Ferry deals to France - Summer 2015

Book your mobile home through the camp site rather than a holiday company. Most big campings have mobile homes to rent and the details will be on their web site.

Bif wrote: »

Folks,
I hope to travel by ferry to Normandy from Ireland and stay on a campsite this summer (mobile home, gite etc.). It will be our first time to do this (2 adults and 2 two kids) and I would welcome any advice on what to book, pricing etc. Thanks in advance.

Hi Bif, I just copied my post from another thread with lots of info based on my own experiences - hopefullys its helpful.


Originally Posted by tantipie View Post
I'd love to go to France with the kids but don't have a clue about nice areas or campsites.Do I need to bring everything but the kitchen sink packed in the car and can you not go back to the car during the ferry trip??any tips advice would be fantastic
I cant recommend the trip highly enough. my top tips for an easy time are as follows

1. Luggage - before you pack, lay everything you need out on a bed. then put at least half of it back in the wardrobe as you'll never use it. Unless you're exceptionally messy eaters as adults, you'll manage a fortnight with 3 tshirts, 2 pairs of shorts and a weeks supply of underwear. A hoodie will be plenty to keep you warm in the evenings and you can wear "irish weather" clothes on the boat over. There are laundry facilities on the campsites and they're cheap as chips. Its worth it (IMO) to book the bedlinen at the campsite as its more space spared in the car (do bring towels though). Also, when packing the car, try to resist the temptation to load up the back seat in between the kids with stuff, it'll only make them cranky / claustrophobic - if you cant fit it in the boot / roofbox, then you probably dont need it.

2. Bags on the boat - we have 2 kids, so adjust accordingly - my wife brings 1 bag containing a change of clothes, toothpaste & brushes and a few toys for the kids. I bring a second bag containing cereal bars, an empty bottle, a Flask with some milk in it and teabags - I'll explain these in the next point. its also worth noting that they don't give out seasickness tablets on the boat any more, so make sure you get them before you leave if required.

3. Breakfast on arrival in france is very early, and its totally jammers, your time is better served by getting a head start on getting down to the car deck and getting off the boat rather than waiting for the masses to filter out.before you leave, Boil the kettle in your room. While its boiling, transfer the milk from the flask into the empty bottle, then fill the flask with the boiling water.

4. Leave the boat, then drive a short distance to somewhere you can pull in and have yourself a light breakfast of cereal bars and tea. (I told you there was a method to my madness).

5. Hit the road. Sat Nav is a major plus, but its worth making sure that the route it takes is the preferred one - for example, last year our satnav brought us from the vendee to roscoff via all back roads. It might have essentially been a shorter distance, but it took a good bit longer to drive.

6. On the drive, Mc Donalds is your friend, regardless on your views on feeding the kids junk. They'll see it as a welcome treat and most roadside ones have great playgrounds and outside seating areas.

7. When you arrive at your campsite, if its a sunday, in all likelihood, the main shops in the area will be closed, so it might be best to budget for having your first evenings meal at the restaurant. (or else pack something like pasta and sauce in your luggage)

8. The supermarkets, for whatever reason, are total pandemonium on a monday morning in france. If your kids are young, i'd recommend one of the adults to take the kids to the pool /playground while the other hits the supermarket for the essentials - Its best to try and avoid picking up stuff in the campsite shops as they are very expensive in comparision to the lidl / E Leclerc / Super U shops.

9. On the return trip (if leaving from roscoff), try and allow yourself some time in the town of roscoff, its actually a lovely little spot to while away a few hours. Also, there is no point in being overly early for the boat home, waiting in a carpark in the heat with kids is not a fun time.

10. Have fun!

if I think of anything else I'll add it on here later.
__________________
Gamertag: Stone Deaf 4evr
Last edited by Stone Deaf 4evr; 13-05-2014 at 09:28.




original thread is here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056938938

webpal wrote: »

Just seen a tweet that the irish ferries 10% code will end on jan 5

Re 10% discount currently available and been in very early January can anyone tell me based on their previous experience if this is a good time to book with Irish Ferries to France or should I wait for better offers? Thanks.

MelachiT wrote: »

Off to check prices on Stena and Brittany ferries.

That won't go well !


The hike in ferry prices seems like gouging, especially given the drop in fuel prices

Bif wrote: »

They obviously think Dublin customers will pay serious amounts extra to sail out of Dublin. Think the economy service label may refer to the boat rather than price! Haven't been on either so may well be wrong.

You are right. The Oscar Wilde is a much better ship and it makes no sense that IF would charge more for the service from Dublin. Make the drive to Rosslare and you will enjoy a better crossing at a lower price.

BenEadir wrote: »

With the removal of the LD Lines Norman Atlantic from Rosslare to St Nazaire

Now that you mention it, this is the ferry that had that tragic fire off Greece last week

BenEadir wrote: »

It was the competition from LD Lines last year which helped increase supply on the Ireland -> France route thus prompting the others to discount fares to fill their boats during the peak holiday season. There was also less demand last year due to 2013 being a good summer so more people were staycationing last summer. Less demand + more supply from LD Lines last summer = lower fares.

I'd say LD's impact on fares was negligible to zero. They only ran a handful of sailings, with prices underpinned by an EU subsidy aimed at trucks. The ferry business needs steady commercial traffic and St Nazaire was never sustainable as a stand alone destination as the other operators well knew.

