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

First Up

loyatemu wrote: »

same here, looked at ferry price and thought might as well fly and go a bit further afield. Also as the kids are older, the ferry is no longer "part of the holiday", more of a dull waste of 2 days (though we'll miss being able to bring back a bootload of wine).

If you are a wine buyer (as I am too), the savings on what you bring back makes a serious dent in the travel costs.

loyatemu

First Up wrote: »

If you are a wine buyer (as I am too), the savings on what you bring back makes a serious dent in the travel costs.

If you were buying high end stuff and saving €20+ a bottle, maybe. I'd rarely spend more than a tenner a bottle here so the savings are more modest.

fdevine

loyatemu wrote: »

same here, looked at ferry price and thought might as well fly and go a bit further afield. Also as the kids are older, the ferry is no longer "part of the holiday", more of a dull waste of 2 days (though we'll miss being able to bring back a bootload of wine).

We have done the complete opposite this year and opted for ferry over flying.

Went Rosslare-Roscoff-Roslare previously (10+ years ago) and really didn't enjoy it......

In the interim we have flown to Italy, South of France, Spain & Holland and used car hire, public transport & private transfers to get around.

With discounts the ferry is roughly €400 per person return, including cabins & Club Class lounge. Mid-range mobile home accommodation is around the same, so maxing out at €800 per head for first two weeks in July.

By comparision, if I were to fly to Reus & stay in Sanguli I'd be paying more.

That's not to say you can't fly cheaper or find cheaper accommodation but while the ferry is clearly more expensive than last year, that doesn't mean it's a complete rip-off.

sceach16

First Up wrote: »

If you are a wine buyer (as I am too), the savings on what you bring back makes a serious dent in the travel costs.

Dependent on taste and space (and weight on axles), bottles about 8 to 10 euro from Alsace, Beaujolais and Rhone are usually 15 ish here (MY personal estimate) and good value but buy to taste while in France.


BIBs/Bag in Box/Bladder packs are about 8 for 3 litres , usually vin de pays d'oc, can be good and are much lighter and take less space, L'Eclerc have a Vieux Carrion range of Cab sauv, Merlot and a Colombard/Sauvignon that are my bankers over the past 30 years. Again buy and taste before stocking up. BIBs reseal so you can open a few to taste. Apart from L'eclerc, Carrefour and Auchan have good ranges.


Enjoy!

MorganIRL

fdevine wrote: »

We have done the complete opposite this year and opted for ferry over flying.

Went Rosslare-Roscoff-Roslare previously (10+ years ago) and really didn't enjoy it......

In the interim we have flown to Italy, South of France, Spain & Holland and used car hire, public transport & private transfers to get around.

With discounts the ferry is roughly €400 per person return, including cabins & Club Class lounge. Mid-range mobile home accommodation is around the same, so maxing out at €800 per head for first two weeks in July.

By comparision, if I were to fly to Reus & stay in Sanguli I'd be paying more.

That's not to say you can't fly cheaper or find cheaper accommodation but while the ferry is clearly more expensive than last year, that doesn't mean it's a complete rip-off.

It's like everything in life, we have a price point for our hols. This year we are getting 14 days (further south) for the same price of 10 days last year (excluding travel to and from ferry and overnight on ferry) and as u say, we tried to maximise time and location for cost. Now I love the ferry, I find packing the Jeep is the start for me. Love driving, but not everyone's taste. We'll see this year is the extra days on location worth it.

DavyD_83

loyatemu wrote: »

If you were buying high end stuff and saving €20+ a bottle, maybe. I'd rarely spend more than a tenner a bottle here so the savings are more modest.

Depends how much you're buying, and what you're buying in France too.
We bring back a bunch of wine boxes, €10 each for 3 litres (= 4 bottles).

So, €2.50 per "bottle" for wine that would be >€10.
15 boxes is a 'saving' (I'm not completely fooling myself) of €150; actually your right that's not a whole lot .
I'd always throw in a good few random bottles, some of which work out better than others and would all be considerably cheaper than here
But I like the ferry; I think it works out cheaper and better for us with small kids, and reasonably priced nice wine is a bonus.

josip

It has been scientifically proven and confirmed in multiple peer-reviewed journals, that it is physically impossible to overload a vehicle with wine from France.
It's a bit like quantum mechanics where the laws of physics no longer apply.

