Brittany Ferries Rosslare to Santander video

I've traveled to Bilbao/Santander several times and the most important thing for me was the pet friendly cabins.

Even during a really heavy sea, you'd hardly notice it on the boat. Ferry is especially good if you're not worried about using up annual leave. About an 8 hour drive, Needs an overnight stop.

Pros: Dog is happier with you, no kennel fees, no dropping off to kennels and picking him up afterwards, no car hire, no hard sell car insurance, no airport parking or taxi there both ways, huge savings on bringing back more or less unlimited wine. No excess baggage charge, priority boarding or even paying extra to for seat selection.

Cons: Time lost travelling, additional vet bills (immunisations, pet passport etc) petrol, toll fees, fuel, night in a dog friendly hotel each way, more expensive than airfare depending on when you book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uup1wmtKFUs

Youd hardly notice "really heavy seas" on the boat.......aye, good one. You have clearly never been in a heavy sea in the Bay Of Biscay to make such a ridiculous comment. The entire boat smells of vomit from all the people being sick all over it. No stabilisers are going to stop the heavy swell of the Biscay.

300TDi wrote:Youd hardly notice "really heavy seas" on the boat.......aye, good one. You have clearly never been in a heavy sea in the Bay Of Biscay to make such a ridiculous comment. The entire boat smells of vomit from all the people being sick all over it. No stabilisers are going to stop the heavy swell of the Biscay.

Really? I was on that ferry last October when it was due to dock at night in Rosslare, but it couldn't because of rough seas. We were stuck out at sea for another 9 hours. The ship was surprisingly stable.

Hi

I’ve watched that video and it was really interesting.
I’ve used the ferry twice now from Portsmouth to Santander and it was a fantastic change from flying and will do it again .

Murt wrote:

300TDi wrote:Youd hardly notice "really heavy seas" on the boat.......aye, good one. You have clearly never been in a heavy sea in the Bay Of Biscay to make such a ridiculous comment. The entire boat smells of vomit from all the people being sick all over it. No stabilisers are going to stop the heavy swell of the Biscay.

Really? I was on that ferry last October when it was due to dock at night in Rosslare, but it couldn't because of rough seas. We were stuck out at sea for another 9 hours. The ship was surprisingly stable.

Rough weather in one place, is different to another. To dock it has to retract the stabilisers, which means the boat rolls much more than with them deployed. What is considered too rough to dock is nothing like being out in the Bay Of Biscay in a storm. The vessel can easily be damaged at a pier, hence why they avoid docking until its settled down at the particular port its visiting.

Even with stabilisers, the boat can roll so much that chairs are flying all over, people cannot walk properly, all outdoor decks are closed, the galley is full of the sound of smashing crockery.

Thanks for that Murt. I would have thought an 8hr journey even with the dog is very doable in one day.

Bee

Bee wrote:Thanks for that Murt. I would have thought an 8hr journey even with the dog is very doable in one day.

Bee

8 hours solid driving Bee.

I've done it several times, but with stopping for breaks etc., it usually took me about 12 hours. Much more enjoyable and less rushed to stop off on the way.

I watched the video and certainly the ferry looks very nice but the duration of the trip would put me off. I thought the cost was high too but I expect that’s the going rate. Can’t imagine not having a cabin and relying on resting on a seat. No, I’ll stick with EasyJet thanks!!

Only done it once and enjoyed it. Went to the posh restaurant for dinner which was really nice and surprisingly reasonable. We haven't done it since as find it expensive but with getting older and insurance costing more for car hire etc we may think of it. It's not cheap anymore to drive through Spain and France when you consider petrol and hotels etc.

We always preferred to sail to UK and then take the Eurotunnel as we never even liked the 16/18hr direct Ireland to France Ferry so I couldn't see myself doing the Ireland to Spain direct route.

Bee