Follow our MummyPages Mum In Residence trip to LEGOLAND. Day 1

The early morning start did little to dampen the excited spirits of my children as we prepared for our 'first ever' trip on a ferry boat! We rose at 6:30am and were well organised with the car packed from the night before so it was a smooth transition from bed to car seat for the children who we wrapped up warm in their dressing gowns.

 

 

Of course there was no traffic on the road at this early hour so we arrived at Dublin port an hour ahead of our scheduled departure time, which we had been reliably informed by text earlier that morning was 'on-time'. We were surprised at how reasonable it was to upgrade to a premium service upon check-in, and given we had the children with us we decided it would pay us in dividends to get the benefit of a safe and comfortable lounge. We were right!

 

The StenaPlus premium guest privileges included boarding and disembarking the ferry first, access to a very comfortable quiet lounge with televisions, newspapers, free refreshments and buffet fruit and nibbles. The waiter table service also made for a very relaxing breakfast.

 

Everyone on board had access to free wifi which meant the kids were delighted with their iPads charged up and ready to go. However there was so much to do in the lower decks that we didn't switch them on once. There were two 'Curious George' children's play areas for the younger children, which Lucy loved, and a Teen Zone with video games that James enjoyed trying out. The highlight was the movie theatre which was showing 'Transylvania Hotel' and passed the time quickly for us all.

 

 

I indulged in a little duty-free shopping onboard too, there really was something for everyone. The views from the upper deck was breathtaking but we didn't stay up there long for fear of the children becoming a little too adventurous.

The great advantage of getting the early crossing meant that we docked just before midday, giving us plenty of time to drive to our destination - a hotel very near to Legoland which had a swimming pool much to our children's delight!