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The time is fast approaching and I must admit not having done an overnight ferry before I am beginning to get butterflies!!

On Brittany ferries so guess I am looking for tips on what to expect. Is it similar to standard crossings say to Calais? Any advice appreciated.

Bags.

I don`t really understand the question? I almost always do the overnight crossing on Brittany Ferries to one of the Norman or Breton ports though. It fits in much better with the long drive from  Scotland. We have kids, so we get the cheapest cabin and get some kip, drive off the next morning and head straight for the campsite. We try to make our first stop somewhere fairly close...last year we took the Portsmouth-St Malo ferry and were camping at Dol-de-Bretagne, so we were pitched and in the pool by 11am.

Brittany ferries are big and modern, standard roll-on roll-off jobs. You get on board and find your cabin if you have one...the number will  be on your ticket. The key will be in the door and extras inside. The shops and restaurants will be open..not all of them run all night but they will in the evening. Portsmoth-St Malo boards quite early, doesn`t it? About 9pm? I remember us taking the kids to watch a magic show.

In the morning irritating music will start playing in your cabin. About half an hour later someone will start telling you that it`s time to get up and please to leave your cabin soon. Actually, you have plenty of time and no-one will  throw you out as the cleaners won`t come on board till you dock. Then it`s down to the car decks and off.

Before we had kids we used to get couchettes for the overnight trips...my advice here is to get a cabin if you have the cash. If there are four of you it`s not so much more expensive.  The couchettes are noisy and you don`t get much sleep. With kids it would be a nightmare.

Was that the sort of thing you wanted to know? My only other advice is to take a bottle of drinking water to the cabin with you as you can`t drink the tap water on the ferry.

Good boat, no problem with a cabin.

Rather annoying music comes on in the morning to wake you up though. Progressively get louder until you can bear it no longer and have to get up.

Thanks Val, just the sort of info I was after.

Got a cabin, sailing 20:30 hours thinking kids would need a bed for the night in preperation for the drive in the morning, glad it appears to be so easy.

Really looking forward to the wake up call, NOT. Dare I ask what sort of "music" we can look forward to!!!!?

Thanks for the info peeps, happy holidays.

Bags.

Hi Bags

We're travelling Portsmouth - St Malo on the overnighter too and really looking forward to it

I've done another ferry crossing to Santander in Spain a few years back and the crossing was awful with most travellers being ill - Hoping for a smoother crossing this time ha ha ha

If the cabins are anything like they was on that crossing they'll be tiny but adequate for your needs. 

One question I have though to anyone else who has been on this crossing, is breakfast served on the ferry?  I was assuming that it is but now thinking about it it'll be about 6:30am..... will they be serving that early?

Kim

The only problem you may find is having your sleep disturbed by rowdy uncontrolled children running amok down the corridors for some time.

Some parents tend to think that the children are confined to the boat so allow them free rein to run around as they wish..... including playing in the lifts and along the cabin corridors. I use the ferries regularly on trips back to the UK so can safely say that this is not unusual.  Here's hoping you are allocated a quiet area before your long drive!

It's for this reason that, by choice, I use day passages on Condor whenever possible.

Thanks everyone, got a cabin and seat, FOR ME!! Thought children should sleep as journey in the morning might be a nightmare, hope they do not get disturbed by unrulies!!

It's just the first time so wanted to get a general idea of what to expect, thanks all for your input.

Graeme reference the cost I am a fraid that we "packaged" through sites abroad. We are staying in The Loire for 7 nights then on to St Jean De Luz (south) 10 nights then up to the Vendee for 7 nights with an evening return from Caen ( gosh that is a lot of erecting!!!), the total cost was £925.06! so really not sure how much ferry is, sorry.

Paul.