around the cars. What's good is that if you are only going for a few days they give you a discount. Its something like a day trip special which allows you to come back with 72 hours or so. On the return there are 2 checkpoints that you go through, first the customs and then the guards who ask for your passport or drivers licence. The 2 bed cabin is the same as the 1 bed as 1 bed is dropped down and the other 3 are locked up . It's handy just to relax and watch telly.

Forget the type of boat but choose which one is cheaper and which suits your times and book direct.

ednwireland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284457#Comment_121284457

Manchester you have to get a bus from terminal to hire cars in some car park god knows where and its a horrible airport.

haven't been through Birmingham in years but i consistently in the press for delays etc.

last time i tried to book a flight car through Liverpool none of the hire companies would let me book a pickup after 4.30pm so worth looking out for that.

needed a fly in late get a car and fly out late the next day didn't bother in the end .

personally would rather be on the ferry with my car.

donkey balls

From an ex truckers point of view Irish ferries all the way,Food way better on their boats compared to Stena. Obviously we get a cabin on both Irish Ferries and Stena.

Normally with Irish ferries they wake you up 30mins before docking, Stena is anything from 60/90mins.

Duty free wise Irish ferries has the better selection, Although there is a small duty free shop (2 containers ) were you park up for the Stena.