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

Bahanaman

Hi all! Has anyone here got advice re attractions/things to do, restaurants, supermarkets etc near Le Brasilia campsite in Canet-en-Roussillon, France. We're going there in late June, early July. We've 12 and 15 year old girls. 20 year old son coming too!! He'll prob be off doing his own thing most of the time!..

Duffryman

Heading for the Siblu Domaine de Litteau site in June. Seems the nearest beach (about 30 mins drive away) is actually Omaha Beach, one of the D-Day landing sites. I've been there before with my wife, about 10 years ago, when it was just the two of us and sometime around late September when the area wasn't exactly crowded anyway.

Just wondering now, though...this time we'll have a five-year-old with us, and it'll be summer....are the D-Day beaches generally used as 'ordinary' family fun beaches for things like sandcastles, running around, etc., or would that sort of thing be frowned upon because they're regarded as solemn war sites?

Maybe I'm overthinking things, but don't want to offend the locals (or anybody else)!

Seth Brundle

It serves as a regular beach just fine.

54and56

Thinking of switching my Stena booking from Rosslare to Irish Ferries from Dublin but there's a steep price difference.

Anyone got any discount codes for Irish Ferries WB Lates to France?

MorganIRL

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Thinking of switching my Stena booking from Rosslare to Irish Ferries from Dublin but there's a steep price difference.

Anyone got any discount codes for Irish Ferries WB Lates to France?

I availed of this offer b4 Xmas, it was called the "early reservation offer", haven't seen any other cheap offers for Irish ferries since, (pd for flexibility option just in case they done a quick sale and wanted the option to change bookings)

Has anyone used the prepaid meals option on IF, is there value in getting it?

Jambalaya

treascon wrote: »

We’re heading back to La Garangeoire, Vendee region this year. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for day trips/things to see & do with 3 kids, 7-12 years age range. Done Puy du Fou last year, loved it but looking for other ideas. TIA

Le grand defi is great fun and right beside la Garangeoire if you haven't done it before-high ropes and zip wires.

treascon

Saw it alright but didn’t venture in. May give it a go this time seeing as it’s so close by. Thanks

SusanC10

Jambalaya wrote: »

Le grand defi is great fun and right beside la Garangeoire if you haven't done it before-high ropes and zip wires.

We were there 3 years ago and loved it. Can make a full day of that.

LennieB

treascon wrote: »

We’re heading back to La Garangeoire, Vendee region this year. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for day trips/things to see & do with 3 kids, 7-12 years age range. Done Puy du Fou last year, loved it but looking for other ideas. TIA

We went to Le Grand Defi 2 years ago when at Le Littoral campsite and we loved it, only got there for second half of day but heading to Le Pin Parasol this year and 2 boys 10 & 12 want to go back to it for a full day. We also went to a waterpark - O'Gliss park (http://www.oglisspark.fr/), great day there has by all.

MorganIRL

Hi just wondering has anyone used the prepaid meals option on IF, have a 8, 6, 2. And was wondering do u save much if anything. TIA

pmpa

MorganIRL wrote: »

Hi just wondering has anyone used the prepaid meals option on IF, have a 8, 6, 2. And was wondering do u save much if anything. TIA

We get it every year going to France. My 3 kids are older than yours tough. Find it very good value as all of us are fed for €35 (if I remember correctly) and it saved me trying to get the kids to eat a dinner at lunchtime when they didn't want much to eat. Kids meals were normally big enough. Last year I got a gorgeous noodle stir fry. That noodle bar might be on the W. B. Yeats. Last year was the first year that kids drinks weren't included with their meals.

jay0109

Has the WB Yates got kids entertainment/live music in the Maud Gone bar on deck 11 does anyone know? Like the Oscar Wilde had.

