Ferry deals to France - Summer 2015

First Up

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Thanks Tennis12. I appreciate the tip ref playing late at night but I think my family would kill me if I was sauntering off to play golf when they are heading out for dinner!!

€70 a round is off putting. I could easily end up paying €1,000 for golf over the two weeks. I only pay €1,500 a year for membership in my local club and that gives me unlimited golf 52 weeks a year, subject to the Irish weather of course!!

Ah well. I guess we'll be staying by the coast.

The prices and deals on their website are better than that.

54and56

First Up wrote: »

The prices and deals on their website are better than that.

If the €200 Golf Week tariff means I could play unlimited golf for €200 for the week I'd probably give that a crack - http://www.lesormes.com/en/golf-club/prestationstarifs/green-fees

I'll drop them an email to suss it out.

BlazingSaddler

talla wrote: »

I booked two weeks ago with Stena Line for the first two weeks in August for €760 return - two adults, 1 child and 4 Berth outside cabin on both legs of the trip.

I just paid €788 for 13th August - 23rd which I was quite happy with, could only get 4 berth inside cabin though. Considering I paid almost €1000 to IF in mid July last year I'm delighted. Got a great deal on campsite with Eurocamp as well, an even €1000 for 9 nights in domain des ormes. Think I paid over €1500 for 11 nights in La Croix de Vieux Pont last year.

Tinder Surprise

Hi.
Anyone know if Irish Ferries do some sort of a cancellation list?
Ive been offered a last minute deal for accommodation which would be crazy to pass up on, but to my frustration I cant get a sailing back for myself and the family, as its booked out.

Roscoff --> Rosslare Sat 18-Jul-15 18:3018:30 Oscar Wilde.

Outbound I can get, but its full on return dates.

long shot I know, but anyone any experience in this?

munchkin_utd

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

Hi.
Anyone know if Irish Ferries do some sort of a cancellation list?
Ive been offered a last minute deal for accommodation which would be crazy to pass up on, but to my frustration I cant get a sailing back for myself and the family, as its booked out.

Roscoff --> Rosslare Sat 18-Jul-15 18:3018:30 Oscar Wilde.

Outbound I can get, but its full on return dates.

long shot I know, but anyone any experience in this?

if its full its full.

An alternative is to get a ferry via England. Heres the grid of options and prices.
http://www.stenaline.ie/ferries-to-france/europe-by-car

should you have little kids then travelling via the English south coast brings you by peppa pig world, and if not then you can pop round to Stonehenge or other interesting places en route from Portsmouth etc to Fishguard.

If you dont like that option, then you have to deal with a lack of direct ferry by staying in france longer. Stena has places for cars, but no cabin.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

Hi.
Anyone know if Irish Ferries do some sort of a cancellation list?
Ive been offered a last minute deal for accommodation which would be crazy to pass up on, but to my frustration I cant get a sailing back for myself and the family, as its booked out.

Roscoff --> Rosslare Sat 18-Jul-15 18:3018:30 Oscar Wilde.

Outbound I can get, but its full on return dates.

long shot I know, but anyone any experience in this?

Try ringing them, I'm sailing around those dates and the balance of payment was taken last week. I'd imagine that anyone whose plans have fallen through would have flagged it by now. Dunno if f theres a "last minute" list as such - you'd be braver than me to go abroad and not know if you had a way home again at the end of the holiday:)

Brittany ferries have a sailing on the friday, but its full aswell.

54and56

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

Hi.
Anyone know if Irish Ferries do some sort of a cancellation list?
Ive been offered a last minute deal for accommodation which would be crazy to pass up on, but to my frustration I cant get a sailing back for myself and the family, as its booked out.

Roscoff --> Rosslare Sat 18-Jul-15 18:3018:30 Oscar Wilde.

Outbound I can get, but its full on return dates.

long shot I know, but anyone any experience in this?