First Up

sceach16 wrote:

BIBs/Bag in Box/Bladder packs are about 8 for 3 litres , usually vin de pays d'oc, can be good and are much lighter and take less space, L'Eclerc have a Vieux Carrion range of Cab sauv, Merlot and a Colombard/Sauvignon that are my bankers over the past 30 years. Again buy and taste before stocking up. BIBs reseal so you can open a few to taste. Apart from L'eclerc, Carrefour and Auchan have good ranges.

I generally go to Auchan in Cherbourg but there are good buying options all over northern France. I shop where the French go - I stay away from the booze cruise places. Auchan have a house brand - Pierre Chanau - that offers excellent mid range quality and value across many styles.

As a rule, the more you spend the more you save. I can usually fit up to 40 boxes and the saving on that is over €1,000 on Irish prices.

Nekarsulm

While the ferry is getting more expensive, we still enjoy the freedom to "up sticks" and move around a couple of times in the fortnight.
If a couple of families were going, and not moving, then fly/ hire a car and a mobile home would make sense.
And the choice to do a farm stay ( bus mans holiday!) and a night or two wild camping if the notion takes us is important too...

michdee

54and56 wrote: »

What price are you being quoted, for what route, what departure and return dates and for what car/cabin/# of passengers etc?

We're looking at anything from 1200-1500 for ferry alone! 2adults 2kids, normal car, 4 berth window over and back. Dub to cherbourg was route.
Mad money for ferry

Stone Deaf 4evr

michdee wrote: »

We're looking at anything from 1200-1500 for ferry alone! 2adults 2kids, normal car, 4 berth window over and back. Dub to cherbourg was route.
Mad money for ferry

Doesn't seem too out of the way to me tbh, broadly speaking, unless you get flights for an absolute steal, thats still well within what you'd pay for flights and a car rental anywhere.
I still have a soft spot for the ferry, but I think you need to be going for longer than 2 weeks to get the proper benefit as you lose too much time on the road.

going from my own experience of driving to Roussilon,

Day 1& 2
Ferry - €1000
Meals & entertainment on board €150
Fuel & roadside stops / tolls €150
stopover in La Rochelle - €100 for hotel, €100 for dinner and walking around
Day 3
Arrive at campsite and spend 9 nights
another stopover on the way back up €200

Thats €1700 and the best part of 5 days spent travelling out of a 14 day break.
granted, you could mainline the drive, and prepack your food onboard, but hey, we are on holidays, right?

These days, I average flights for €1000 for the 4 of us, about €350 for the car hire, and 50 for fuel, and I'm on the spanish border within 5 hours of leaving home. No wine brought back, but I'm willing to trade that for a few extra days on the campsite, and indeed in the last few years, herself has had great luck with booking fancy hotels cheaply for the last 2 nights of our trip - a semi adult treat to unwind from the constant bustle of the campsites.

fdevine

michdee wrote: »

We're looking at anything from 1200-1500 for ferry alone! 2adults 2kids, normal car, 4 berth window over and back. Dub to cherbourg was route.
Mad money for ferry

Not denying it appears pricey but you could easily spend that on flights. I have always argued in favour of flying as it has generally been the cheaper option for us.

Basic cost comparison on flights - Holland c.€100 p.p., South of France .c€200 p.p., Reus/Salou c.€300 p.p., so for 4 pax that's up to €1200 and not necessarily including baggage.

Possibly airport parking, inevitable food & drink at airport, car hire/transfer/public transport at destination and you're looking at anything between €250 & €500+

Accommodation if a mobile home is likely to be €700 per week at a minimum, up to €1500+ per week somewhere like Sanguli.

