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Subject Topic: How comfortable portsmouth to santander? Post Reply Post New Topic
27/8/2005 at 1:33pm
 Location: Surrey
 Outfit: Rapido 741f motorhom
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We are thinking of using this crossing next summer but wonder how comfortable it is?  Someone had mentioned the crossing can be a bit rough.  Anyone had any experience?  I know it's expensive but it might be worth it to save the drive.

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lizzie


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27/8/2005 at 2:19pm
 Location: Somerset
 Outfit: Burstner Amara 410 TS Seat Alhambra
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I've never used Portsmouth to Santander but have gone via Plymouth with Brittany Ferries 10 times in the last 12 years and have only had one moderately rough xing. In general I found it a very pleasant enjoyable start to the holiday.
Expensive though in peak season.
Reldas.


27/8/2005 at 2:29pm
 Location: Surrey
 Outfit: Rapido 741f motorhom
View lizzie's Profile View Profile   Reply to lizzie Reply   Quote lizzie Quote  
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Sorry I should have said plymouth to santander.  I notice the portsmouth to bilbao is 35 hours outbound - that seems like an awfully long time to do the over plymouth.



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lizzie


27/8/2005 at 4:16pm
 Location: Bedfordshire
 Outfit: Sterling Moonstone Kia Sorento KX2
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On One crossing from Plymouth to Satander it was so rough that the bunk bed closed up while my wife was still in it.

What would have happened if I had not been woken by the sound of everything falling off of the shelf in the loe,God only knows.

The return journey was like a mill pond all the way home.

 

Steve W



Post last edited on 27/08/2005 16:17:50


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28/8/2005 at 8:57pm
 Location: N.Wales
 Outfit: Toyota Lc 3.0Ltr Eldiss Avante 6bth
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The bay of Biscay is famous for blowing up gale force style, i had a nightmare on one crossing, i will never forget the sound of the ship smashing back into the water after being in mid air for what felt like an age, only to do it all over again a few minutes later, it felt like it was going to break into small pieces! off course it didn't, and we all arrived safely enough, not for me again though!


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29/8/2005 at 10:25am
 Location: mid wales
 Outfit: Adria Twin
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We've just come back fron Norway via fjordline and it was a 24hr journey - if you do go book a posher cabin,it'll be worth it, we didn't and ended up 6 decks down under cardeck with the engine vibraating all night...never again will we economise - going was quiet and I think we were put in nicer ones as they were free but return was heaving - so were we!!Its a looong time and as its been said the Bay of Biscay is notorious for being choppy...


31/8/2005 at 3:15pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: None Entered
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just came back bilboa to portsmouth- was expecting the worst, they warned us it was rough to start with but felt fine to me, maybe because the ferrys's are huge.maybe helped that we had a cabin with a window and not too low down. I found the cross channel ferry crossing to calais worse.


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31/8/2005 at 3:32pm
 Location: UK
 Outfit: SoulPad 4000 Ease & Blaze Stove
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It can be very rough or very calm.  I don't suffer from sea sickness, so no problem for me.  If it is bad and you feel ill, the best thing you can do is to go outside onto the deck  Do not stay in your cabin, it will make you worse!  Look out toward the horizon and try to sit/stand near the centre of the boat.  This position moves the least and looking at the horizon lessens the sensation of motion.  Travelbands which push on the pressure points in your wrists are also good, as is eating a decent but not too greasy meal before you board.  If all else fails, lie down getting as much fresh air as possible and ride it out.

Good luck.



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Gurt Lush


31/8/2005 at 7:30pm
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: small campervan
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Quote: Originally posted by marynov on 29/08/2005
We've just come back fron Norway via fjordline and it was a 24hr journey - if you do go book a posher cabin,it'll be worth it, we didn't and ended up 6 decks down under cardeck with the engine vibraating all night...never again will we economise - going was quiet and I think we were put in nicer ones as they were free but return was heaving - so were we!!Its a looong time and as its been said the Bay of Biscay is notorious for being choppy...

We did that crossing in June and had the economy cabins and I was told that the lower down you were the less the movement of the ship.  This was in response to my suggesting that if there is a 'next' time, then I would have a better cabin.  Our crossing was rough on the way out and like a mill pond on the return.

So it seems to be that you need to be as low as possible and as near to the centre as possible.

W



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31/8/2005 at 10:06pm
 Location: ery
 Outfit: V-dub Camper OK!!
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we did portsmouth > bilbao and had a great crossing, go for the most expensive cabin you can afford, Portsmouth ferry staff were rubbish however.

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But itīs all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya canīt please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
Ricky Nelson


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08/9/2005 at 4:24pm
 Location: Chilwell Notts
 Outfit: None Entered
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Our crossings were great both times - literally a duck pond.


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08/9/2005 at 7:25pm
 Location: England.
 Outfit: Tents (Lots of em)
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Once just once we had a bad crossing ....Cherbourg to Poole I think it was....and that was the end of ferries for our family....

Wife spent the whole 6+ hours on deck filling Sac Mel De Mer bags. I spent 6+ hours trying to find more bags, keep the kids calm (they were only muppets then) and running up stairs to the open deck level. Given the choice wifey said she would have quite happily jumped overboard just to stop the seasick feeling. ( Given the choice I would have helped her do it)

Now we just take the tunnel and enjoy the drive. (I still miss the ferry experience though  )

 



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Snowmen fall to earth in kit form........

Every day is a gift..That's why it's called the present.

Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

Stressed is just 'Desserts' spelt backwards



10/9/2005 at 12:25pm
 Location: mid wales
 Outfit: Adria Twin
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...sorry I don't agree about the lower the better, we were below car decks on bottom level and the hum/vibration of the engines was horrendous and made the sickness 100% worse - plus with limited lifts and kids playing in them so you can't even use them properly its a hell of a lot of stairs to the fresh air!!!


12/9/2005 at 1:28am
 Location: Belfast - Norn Iron
 Outfit: Apacge 700
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doesn't matter if you are high or low - the entire ship pitches and yaws just the same - on lower levels the distance is smaller on side to side movement, but this is usually offset by the fact that your brain thinks you are moving and your eyes tell you you are not as you are inside. When you get up top into the open air, your brain and eyes agree that you are all over the show, but your legs think that are standing still, so your stomach thinks it would be better off without its contents. It may help for you to get outside and keep moving. That way brain, eyes and legs are all in agreement. some people just get sick reguardless. If you really really don't want to get sick, try the crossing in a 20ft boat - pitching and yawing is 1000 times worse, but strangely, even the worst travellers don't get sick



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