Guest JudgeMental Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Probably need only 3 returns this year so not doing Eurotunnel frequent traveller scheme although we will miss the convenience and flexibility....... had a quick look last night, going out evening 17th July back afternoon 11th August and best I could find was P&O at £66. which sounds very reasonable? Seafrance were a lot more expensive..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philman Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Have you considered the SeaFrance Carnet, 3 returns for £192, and you can give one to a friend if you don't need all three. Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Norfokline were showing £16 the other day for and early hours 1 way to Dunkirk in mid Sept. Hard to beat I suspect if it's any use to you? Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Philman - 2009-01-07 3:53 PM Have you considered the SeaFrance Carnet, 3 returns for £192, and you can give one to a friend if you don't need all three. Phil. As we take our breaks peak times this deal works out more expensive then tunnel by the time you add the supplements.....But a three return carnet would be ideal. Beauty of tunnel deal is that it goes on time of crossing and not dates. So as we tend to travel out in the evening and return lunchtime there are no supplements! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philman Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Supplements are charged for 'Holiday' weekends, otherwise you can travel any day any time. You only need to book the first outward journey and that is when the year in which they must be used starts. Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Ord Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I use the Sea France carnet and it has very few restrictions and the big advantage of turn up and go any time outside of a few hours in a few peak times; works for me but it doesn't have the crossing frequency of P&O but that's about the only down side I can think of. Bill Ord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 looked at Seafrance carnet again and for our Easter, Witsun, and summer holiday periods we get hit by supplements both ways! Great if you are retired or travel times flexible, but my wife is in Education and with the kids we are stuck with peak time travel *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Ed , Did you know that if you dont use up your shuttle bookings before a 1 year period exactly to the date you booked a year earlier eg 1/1/08- 1/1/09 you loose it . We have one return ticket left and it must be used before the 20th of Jan 09 .We cannot go because of being busy ,I phoned yesterday as I was under the impression that we could save and use for summer hols as long as you gave them the date you wished to travel before your cut off date . Anyway its a no ,so we have wasted one. We wont be taking a new set of 10 until later as we are finding that we are not using all so best to let it run from March or later when we can get a chacne to use . Some of these Ferry prices are very favorable hope you find something that suits. Just out of itenrest does anyone know if the Ferries do a similar deal ? Buy ten crossings . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 michele - 2009-01-08 12:34 PM Ed , Did you know that if you dont use up your shuttle bookings before a 1 year period exactly to the date you booked a year earlier eg 1/1/08- 1/1/09 you loose it . We have one return ticket left and it must be used before the 20th of Jan 09 .We cannot go because of being busy ,I phoned yesterday as I was under the impression that we could save and use for summer hols as long as you gave them the date you wished to travel before your cut off date . Anyway its a no ,so we have wasted one. We wont be taking a new set of 10 until later as we are finding that we are not using all so best to let it run from March or later when we can get a chacne to use . Some of these Ferry prices are very favorable hope you find something that suits. Just out of itenrest does anyone know if the Ferries do a similar deal ? Buy ten crossings . I got a full rebate for our one unused return.....You need to say you were restricted in booking due to the fire and could not book the crossing you wanted. Hope its not to late! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Ok thanks Ed I wonder if they would slot it on to the new lot we will book ? can only try ....a ... 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Is it the Sea France lot who go on strike every summer....sort of a French tradition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Bruce it aint bad to fight for your rights to party :D Shame the English dont stand up for thereself so good . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bevisonwheels Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 We've got the cheapest price -£58- we've had in years travelling 27th July returning end August with Sea France. The prices for the Minoan ferries crossing from Ancona to patras in Greece was cheapest for three years too. so many places to call home. My favourite seat is my motorhome step with it's ever changing view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Used our Tesco vouchers to book the Tunnel early July, back mid August. Actual fare £187 which is way too high for us as SeaFrance Ferry would have been £59, vouchers are worth 4 times value compared to spending Tesco so worked out at £47.50 in Tesco vouchers. A question I have though, is how long before departure time do they start loading - so I can work out when arriving the time I need to visit shops and get Travel money etc. Having never been before on Tunnel I have no idea how it all works. