Hi, I'm a 33 year old female just about to begin midwifery training. I've got 2 children and with th...
Hi, I'm a 33 year old female just about to begin midwifery training. I've got 2 children and with them and my husband, I try to enjoy as many of the pleasures as life has to offer !
Member since:24.07.2006
Reviews:1
I have two children ages 12 and 3 and have always found flying to a holiday destination with them a real chore. The lack of space and limited number of things to do on a plane have always left me very frazzled upon arrival. This year we decided to try a camping holiday in Brittany and to travel by ferry.
Having never travelled by boat , except to cross the Mersey on a childhood day out, we really didn't know what to expect. I was initially surprised with the ease and efficiency of boarding in the car. We arrived at Plymouth on 11 August 2006 at 7am to set sail at 8am, after a short check in queue for passport control and boarding passes, the 4 of us(hubby and 2 children plus myself) drove our luggage loaded car on board, taking note of where we had parked the car we headed up on deck.
The boat was huge,
clean and plush. We set sail on time and settled down in the lounge area for coffee and croissants. We really felt as though our holiday had already begun as we set sail without any delay.
There was a cinema on board which my husband and son took advantage of, watching the Da vinci Code. They enjoyed the film but did comment that it was rather warm in the cinema and not very easy to the screen, particularly the subtitles, unless you were sat at the front. Its worth noting that the cinema tickets are available to buy 30 mins before the film starts, this is announced over the tannoy, but to secure a ticket you should check on the length of the queue about 45 mins before as tickets are limited.
My daughter and I enjoyed a window seat with a large table, where the was loads of room for all her colouring and puzzles that she had brought along. It was very relaxing staring out of the window at the miles of sea stretched ahead and behind. The lunchtime menu had something for most appetites and was reasonably priced, as was the glass of wine I enjoyed with lunch.
The entertainment for children was exceptional, every hour, announcements were made to the children informing them of the next activity, face painting, balloon modelling, treasure hunt , colouring competition and a magician were just some of the announcements. My daughter is a little shy and so reluctant to join in, but we did investigate a few, which were well organised in both French and English.
There seemed to good facillities for those travelling with babies to, lots of changing stations in the toilets (which were clean and in good working order), and facilities in the cafe and restaurant for warming food and bottles.
Aside from the bars, cafe and restaurant there was also a large shop, selling gifts, novelties, booze, cigarettes, papers, sweets, perfume etc.
We arrived in Roscoff on time at 330pm local time. The transfer off the ferry was as easy as the boarding, we literally went back to the car and drove off the boat as soon as the cars in front drove off. No waiting in baggage lounges, or long passport queues which meant no headache for me!
By the end of our holiday I was almost looking foreward to the return journey. We set sail at 430pm on 20 August 2006, from Roscoff, so we arrived at the port about 230pm. It seemed to take a bit longer to board on the return journey, but this could because we arrived at the port with more time to spare.
Once on board it was the same simple process of leaving the luggage in the car and heading off to relax for the next 6 hours. We booked reclining seats at the information desk which was a good move and highly reccommended at £5 each - a bargain. we toyed with the idea of booking a cabin but decided not to as I didn't think the children would really sleep, however talking to some fellow passengers later I did hear some very good reports about the cabins and would considser it for next time, although if you do an overnight crossing, cabins are compulsary.
We ate our evening meal in the restaurant which was spacious and clean. The staff were freindly and efficent, and the food was lovely at a reasonable price.
Despite the fact that taking the ferry to France does increase the journey time, I will undoubtably be travelling by ferry again especially while the children are still young, and would highly reccomend the experience to any reluctant flyer!
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Advantages: For me, living in the South West, it is the most convienient option Disadvantages: For me, living in the South West, it is the only convienient option
cwestern 24.05.2005 (24.05.2005)
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Review of Brittany Ferries
Advantages: For me, living in the South West, it is the most convienient option Disadvantages: For me, living in the South West, it is the only convienient option
cwestern 24.05.2005 (24.05.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Brittany Ferries
Aug 28th, 2006
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