Costs wise the ferry won't stack up for everyone but we've looked at the bigger picture and the overall costs are at or about the same as if we were to fly.

michdee

When broken down and I suppose pointed out yes I agree def would spend that amount on flights, for that time and diff areas I've been quoted 2000+ for flights alone.
There is something I like also about packing up the car the night before, driving onto the ferry and then driving off the other side, I think its the excitement for the kids too.:D

MorganIRL

fdevine wrote: »

Not denying it appears pricey but you could easily spend that on flights. I have always argued in favour of flying as it has generally been the cheaper option for us.

Basic cost comparison on flights - Holland c.€100 p.p., South of France .c€200 p.p., Reus/Salou c.€300 p.p., so for 4 pax that's up to €1200 and not necessarily including baggage.

Possibly airport parking, inevitable food & drink at airport, car hire/transfer/public transport at destination and you're looking at anything between €250 & €500+

Accommodation if a mobile home is likely to be €700 per week at a minimum, up to €1500+ per week somewhere like Sanguli.

Costs wise the ferry won't stack up for everyone but we've looked at the bigger picture and the overall costs are at or about the same as if we were to fly.

This year compared to last yr. Its only a few hundred cheaper flying this yr for us (2A 3K) Excluding diesel for car rental, but we are getting 4 days on site more than other years. On site less than 2 hrs after landing. 1st year doing this so I'll see..I still prefer the ease of the ferry. I'm just wondering will the stress of flying with kids encourage herself back to ferry :-)

michdee

MorganIRL wrote: »

This year compared to last yr. Its only a few hundred cheaper flying this yr for us (2A 3K) Excluding diesel for car rental, but we are getting 4 days on site more than other years. On site less than 2 hrs after landing. 1st year doing this so I'll see..I still prefer the ease of the ferry. I'm just wondering will the stress of flying with kids encourage herself back to ferry :-)

That's a big part why we like the ferry. The stress of flying with the kids. At least ferry wise they are not couped up but having said that a flight to France wouldn't be too long.

54and56

michdee wrote: »

We're looking at anything from 1200-1500 for ferry alone! 2adults 2kids, normal car, 4 berth window over and back. Dub to cherbourg was route.
Mad money for ferry

There are a few factors here:-

1. Improving economy = more demand = opportunity for ferry companies to hike prices.

2. You're booking relatively late. The few genuine discount offers the ferry companies had were snapped up way before Christmas.

3. The prices you're being quoted aren't that far off the chart. I grabbed discounts early for a similar requirement (albeit dates in July) and I'm paying €1,300 this year. Its the going rate I'm afraid :-(

Also, on the fly Vs ferry & drive argument. We continue to use the ferry despite no longer having young kids for two main reasons:-

1. We go for 3 weeks which as SD4E says makes the day of driving each end worthwhile.

2. We like to bring loads of our own stuff which makes our stay more comfortable but in particular we do a lot of cycling so do like to bring our own bikes. I've never found hire bikes I'd like to do long spins on.

average_runner

Exactly, it depends what you want from the holiday. If your cycling a lot, then nothing better than your own bikes.

We fly as there for two weeks and don't want to lose two days to travelling, also means I save on days I need to take off and can go camping with the kids in Ireland during the summer.

If you like the wine, driving is a big must also.

If you have young kids, ie under 3, driving in a way is best with all the stuff you need to bring.

We did both over the last 8 years. All great holidays

Stone Deaf 4evr

average_runner wrote: »

Exactly, it depends what you want from the holiday. If your cycling a lot, then nothing better than your own bikes.

We fly as there for two weeks and don't want to lose two days to travelling, also means I save on days I need to take off and can go camping with the kids in Ireland during the summer.

If you like the wine, driving is a big must also.

If you have young kids, ie under 3, driving in a way is best with all the stuff you need to bring.

We did both over the last 8 years. All great holidays

Exactly this! it was great to get away when our youngest was only 6 weeks old, with the car loaded up with sterilisers and all the other paraphernalia that follows a small child.

michdee

Yes I think that's what attracts us to the ferry so much. Our lo will be three so all their own things being able to load up the car etc and away we go....
Thanks

average_runner

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Exactly this! it was great to get away when our youngest was only 6 weeks old, with the car loaded up with sterilisers and all the other paraphernalia that follows a small child.

