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

muletide

Any idea when to expect a sale for 2020 crossings with either Irish Ferries or Stena. We travelled on the WB Yeats this year but booked late (May) and was pricey.

Peckham

muletide wrote: »

Any idea when to expect a sale for 2020 crossings with either Irish Ferries or Stena. We travelled on the WB Yeats this year but booked late (May) and was pricey.

Irish Ferries do a sale around Christmas. Think it's about the cheapest that you'll get it.

loyatemu

2020 timetable isn't even out yet.

munchkin_utd

muletide wrote: »

Any idea when to expect a sale for 2020 crossings with either Irish Ferries or Stena. We travelled on the WB Yeats this year but booked late (May) and was pricey.

got a mail from Stena today that they are doing a sale, and including a free spin to GB as a sweetner too.

BlazingSaddler

munchkin_utd wrote: »

got a mail from Stena today that they are doing a sale, and including a free spin to GB as a sweetner too.

Me too, 20% off apparently. Worked out very expensive for me (well by Stena Line standards anyway) €1131 for 2 adults, 3 kids, car + 6 berth for room mid to late July

manshay

54&56 wrote: »

They were never "in" the Irish market as in they never marketed their service to the Irish market but they accept membership from Ireland. I've had annual family ADAC Plus membership with them for years paid by DD from my bank account. Couldn't be easier. IIRC it's about €110 a year for the family including breakdown cover here which paradoxically is sub contracted by ADAC to the local AA organisation

ADAC wouldn't accept my application to join in early August 2019.
They sent a nice letter stating that they are concentrating on the german market (strategic re-organisation) and as I am not located in Germany they had no suitable products for me.

First Up

Got a first hand report today on the WBY from a family with young kids.

Generally positive about cabins and public spaces; newer (obviously) and higher tech than the OW.

Less enthusiastic about food options; the Lady Gregory was beyond their price range and the food in the brasserie was just OK.

Kids play area was good. Little entertainment on offer but they weren't looking for that. Cinema looked nice but they didn't go.

Sailing was smooth and Dublin was a lot handier for them than Rosslare.

Overall they were happy enough; nothing that would stop them using it again. Best approached with modest expectations I think.

54and56

manshay wrote: »

ADAC wouldn't accept my application to join in early August 2019.
They sent a nice letter stating that they are concentrating on the german market (strategic re-organisation) and as I am not located in Germany they had no suitable products for me.

Sorry to hear that Manshay, it's a pity they're not taking on new members from Ireland.

SusanC10

Just wondering if anyone has heard when IF will release their 2020 Schedule?

Not looking for France but rather Dublin-Holyhead route for Easter 2020.

TIA.

Deeman83

SusanC10 wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has heard when IF will release their 2020 Schedule?

Not looking for France but rather Dublin-Holyhead route for Easter 2020.

TIA.

Its supposed to be the end of October for France so Id expect the UK routes to be a month earlier than that.

Drop them an email and they usually respond fairly quickly.

Seth Brundle

Deeman83 wrote: »

Its supposed to be the end of October for France so Id expect the UK routes to be a month earlier than that.

Drop them an email and they usually respond fairly quickly.

As the UK exit is currently scheduled for Oct 31st and nobody knows what is going to happen, I'd be surprised if they release their schedules before then.

spockety

Anyone here use Hello France for Sol a Gogo or Clarys Plage? They got a load of new mobile homes in last year, but are not taking bookings for 2020 and sounds like they are selling up or getting out of the business..

Treviso

spockety wrote: »

Anyone here use Hello France for Sol a Gogo or Clarys Plage? They got a load of new mobile homes in last year, but are not taking bookings for 2020 and sounds like they are selling up or getting out of the business..

