Solo ferry for 24 hours - any tips?

[BiddyPopthe2nd]

Dear all,

I am hoping for some tips with the seasoned experts who do UK/Ireland to Europe (or in reverse).

I have to go solo in just under 3 weeks - in my car, not towing anything, but with a fairly full load (emptying a student apartment and bringing enough of my own things for holiday). I will have a cabin. I have been on ferries, including a similar trip but different route) in the past but DH always drove.

I need to leave my apartment at about 11:30pm for a 2.5 hour drive to the port, and a 5am sailing time. I will then disembark at 5am the following day for a 2.5 hr drive on the “wrong” side of the road for car set up to my destination. And the same in reverse for a 1am sailing 2 weeks later.

This is a more commercial ferry but set up for passengers, compared to the previous long voyage one. So “all food is included” but I am thinking I should still bring decent snacks - I presume meals are relatively set timings on such boats?

I am nervous about getting on board and parked, and tight spaces. (But my car is a VW Golf so not massive, I am sure it will be fine).

I am debating bringing a few nice things home from here - and definitely thinking about bringing back a few nice things I miss here - but if I pre-chill my normal (24-30hrs) Coleman hardsided cooler (so not a Yeti or similar) and throw a couple of decent iceblocks in there, would that likely be sufficient to keep things relatively cold? At least safe enough for me and my family? (I’m offering colleagues the chance that I bring back shelf-stable stores they miss and can’t get here - but won’t offer them chilled things just in case).

And any other tips to pass the time? I will have an iPad with a few movies and podcasts downloaded, and a book. I don’t think cross-stitch would work great if there’s any weather.

Or to set up my sleep for success both beforehand and on board. When I arrive, it’s going to be full-on with caring responsibilities, and I have to go to work the morning I arrive back (but hopefully that will be a “I’m back, no panics? see you tomorrow” type restart - but that’s not guaranteed, and I’ll need to stop at my apartment before the office in any case).

Or anything else I am missing ?

thanks all.

I should have added that I am comfortable driving in both locations as I have had access to cars set up for that country - I have only once driven in a car set up for the other side of the road, with DH beside me. But I chose this route as less driving at the start (by about 6-7 hours!), and it’s a fairly straightforward “out of port and onto motorway until the last 10 minutes to the house” drive at the other end, rather than “out of port and navigate capital city traffic at rush hour for 90 minutes” journey.

Download as much as you can onto to tablet/laptop/phone. WiFi is not free (AFAIK) onboard, and can be quite expensive if you do use it. If there is a club class lounge I'd pay for that. It is just so nice to sit in peace and wander up and down for snacks/drinks etc. I wouldn't bother with the cooler, but I suppose it would work if you really wanted to use it. I also wouldn't bring back any perishables. Lots of packaged and tinned stuff in France is gorgeous and no worries about food safety. Cheese will survive in the boot in the dark, ask me how I know!

When I was much younger I used to get the 24 hour ferry every year by myself. The parking is ok, basically follow the car ahead unless directed not to. There will be people around to point to where you should be parking. They'll often guide you forward/ tell you when to stop as they want as small a gap as possible. Dependent on your car style it can be awkward to get the boot open so I'd have all the things you want on the ferry in the passenger wells. If you can a cabin above sea level is great. I used to pay for one with a shower and loo and it was fine. I'd read or nap and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I'd take snacks and water bottles as they're expensive on board. I'd stay in the cabin for a good chunk of the time but would venture out for a coffee occasionally. I found a longer ferry preferable to hours of driving by myself.

Thank you both @Philandbilland @palorina- good points in both your replies! I am actually coming from the Continent to UK/IE so it’s treats for DH/adult DD I’m bringing with me - and then some proper tasty beef and lamb and cheddar on return for my freezer (I have another 12 months here when I return and they are harder to bring by plane when I get home).

But drinks is a good shout. I’ll only get WiFi if I need to work…which is a distinct possibility (but I’ll reclaim the cost). Thanks for the reassurance about parking (and to put my onboard stuff next to me in car!).