Two things:-

1. You could (if you have the cahoona's) just rock up to the Oscar Wilde on July 18th and try and get on. There's always going to be a few no shows plus they always have capacity for trucks just turning up so I'd personally be confident they wouldn't sail without you providing you are there nice and early and treat the office/admin staff in a courteous manner. You mightn't get a cabin but you'll get seats.

2. I rocked up at Roscoff a few years ago after three weeks chilling in France only to realise my booking was from Cherbourg!! My wife and I just burst out laughing when we realised our mistake (it was that or a row blaming each other) and the kids burst out crying as they thought we were stranded forever. Long story short we ended up sailing with a British ferry company to Portsmouth (I think) and then drove to Holyhead to catch the Irish Ferry to Dublin. Irish Ferry's were cool and whilst they couldn't give us a refund they did give us a free trip from Holyhead to Dublin and the funny thing is we ended up walking in the door of our house only two hours later than we would have if we had gone Roscoff -> Rosslare -> drive to Dublin.

We were about €400 out of pocket for the ferry to Portsmouth though but c'est la vie.

If the deal you're being offered on accommodation is saving you a good lump of cash and the worst thing that happens is you give back some of that saving by having to pay a premium to get home you're still on a winner right?

First Up

I've done the Roscoff to Portsmouth ferry and the drive to Holyhead. Found it pretty long and not helped by long delays on the M5. We broke the journey and overnighted somewhere near Wolverhampton. Its a long drive in one go, but it can be done.

54and56

First Up wrote: »

I've done the Roscoff to Portsmouth ferry and the drive to Holyhead. Found it pretty long and not helped by long delays on the M5. We broke the journey and overnighted somewhere near Wolverhampton. Its a long drive in one go, but it can be done.

I know, I did it in one go with a 20m motorway stop to get diesel, some burgers, a coffee and a Monster energy drink plus it was lashing rain the whole bloody way and I couldn't see 50m ahead of me.

When I got off the ferry in Portsmouth and keyed in Holyhead into the GPS the ETA was literally 20m before the Holyhead ferry was due to depart. Needless to say I put the pedal to the metal and we made it with about 20m to spare but it was a long focused drive I can tell you.

All part of the rich tapestry of travelling.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Seth Brundle

How much were you charged?

Fred Swanson

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Bif

Bit off topic...Just realised that my car insurance only cover Ireland and UK for breakdown recovery. Can anyone tell me where the best place is to get breakdown cover for our 2 weeks in France? thanks.

rowr

Bif wrote: »

Bit off topic...Just realised that my car insurance only cover Ireland and UK for breakdown recovery. Can anyone tell me where the best place is to get breakdown cover for our 2 weeks in France? thanks.

Just to piggyback on this post, do people always get travel or breakdown insurance. Is it worth getting.

Thanks

alias no.9

Bif wrote: »

Bit off topic...Just realised that my car insurance only cover Ireland and UK for breakdown recovery. Can anyone tell me where the best place is to get breakdown cover for our 2 weeks in France? thanks.

I used roadrescue.ie last year but thankfully never needed their help.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Fred Swanson

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54and56

Bif wrote: »

Bit off topic...Just realised that my car insurance only cover Ireland and UK for breakdown recovery. Can anyone tell me where the best place is to get breakdown cover for our 2 weeks in France? thanks.

I pay €109 a year for "ADAC Plus membership" which is comprehensive European wide cover for myself, my wife and our two kids with Europes largest "AA" type organisation https://www.adac.de/mitgliedschaft/adac_membership/

They are a German organisation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADAC with an amazing level of cover. Wherever you are in Europe with your vehicle you just call them and they either come out directly or their local partner (in Ireland it's the AA) comes out and you receive the full ADAC benefits.

It's actually cheaper than being a member of the AA with just Irish cover

If you call +49 800 510 1112 and ask to speak to an English speaking agent they'll sort you out. They are incredibly professional and efficient.

FYI the number you call if you break down or have any sort of travel emergency is +4989222222. If you store that on your phone in the "+" format rather than "00" you'll be able to call them directly no matter where you are in Europe and all their agents in the breakdown call centre speak excellent English.

