Rail & Sail
 

The Stenaline website says that it is possible says that it is possible to book a sail and rail ticket from Dublin to Glasgow.

However, when you contact the booking office at the number on your website they that it was not possible despite this message on their site:

'Fares apply from Dublin (Connolly Station) to any station within the zone listed. Stations shown in the price grids are a small sample of the destinations available - please call us for more details.'


http://www.stenaline.ie/stena_line/s...b/by_rail.html

False advertising?

I'm confused
 

Which bit can you not book ? I booked a sail & rail ticket to North Wales a few weeks ago. The ticket (or the receipt) was pretty clearly marked as being to 'zone a' or whichever zone it was.

Is it that they say you can't book to Glasgow in particular, or you can't book on the date you want to travel ?

I just looked at the link and I see it is for Larne-Stranraer sailings and so is different than the ticket I had booked, but the principle is the same.

z

London Dublin via Dun Laoghaire works I know that, and its cheap

It is possible. In fact, there are three different ways to book a ticket Dublin-Glasgow:

(a) via Belfast/Stranraer (quickest)
(b) via Dublin/Holyhead or DL/Holyhead (cheapest)
(c) via Rosslare/Fishguard (not for the faint-hearted, expect about 12 hours on a train or in fact trains...)


Unfortunately it seems as if the most reliable way of getting your hands on a ticket is via the CIE travel office on Abbey St (or by ringing them). They actually issue the tickets with handwritten coupons, which is quaint but embarrassing.

I've done Dublin to various UK points over the last year, never had a problem with tickets. They will sell the return leg too (although prices are on a one-way basis). IF you're in the UK and trying to buy a ticket, most reasonably well-staffed station offices can issue the ticket (there's a full section in the National Fares Manual over there dealing with ship/rail tickets of various types).

http://www.seat61.com/Ireland.htm has lots of information on your options (although from a UK perspective, so London-Dublin times come before Dublin-London, don't get caught by that!). I contributed a little bit of this page, but the site admin is a serious mine of information on international rail travel (whether leisure or business).

Apparently you can also buy the sail/rail tickets at the port, if you're starting with a ferry (i.e. Dublin Port-Holyhead-London), but I've never tried it.

Finally remember that the pricing is by zone (on both sides), so sometimes if you have time you can really get a nice trip out of it (i.e. the one-way via Holyhead ranges between €30 and €39 during the winter, but that €39 would get you as far as Inverness or Aberdeen if you wanted it, as everything beyond a certain point is all in the one, huge zone.

Stenaline won't allow you to travel by rail from Dublin to Belfast on the Sail & Rail ticket, despite the sample timetable at that link.

I got a Sail and rail last sat but only from Belfast onwards to Glasgow.

They wouldn't allow it to start from Connolly as advertised.

I bought a normal ticket for the Drogheda - Belfast stretch.

Holyhead to Glasgow by train is 7hrs btw, with 3 changes and a longer crossing time.

Cheers - will check them out..

Hmm, next time try IÉ, it's definitely possible...

If you (or anyone) has an issue with this in the future, point to the UK National Fares Manual, supplementary section D on Shipping Links. http://www.atoc.org/retail/_download...RLsectionD.pdf . The relevant fares are on page D27. Stena act as agents for the National Rail system or for IÉ as appropriate so they are just not reading their books correctly.

(Yes I know these are UK fares but the IÉ practice is just to follow them and use the agreed Euro amounts)

Yup, but if you're broke and not in a hurry, it's fun ;) and at best, it's 5h30 and just a change at Crewe, plus 1h45 for a fast ferry.

Stenaline email correspondence...
 

From: Stena Line Travel Info Ireland [mailto:info.ie@stenaline.com]
Sent: 12 December 2006 08:51
Subject: [SPAM]RE: [SPAM]RE: Sail & Rail trip from Dublin to Glasgow via Blefast-Stranraer


Good afternoon,

All packages Stenaline offer are subject to availability,thank you for your enquiry.

Regards,

Stenaline.
cw



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: 11 December 2006 19:11
To: Stena Line Travel Info Ireland
Subject: RE: [SPAM]RE: Sail & Rail trip from Dublin to Glasgow via Blefast-Stranraer


Is that not false advertising?

