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

I looked at it for a 3 week trip and the cost of hiring the car was prohibitive. We would have needed a big car and to rent car seats for all the kids as well. If your going for a week or ten days or have older kids then it might make sense alright or are happy packing light and going without things.

If going for longer factor in other aspects like you can bring bikes / scooters as they can be €40 / €50 a week to rent, we used our airfryer everyday and it saved a load of time, you can bring back a load of wine, your not telling the kids they cant get souvenirs you generally have more stuff that makes the trip easier. We brought a buggy also for the smallest and we needed it

Also kids love the ferry, its exciting and different and a road trip is more than just a journey, it can (sometimes!!) actually be nice family time spent together.

The flying could work for some people alright depending on your own situation but for us it would not have.

We were there last year for a few nights - it's a nice campsite but the pitches are small, no room for the kids to play football around it. The outdoor pool is lovely, but can be hard to get a lounger. Our kids loved the tree top climb/walk. The bar is quite dear in it, if I recall correctly. It's outside of Carnac so you'd need a car to get into town or to the beach & supermarket. We went to Les Menhirs instead this year, solely because of the location.

Have been going twice a year for almost 20 years and for us the Ferry far outweighs a Fly Drive option as we live 5 mins from Dublin Port and also bring our dog. We all love the ferry and consider it the start of the holiday . My eldest now fly's in and out for few days midweek and we can bring things in the car that she doesn't have to lug through the airport so that's another advantage for us . Over the years have done BF IF etc but always preferred Irish Ferries in fact my kids when younger preferred the old Oscar Wilde out of of Rosslare than the WB Yeats . But agree Irish Ferries seem to have a captive audience and the cost of this years summer crossing ( heading out this Fri 🙂 ) was painful ! The food option could be vastly improved particularly in the mid tier restaurant the value is shocking for what they are charging . Have always found majority of the staff reasonably pleasant and responsive and really enjoy Club Class lounge on WB Yeats . I guess it depends a lot on your personal circumstance budget , location , proximity of airports etc to which suits best. But I love the ferry

Curious. How would you compare them?

I don't mind it at all. I always have to remind myself how to use the roundabouts over there but driving generally over there is better than here, in my opinion. Less morons on the road glued to their phones.

Just an FYI. To people booking cars for fly drives. I booked my car Initially in Jan, I have cancelled the booking and rebooked 3 times since then. Initial price was 600 for 8 days from Bordeaux.

My last price was 250 for the same 8 days.

Just landed in La Rive after 2 days in Bordeaux city.

Our shed has a dishwasher, so happy, I hate washing dishes, everything goes in.

Had A list before I left which I mislaid. So forgot some of the following.

Defo need a proper knife you like to use to cut/chop. A J cloth. A t-towel. Your own swim towel. A lighter. Freezer block.

We got a 7 seater last year for about €380, had a dacia duster this year for €350.

This is again each to their own. I love driving over here, we've a 5 hour trip down to Nantes tomorrow for the football and I'm looking forward to the drive more than the match. When you're driving you get to see a country and all its nuances. Loads of things that you just can't see from 10,000m. I appreciate that it's not for everyone for many good reasons, but there are some of us weird enough to enjoy it :)

Siblu are great, used to go to their sites before we stop going to France. Might not always get the washing machine but their sites are very good. We went to Bella Italia this year, when it comes to site maintenance, pool slides and entertainment, siblu are miles ahead.

Italians will go out of their way to help you and way more nice to you than the french though. Small things

Yep, we did around 10 days on that site last year.

It's nice, for sure. Lots of trees, feels spacious, decent amount for the kids to do. Lovely walks around the area which was the biggest selling point for us.

The biggest downside was the cabin and its location. Can be luck of the draw. We were positioned with our tiny decking looking straight into 1 persons kitchen and 1 persons living room. Zero sun coming in for large parts of the day. I think we have a 3 bed comfort.

Shout if there's anything specific you want to know

I was quite nervous about the driving this summer since it was my first time driving on the right and in a RHD car on top

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, however I would say the motorway was quite annoying on the way out. French drivers can have a tendency to drive right up behind you before overtaking

Otherwise it wasn't very stressful, and after a while I'd settled into the system. It helped that my wife was coaching me at the roundabouts (politely, not shouting at me 😂) and the kids were behaving themselves mostly in the back. If either of those weren't the case then it would have been more stressful

I could definitely see how it wouldn't be enjoyable if you find the driving stressful, each to their own as you say. The important thing is that you enjoy your holiday

just follow the flow of traffic!

