I think I've cocked up on our ferry back from France. Come and tell me what you'd do in this situation?

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

Breakfast in Paris (sounds glorious doesn't it, however it's the equivalent of a Travelodge in a modern suburb...)

Then I've booked the ferry from Le Havre to Portsmouth at 5pm, getting into Portsmouth at 9.30 at night. OOh, I thought, we can have the day in somewhere like Rouen, and it just means we'll be really late home (1pm ish) and all up the next day to go to work / school.

Oh well I thought, and just booked it.

Now I've just realised what I've done. We'll be knackered! And it will be foul.

So, Either, there's a Travelodge we can stay in 5 miles from Portsmouth for £39. But that means taking the following morning off work, and missing more school, and we could really do without using more annual leave.

OR I try to cancel the ferry and go Cherbourg to Poole instead, around lunchtime, quick ferry, can drive home by 8pm. But that's a long drive to Cherbourg.

And I don't know if we can even cancel.

At a push, a real push, I could write off the cost of the Le Havre ferry and just book the Cherbourg one. But I could really really do without that.

What do you think?

And we'll have to get up early in Paris to get to Cherbourg, and we'll all be knackered after the previous day at Disneyland.

I say to hell with it and take the time off. Life is short and you're a long time looking at the lid!

Can you book a cabin on the ferry back? I know it's a long shot, but if you can weary the youngest members out enough, they may sleep, or at least rest, on the way back, and so could you?

What are your DC's like in the car? If anything like mine, they will sleep most of the way - put them in their PJ's on the ferry before you get in the car and hopefully they will barely wake when you move them from car to bed. This will stop them being too tired for school, whereas you and DP will just have to take turns to sleep/drive or grin and bear feeling shattered at work next day...

??

It sounds busy buut not too bad.

So you get home at 1pm in the afternoon. You can spend the afternoon vegging out and have an early night, and be fine for school the next day. No?

We fly home from New York Sat night (next week), arrive in Heathrw around 9am, and will get home for around 1pm ther Sunday. Me and DD are at school, Dh at work. This is similar surely?

Oh wait - do you mean home 1am - early hours of morning?

Yes, that makes it harder. I'd probably see if you can work from home or have the morning off and see how the children are - they may well sleep mpst of way home so may be ok for school.

I wouldn't go for the Cherbourg one tbh - it's a bugger of a drive on non-motorway roads. You'd have to leave Paris really early to make the lunchtime one. I'd get a cabin on the Le Havre ferry - you can generally get them when you board on the non-overnight boats.

We've done late homecoming/back to school and work next day a few times, you just have to have an early night the next night when everyone is tired and grumpy.

Sorry Hula, yes, I meant 1am. Not a much nicer 1pm.

DS is 8 and even if we booked a cabin, he'll happily stay awake until 9.30, so I can't see him sleeping on the boat. I'm a bit worried he'll even sleep in the car. That wouldn't be good.

Mrsflowerpot, I didn't realise that about the cabins when you board. Do they still charge?

Sod it, I've booked.

So how exactly did a week in Yorkshire turn into 11 nights in France?

Your DCs will probably be fine! I would think after a week's exiting holiday in France and Disney land they will sleep during the journey - particularly the latter part of the journey when you get back to England.

You will be the one who is tired and if you are able to book yourself an extra half day's leave that would give you chance to unpack etc. If you can be really organised you could put all their school stuff ready before you go so you're not panicking in the morning after a late night.

Have you done this journey before? We are going to DLP next week but are travelling Dover-Calais. On the way down we are staying overnight in Calais so we didn't have to get up really early to get our morning ferry, but on the way back we are driving straight through (we live in Midlands area). My DH enjoys driving, but I hate it ...