Train and ferry to Ireland from London with a baby?

[Rainatnight]

Has anyone done sail-rail from London to Dublin (or vice versa), with a baby?

DD is 1 year old. We live in London, I'm from Dublin originally. We can't fly to Dubling because DD is adopted and the legal stuff isn't yet at a point where we can get her a passport. But we'd only need her birth cert for sail-rail.

Is the journey a nightmare? Or do-able? And if you've done it, do you have any tips? I see that you can book a cabin on the ferry, which would probably be a good idea.

I've never done the train part but DEFINITELY book a cabin. It's only about £20 and makes such a difference. You've somewhere to sit quietly, for the baby to nap, your own loo. We definitely felt the benefit of it.

I've done that journey loads of times. No matter what time of year you travel, the trains are full of families.

It's a very family friendly sort of journey.

Book a cabin on the ferry if you can, but even if you can't there will be loads of places to lie the child down, and they'll be so exhausted they'll sleep anywhere.

I've done sail-rail loads as well and prefer the train to a car journey with small ones - easier to move around, feed them, etc.

A cabin is a good idea on a slow ferry, but if you're going in summer it's worth getting the Irish Ferries Swift fast ferry (it almost always sails in summer but is cancelled half the time due to bad weather in autumn-spring). You don't really need a cabin for a 2 hour crossing.

Always loads of families, yes. The Stena Superfast has the best kids/family area but that might be better for older ages than 1 year.

Best tips for sail/rail are to travel as light as possible, one big case and a backpack is easier to manage than multiple small bags, bring your own food for baby as ferry food can be a bit hit and miss, and make sure the brake on your buggy is in good working order

Wow, thanks so much.

Two hours is absolutely brilliant. I didn't realise it was so short. I'll look it up.

You can fly with aer lingus with your child's birth cert. They don't require a passport.