When researching travel options for our holiday to Northern Ireland we decided that taking ferry would be the sensible and most affordable option as we would be able to take our car with us.

Checking-in was straightforward and after picking up our boarding pass, we had a short wait before making our way onboard.

What did surprise me was that the Stena Line Ferry from Liverpool to Belfast would take 8 hours and I did wonder if we would be able to keep the kids occupied for that amount of time, however I need not have worried about keeping the kids entertained as there was plenty of things to keep them happy on the ship.

There are cabins available for a small extra charge, however, as we were travelling in the daytime, we opted to sit in the comfortable lounge area which had its own coffee shop, soft play area and a variety of TV screens showing different channels, including one especially for the kids.

Also on this level was a small cinema which showed a selection of three recent films on each voyage at no additional cost.

For teenagers there is Teen Town, which has the latest in video game technology plus Apple Mac computers for them to stay social, plus there is free wifi on the ship which is strong enough for social media but not for streaming.

On the way out, Eliza and Sebby stayed in the soft play area for much of the journey as they had made friends their age, whilst Isaac watched a film in the cinema or the TV’s in the lounge.

On the way back it was especially choppy and the boys did feel unwell until we put on their sea bands, however, the staff were amazing with them and took their mind off the rocking boat by playing games with them and giving them an ice lolly treat.

There is also a restaurant onboard serving a range of delicious, home cooked food, which was surprisingly reasonably priced with the family meal deal costing £22. (The Stena Burger is delicious).

Another benefit of travelling by ferry is that you can wander around and head outside. Sebby was fascinated by the Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm as we sailed past, especially on our return sailing as the sun was just setting behind the turbines.

We also spotted a lighthouse in the mist on the shores of the Isle of Man.

Onboard there was a map of our route, along with some pictures of wildlife that we might be able to spot, but sadly we didn’t manage to see any dolphins on our journey.

Eliza did manage to Unicorn Pug teddy in the duty free shop to bring home though!

Despite the weather being unsettled on our journey home, we thoroughly enjoyed our journey’s about the Stena Line Lagan and want to express our thanks to the amazing staff onboard for making it such a pleasant crossing.

There are two Stena Line ferries from Liverpool to Belfast each day departing at 10.30am & 22.30, with the return journey from Belfast to Liverpool at the same times.

A flight to Belfast may have taken less time, however, we preferred the convenience of taking our car so we could explore at our own pace.

Disclaimer: We were gifted tickets for our

Disclaimer: We were hosted by Stena Line Ferries for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

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