I thought that EuroCamp have taken over all of Clarys Plage from 2020, not sure about Sol a Gogo. If you want to book Clarys, then you need to go through EuroCamp i think

manshay

spockety wrote: »

Anyone here use Hello France for Sol a Gogo or Clarys Plage? They got a load of new mobile homes in last year, but are not taking bookings for 2020 and sounds like they are selling up or getting out of the business..

mr_edge_to_you wrote: »

Don't think this was mentioned in the thread yet but the word here is that Eurocamp (well its parent) have actually bought out the Clarys Plage campsite. I think they also own some smaller firms but it seems that non-Eurocamp group companies won't have any access to the site after this season and they're all trying to relocate their mobile homes. It will have a major impact on the area, it'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

@spockety this maybe the reason they aren't quoting for 2020 yet.

mr_edge_to_you

spockety wrote: »

Anyone here use Hello France for Sol a Gogo or Clarys Plage? They got a load of new mobile homes in last year, but are not taking bookings for 2020 and sounds like they are selling up or getting out of the business..

We've stayed in Sol A GoGo for the last 2 years with Hello France. Great campsite and a pleasure to deal with Hello France at all times.

2 weeks ago they had a sign up advertising discounts for booking your 2020 holidays onsite.

Jeffm587

Anyone made the crossing around Christmas time , likely to be rougher than summer months I assume ? Thinking about it this year . Epsilon looks full booked going out on the 21st. So looking at Stenna or Brittany out and IF back

munchkin_utd

Jeffm587 wrote: »

Anyone made the crossing around Christmas time , likely to be rougher than summer months I assume ? Thinking about it this year . Epsilon looks full booked going out on the 21st. So looking at Stenna or Brittany out and IF back

made it heaps of times and planning it again this christmas with a boot full of santa presents.

It can get bouncy but once you have a cabin its not that much of an issue.
Note, britanny dont run a service over the christmas period so you have either Stena or Irish ferries both running a very similar "economy" ferry service.
Was too late booking last year for a cabin and ended up in a seat, and it took 6 pints of guinness for me to be fit to sleep, and even then I had to stretch out across a few seats to get comfy.

also, you can do landbridge which we did on the way back last christmas and the kids were so much happier to avoid the long and potentially stormy France-Ireland leg. If you book the proper combination deal its not so expensive and if you time it half ways right you can avoid any bad traffic. Premier inns for an overnight are cheap and comfy and great deals can be had in advance.
The secret with landbridge is to put the irish sea options on paper, work driving times around that (leave a buffer for going slower than expected if theres bad weather) including breaks and then figure what english channel times would suit after having driven across England and wales - and if you need an overnight to take pressure off making a ferry or channel tunnel.
With the combi deal over the phone with irish ferries or stena, the price including channel crossing is not much more than just the irish sea crossing booked separately, and often the channel tunnel is barely more than the much slower (and slower disembarking) ferry.
On the other hand the cross channel ferry gives you a 2 hour break and you can eat on board, so it might suit if you have already driven a long distance beforehand AND want to avoid a longer break on the motorways.

Jeffm587

Thanks Munchkin that's very useful . Been on the Epsilon before so familiar with the economy set up. I suppose the landbridge is deffo worth doing the homework on at this time of year. Might be a hard sell to kids though around the amount of in car time .We have 5/6 hours drive down from Brittany . Good info on the Tunnel v Ferry . Will have a look across the options

munchkin_utd

Jeffm587 wrote: »

Thanks Munchkin that's very useful . Been on the Epsilon before so familiar with the economy set up. I suppose the landbridge is deffo worth doing the homework on at this time of year. Might be a hard sell to kids though around the amount of in car time .We have 5/6 hours drive down from Brittany . Good info on the Tunnel v Ferry . Will have a look across the options

well, the landbridge is what it is, an option that drops you in Calais! For some destinations that works ok. At this stage our kids pay no heed to long journies in the car (we have a mere 1200km drive to or from Cherbourg, just 1000km from Calais) but the secret to that is preparation- having videos/ snacks and all tricks on hand to keep them relatively dosile!

