Advice on Portugal trip/Ferries to Bilbao or Santander

mazza245

Has anyone any codes for P & O ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao or Britanny Ferries from Plymouth to Santander please? They are both round about £250 but they ask if you have any promotional codes so there obviously is something you can reduce it by.

We are travelling from the North of England to Portugal and we cannot decide whether to go the shortest possible ferry route (very bad sailors) for £30, but by the time you have paid for meals, hotels, petrol and road tolls it would add up to quite a lot of money or sod it and go for either of the above long crossings which would be excruciating but would get us much further and with less expense on the road! Anybody any advice please?

LittleTinker

Hi,
Me and my partner drove to Central Portugal a year or so ago. I looked and looked for the cheapest possible way (taking the car) and we came up with taking the Ferry from Hull to Zeebruger and then driving from there all the way.

We arrived in Belgium bright and early in the morning which gave us a full day to start with the continental drive. We stopped for the night near the Spanish border (on the motorway, in the car which is perfectly safe as this is what many do and they are patrolled).

We arrived in Portugal at around 1pm the next day. The drive was great.....loved every minute of it. On the way back we drove via Paris and decided to go take a peek at the Tower. I must say, driving through Paris on a Saturday evening was an experience in itself. lol

Found the 2 night ferry option (south coast to bilbao) more expensive and it was also less of an 'adventure' :-))

mazza245

Just bumping this in case someone else has some advice. We really can't face Hull to Zeebrugge! It looks like the Plymouth to Santander ferry might be the one, although we are very reluctant due to both of us suffering excessive sea sickness. Does anyone know if the new ship Britanny Ferries use (Pont Aven) isn't as prone to wallowing as the old one (Quiberon) was? I thought we were all going to die last time we did it and I felt so dreadful I would have been happy to!!

LittleTinker

Hull to Zeebruger is only 1 night whereas the one you are talking about is 2 nights......What is it you cant face about the journey?

Smiley_Mum

Have you tried the elasticated bracelets you get to help ease sea sickness. They have a button on them that presses on the acupressure points on the wrists. Supposed to help ease sea sickness. Worth a go.

Found this website on seasickness. I do suffer with motion sickness when travelling by car for long periods of time but I think it was caused by my trying to read. Stay above deck in the fresh air too so you can see where you are rather than down below deck. Good Luck and I hope the trip isn't too bad.

mazza245

Hull to Zeebrugge would be better at this end, not as far to travel as to Plymouth but much much farther at the other end, wouldn't it? If we sailed to Santander, it is then only down through Spain and Portugal to the Algarve, which should be a breeze. We were thinking of just Dover to Calais, or one of the other Channel ports but such a long drive through France with all the meals, hotels, petrol, tolls etc on the way so it would cost more in the long run. Anyway, the Plymouth to Santander is just one night, but the Portsmouth to Bilbao is two nights. We just couldn't cope with two nights so the Santander looks the best although it might be unpleasant.

I'm not sure which website you mean, Smiley Mum? I have always stayed on deck as long as I could as that is better but just the thought of the motion of the boat, even now sat at my computer and I feel whoozy! We were sat in the lounge of the Quiberon waiting to leave port last time and we were all looking as sick as parrots, before we had even set off! I actually ended up being called over the tannoy from the Purser's office as I had left my handbag, with all the money, passports and everything in it, in the lounge while we just headed off to bed to die! I will try to find some of those bracelets though and maybe have a word with my GP to see if he could prescribe something.

LittleTinker

Well yes....if you are going to the Algave its going to be a long drive where ever you go from. Are you not able to fly there....so much cheaper?

Incapuppy

LittleTinker wrote: »

Well yes....if you are going to the Algave its going to be a long drive where ever you go from. Are you not able to fly there....so much cheaper?

Yes, was just wondering that myself. Would the price be comparable if you got a cheap flight and hired a car?

Smiley_Mum

Oops, sorry I forgot to post the link for you.

Here it is...

http://seasickness.co.uk/

Boots do them, £7.99. If you have some points you could perhaps get them that way.

http://www.boots.com/shop/product_details.jsp?productid=1022193&classificationid=1016591

mazza245

Sorry, didn't explain properly. We have a half share in an apartment on the Algarve, fly out there several times a year and have been doing for a lot of years. Now I've just retired, we are going for the first time for almost two months and we have bought a new car here so we are taking the old one down and leaving it there. The theory is that the car hire is the most expensive part of going now and if you go for several weeks it can cost a bomb! So, we are having the car 'done up' as we speak and then it should last longer being out there in the good climate. We can park it outside the apartment and just get a taxi to and from the airport in future.

The problem is this trip. It is all working out much much more expensive obviously than just flying down but it will save money in the long run. We aren't sure that the car is that good for doing almost two thousand miles and it would be dreadful if anything went wrong with it on the way! We want to get across the Channel in the shortest, cheapest, least sick-making way but looking at all the alternatives, it is obvious that the Plymouth-Santander ferry is going to be the best and most efficient but I am just fighting the decision as I feel sick at the thought of it. Everyone tells me I will enjoy this trip but I have a feeling I will just be glad when it's over.

Smiley_Mum

What dates are you wanting to go or are you flexible on when you can go, or just looking for cheapest deal to get you there and when do you want to come back?

What about flogging your old car for the best deal you can get and then buying a runabout in the Algarve when you get there. Take cheap flights over and it saves the stress of worrying about driving/ferries/sickness etc etc. Just a suggestion.