They also include a lot of other benefits apart from road side assistance including repatriating your car to Ireland if there is a major problem with it which cannot be fixed within 3 days locally e.g. if an engine or gear box fails plus if you or any member of your family have an illness or injury anywhere in the world you can call them and if necessary/appropriate they will repatriate you back home. Some of their benefits overlap a little with VHI travel insurance but it's better to have some extra cover at no additional cost.

A full list of benefits can be found here - https://www.adac.de/mitgliedschaft/leistungen/

First Up

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Why not ask them?

BlazingSaddler

Has anybody travelled yet this year?, would be interested to hear peoples experiences of the Stena Horizon in particular. Sailing August 13th myself.

54and56

mattb74 wrote: »

Has anybody travelled yet this year?, would be interested to hear peoples experiences of the Stena Horizon in particular. Sailing August 13th myself.

Sailing in a couple of weeks myself. Will post an update on the journey, food, staff, cabins etc. when I get to my destination.

First Up

mattb74 wrote: »

Has anybody travelled yet this year?, would be interested to hear peoples experiences of the Stena Horizon in particular. Sailing August 13th myself.

Have used the Horizon a few times - most recent in early May. It gets you there and the cabins are OK. Otherwise pretty basic facilities aimed more at truckers than families or car passengers in general. Cafeteria style restaurant, basic bar, cinema - that's about it.

Some drivers find the top car deck bit hairy - very steep ramp and open deck. Also a bit of reversing needed on the way off as you go up and down the same ramp.

It gets you there but a cruise ship it ain't.

54and56

First Up wrote: »

Have used the Horizon a few times - most recent in early May. It gets you there and the cabins are OK. Otherwise pretty basic facilities aimed more at truckers than families or car passengers in general. Cafeteria style restaurant, basic bar, cinema - that's about it.

Some drivers find the top car deck bit hairy - very steep ramp and open deck. Also a bit of reversing needed on the way off as you go up and down the same ramp.

It gets you there but a cruise ship it ain't.

Of course, this was previously the Celtic Horizon, forgot about that

I've used it a few times.

I quite like the ramp up to the upper deck, it's a good bit of craic getting up there. Never saw anyone getting stuck or anything. Once you're up there you are getting out into the fresh air which is nice and you're also getting back into the car in the fresh air which helps when waiting to offload.

I personally found the boat to be a lot better than "pretty basic". The lounge is very comfortable, the bar may not have the biggest selection of drinks and the selection and quality of food in the cafeteria is a bit basic but it's inexpensive and more than does the job.

It's definitely not a cruise offering entertainment and a selection of restaurants a la Irish Ferries Oscar Wilde (which I've also used a number of times and always enjoyed) but it is a very comfortable and relaxing environment and the cabin beds are both bigger and more comfortable than the equivalent cabins on the Oscar Wilde which given the 8-9 hours you'll be spending in them counts for a lot, it does for me anyway.

First Up

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Of course, this was previously the Celtic Horizon, forgot about that

I've used it a few times.

I quite like the ramp up to the upper deck, it's a good bit of craic getting up there. Never saw anyone getting stuck or anything. Once you're up there you are getting out into the fresh air which is nice and you're also getting back into the car in the fresh air which helps when waiting to offload.

I personally found the boat to be a lot better than "pretty basic". The lounge is very comfortable, the bar may not have the biggest selection of drinks and the selection and quality of food in the cafeteria is a bit basic but it's inexpensive and more than does the job.

It's definitely not a cruise offering entertainment and a selection of restaurants a la Irish Ferries Oscar Wilde (which I've also used a number of times and always enjoyed) but it is a very comfortable and relaxing environment and the cabin beds are both bigger and more comfortable than the equivalent cabins on the Oscar Wilde which given the 8-9 hours you'll be spending in them counts for a lot, it does for me anyway.

I haven't noticed any difference between the cabins or beds on the Horizon v OW, although I've seen others make the same comment. The ramp doesn't bother me either but you see a fair few drivers struggle with hill starts on Irish roads and if you were a bit nervous, doing it in a laden car full of kids could be a bit hairy!