MorganIRL

pmpa wrote: »

We get it every year going to France. My 3 kids are older than yours tough. Find it very good value as all of us are fed for €35 (if I remember correctly) and it saved me trying to get the kids to eat a dinner at lunchtime when they didn't want much to eat. Kids meals were normally big enough. Last year I got a gorgeous noodle stir fry. That noodle bar might be on the W. B. Yeats. Last year was the first year that kids drinks weren't included with their meals.

Does that include the meal on arrival and b/fast in the morning? If remember from last yr it was it was over €25 each sitting with us..

Cartman78

:mad:
Took the roofbox out of the shed yesterday to give it a bit of a spruce and discovered that the lock has completely seized up :mad::mad::mad::mad:


Will try dosing it with WD40 and hope for the best - already need new roof bars (as we've changed cars since last used) so don't want to blow more money on a locksmith.


Not long to go for us now - traveling in mid June to Carnac :)

loyatemu

MorganIRL wrote: »

Does that include the meal on arrival and b/fast in the morning? If remember from last yr it was it was over €25 each sitting with us..

No it doesn't include breakfast.

Prior to last year you could use it to get the kids a half-sized meal from the carvery or the pasta bar, but last year they'd changed it so you had to get the "kids menu" which was basically sausage and chips or nuggets and chips. Might be better on the WBY.

pmpa

MorganIRL wrote: »

Does that include the meal on arrival and b/fast in the morning? If remember from last yr it was it was over €25 each sitting with us..

No, just a dinner with no drinks. If you plan on eating dinner in the self service restaurant it is the most cost effective way to eat if you purchase the meal deal. Two of my kids got mash, veg and fish goujons last year so don't think the kids meals have to be chips but may have just got lucky on the day that we got that!

sceach16

https://www.irishferries.com/ie-en/ships/wbyeats/

Pretzill

Traveled onboard the WB Yeats last week, I have to say I was underwhelmed by it. It is certainly bigger in the freight and car areas, but I found the design and layout of Deck 10 too open plan - more suited as a shorter service in my opinion. The cheaper cabins 2 bed up to 4 bed are very narrow and more economy looking - (one lady had trouble getting her child's buggy through the doorway of her cabin) - It wasn't a huge amount faster either and it was delayed on the return journey - obviously if going from Rosslare is would knock a couple of hours off but it was 18 hours and 19 on return - so whereas I thought I'd be quicker going to Dublin it wasn't actually the case. If you don't consider the journey as part of your holiday it's perfectly fine, and does the job - but if like me you like to relax the moment you put the handbrake on the car - it wasn't the most comfortable journey. Hopefully, a lot of things are just teething problems, TV issues, heating problems, food not great etc.

MorganIRL

loyatemu wrote: »

No it doesn't include breakfast.

Prior to last year you could use it to get the kids a half-sized meal from the carvery or the pasta bar, but last year they'd changed it so you had to get the "kids menu" which was basically sausage and chips or nuggets and chips. Might be better on the WBY.

Sorta pointless without b/fast. Prob just gonna do what we Done from rosslare, takeaway onto boat :-)

First Up

Pretzill wrote:

Traveled onboard the WB Yeats last week, I have to say I was underwhelmed by it. It is certainly bigger in the freight and car areas, but I found the design and layout of Deck 10 too open plan - more suited as a shorter service in my opinion. The cheaper cabins 2 bed up to 4 bed are very narrow and more economy looking - (one lady had trouble getting her child's buggy through the doorway of her cabin) - It wasn't a huge amount faster either and it was delayed on the return journey - obviously if going from Rosslare is would knock a couple of hours off but it was 18 hours and 19 on return - so whereas I thought I'd be quicker going to Dublin it wasn't actually the case. If you don't consider the journey as part of your holiday it's perfectly fine, and does the job - but if like me you like to relax the moment you put the handbrake on the car - it wasn't the most comfortable journey. Hopefully, a lot of things are just teething problems, TV issues, heating problems, food not great etc.