The memories

beggars_bush

average_runner wrote: »

Exactly, it depends what you want from the holiday. If your cycling a lot, then nothing better than your own bikes.

We fly as there for two weeks and don't want to lose two days to travelling, also means I save on days I need to take off and can go camping with the kids in Ireland during the summer.

If you like the wine, driving is a big must also.

If you have young kids, ie under 3, driving in a way is best with all the stuff you need to bring.

We did both over the last 8 years. All great holidays

We find the opposite
Flying means we cut back on all the stuff that we don't actually need. And a lot of places offer free baby stuff like cots and high chairs

Though we do miss out on bringing bikes

valtra2

Thinking of going to camping sylvmar near biarritz. Any one been there. August. Fly and drive

saggycaggy

valtra2 wrote: »

Thinking of going to camping sylvmar near biarritz. Any one been there. August. Fly and drive

We were just looking up Sylvamar today ourselves and trying to figure out the best way to get there and whether a hire car is needed? Love to hear feedback also!

Drumpot

I’d be interested to know how things might play out if there is even sprinklings of Coronavirus people in France or Ireland. I wouldn’t want to be stuck on that ferry for a few weeks if somebody started showing symptoms over night.

I’ve discussed this with my wife and we will play it by ear. I’ve booked return journey already in June but it does cross my mind.

AndyBoBandy

Can anyone recommend a good site/park that’s within 2-4 hours drive of Cherbourg, but has good apartments as opposed to the caravan type pre-fabs that a lot of the places seem to have.

Looking for somewhere with plenty of activities for a 5yo,

Don’t mind paying a premium for better than average quality.

Nekarsulm

Drumpot wrote: »

I’d be interested to know how things might play out if there is even sprinklings of Coronavirus people in France or Ireland. I wouldn’t want to be stuck on that ferry for a few weeks if somebody started showing symptoms over night.

I’ve discussed this with my wife and we will play it by ear. I’ve booked return journey already in June but it does cross my mind.

If you're going to get a dose of Corona Virus, France is the place to get it.
Not shy about dishing out the remedies!
Once went to a pharmacy in St. Ay with a pounding head cold and congestion, and came away with enough medicine in a large brown paper bag to stock our medicine cabinate for 12 months....

Drumpot

Nekarsulm wrote: »

If you're going to get a dose of Corona Virus, France is the place to get it.
Not shy about dishing out the remedies!
Once went to a pharmacy in St. Ay with a pounding head cold and congestion, and came away with enough medicine in a large brown paper bag to stock our medicine cabinate for 12 months....

I’m more worried about being stuck on the ferry to he honest.

I’m actually thinking of renewing my travel insurance now in case things have escalated by June.

Crank Stain

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good site/park that’s within 2-4 hours drive of Cherbourg, but has good apartments as opposed to the caravan type pre-fabs that a lot of the places seem to have.

Looking for somewhere with plenty of activities for a 5yo,

Don’t mind paying a premium for better than average quality.

We stayed in Le Littoral in the Vendee a few years ago and there was an apartment type holiday village in the nearby town of Port Bourgenay, we cycled around it a few times with the kids and it looked really nice.

I looked it up when we got home and you would pay a premium to stay there.

https://www.pierreetvacances.com/gb-en/fp_BOL_self-catering-vendee-port-bourgenay-holiday-village?currency=EUR

They have locations in Brittany too if you want something nearer the ports. The only other accommodation of that type I've seen in France in the Centre Parks in Paris, which is a lot more expensive and further away.

Baybay

Drumpot wrote: »

I’d be interested to know how things might play out if there is even sprinklings of Coronavirus people in France or Ireland. I wouldn’t want to be stuck on that ferry for a few weeks if somebody started showing symptoms over night.

On that note, something that I will now prepare for is travelling with a pet & make sure there’s plenty of extra food, water & litter in the car.

michdee

I've thought about this coronavirus possibility too. It actually scares me thinking about it! I'm really debating about staying put some days, but then I think of how nice France would be with the kids :rolleyes:
Just wondering if any of you have done club class on the ferry with young kids? Is it worth it or do you feel out of place with kids being there! Now mine wouldn't be the type to sit still for too long!;)