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 about 30-40 minutes...... why would you want to get travel money there it would be expensive!. Best get a Nationwide card and withdraw from any ATM in Europe. That way you get bank rate not tourist rate *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hi Judge, I have a nationwide card for buying stuff abroad. Re money - Last year I foud best rate was ordering money online with Travelex and picking up at Dover Docks - the rate was way better than just popping in. They also guaranteed online rate was best rate available. I did a search of a few possibles and yes, it was the best at the time so assume this year will be much the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Brambles - 2009-01-09 1:01 PM Re money - Last year I foud best rate was ordering money online with Travelex and picking up at Dover Docks But this will still be a worse rate then nationwide....... Just has a quick look and travelex rate was 1.07 while my desktop convertor which is a commercial rate was 1.11 and reuters 1.12 last summer we averaged 1.26 while away for a month this was the same as UK commercial bank rate. So what rate did you get last year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I will have to look up what rate I got, all I know is it was good because after I got my money the rate fell so was in my favour to pre-order. Over the summer all the rates on my card were worse than I got the initial cash at. This year again I will look at what exchange rates are doing and decide when to buy cash. We go away for 6 weeks and a lot can happen to exchange rates in 6 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Best deal seems to me to be Norfolk Line. If booked using the Caravan Club site, you get a motorhome for the same price as a car which is £19 per one-way crossing. You can buy up to 5 returns (each one added is cheaper). You can also pay a small amount extra to add flexibility to the tickets. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Mel E - 2009-01-09 6:21 PM Best deal seems to me to be Norfolk Line. If booked using the Caravan Club site, you get a motorhome for the same price as a car which is £19 per one-way crossing. You can buy up to 5 returns (each one added is cheaper). You can also pay a small amount extra to add flexibility to the tickets. Mel E ==== Couldn't agree more Mel, providing the times are not an issue for you, the £16 I saw must be unbeatable. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hi Jon We got a crossing, end of June (Friday) to mid July (Sunday) for £122 return, we also used out Tesco vouchers ... great ain't they! :D Depending on what time you are actually due to load, if it is at a peak time you might want to get there a bit earlier - this is because if they get 'full' you'll be bumped to the next train so could have a long wait. When you get to the tunnel booths, go to the one with a human being (usually on the right) for your first foray, they'll do your check-in etc, same as you would for the ferry, and then send you through, you'll be given a letter of the alphabet as your 'sign' for where to go. It'll either be direct to the train loading 'waiting' area (you go left from the booth then follow the electronic sign to the right), or if you are going to have a long wait, they might send you to the general parking area where the food court etc is (you go left and then keep going straight on). When you are at the train loading waiting area don't wander off too far, when they start loading they go at a real pace, although motorhomes tend to be the last vehicles on and you may start to think that you're not going to be loaded, they seem to leave it right to the last minute some times! One chap last year had gone for a wander and his car and caravan blocked one of the lanes preventing those behind him getting on the train ... not happy bunnies ... not sure if he made it alive to the other side when he did turn up!!! :$ When you've been sent through the barrier to the train itself, take it steady and be careful where you go - make sure you follow the electronic signs correclty - one chap last year in a caravan went sailing straight on past one of the arrows to turn right and ended up at a closed ramp, as he couldn't turn round, he had to wait for everyone else to get loaded and get himself out of the mess so missed the train. When driving onto the train, take your time, it can be quite bumpy going from carriage to carriage, the same when you come off ... don't rush, some people go at it like a bat out of hell and their carmper rear end bounces around like a kangaroo, I dread to think what their suspension is like in a few years, not to mention all the camper contents getting thrown all around! Watch your rear end as you come off the train itself, you don't want to wag it into the side of the carriage! Other than that ... it's easy peasy!!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Thanks Mel B, You have given a great write up of what to do. Much appreciated. I could have got cheaper fares but as cost was 1/4 in effect just went for midday crossings (1.30pm both ways). If I had known they had a 2 hours grace either way could have saved a bit, and afraid for the real savings early morning or evening they are not for us. We stay this side the night before in Littlestone along the seafront and the have a leisurely drive along in the morning getting shopping and 'gallons' of English Milk, none of us like the Belgium Milk, and stock up. After crossing we take another leisurely drive to Mont Noir on the Belgium Border and for last 5 years stayed at same camp site. They know us well now, and as regulars they no longer put us on the short stay plot but in a nice hedged area of our choice. Makes us feel welcome. Then the holiday really begins. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackal Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Just booked Norfolk Line departing 18th July and returning 21st August, peak hours at peak time but got done for £79 with the Caravan Club. Would like to know how some of you managed to get cheaper with and without the Caravan Club? I realise we left it slightly late this year but surely some of the incredulous deals were for non-peak times and non-peak season? As for Italy to Greece (Ancona to Ignamounitsa) with Minoan, the cheapest Camping on Board price we were quoted was £486!!! Certainly not the cheapest we've come across in recent years and doubly not so at 1.09 Euros to the pound! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Just booked through Caravan Club, to-night @18.33 hrs. Dover to Dunkirk 8/8/2009, 6am sailing. Return 2/9/2009 Dunkirk to Dover 12.01. sailing. Autosleeper Duetto. £45.02p if anyone is intrested. If I took a 4am sailing from Dover it would have been £35.76p!! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackal Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Seems a rather large discrepancy between £45 and £79!!! Fair enough you timings aren't brilliant but £34 as a percentage is pretty hefty. Our timings were 10:00am outward and 18.01 inward. Maybe it was our insistence that we travel on the first Saturday of the school holiday? Your price still seems very reasonable, Nowt. For reference we paid £56 and £88 in 2007 (P+O) and 2008 (Norfolk) but with relatively anti-social timings. Both booked via the Caravan Club. Perhaps the ferries feel that there will be a drop in demand owing to the credit crunch and the fall in sterling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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