Share your tips for family holidays by ferry - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

For parents there are lots of benefits of going on holiday by ferry - the ease of driving straight from your door to your destination, the lack of luggage restrictions, the space and facilities onboard, not to mention the excitement of the crossing! Any travel with children takes preparation though, so we’d like you to share your top tips and recommendations for making ferry travel with children a breeze.

● Post your tips in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
● One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice.

Here’s what Brittany Ferries has to say:

“Brittany Ferries is an award winning Ferry Travel and holiday company who are experts in Western Europe, and winners of the Best Travel Company for Family Holidays at the 2022 British Travel Awards, voted by consumers. We offer a choice of routes from UK and Ireland to France and Spain that save you miles of driving, avoids airport queues and delays, and offers award winning on board service with space and comfort, ensuring you are on holiday from the moment you drive aboard. ”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

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We love Brittany Ferries! Our top tips would be to not worry or try to make sense of the queues/ loading process. It can be frustrating to arrive early and board last (especially for DS with ASD!) so relax and just know that it's a complex process and everyone gets on/off eventually. And secondly, take your time leaving the car. There's no rush even though it feels like it. You can't go back to the car deck later so make sure you've got everything!

Be prepared with sick bracelets and tablets, take things they like to do, find a quiet spot on the boat if your trip is short, or book a cabin for down time if you have a full day sailing. Watch a youtube video of the ship you are going on - we found this very informative for a crossing.

Take travel sickness tablets an hour before you board

Definitely book a cabin. Get the ones with a kettle and a TV. It's well worth paying a bit extra for.

Get to port early to ensure traffic jams around the port don't make you arrive late.

Take a large bottle of water for making your tea in your cabin. I don't trust water on board.

Breakfasts are always really good on board Brittany Ferries and if you book beforehand it is a bit cheaper.

Don't sit in the cafeteria for an hour after you have finish your meal. Move so others can eat. Be considerate.

I and my 2 dc all get travel sick, but despite this we have persevered with ferries and really enjoy them! Tips would be booking a cabin, even on day crossings, as lying down in the dark if feeling sick, and having your own bathroom, both help. Night trips are more expensive but worth it, as we sleep and don't feel sick. Roscoff is a lovely small port to arrive in which helps confidence driving.

As pp have said, a bag of games, books, stickers, uno/ dobble etc help and an overnight case for everyone rather than finding things from bigger suitcases.

Finally book early! We've booked late this summer with Brittany Ferries and 4 berth cabins have sold out so we are having to do 2x2. Fingers crossed I'm not ill!

Definitely get a cabin and bring plenty to do. The wifi can be a bit ropey so download shows onto your phone or laptop. Cabins are handy to be able to get away from the crowds and have our own toilet facilities and a bed!

We brought plenty of picnic food but didn’t bring enough to drink, you can forget how much 4 people need for a day!

I would book a cabin, take plenty to do, set off from home get to the port an hour before boarding, and if you are stuck in traffic/customs you have left some time and won't be stressed out by delays - then relax in your cabin (if you get one with a view -even better

My advice are take plenty to do, ABSO-BLOOM ING-LUTLY book a cabin - we did not one year and it was a nightmare finding a quiet place to settle. Watch several youtube videos of the boarding/parking/cabins so you know what to expect from seasoned travellers who can give the best tips and tricks.

Another cabin advocate here!

As a mum of 5 and two with additional needs the cabin is our haven for long trips.

For the shorter trips we find a spot by the window, settle in, enjoy the view, grab some (food which is always my kids highlight!) and it's totally the start of our holiday.

The longer trips are essentially the same with the luxury of a bed and comfy place to chill out and sleep! It really is the start of our holiday..

Plan how to entertain your kids whilst stuck in the boarding and disembarking queues. One criticism I have of Brittany ferries is that the travel cots they provide are awful so consider bringing your own. There also isn't room for 2 travel cots in the cabin so if you have two that are too young for the beds you need to book 2 two beds.

Turn off data roaming when on board otherwise you’ll pick up the most expensive maritime signal known to man and spend £5 even without touching your phone!

Also, we were delayed on an overnight crossing which meant a long wait from 10pm-1am in the car with the kids. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but I wasn’t psychologically prepared for it so just a tip that unexpected delays can happen! They normally run so smoothly compared to rail/air that I wasn’t prepared!

My biggest piece of advice is to pack travel sickness medication for the adults and children and keep it somewhere accessible. Even if you're not usually travel sick, take it just in case.

We found the overnight ferry really good, DC were excited and the time obviously passes quickly when you're sleeping.

The long daytime journey definitely dragged, but as everyone has said, getting a cabin helps. DH and I took turns to rest/nap while the other one looked after the kids (we had a few hours drive either end so it was a loooong day!)

Take more snacks than you think you need. Take new/novel things to entertain the kids. Tablet - has to be done.

My tips are to be prepared with things to do, take snacks to settle the stomach (biscuits are helpful) check the weather forecasts ahead of the month you want to book so you can get a feeling as to how rough the crossing might be - do this again a couple of days ahead - you might want to book a cabin in the centre of the boat without a window to lie down and just enjoy the crossing in a place which would be be so rough.

I haven't been on a ferry since I was a child but I remember my sister was very sea sick so I would say bring a change of clothes and some wipes incase!

Make sure you’ve downloaded a few programmes on Wi-Fi before you set off, so that you don’t use up data allowances. Travel games/ a pack of cards are essential. Book the best cabin available/ you can afford, for a quiet space.
I love travelling by ferry as it gives a sense of space of time flying doesn’t.

We always use ferry as my OH hates flying, and it's the best start to your holiday as you can walk around, see the world go by and really do your own thing. My tips are
book a cabin as soon as you book your accommodation - it's your base for the journey
Ask your DC's what they want for the journey games and toy wise - we find consoles are great for the cabin as they keep them entertained
take sick bracelets - even if they are good travellers - we find the placebo effect works for us
take drinks and snacks - even though you can buy them on board
Download the 'Ferrynauts' app - it's fun
Go to the cinema as a family on board

The ferry is part of our holiday. We try to make it fun, interesting and relaxing. Bring lots to do and plenty to drink.

My top tip - write down where your car is and what stairs you use to get to it. It can be confusing!

Take binoculars! From the Plymouth - Santander ferry we saw over a hundred dolphin, fin wales and more. From Calmac ferries we have seen basking sharks, many dolphin and porpoises, even just great views it is good to 'zoom in' on.

Oh wow! I will get some for our trip this summer.

See what's on at the on board cinema - and spend a couple of hours in their - try to book a cabin to relax and the children can nap. Download games or some CBEEBIES stuff on your internet to save using the slow internet on board.

Some ferry companies offer priority loading - so you are first on and off the boat. Really worth it!

On the Biscay ferries they have someone from the Whale Trust on board - and some sessions you can go and see when it is most likely to see them. We did a 6am session - and were well rewarded...

Look for priority boarding and leaving, and book a cabin - it makes the journey SOOOO much less stressful. Make it part of your holiday and not a chore - do the same on your return in advance too

Book a cabin - leave the DC's with their phones and tablets and go to the spa - get your nails done and have a massage (prebooking is done at the same time as your original booking - they won't miss you - and you'll start your holiday feeling and looking fabulous https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ships/onboard/spa-treatments

On board spa?! I somehow missed that last time!!