Did the crossing from Cherbourg to Rosslare with Condor Ferries‘ Commodore Clipper chartered by Brittany ferries there last week and it was spot on , and for the price (338 euro one way for 2 adults 2 kids and superior cabin on one of the busiest weekends of the year) fantastic. It‘s a relatively small ferry with 300 passengers compared to 1800 on the WB Yeats, so you've just a restaurant and a small bar but that does the job for the number of passengers.

The superior cabin was smaller than a standard on say the wb yeats, not much floorspace /storage space but bathroom was surprisingly large. There was USB sockets built into the reading lights and 2x Uk sockets also with USB sockets. Beds weren't super comfy but everyone slept fine. The one MASSIVE plus point was free wifi which worked. Its not quick enough for streaming (kids have difficulty to grasp that concept but anyhow) with a speed test of between 0.6 and 1 meg, but for reading news and listening to the radio spot on.

Food on board was really good. Most seems to be freshly made on board and for the euro equivalent of €14.60 for a main, good value too. Soft drinks were 3.10 stg a pint, so for a captive audience grand, but with Guinness for €7.10 for 440ml and lagers a similar price they make up for not being a rip off for food and minerals.

Theres moves by Brittany to take an increased share in Condor and take it over, so this mightnt be the last of channel island ferries operating to Ireland in the future.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyxl99e9pvo?fbclid=IwY2xjawEh5XhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWKAv1jWnPLljA7rshTfICfSH12JWIiLhyVKpgq7qFA1zKATSW_bfv6W6A_aem_oW2QOgAyrYVrCNekHOg4DA

Cheers I just booked. Prices slightly cheaper than last year

I wonder do the schools close earlier next year, this year is was the 1st July I think so prices were still low up to the end of June

Not much talk about Stena from Rosslare to Cherbourg, seems people prefer IF or BF.

We are bringing our dog and looking at pet cabins on the Stena Vision so WB Yates from Dublin is out. What's the general consensus on Stena?

Inadvertently travelled by Stena on a couple of winter trips when IF cancelled or rerouted us.

Once was in the latter stages of Covid & I don’t remember the name of the ferry now. We had a pet cabin which we hadn’t booked as our pet was, unusually not coming with us on that occasion but there were no other cabins available at such short notice. It had handy access to the open air car deck. Otherwise it was exactly the same as any other cabin except it had lino type flooring.

On another reroute when our pet was with us, he came into the cabin. Again just off the car deck which made loading & unloading very easy. Our pet is a cat & has a secure enclosed collapsible tent type kennel in which he travels. It has his sleeping space, room for his litter tray & feeding bowl. It fitted lengthwise between the bunks & was ideal. Again the flooring was uncarpeted.

While it was nice to be handy to the car because of all his things that we needed to bring to the car & back again, because of the facilities on IF when he’s in the cattery, we don’t need to bring so much from the car to begin with. Dogs probably require less but it would be a consideration for us.

We did the exact same thing as you and booked two nights in Caen. Did the bul of the driving on the Sat and spent Sun in the town market and in the castle and abbey nearby. Some lovely restaurants there too.

Alternatively, go to Mont St Michel and stay in that area and visit the abbey?

Stayed in a small town called Pontorson for a night recently. It was nice enough. Only 15mins from Mont St Michel.

Don’t suppose anybody has stayed at Les Fontaines in Doussard on Lake Annecy?

I remember trying to book hotels near Cherbourg when our ferry home got delayed and one thing I noticed is that family rooms seem unpopular in France

Some hotels would give adjoining rooms, but most would only offer two bedrooms for 4 people (2 adults, 2 young kids)

At least that seemed to be the situation on booking.com

In a pinch the kids could share a bed, but it was something I found a bit frustrating. I'd personally prefer one point of entry to and from a hotel room, I've too many nightmares of the kids going missing on holidays

Am I missing something, or just being dumb? I might also be looking for somewhere to kill a day or two on the way back next summer

I'll admit it was a late booking on a busy weekend (D-day) but there were plenty of rooms going, just double and twin rooms only

Is it better to look for holiday homes or apartments instead? I know one family rented an Airbnb and it worked out quite well

Booking can only work with the details given to them by the hotels regarding room occupancy. A few times, we've contacted the hotel directly and they've been able to fit in an extra bed. But 4 beds in a hotel room will always be a bit of a squash, unless it's a room specifically designed to be for a family.

it’s via Brittany ferries as Brittany is chartering that ferry for one return sailing per week for the summer

For a one or two nighter in that situation we would split up each sleep with a child. We do it too if we can only get two double beds as our kids hate sharing a bed with each other (but have no such qualms around sharing with us!)

Driving from Les Sables d'Olonne area to Cherbourg tomorrow and want one of our stops to involve a decent supermarket. Any suggestions of one en-route that's easy enough to get in and out of?