Regards,


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Stena Line Travel Info Ireland [mailto:info.ie@stenaline.com]
Sent: 11 December 2006 14:21
Subject: [SPAM]RE: Sail & Rail trip from Dublin to Glasgow via Blefast-Stranraer

Good afternoon,

It is no longer possible to offer this package, we can arrange passage from Belfast to Glasgow as a rail and sail package, thank you for your enquiry.

Regards,

Stenaline.

cw




--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: 11 December 2006 11:24
To: Stena Line Travel Info Ireland
Subject: Sail & Rail trip from Dublin to Glasgow via Blefast-Stranraer

Hi.


You website says that it is possible says that it is possible to book a sail and rail ticket from Dublin to Glasgow.


However, when I contacted your booking office at the number on your website they said that it was not possible.

Regards,

i turned up in dunleary 40 mins before a sailing an bought a ticket through to carlisle - 42 euro no probs

wait... if you just turn up at the ferry terminal on spec you can buy a sail and rail ticket there and then?

Yes, and its quite good if you have the time. Don't travel in a month with an "r" in it, you are more subject to weather delays.

Can you imagine how much an airline would charge for a walk on fare? You can choose when to go, there are few/no restrictions on usage, no peak time off peak fare loading.

This is slower, but it works well enough on Dublin/DunLaoghaire - Holyhead.

Just don't get stuck in Crewe on a Saturday night ...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showp...46&postcount=5
:D

question: i want to go to cardiff from dublin. now i know dublin-holyhead-cardiff works, but does the same ticket allow for dublin-rosslare-fishguard/pembroke-cardiff?

plus, are those ports as rail integrated as holyhead? i emailed europeanrail@irishrail.ie but of course got no answer.

I've done Cardiff-Dublin via Roslare, and it definitely makes more sense than Holyhead on a map. I would check journey planners (networkrail.co.uk are pretty good) to see which makes better time - it's often the waits for connections that are the killer rather than the time in transit. I'm not sure if the same ticket covers both, so check when booking.

I seem to recall years ago CIE had a dispute with whoever was running the boat, so they timed the trains so that you'd see the train waiting as the boat was coming in to port, and think, "that's great, I'll be home in time for tea." Then the train would pull off about five minutes before you'd actually dock and you'd have to wait four hours for the next one.

still the same i think re boat/train times... but does your sailrail ticket include dublin-rosslare leg?

SailRail tickets are not quota specific, and so you should never be refused them. The best thing to do is call SailRail themselves, which are operated either by Arriva Trains Wales or ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies) on 08450 755 755 (Thats a UK number though) and they can send the tickets out in the post.

I've just gotten a ticket for £80 from Birmingham New Street to Cork, inclusive of crossing to put that in context, from Birmingham New Street to Holyhead alone is £51.20 for a "Saver return" and I believe that on average Dublin-Cork is about €30 so its definatly very, very cheap from the UK perspective.

Aye but you still got ripped off ;) the set price from Birmingham to Dublin is £24 or €39 no restrictions...typical that doing a journey with two tickets is cheaper than doing it as one!

Cork - Birmingham is

UK Zone C is 39 euro
IE Zone C add on which is 20 euro

So single its 59 euro, a Dublin Cork single is currently 31 euro which is stunning value

So all in return is 118 euro which is less than 80 sterling

Whoops sorry my mistake, I thought you said you were charged £80 B'ham to Cork, but obviously re-reading it it was £80 return (right?), which (as Mark has just worked out above) is great value.

Never mind me.

Yes, it is a return. I'm impressed with the price, particularly of my Enterprise leg, which was €90 for a return from Dublin - Belfast first class or £63. However a comparable journey, say London - Birmingham would cost the average person in the UK would be £201 or €296!

It would be great, then, if you could give us some of your ideas of how the service measures up to what you're more familiar with, after you take the trips!

Things like the quality of food/drink/etc, the comfort of the journey, the attitudes of staff, how user-friendly the stations are, etc. (But please, no locomotive chat ;) )

Personally I have mixed feelings about the Birmingham to London (Virgin) but I haven't had the pleasure of first class...