Brittany ferries

Mickey1

Mickey1

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looking at going to spain next year and maybe using Brittany ferries, can anyone give me info about the codes people give out, also any advice on the crossing.

Mickey.
 
Mickey1 said:
looking at going to spain next year and maybe using Brittany ferries, can anyone give me info about the codes people give out, also any advice on the crossing.

Mickey.
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The internet actually works. Not like properly (i.e. streaming, video calls), but enough to browse the web.
 
For the crossing, set up a carry on coolbag with milk, travel kettle (don't forget an adapter as ferries have continental sockets), mugs tea etc and snacks, maybe cereal, juice etc. Saves buying everything on board and the money saved on meals can pay for a cabin upgrade to outside. We just buy one restaurant evening meal.
Have the bag ready to grab as you leave the MH as there is not much time. Take chargers for tablets/phones and reading material. It is a nice way to arrive in Spain.
 
Riverbankannie , thanks for your reply, what’s the difference between inside or outside cabins please?.

Mickey.

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Mickey1 said:
Riverbankannie , thanks for your reply, what’s the difference between inside or outside cabins please?.

Mickey.
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You get a window! We don’t much like spending hours in the communal ferry areas so prefer to put our feet up and read, etc. Doing this is much nicer in daylight. First cup of tea, leaving Portsmouth. Mind you, their windows could do with a clean!
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Mickey1 said:
Riverbankannie , thanks for your reply, what’s the difference between inside or outside cabins please?.

Mickey.
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Outside ones are generally upstairs, nearer the public rooms and have a view through a window or porthole. Inside cabins are the opposite: have no windows and are in the bowels of the ship.

I agree with the general advice. Bring breakfast and snacks from the supermarket where they'll be a fraction of the price. However, the a la carte restaurant (if it is still running due to Covid) is worth it for an evening meal (book as soon as you are allowed according to ticket class). Due to a mix-up, our family holiday started with just me and one son on the ferry (had to pick up the others in Barcelona). As we'd saved some cash (the flights were £30 total for the others), we treated ourselves to the proper restaurant. The food was really rather good for a form of transport. We also bagged a window seat and had a pod of porpoises gambolling outside said window for most of the meal.

Also, it's worth bringing swimming gear even if the pool is officially closed. On one trip, the weather was unseasonably fantastic and they opening the pool outside the official dates (but not the adjacent burger bar, unfortunately!)

The entertainment is unmissably appaling. I even won enough on the bingo to cover the bar bill both ways.
 
cmcardle75 said:
Outside ones are generally upstairs, nearer the public rooms and have a view through a window or porthole. Inside cabins are the opposite: have no windows and are in the bowels of the ship.

I agree with the general advice. Bring breakfast and snacks from the supermarket where they'll be a fraction of the price. However, the a la carte restaurant (if it is still running due to Covid) is worth it for an evening meal (book as soon as you are allowed according to ticket class). Due to a mix-up, our family holiday started with just me and one son on the ferry (had to pick up the others in Barcelona). As we'd saved some cash (the flights were £30 total for the others), we treated ourselves to the proper restaurant. The food was really rather good for a form of transport. We also bagged a window seat and had a pod of porpoises gambolling outside said window for most of the meal.

Also, it's worth bringing swimming gear even if the pool is officially closed. On one trip, the weather was unseasonably fantastic and they opening the pool outside the official dates (but not the adjacent burger bar, unfortunately!)

The entertainment is unmissably appaling. I even won enough on the bingo to cover the bar bill both ways.
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Agree generally, but you will find every floor has a mix of inside and outside cabins....if you think it through:whistle::unsure:

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gpat said:
Agree generally, but you will find every floor has a mix of inside and outside cabins....if you think it through:whistle::unsure:
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Not quite. Outside cabins have to be above the waterline by enough to have windows! This means, on some ships, there are inside cabins on decks below those that have outside cabins (inside cabins here can actually be against the hull, where it might be unsafe to have even a porthole). Also, some ships have outside cabins on decks near the top and use the interior spaces for other amenities, such as cinemas and shops. Each ship is different, though!
 