The fresh air is nice - not sure about the salty air and water being great for the car, although I supppose you are high enough above it.

If the sailing schedule suits mine, I am quite happy to use the Horizon but I prefer the OW.

54and56

First Up wrote: »

The fresh air is nice - not sure about the salty air and water being great for the car, although I supppose you are high enough above it.

Your car can still get a dusting of salt if it's a warm day as the spray dries on the car but you'll get the same if you're parked up by a beach.

First Up wrote: »

If the sailing schedule suits mine, I am quite happy to use the Horizon but I prefer the OW.

Same here. I'm kind of agnostic. My criteria are 1. schedule and 2 price. If both were sailing at the same time for the same price I'd probably choose the OW as there are more distractions for the kids and the stage show etc is so cheezy it's kind of entertaining but if the OW was €200 more than the Horizon I'd put the €200 in my pocket and add it to the spending budget on holiday.

First Up

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Your car can still get a dusting of salt if it's a warm day as the spray dries on the car but you'll get the same if you're parked up by a beach.

Same here. I'm kind of agnostic. My criteria are 1. schedule and 2 price. If both were sailing at the same time for the same price I'd probably choose the OW as there are more distractions for the kids and the stage show etc is so cheezy it's kind of entertaining but if the OW was €200 more than the Horizon I'd put the €200 in my pocket and add it to the spending budget on holiday.

Fair enough!

54and56

Hi all,

For any of you bringing familys with lot's of internet connected phones, tablets and laptops to France one option for avoiding a huge data roaming bill might be to bring a phone which isn't locked to a network, purchase one of these data only pre pay sims (http://boutique.orange.fr/tablette-et-cle/pochette-pret-a-surfer-internet-prepaye e.g. 2GB for €20 valid for one month) from any supermarket, stick it in the unlocked phone and then (if it's an Android phone) turn on Tethering & Portable Hotspot (usually in Settings -> Portable Wi-Fi hotspot) and bingo, your unlocked phone is now a Wi-Fi hotspot and you can connect your other devices to it to get internet access rather than each device having to incur high costs to roam on French networks. (Not sure how this would work with an iPhone but I believe there is a similar option in IOS)

I'll use an old Android phone permanently on charge for the car journey to and from Cherbourg to St Jean de Monts (handy for using Google Maps but you can always download https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps and the offline maps before you go) and once on the campsite I'll leave it plugged in so the kids can check their Facebook and message their friends etc from their own phones/tablets using the hotspot Wi-Fi.

Depending on the level of 3G/4G coverage and the number of devices connected to the portable Hotspot at any one time performance can range from barely usable to very usable providing your not trying to stream movies or watch a live GAA match

Hope this is helpful to some.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Navmii on the play marketplace is a good option as well. I've used it for the last three years and its never steered me wrong. Maps can be downloaded and saved before you ever leave Ireland.

munchkin_utd

staying firmly off topic, it'd be worth checking your existing contract to see whats available.
The Mrs on her contract has 1gb of data from the existing bundle usable abroad, can ring anyone inside the country abroad for free and can ring back home for free. Seeing as we are abroad aboit a dozen times in a year, its a shocking dear package that actually nearly pays for itsself.
I see 3 have a similar deal that for €2.99 you can have use of 2gb of data from your existing plan abroad and same with minutes and whatnot.

Cianmcliam

I just got two Three UK pre-paid mobile broadband sims with zero credit, less than €4.50 each delivered from Amazon. You can then buy top-up voucher codes from rechargemysim.net using any credit card or with PayPal. The Three UK site will only accept UK credit cards. £15 for 3GB of data or £25 for 7GB.

The benefit of doing it this way is that Three UK have three roaming partners in France, an Orange SIM will probably only work on their network. Once we get to the site I can check if there's strong 3G signal there or not before I buy any credit. If it won't work with Three UK it won't work with Orange either, they are one of Three UK's roaming partners.