Anyhow, heres stena landbridge : https://www.stenaline.ie/europe-by-car
And irish ferries : https://www.irishferries.com/ie-en/specials-France-ireland/landbridge/

mr_edge_to_you

Hello France have announced that theyre not taking any bookings for 2020 and there's some changes afoot.

fdevine

Treviso wrote: »

I thought that EuroCamp have taken over all of Clarys Plage from 2020, not sure about Sol a Gogo. If you want to book Clarys, then you need to go through EuroCamp i think

I've seen both listed on eurocamp but also listed on EuroParcs. Don't know if theres any connection

SusanC10

Anyone been to Des Menhirs near Carnac ? Thoughts on it ?

Also, are Eurocamp gone from La Grande Metairie for 2020 ?

Asking for a friend not on Boards.

average_runner

Just sorted our flights for Toulouse next year and campsite booked also.
Will look at car rental later but that's the important stuff done

Max Moment

SusanC10 wrote: »

Anyone been to Des Menhirs near Carnac ? Thoughts on it ?

Also, are Eurocamp gone from La Grande Metairie for 2020 ?

Asking for a friend not on Boards.

Would really recommend Des menhirs. Stayed twice and couldn’t fault it. Within walking distance to Carnac Plage town with plenty of bars and restaurants. Across the road from the beach too.

SusanC10

Max Moment wrote: »

Would really recommend Des menhirs. Stayed twice and couldn’t fault it. Within walking distance to Carnac Plage town with plenty of bars and restaurants. Across the road from the beach too.

Great to hear. Thank you !

Miley Byrne

Max Moment wrote: »

Would really recommend Des menhirs. Stayed twice and couldn’t fault it. Within walking distance to Carnac Plage town with plenty of bars and restaurants. Across the road from the beach too.

Agree with this. Slides are excellent. Pool on the small side but didn't get too crowded. If you are used to using the onsite bar then this area is not great. It didn't affect me as I only went there on one evening but the bar counter itself is tiny and wouldn't have the atmosphere of other sites. Other than that though its location is excellent. As Max says, it is a 10 minute walk into the centre of town and there are some excellent bars, restaurants, creperies there etc . SuperU is a 2 minute drive and lots of lovely beaches within a short drive or you have the main beach a 5 minute walk from the site. A good few Irish families there so not sure if this is a positive or a negative for you:pac:. Seriously though there was a good mix of nationalities there, some Irish, mostly French

JB81

Hi There.

First timer here, but have been reading the thread.
Family with three young kids ( 6,4,3 ).
Looking to do maybe 7-10 days camping in France next year June/July.

Trying to weigh up pros and cons of driving/ferry to Roscoff from Cork, and staying in Brittany as would not want to drive too far in France.
Or, flying into somewhere further south and airport transfers to campsite.

I suppose cost is the big thing. For five of us I find that the flights are very expensive compared to the ferry.
And we then have our own car with us, if we wanted to get out of the campsite for the day. But if the site is good and near a beach we probably would have no need to.

In vague terms, is it more expensive to fly and stay or to drive/ferry ? in peoples experiences? Approximately?

Weather is not a huge issue once its not horrible. So I would take the chance in Brittany at end of June, so this does not really effect my decision.

Its really down to money at this stage. Is it really that much more expensive to fly than to Ferry?

Whats the approximate cost of:

Ferry to Roscoff return
Flights return for family of five
Campsite for 7 nights
Campsite for 10 nights

All roughly, but would appreciate peoples real life experiences.

Thanks
Sorry for rambling
JB

average_runner

JB81 wrote: »

Hi There.

First timer here, but have been reading the thread.
Family with three young kids ( 6,4,3 ).
Looking to do maybe 7-10 days camping in France next year June/July.

Trying to weigh up pros and cons of driving/ferry to Roscoff from Cork, and staying in Brittany as would not want to drive too far in France.
Or, flying into somewhere further south and airport transfers to campsite.

