SunshineGirl66

We are looking to book a cabin on Brittany Ferries in spring next year and wonder if anyone has used the pet friendly cabins and what they thought of them. Was it a good or bad experience? Can my dog stay in the cabin with us? Is there plenty of space to walk her. Is it best to go from Bilbao to alicante or Murcia or from Santander? It's just I don't fancy the long drive from Durham to Murcia or alicante.....thanks 😁👍

frigilianafreddy

I'll let a pet friendly person answer your questions about the cabins but to be honest if youre driving to Murcia or Alicante it doesn't matter whether its Santander or Bilbao, its 30 minutes difference at best.

I must say that all the dog mummies and daddies seem very happy with the deal - especially on the Economie service we use most.

SunshineGirl66

Thank you for that. Do you take a dog across? Have you driven from the port to the costa blanca? Is it a straightforward drive...any advice. 😁

paulven

I've used the pet friendly cabins many times, both on normal ferries and economy ferries and I thoroughly recommend them. Your dog can stay in the cabin with you and there is a walking area that you can take them to for exercise.
Just remember to book very early, the cabins get booked up quickly.

SunshineGirl66

Thank you for your reply...that's very reassuring. I've looked online but they are only taking booking until November. Do you have any idea when they release their next years? I've registered to be contacted when they do, but I'd rather have an inkling when it's likely to be. Also, is there somewhere for the dogs to do their business and how long it]s the sailing? Thanks again 😁

frigilianafreddy

They will release another tranche of bookings in May or June. That may cover November to June next year. From memory last year the release date was June, but i cannot recall if you can register to be pre-advised of the "go live" booking dates

As someone else has said, if you are a pet owner cabins sell out VERY VERY quickly.

MikeJ

You should also be aware that these ferries also have dog kennels. which may not be ideal but you can keep your dog on deck with you throughout the day. Even a kennel crossing might be better than the dog being cooped up in your car for the long drive.
I have driven from Bilboa across to Valencia - it is an easy journey on motorway roads and not much in the way of tolls. The ferry to Bilbao arrives at 08:00 in the morning which leaves plenty of time for the drive with a couple of rest stops on the way.
The ferry to Santander arrives in the early evening so you may need to find a pet friendly overnight stop if you chose that route.

chris76

any idea of price for two small dogs?

also if they sell out quickly that far in advance what alternatives are there?

thanks

SunshineGirl66

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll go for the Bilbao route so I'm there in the morning all fresh.my dog doesn't like been left alone in strange places so she will be better with us, so I'm hoping to get a pet friendly cabin...fingers crossed. I'm looking forward to the experience and some sun for a couple of months to recharge after Xmas. We will resort to kernels if there's no other option as I don't fancy the long drive from Durham to costa blanca 😳

chris76

any other viable ways youve come up with sunshine girl?

we're from durham way also

SunshineGirl66

Small world 🌎. There's 3 choices with pets: 1. Drive south, take the eurotunnel then drive through France and Spain and pay for fuel, eurotunnel and April 3 sleepovers and tolls, 2. Drive south, get the ferry overnight and drive from Bilbao or Santander to your destination, paying again for fuel, ferry and a couple of tools. Or 3. Fly over and put your dog I. The hold which is approx £550 for the dog and then for your seats on the plane. Then of course with all 3 options, the pet passport which is between £200 & £250. So I think the ferry is our favourite option. When are you thinking of doing the journey? Which part of Durham are you from? Thanks

chris76

not sure yet,if we do the journey it will be in a luton or big van to move,brexit allowing.

possibly next july although we have a lot of talking/planning to do beforehand.

jimenato

We didn't use a pet friendly cabin from Plymouth to Santander and back last summer as they had sold out - I think they go very quickly.

Instead we used their kennels for our three dogs and it was quite satisfactory. We spent much of the journey on the 'poop' deck with all the other dogs which was fun.

It was an easy journey south as well - we went just about as far as you can get - to near Gibraltar so the Costa Blanca would be a bit nearer. Santander or Bilbao makes little difference.

This year we will probably do a short crossing - possibly the tunnel - and down through France simply on grounds of cost - we don't mind a long drive.