BenEadir wrote: »

I'd like to have that negligible impact on fares available every summer. I got a VW Touareg with a roof box and bike rack, 2 adults, 2 kids and a nicer cabin than the equivalent Oscar Wilde from Rosslare to St Nazaire (saving 4 hours driving in France worth €100 diesel) for €168.

I was talking about the impact on fares with the other carriers. You got a great deal but you won't get anything like that again.

BenEadir wrote: »

Don't be hitting me with those negative waves First Up

The poor old Norman Atlantic got hit by more than negative waves alas.

Bif wrote: »

FRANCEC15 10% discount code backup according to IF website.

Its working today, anyway. The Irish Ferries website froze/never progressed to payment page, so I rang them (0818 300 400) and a lad took the all details over the phone and give me my reference number.
August travel, Rosslaire to Cherbourg, Motorhome, 2 adults 1 child,€540.30 with the discount. Cant be bad, hardly get any cheaper as the year goes on, and about ten of each cabin type available as of this morning. The cheaper cabins all go very fast usually.

Cianmcliam wrote: »

Is that for one-way only?

No, return.

Out. Wed 12 August, price €264 plus cabin
Back Thurs 25 August, Price €204 plus cabin, minus discount code. total €540.30
Cabins are 2 bed, no window.

Cianmcliam wrote: »

That's a great price, but to move our dates out to August doubles the cost of the same accommodation!

I had the very same problem when I was booking mine. its like the cost of accommodation is on an inverse proportion to the ferry - i.e. cheap ferry = dear accommodation and vice versa. I think when all was said and done the spread between the highest quote and lowest was about 300 euros.

for a finish, I picked dates that suited me and took the hit on the ferry cost but decided to treat ourselves to the largest variety of mobile home that was on offer.

MorganIRL wrote: »

That link still seems to work there's a €110 diff in cost between stena and IF. I've used IF the last 2 yrs although stenas ferry times aren't as gd I'm thinking we can get around them with the xtra money we'd be saving.

Is there much difference in the 2 ferries used?

Bif wrote: »

Is there much difference in the 2 ferries used?

Quite a bit. The Irish Ferries Oscar Wilde is older but more spacious and with a number of bars and restaurants, ranging from a snack bar to full waiter service. They also have an entertainment show in the summer season. The 3 star cabins on the OW are fine and are what I would recommend - the 2 star are a bit basic and the 4 star aren't worth it.

The Stena ship is newer but has more limited facilities - one bar, one restaurant and (to me) it feels more like a freight drivers ferry than one aimed at families etc. But I got into a few rows in another forum for saying this and some people will swear to you that the Stena boat is brilliant and the Oscar Wilde is a rust bucket so I think there's a few agendas on the go!

Have a look at the websites which describe the ships pretty well.

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

@ Bif

Regardless of what boat you eventually do book on, remember that its only a part of your holiday and you’ll only be on it for the best part of a day.
You won’t get scurvy, or boarded by somali pirates, and you wont be segregated by class, with the toffs having partridge for tea on the top deck with the working class in the belly of the boat drinking warm porter and having a display of irish music and dancing. All the boats are grand.

Weigh up the cost to get to your destination from the front door of your house, then look at time taken, then decide if one outweighs the other.
For example, I could go cheaper from rosslare, but I’d sooner pay the extra few quid and sail from cork, as I’m living within 20 mins of the port.

All fair comment. The Brittany Ferries ship is very good - it just depends on whether Roscoff suits as your arrival/departure point.

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

@ Bif

Regardless of what boat you eventually do book on, remember that its only a part of your holiday and you’ll only be on it for the best part of a day.
You won’t get scurvy, or boarded by somali pirates, and you wont be segregated by class, with the toffs having partridge for tea on the top deck with the working class in the belly of the boat drinking warm porter and having a display of irish music and dancing. All the boats are grand.

Weigh up the cost to get to your destination from the front door of your house, then look at time taken, then decide if one outweighs the other.
For example, I could go cheaper from rosslare, but I’d sooner pay the extra few quid and sail from cork, as I’m living within 20 mins of the port.

Have booked already so no worries about scurvy, pirates or anything else thanks...just asking for opinions for future reference.

BenEadir, I hadn't booked but have 2 kids under 4 and the play area on IF gives me and mammy the few mins to sit and watch the boys does signify the start of the hols so I reckon this will be the decider. Thks.

BenEadir wrote: »

If you've young kids and want variety in terms of entertainment, lounges (one with entertainment, one "reading" type lounge) and restaurants (casual/self service/waiter service) then the OW is the way to go. If your kids are older and you're happy to sit for a few hours in a comfy lounge having a few drinks watching movies on tablets/reading/playing cars etc instead of being entertained the Stena ferry is fine and I find their cabins better than the 3 star cabins on the OW, the beds are wider and comfier which means a lot to me!!

I've been on both a good few times and for the same price I'd probably go with the OW as the kids enjoy it and sitting in the lounge having a few drinks watching the "show" really emphasizes that your holiday has begun. It's cheezy as hell though

From a pure €'s perspective if there is €200 to be saved I'd rather put that towards a better quality mobile on the camp site or just add it to the spending money on holiday. All other things considered the entertainment on board is really the only difference for me (I ate in the full service restaurant once and never again, over priced AND rubbish. Don't mind over priced but rubbish as well took the pi$$) so is the show worth €200?

For me it's a clear "No".