I suppose cost is the big thing. For five of us I find that the flights are very expensive compared to the ferry.
And we then have our own car with us, if we wanted to get out of the campsite for the day. But if the site is good and near a beach we probably would have no need to.

In vague terms, is it more expensive to fly and stay or to drive/ferry ? in peoples experiences? Approximately?

Weather is not a huge issue once its not horrible. So I would take the chance in Brittany at end of June, so this does not really effect my decision.

Its really down to money at this stage. Is it really that much more expensive to fly than to Ferry?

Whats the approximate cost of:

Ferry to Roscoff return
Flights return for family of five
Campsite for 7 nights
Campsite for 10 nights

All roughly, but would appreciate peoples real life experiences.

Thanks
Sorry for rambling
JB

Hard to answer all of the questions but will give my experience.

Flight is cheaper for the 4 of us, but we used to book the suite on the boat as we like the comfort etc.

Brittany weather can be very like home, so if you can handle that, then your grand. We go south for the weather.

The cost for us next year, going to south of france with flights, camping and car hire is 2800. Again its not the cheapest mobile we went for.

joinme

First time planning a campsite holiday in France next summer. We are family of four (kids will 8 & 4). Our plan is to fly to Nice, possibly rent a car, and stay in a campsite on the Mediterranean coast. any recommendations?

Some or all these would be great but not essential - near a small town for restaurants, close to a beach, good pools and water slides, good activities for children under 5 and over 5.

thanks

Stone Deaf 4evr

JB81 wrote: »

Hi There.

First timer here, but have been reading the thread.
Family with three young kids ( 6,4,3 ).
Looking to do maybe 7-10 days camping in France next year June/July.

Trying to weigh up pros and cons of driving/ferry to Roscoff from Cork, and staying in Brittany as would not want to drive too far in France.
Or, flying into somewhere further south and airport transfers to campsite.

I suppose cost is the big thing. For five of us I find that the flights are very expensive compared to the ferry.
And we then have our own car with us, if we wanted to get out of the campsite for the day. But if the site is good and near a beach we probably would have no need to.

In vague terms, is it more expensive to fly and stay or to drive/ferry ? in peoples experiences? Approximately?

Weather is not a huge issue once its not horrible. So I would take the chance in Brittany at end of June, so this does not really effect my decision.

Its really down to money at this stage. Is it really that much more expensive to fly than to Ferry?

Whats the approximate cost of:

Ferry to Roscoff return
Flights return for family of five
Campsite for 7 nights
Campsite for 10 nights

All roughly, but would appreciate peoples real life experiences.

Thanks
Sorry for rambling
JB

You've come to the right place.

based on my own experiences the flights vs ferry debate came down to a few key points,

Ferry Pros
1. the holiday starts as soon as you're on board, no hassle with handling kids in airport lounges, security, etc, and you have a cabin to retire to if they're a bit out of sorts
2. you get to bring your own car, saving on rental
3. this in turn allows you to do a bit more exploring than if you were flying and getting a transfer, it also allows you bring more stuff, particularly handy if you have a baby and have to bring sterilizers etc.you can also head to bigger supermarkets to stock up, rather than restricting yourself to the on site shops.
4. you get to bring home as much wine as you can practically fit.

Cons.
1. unless you like driving, guaranteed sunshine can be tough to come by in brittany, at the very least, id be giving yourself a range of about 4 hours, and head for St Jean De Monts.
2. The boat can be expensive when you start adding up meals on board, etc etc, you'll see plenty of people bringing pre made meals on board, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that imo.
3. seasickness can be a (rare) issue for some people, but in general crossings are pretty smooth.

having a guess at your figures, id say
ferry - 900
campsite -700 to 1100
flights - about 250 a head, and add a transfer or car rental on top of that

its a really open ended question though, prices vary a lot depending on when you decide to travel.