We do long trips a lot, they do lay on entertainment usually, food is typically decent (britanny ferries especially) and the bar is open. I take a book but never usually open it. I go take basic snacks like a tube of Pringles because they charge more than I’m willing to pay. I’ve never paid for the inclusive dinner package though I did get the buffet breakfast

Thanks @hahabahbag - good point about the normal snacks at exhorbitant prices (the same in airports!). I’m on DFDS. I can have a drink at the bar when I get on board (before taking a long nap) but not later as I’m driving when I get off again.

You can't bring dairy and meat from the EU into Britain at the moment if that what the cool box is for.

www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain/meat-dairy-fish-animal-products

I assume you have booked cabins both ways? If not, do that. Last night crossings will often have a 24 snack bar and a late dinner service when you board. And ferry's are huge, so there is no issue about driving on to it.
If you are coming to Ireland, bring the cool box! Id be bringing home cheap wine though (our wine taxes are v v high).

I read it that the OP is travelling from Ireland and there is a crossing from Rosslare to Dunkirk which would fit the details given.

Thank you all. I am travelling EU to Ireland (the crossing identified, in reverse) so I have some wine and a few Belgian beers already bought for that leg - and the cooler will be most important coming back for my Irish steak, bacon and pudding, cheddar (doesn’t exist here, despite all the other cheese there is!) and a few M&S goodies and conveniences.

and yes, I’ve booked a cabin on both crossings (I can do a tent, but not a lounger chair for sleeping).

I'm going to be very cheeky and ask if you are going to and from Belgium? I am going there for the first time soon to Ghent, Ypres, Waterloo and an overnight in Brussels on the way home (flying.).

If you know the place, any tips? !!

You mentioned Belgian beers 😊

Take it easy on arrival in Rosslare. Sunrise is round 5am and sunset is 10pm ish right now and that road can have issues with low light glare making visibility poor. There is also no M&S nearby, the Applegreen petrol stations may have a small selection, so you'll need to do your M&S shopping in Dublin or Cork.
But its an easy drive to Dublin if thats where you are going. Apart from the m50 round Dublin, which is always heavy traffic.

Avoca Powerscourt Store & Café would be a lovely stop for breakfast before you hit Dublin. https://share.google/2NDRnltWKTR10AFeR

OP I have brought meat and cheese home from France in the past (before the new restrictions on bringing food into the UK came into force) and I found that if I used ice blocks and put the coolbag at the bottom of the boot, in the middle of the car, it stayed very cool despite us leaving The Vendee at 10am one morning and getting back to Glasgow area around 5pm the next day.

@palorina🤣 um…
Trains are cheaper at weekends than midweek (for the Belgians rather than the bureaucrats!) but are great generally. Waterloo is very interesting ….the museum is worth a slow wander through but leave enough time to go to the farmhouse where the big fighting happened. I’ve only been to Ghent for a quick visit but the Cathedral (maybe just a big church) is lovely (they hold music concerts there sometimes). Ypres is on my list of places to go.

In Brussels itself, the city is great. There are interesting markets on Sundays. The area around the Grand Place is lovely but touristy - there are a few free museums (the House of European History in Parc Leopold, European Parliament, etc) in the European district, and there are good restaurants there - but the EU district really closes up for summer. You won’t get the same menu of beers in different pubs as there are soooo many to choose from. Mostly cards are fine but some pubs and restaurants still only take cash. The big parks (Parc de Bruxelles, Parc Cinquentenaire) have summer pubs in tents which are great in good weather, and have some food as well. The area around St Catherine has lovely food and just a bit away from the Grand Place tourist area but far less busy. There’s a beer museum at the top of the Bourse building which is supposed to have a great view (I have lots of these things on my list for when DH actually gets to visit).

Thanks @snoopyfanaccountantand @turkeyboots- good to know that I could be safe enough with my coolbox. But also good to be aware of the early morning light in Rosslare - I love Kilmacanogue for Avoca!