France Ferry & Campsite info (use Search function) mod warning post 1

On the Amorique booking system won't let 2 adults 3 kids in a 4 berth.. Pay the €17 for a seat and it enables the booking to proceed.. Pretty sure they won't be knocking on cabin doors to count the occupancy

We got this ferry home last year and there was nothing to do on it. A couple of TVs, a seating area and a restaurant. The shop is just a couple of things behind the reception desk. I'd suggest bringing some games/colouring/etc to entertain the kids.

Also a heads up that if you booked a 4-berth cabin it's actually 2x 2-berth cabins that are linked by the bathroom. This was a problem for me as I was the only adult in the 4-berth with 3 kids so didn't want to leave 2 of them alone overnight. I ended up having to try to wedge the (very heavy) bathroom doors open so that I could hear the other kids. Not ideal.

Stena have a kids go free deal now with the code "KIDS", 2 adults & 3 kids as below
We've booked 3rd - 14th July. Just need to narrow down which campsite now

Just over 8 weeks until our trip.

Allowing myself to start thinking about it now.

Can anyone answer a question regarding Le Clarys Plage

Are you allowed bbq on site? I have seen pictures of a communal bbq area, but also saw mention of bbqs not been allowed

When we were in Le Littoral last year, you weren't allowed to bring your own bbqs, but could rent them from the front desk.

Really hope we can do that in Le Clarys Plage too

I think it’s included with commodore? Just turn up early. Disclaimer I have no experience of either.

FYI, Irish Ferries have sent out their "Kids go Free" email. I checked our dates just to see, its almost a €300 saving for 3 kids. Their overall price for us is still much much higher than Stena from Rosslare though

Irish ferries have also now just added a second ferry, the Isle of Inisheer, to the route meaning 6 sailings a week in May and June, daily sailings from end of June to mid September

The extra sailing dates are bookable till early june, but after that the website is still a work in progress.

The one disappointment is that the larger (i.e. more cabins) and more comfortable James Joyce ferry seems to be allocated to the Dublin Holyhead route for the summer

Extension lead with an EU plug on it - there's defo been a "what to bring" list somewhere on this thread before…

We booked IF for the trip back from cherbourg a few weeks ago. Checked it the other day and it was €250 cheaper. Cancelled the original booking and rebooked the exact same trip, so now have €250 credit on our account for future trips - has to be used in 12 months. That's a nice little win.

I don't know where you're staying but Dinan is definitely worth a visit of at least half a day. Fully concur with the other poster who mentioned the beautiful architecture, but the walk along the port is definitely worth the visit with a multitude of little bars and restaurants. I'd highly recommend the plat du jour which are reasonably priced one or two course meals. Anytime I've been there it's been an absolute sun trap and a place I always return to whenever I'm back in Brittany. Another lovely location is Dinard which has a lovely beach and again plenty of things to see and do.

Enjoy.

Thanks. Staying 3hrs down the road in Vendee, so was going to use it as a break for the drive. Will look into walking along the port.
It will be early Sunday morning when we get there, so dont expect it to be too busy or for much to be open

if you booked with flexi you can cancel and rebook. I used tesco tokens for a small bit of the ticket and they said that meant i could only get travel credit, not a cash refund. The small print for that route actually specifies travel credit only (no cash) for flexi cancellations on the cherbourg dublin route. Took about two hours for the cancellation credit to appear on my account and then just rebooked with all the same details at the cheaper price.

Do you not run the risk of losing your cabin or having none available when you do this?

There's still some available that match my original booking. I'd say that's why the price has fallen, they still haven't sold out despite the sailing being at peak season

Great thing about the ferry and bringing your car is you can bring loads of stuff with you.

We would pack in some dry foods that would already be in the kitchen such as pasta, rice, sauce, packets etc but also dont forget condiments such as salt, pepper, Tabasco dried herbs even cooking oil. Some of the caravans will have the salt and pepper but not all the time. Having your cooking basics means you only then have to get the nice stuff when going to the shops.