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

Lovely reminder of our holiday this morning with a speeding ticket, not from the French, but the Spanish! 😫

Just another comment on the food available in the commodore lounge.

I popped in around 8 in the evening, and there was almost nothing left, and I found the lounge to be a little dirty.

Wouldn't be in any rush to visit again.

I also thought the breakfast that got delivered to the room was very small. Was ok, but expected better.

We stopped in Dinan about 90 minutes after disembarkation, and went for a stroll, before grabbing croissants and coffees in a cafe

Dinan was an early stop, but a beautiful little town.

We stopped in Rennes last year, but found Dinan much nicer for walking about.

We were travelling as far as Les Sables d'Olonne, so stopped twice. Dinan, and then a McDonalds around Nantes.

We stopped in McDs in Remnes about 18 years ago, and we had to give our passport numbers and a deposit for a highchair, I kid you not. I find Remnes hard to navigate, and it's rough imo.

Try stop at a town on either side, but if it's Sunday, be away places will shut promptly at 12.30/1pm.

Food or snacks in commodore srea is non existent. A fruit bowl at best. Impossible to gain access with the correct cabin card. Little or no cups, spoons etc. Best to take cups from cabin and fill. Coffee is now from a general coffee machine, up to 2 years ago it was decent Nespresso.

Bring pot noodles and anything you can add boiling water to and eat in cabin. Restaurant food is overpriced for kids I think, especially if you've eaten at lunch before getting on board. Bring milk and cereal that can be put in the fridge, and eat them before getting off.

Breakfast to the cabin has been massively reduced in size and quantity over the last 2 years. Tiny pain au chocs and small amounts of coffee etc. Pastries aren't warm and probably not done on board anymore. A real let down in my opinion. We did get offered to go to buffet breakfast, they were rather insistant we go, but we had 4 in commodore and 2 in pet cabin so the 2 in pet cabin wouldn't gain access til much later and then more €€€.

We've the Pont Aven since it's launch, (and travelled the journey before that in their older ships), not 2020 covid, and have found the cut backs are subtle but definitely there, from staff to vanity packs. And the prices don't reflect.

What is the lounge like on the ships to Spain? Presumably a good step up for the longer sailing?

Amazed that they closed for a public holiday in France?

Another 13 days and counting and I'll be in your position too. Roll on the 29th and to yourself, enjoy 🥂

Did it in May and it was excellent…as much food as you want..we got there for the early Wednesday sailing from Roslare to Bilbao (depart at 9am) and we were traveling from cork so were up early. When we got on board at 8am they had hot breakfast buffet out pastries fruit etc ete….it was great. Always had pastries and a few soft drinks fruit etc out, lunch arrived on from 11 to 2-3pm and that had free wine on tap. Loads of hot food buffet style nice sandwitches cold cuts etc. Myself I skulled a good few wines!! They shut the wine down then until dinner time (Good job to be honest or elese I would have been in a heap🙃..)dinner then rocked up around 5pm and they had wine again for 3 hours…it was a beer tap but red and white wine..again loads of hot food, mostly casaroles, curry etc but they were nice. Its not michelien star but it was very relaxed enjoyable day and my missues spent there. Went to bed nice and toasted but we didnt get into Bilbao until 1pm so had plenty of time to get myself together…no free wine the next day (thanks be to god!!) Have fun you'll enjoy it and I think worth the bit extra

Forget to add…the Comadore Lounge in the Pont Aven is just a coffee machine and some fruit…what you are paying for on the Pont Aven is your Commadore room which is the highlight. The few times we got that we just stayed in room to enjoy it and the balcony. We came back this June through Rosoff and what we did was get a few bottles of sparkling wine and some nice bread and cheese and had a picnic on the balcony…magical…great wasy to fininsh off the holiday..Oh for people getting the Commadore dont forget to get the priorioty boarding …for €15 you are litterly first on to the ship to start enjoying your trip and you will be first off…felt like roalty passing everybody in the que. When you have the Commadore you want to be use it as much as possible as well.

None local to us in the Herault stock OTC medicines. However, chemists are plentiful & usually helpful.

From personal experience, the pharmacists are a better option and are always very helpful. We had occasion to visit them on two different trips for different issues and couldn't fault either one. One in Vendee, one in rousillon.

Wife always picks up tubes of Activir cold sore cream when in France. It's basically Zovirax but a third of the price. This summer we got 5 tubes of it for €13 in Alsace. Any pharmacy will have it..