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

Peckham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122316697#Comment_122316697

As a matter of interest what is the date of your sailing?

I thought WB Yeats continuously bounced back and forward between Ireland and France, so moving one sailing has knock on consequences for the rest of the summer.

Or are there days where it sits in one port without sailing?

Peckham

I see Irish Ferries doing a Kids Go Free offer if you book by tomorrow.

Just checked our dates (1 to 14 August) and it's coming in at €1277, compared with €1651 when we booked in December. 2 adults, 3 kids. That's including 2 cabins each way.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317331#Comment_122317331

Did you book Flexi tickets? Maybe it's worth cancelling to get travel credit and then rebooking. You could get a free trip to Wales out of it

Probably too close to the end of the offer though, I imagine it takes a day to so to process the travel credit

Heroditas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317297#Comment_122317297

Might be the Epsilon that's been rescheduled? Seems weird that the WB Years is rescheduled because, as you say, it knocks the whole schedule out of kilter unless they're cancelling a journey in the other direction.

breakin_ball

..

breakin_ball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122316692#Comment_122316692

Thanks...

I assume your talking about clarys plage?

We will be nearer jean de monts in le bois mason

Peckham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317377#Comment_122317377

We do have Flexi and was just thinking the same thing.

According to the IF website

"Cancelled more than 24 hours before travel: 100% refund to credit card"

Peckham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317487#Comment_122317487

Just to update this. I rang Irish Ferries and cancelled our booking. Got 100% back in travel credit within 10 minutes. Rebooked same dates with Deluxe Family Suite Window Cabin including club class and breakfast. Only cost me an extra €60 over what I had originally paid for basic windowless cabins!

ShamoBuc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317472#Comment_122317472

Driving staright in to St. Jean from LBM - just before you get to the square, Bar Le Melanie on the left usually shows the GAA. Could always call in a day before to ask.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317638#Comment_122317638

Great result, it's good they processed the refund so quickly

suilegorma

Those prices are brill! Basic ship should be fine, just come prepared like you are. We bring frozen water and milk so we have some cold for next day, and things like pot noodles and microwave meals and cereal for breakfast next day.

redved

Apologies you are right, I read it too quickly

redved

Will check this out on Monday when I can get in touch with them, thanks for the tip

kindalen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317638#Comment_122317638

Have done this a few times, always over phone and credit appears with a few minutes.

Only thing to be aware of is you need to use the credit in one transaction. Once I cancelled a booking and wanted to rebook the exact same and keep the difference for the next year. Ended up booking a nicer cabin with the difference.

spuddy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122318025#Comment_122318025

Le Melanie has closed down unfortunately

Heroditas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122320277#Comment_122320277

I'm just after checking out own itinerary and can now book it for €500 less than when I booked it last winter. Very annoying. Speedy exit is no longer available though, although strictly speaking if I cancelled, my spot would be available to snap up again!

ShamoBuc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122320433#Comment_122320433

That's a pity. First went there nearly 30 years ago when I worked there.

kindalen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122320488#Comment_122320488

I have played that game with speedy exit, and luckily it worked out. Always worth paying for the flexi and check prices every so often.

Peckham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122320277#Comment_122320277

I was given the credit as 3 separate vouchers - €1000, €600 and €60. Was tempted to hold back the €600 one for a midterm break trip

Peckham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122320488#Comment_122320488

€500 in credit trumps the speedy exit surely?!

Heroditas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122320754#Comment_122320754

It surely does. So in theory, I can ring them tomorrow, cancel my booking and get 109% refunded and then book the exact same trip over the phone and then get speedy exit again because my spot has been released and immediately made available for me to take again.

Do I have that right?

Peckham

Perhaps. But offer ends today, I think.

Heroditas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122321092#Comment_122321092

Ah ok it was a special offer. Just checked the webpage and yeah the offer ends today

Peckham

Worth checking again tomorrow as it may still be cheaper

breakin_ball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122318025#Comment_122318025

Thanks for the tip...but it's changed owners...no longer an Irish/English bar.