Howard H said:
If you get seasick Mickey go for an inside cabin , the boat doesn’t rock as much as they are in the middle of the ship and a lower deck as possible 🤮 I speak from experience 😂
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Thanks Howard, I don’t do seasick but the missus might 🤣🤣
 
cmcardle75 said:
Not quite. Outside cabins have to be above the waterline by enough to have windows! This means, on some ships, there are inside cabins on decks below those that have outside cabins (inside cabins here can actually be against the hull, where it might be unsafe to have even a porthole). Also, some ships have outside cabins on decks near the top and use the interior spaces for other amenities, such as cinemas and shops. Each ship is different, though!
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For example, Bretagne has two decks of cabins *below* the car decks, actually under the waterline.

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Inside cabins near the middle of the ship have one significant advantage - they don't move about as much as other cabins. Avoid the bows at all costs if its rough. :)

We only sleep in the cabin so generally an inside one suits us as you can't see anything out of the window at night. :)
 
DBK said:
Inside cabins near the middle of the ship have one significant advantage - they don't move about as much as other cabins. Avoid the bows at all costs if its rough. :)

We only sleep in the cabin so generally an inside one suits us as you can't see anything out of the window at night. :)
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It’s 24 hours though, at least it was for us. We find sitting the the communal area on the Dover to Calais too long and Portsmouth - Caen unbelievably uncomfortable and tedious. So for us, the 12 midday to bedtime and the breakfast to midday getting off would be unbearable. It’s the tiny uncomfortable seats and people getting drunk and kids !! General noise. We are not very tolerant! Outside bits ok as long as it’s cold enough to keep the hoi poloi inside :rofl:
 
Riverbankannie said:
It’s 24 hours though, at least it was for us. We find sitting the the communal area on the Dover to Calais too long and Portsmouth - Caen unbelievably uncomfortable and tedious. So for us, the 12 midday to bedtime and the breakfast to midday getting off would be unbearable. It’s the tiny uncomfortable seats and people getting drunk and kids !! General noise. We are not very tolerant! Outside bits ok as long as it’s cold enough to keep the hoi poloi inside :rofl:
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I guess we all have different experiences. :) On the Pont Aven the Piano Bar was always fairly quiet except in the evenings and on other boats like the Amorique there is a quiet area which is away from most of the noise.

I just accept it is a ferry and not a private jet. :)

May I prescribe wine is a useful vaccination when taken soon after boarding. :)
 
Riverbankannie said:
It’s 24 hours though, at least it was for us. We find sitting the the communal area on the Dover to Calais too long and Portsmouth - Caen unbelievably uncomfortable and tedious. So for us, the 12 midday to bedtime and the breakfast to midday getting off would be unbearable. It’s the tiny uncomfortable seats and people getting drunk and kids !! General noise. We are not very tolerant! Outside bits ok as long as it’s cold enough to keep the hoi poloi inside :rofl:
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Never ever seen a drunk on Portsmouth Bilbao/Santander ferry,,Always found the lounges very comfortable and hardly any children..Lovely civilised way to travel to and from Spain.BUSBY.
 
busby said:
Never ever seen a drunk on Portsmouth Bilbao/Santander ferry,,Always found the lounges very comfortable and hardly any children..Lovely civilised way to travel to and from Spain.BUSBY.
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never seen a drunk on it either im normally to drunk to see :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :drink::drink::drink:
 
cmcardle75 said:
For example, Bretagne has two decks of cabins *below* the car decks, actually under the waterline.
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Done that once...never again. Didn’t sleep a wink all night and was knackered before the drive south even began. Had to stop for a kip after a couple of hours.
 
matamoros said:
Yes they do and they are noisy and a bit claustrophobic but ours did have a TV
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I had one of them in the early 1990s, right at the back near the engine rooms. I vowed never to order an inside cabin again, just in case.

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