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LD Lines
by Lakelander
I have used LD Lines numerous times now, always from Portsmouth to Le Havre. Previous to that, we sailed the same route with P&O, so the roads through the ports were familiar to me.
Firstly, having read other ferry reviews, I must emphasise that the port facilities and infrastructure are provided by the port authorities. I ... have yet to see any shops or cafes that match those found at airports, but it is wrong to lay the blame at the ferry companies!
So to the ferries.
LD Lines are the low cost ferry equivalent of Easyjet in terms of costs, and yet I have always been pleasantly surprised at the level of service.
Their (fairly) new online booking software is easy to use and adjust, to add or remove extra days, or alter the booking period forwards or backwards.
You can see the prices of the sailing either side of the one you select first, enabling you to decide right away if you can save money by changing sailings.
Unlike some of their rivals LD do not insist you book a cabin on night crossings. If you can sleep in a seat (or even on the floor) then you can save money. However, even if you don't wish to pay for a cabin, they have a number of airline style sleeper seats, which lie flat - available for a small surcharge.
My circumstances make the LD sailing times attractive... 23.00hrs departure from Portsmouth. I have to travel 300 miles to the port, so a night crossing gives me a real break after all that driving.
The bars and restaurant on board have always had a good range of food - and compared to landside outlets with a captive customer base, the prices are reasonable too.
Lately the LD fleet has been supplemented by an arrangement with Transmanche, and the journey has been on the "Cote D' Albatre". The same quality of service has continued, with the only exception being the slow service at the restaurant on our last journey in February 2011.
This was partly due to families only deciding what they wanted when they reached the serving point, and the steward having a particularly small ladle for the beans and other items!
On all the LD ferries I have sailed on, the duty free shop is smaller than some other ferry companies, with less of a range. Also the prices are not much cheaper than in some French supermarkets. However, AS LONG AS IT IS FOR YOUR OWN CONSUMPTION (or your immediate family) you are free to purchase as much wine, spirits and tobacco either in France, or on the ferry, so the more you buy the more you save - but the Portsmouth to Le Havre route is not the cheapest to use as a booze cruise.
If you are uncertain which route to take, you might like to consider that the Le Havre crossing takes you further west and south, lessening the distance to drive from Calais if you are heading in those directions.
There are also less tolls to pay across Normandy than on the route past Paris from Calais, and no tolls at all as you pass through Brittany until you get south of Nantes.
This makes the slightly higher cost of the Le Havre crossing better value in terms of toll money saved, fuel, and driving time.
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I-Ride Trolley (Orlando, USA)
by jazzypinkpuppet
I have just returned from a wonderful two weeks in sunny Florida. The planning involved in my holiday was immense after all for us it was a once in a lifetime trip and I wanted everything to be perfect. So to help others planning their magical holidays, whilst it is still fresh in my mind. I have decided to write some reviews on some of ... things that worked and didn't work for us.
International drive stretches almost 15 miles long, it is the bustling hub of entertainment in Orlando. If people are not staying on site at Disney or in a villa, they will more than likely be staying on I drive.
The I-ride trolley is a bus that runs the length of international drive, there are 42 stops along the way, each clearly numbered and announced whilst on the bus, so you can be sure you never miss your stop.
The I-ride will take you from Orlando premium outlet centre at one end all the way to another outlet centre at the other end, stopping at lots many major venues along the way, including Seaworld, Aquatica, Wet'n'Wild, Wonderworks and Ripleys believe it or not. As well as all the hotels, resturants and shops.
The I-Trolley is painted green with a huge smiling face on the front, the children loved to watch it come along. Inside it is kitted out with wooden bench style seats, there is also hand rails to hold on to and space for two wheelchair users.
Whilst we were traveling, a lady in a wheelchair got on, it uses a hydraulic lift system to raise the wheelchair onto the bus. The driver seemed most helpful and when I was speaking to the lady in the wheelchair she said its the most wheelchair friendly bus in America.
The bus is fully air conditioned which is a blessing on hot and busy days and there is also music playing.
The I-Ride costs $1.25 per trip for adults, children 12 and under are free. You must have exact fare as they will not give change. You can also buy passes which cost
$4 - one day
$6 - three day
$8 - five day
$10 - seven day
$17 -fourteen days.
These pases can't be bought on the bus, but you can get them from most shops and hotels along International drive.
The bus runs from 8:00 a.m until 10:30 p.m every day, they run approx every 20 mins although there is no timetable, so you are never sure if you have just missed one.
We had hired a car so didn't use the I-trolley to go everywhere but on days when we were going to Seaworld or other I-drive attractions we found it better and less expensive to use the bus than the car. I would highly recommend the I-Trolley service even just for the novelty factor. Some days it was quite crowded, and we were not in a high season, so I can imagine in Summer they might get very busy. But for ease, no high parking costs and a little bit of fun, it's got to be worth a go.
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holidayautos.co.uk
by Becky's Granddad
Getting a car from Holiday Autos is always just a bit of a gamble as they are a broker so the quality of service is dependent on the quality of service of whoever they get the car from. And they come in as a company that wants the cost to be low. Nevertheless they always to take you to one of the fairly high profile suppliers and not a ... shoddy back streets one.
Hired a car from Holiday Autos for a family holiday in Portugal. The car I asked for was not available so three days after the booking they emailed an apology, saying that the car I wanted was not available, and asked if I would accept a slightly smaller car that would cost only half as much. It turned out that the new hire was with Hertz and that the slightly smaller car was quite big enough.
I also liked the insurance deal which covered every eventuality with no supplements payable either to them or to the actual car supplier apart from the fuel.
Hertz looked after us very well even letting us use their toilets to change from our holiday beach clothes into something more appropriate for arriving home in UK late at night.
Great service, no queues, low cost.
Thank you to both Holiday Autos and Hertz.
I will book with Holiday Autos again this year.
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