Bummer1234

Hi all,

Got back from from France yesterday Sunday and said id send in my two cents that it might help others,
Went from Rosslare and got down there early...just incase traffic on the m50, Got checked in just after checkin opened. We were on stena line and as we were early we where early and put into deck 6, This does be the first deck filled and last emptied....Yep you can see where this is going...Boat went well but was rocky but survived. Anyway made it to Cherbourg and deck 3 emptied first,then 5 and finally 6. When we arrived there was a issue with certain lorries and cars not moving on the decks below so my advice is...If you can leave it to the latest to get onto the boat...Thats with stena line vison anyway.

Driving in france is easy...If you never drove on the other side of the road don't let it phase you. What i noticed was the french know how to drive on motorways compared to the Irish on Irish motorways…They just move over straight away and don't hang in the fast lane.

When we got to our accommodation in Le bois Dormant in Saint jean de mont the week we were there, there was a few irish there but it was very french orientated, Speaking with some they said the kids club was very french orientated didn't really suit english speaking kids(Might be a little lost with the language)
Our accommodation was a new modern mobile home, One thing i read and gotta thank a few on this forum about is the air fryer, I was questioning either to bring it, But I had space in the car so put it in. You would make life so much easier by bringing it as the ovens over there are terrible....One evening we had problems with the gas and nothing was working, Got a french night duty fella over who didn't have a word of english so my junior cert french was in overdrive!(Which is slim to none btw)..Got the gas going but we still used the air fryer everyday for chips and chicken etc.

Visited planete sauvage drive through safari and it was great, Would recommend for any kids of any age. They have the dolphin shows at 11.30 and 2.30(Double check that when your going cause that might change) which is all in french but once you see dolphins jumping its grand. The drive through safari is brilliant...Wee lad loved it. Another day we also went to Nantes and done the small train tour from the Cathdral and Les Machines de l'Île which is good. Also done a beach day in SJDM and as i previously mentioned in another post, The beach there is very very good and loads of space, Plenty of parking available but schools where still open that week so might be different another week so parking might be few and far between.

We changed our plans around day to day going by weather as somedays it was too hot to go to Nantes so went a cooler day so work around with spare days if possible.

This might be useful for some so said id throw it in here…Enjoy if your going!

danfrancisco83

We're looking at doing a trip to France for the first time next Summer. Current thinking is to book Le Littoral for 2 weeks in June. The drive seems manageable, ferry route will probably be Dublin to Cherbourg, we can visit Mont Saint Michel on the way down. I'll have a 7.5 year old and 2.5 year old so it's just about the max amount of driving I think we'll be comfortable with, while also increasing chances of good weather. My wife also insists we're near a beach, and we might get a train to Nantes one of the days from Les Sables-d'Olonne, maybe even stay in Nantes for a night.

My questions are, (1) when should I start booking this, (2) should I book through Sandaya.fr or elsewhere, (3) book ferry separately for best deal (I don't usually book through travel agents, I find them more a hindrance in some cases) ?

Thanks

munchkin_utd

We're looking at doing a trip to France for the first time next Summer. Current thinking is to book Le Littoral for 2 weeks in June. The drive seems manageable,

the drive is no more than Dublin to Cork and back, and with a break in the middle it'd also be 2 x 250km, so hardly all that long and French motorways are fairly chilled. As mentioned above, the drivers actually know how to drive on motorways so theres no 75 year old g*bshites driving in the outside lane for miles on end like you'll find in ireland.

In a few years when your kids are going to multiple trainings / competitions/ sleepovers (all on the same day, and you have to sqeeze in some shopping and whatnot in between) you might be spending just as long timewise on a normal saturday ferrying them around the place as that 5 hour journey you are so worried about not being able to manage.

I find driving against the sun a right pain though as you get baked with the sun coming through the windscreen, but the kids in the back arent affected, and once they are happy, we are all happy!!

danfrancisco83

Thanks, when would you normally book it? Presumably the bookings open in December or January or something? I don't want to be late to the party

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122325572#Comment_122325572

Many book Flexi in Sep/Oct for the following summer.