Disappointed to read that. I haven't been impressed with the photos I've seen so far of the internal space and your comments make it sound a step down from the Oscar Wilde in several ways. (In the photos I've seen it looks more like the style of the Stena Horizon which certainly couldn't be described as luxurious.)

It will be interesting to read other comments as the traffic builds through the summer. Glitches can be fixed but not furniture, fittings or cabin design.

SusanC10

Ditto to above.

Are the outside Deck Areas on Deck 8 & 11 ?

Would love to hear how the Sally Garden play zone is, if anyone has brought their kids to it!

Is it basically the same as the Oscar Wilde play zone?

average_runner

Cartman78 wrote: »

:mad:
Took the roofbox out of the shed yesterday to give it a bit of a spruce and discovered that the lock has completely seized up :mad::mad::mad::mad:


Will try dosing it with WD40 and hope for the best - already need new roof bars (as we've changed cars since last used) so don't want to blow more money on a locksmith.


Not long to go for us now - traveling in mid June to Carnac :)

If getting new bars just use Mick's garage online, you will save loads compare to the stores.

john_doe.

Reas through lot of thread.

Heading to France (Roscoff ) from Cork , first week of September. Just me , wife and a 17 month old ( at that stage)

Was wondering where best area to go is, vendee seems popular. We aren't looking for campsite as she too young. Prob Air BnB.

Any recommended regions to try get best weather , that late in year.

Thanks

Pretzill

Dónal wrote: »

Would love to hear how the Sally Garden play zone is, if anyone has brought their kids to it!

Is it basically the same as the Oscar Wilde play zone?

There wasn't a play zone, that I could see, just a few seats (rock shaped).

Pretzill

SusanC10 wrote: »

Ditto to above.

Are the outside Deck Areas on Deck 8 & 11 ?

For once I didn't venture out at all - there is a deck area on deck 11 - (all the doors were shut on 8)

MorganIRL

Dónal wrote: »

Would love to hear how the Sally Garden play zone is, if anyone has brought their kids to it!

Is it basically the same as the Oscar Wilde play zone?

I enquired from IF late last yr re play area and they said no soft play area that was on the Oscar Wilde..

MorganIRL

MorganIRL wrote: »

I enquired from IF late last yr re play area and they said no soft play area that was on the Oscar Wilde..

Odd as I checked the Irish Ferries website and they had in the ship plan and description of services some info about the salley garden place. Haven't seen any photos of it though which has me suspicious.

Pretzill

Dónal wrote: »

Odd as I checked the Irish Ferries website and they had in the ship plan and description of services some info about the salley garden place. Haven't seen any photos of it though which has me suspicious.

There is a photo directly opposite where it says on the website "Keep the children entertained..." there's a TV area with rock style cushions - that's the Salley Gardens. Also, I forgot to mention there is a decent looking cinema onboard (lady making popcorn too) but I never asked the price of entry.

edit to add screenshot from website:
[URL="[url=https://ibb.co/fDzpyq2][img]https://i.ibb.co/y4cyZdX/ifwb.png[/img][/url]"][/url]

First Up

john_doe. wrote:

Heading to France (Roscoff ) from Cork , first week of September. Just me , wife and a 17 month old ( at that stage)

Any recommended regions to try get best weather , that late in year.

Early September should still be nice and warm but the Vendee is more reliable than Brittany so its worth investing in the few hours drive to south of the Loire.

It depends what you want to do but in the Vendee the classic French beach destinations I'd suggest are St Jean de Monts and St Gilles Croix de Vie. Both have apartment blocks overlooking the beach so Airbnb should be possible. The season ends pretty abruptly at the end of August so accomodation (like Ferry prices) drop steeply. Some places close too but plenty should still be open.

Plenty of nice little towns, chateaux etc within easy driving distance if you want a break from the beach scene.

If you want a shorter drive, another classic French beach resort town is La Baule, on the north side of the Loire estuary. Quite posh but very stylish.