PJay Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Well done it. Have joined the club. Have saved 30% on my booking, and friends can use no, to save 10%. As we hope to go back in September , this will be a good saving, for us. Of on 12th May untill end of June. Will be a better saving in future, as the joining fee is a one off. i know it's cheaper going from Dover/Folkstone, but for us living in Porstmouth just not worth the extra mileage involved, can be in France in the time it takes to get to Kent. So hope to use the extra's on our crossing, on the Mont St Michel, which is/was a nice boat, and avail ourselves of discount meals !! PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Ditto, we also live in Portsmouth and after several years of pontification we joined (Feb 2013) the Spanish part of Brittany travel club which also covers journeys to France. The cheaper version only covers France. This time, we are in Vinaros 100mls south of Barcelona, we used Portsmouth to Bilbao, but in the Autumn we will probably sail from Portsmouth to St Malo, and enjoy part of September meandering through through France and then to Spain. We have encountered snow in early November when travelling back to the UK via the Viehla tunnel so will travel back via Bilbao when the weather is not so good in France. Enioyed the breakfast onboard and the better sailing times. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 The joining fee might be a one -off, but there's still the annual renewal fee. Having said that, we have had a card for 10 years - back then you needed to own a property to qualify. We visit our place 4 or 5 times a year, and the saving on the 'main' trip more than compensates for the renewal fee. The discount improves to 30% on bookings over 10 days - for shorter breaks not as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 globebuster - 2013-04-28 2:07 PM The joining fee might be a one -off, but there's still the annual renewal fee. Having said that, we have had a card for 10 years - back then you needed to own a property to qualify. We visit our place 4 or 5 times a year, and the saving on the 'main' trip more than compensates for the renewal fee. The discount improves to 30% on bookings over 10 days - for shorter breaks not as good. Hi Mike I got 30% discount on a one way booking, no return date specified. i know it used to be for owners abroad, but that is not the case any more. Probably more cheaper competition . Been using a friends no for years, as a guest. "Every little helps" PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 The joys of having the option of a one way ticket! I have no gripe, and I think now that it's available in the public domain, more forum users should consider it. Anyone who uses Brittany Ferries on a regular basis [for trip longer than 10 days] will clearly benefit. Plus the added perks are a bonus - ie free cabin on morning crossings etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 globebuster - 2013-04-28 4:35 PM Plus the added perks are a bonus - ie free cabin on morning crossings etc. You also get a discount on food (10%) should you have a meal on board, and if you have an overnight cabin, a voucher towards the breakfast - I think of about £7...so should at least buy a coffee and croissant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 The benefits for Britanny Ferries "Club Voyage" (France and Spain) are detailed here: http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/club-voyage-travel-club/france http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/club-voyage-travel-club/spain Ignoring promotional fares, Britanny Ferries prices cross-Channel fares on a 'single crossing' basis. This means that an out-one-day and back-the-next-day trip can be just (if not more) expensive than, say, going out in March and coming back in October. The reduced rates that historically used to apply to shorter duration (up to 5 days abroad, up to 10 days abroad, etc.) are no longer offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Motorhome Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Wished i had seen this before our trip to Spain at the start of April :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 I think they are still 'market priced' though,and can change (up or down) over the period of time, so you really don't know whether you gain by booking early or leaving till last minute. I guess it depends on how popuolare the particular day/time and route is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Keith T - 2013-04-29 9:14 AM I think they are still 'market priced' though,and can change (up or down) over the period of time, so you really don't know whether you gain by booking early or leaving till last minute. I guess it depends on how popuolare the particular day/time and route is. Does it matter? You still get 30% off, whatever the price. I never book a return, always wait untill we are ready to come home PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Keith T - 2013-04-29 9:14 AM I think they are still 'market priced' though,and can change (up or down) over the period of time, so you really don't know whether you gain by booking early or leaving till last minute. I guess it depends on how popuolare the particular day/time and route is. In the case of Brittany Ferries, as the company's website permits the price of the outgoing and return leg of a UK-to-Continent trip to be established on an individual leg basis, it should be possible to establish whether the company operates a 'flexible fare' system where prices alter according to when a booking is made and/or how full the ship is. It's plain from their website that Brittany Ferries fares vary according to the day of the week, the time of the sailing within a day and the time of year, but I'm not sure if they also vary according to whether a ship is remaining empty close to its sailing-time (potential fare reduction) or approaching full (potential fare increase). Using a flexible fares approach adds complexity to the booking software and, although it will be worth doing for air-fares, I'm doubtful there would be much benefit for a ferry company. If anyone wants to check, it ought to be straightforward enough to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Never experienced a reduction for last minute bookings - in fact the opposite, booking well in advance normally shows significant savings. For example we are going early August to early September, 2 adults, 6mt van for well under £300 return. But flexibility is the key to optimising savings. Days and time vary the tariff, and once upon a time there were certain days and certain ports that had big reductions. They stopped this a while back, no doubt because so many poeple could accomodate the trip around the most favourable booking! I wasn't aware that the shorter duration breaks were no longer penalised! - but I suppose as I visit so often I just book it anyway. In hindsight I guess thats why my short trip a couple of weeks ago and the one I'm taking in late May seemed cheaper! On Existing Special Offers there is only usually an additional 10% reduction with a card. I have visited France over 50 times in the last 10 years - so its a no -brainer for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 globebuster - 2013-04-29 11:23 AM Never experienced a reduction for last minute bookings - in fact the opposite, booking well in advance normally shows significant savings. For example we are going early August to early September, 2 adults, 6mt van for well under £300 return. But flexibility is the key to optimising savings. Days and time vary the tariff, and once upon a time there were certain days and certain ports that had big reductions. They stopped this a while back, no doubt because so many poeple could accomodate the trip around the most favourable booking! I wasn't aware that the shorter duration breaks were no longer penalised! - but I suppose as I visit so often I just book it anyway. In hindsight I guess thats why my short trip a couple of weeks ago and the one I'm taking in late May seemed cheaper! On Existing Special Offers there is only usually an additional 10% reduction with a card. I have visited France over 50 times in the last 10 years - so its a no -brainer for us. With ferries I wouldn't realistically expect last-minute bookings to attract fare reductions, but booking well in advance won't necessarily produce savings merely because a booking has been made well in advance. It may be that all fares were lower when the booking was made and, by the time the trip is made, all fares have increased. On the basis that ferry-fares are much more likely to go up than down, booking early will certainly protect against possible future increases in fares. But the booking system may not provide a reduced fare for a particular sailing because the booking has been made, say, 6-months ahead, and then progressively increase the cost of the fare as the date of that sailing gets closer. Or it might... It would be easy enough for Brittany Ferries software to take into account the interval between a booking and a sailing-date and fiddle about with the fare accordingly but, without researching this, I don't know that it does. Once upon a time there was discussion on this forum about P&O using 'flexible fares' on cross-Channel routes. It was stated with authority that this was true (and travel agents would tell you it was true) but, when one looked at the P&O booking system, there was no evidence of fares being adjusted according to the booking/sailing-date interval and/or how empty/full the ship was. Eventually I contacted the technical team who oversaw P&O's booking system who confirmed that P&O did not (and never had) employ a flexible-fare system. I dont understand your "I wasn't aware that the shorter duration breaks were no longer penalised!" It used to be that - as a matter of course - shorter duration return fares had a lower tariff than longer duration return fares, so it was the longer duration return fares that carried cost penalties. Nowadays, with the total cost of a return trip via Brittany Ferries being the sum of the individual fares for the UK-outwards and back-to-the-UK single journeys, unless a special offer is exploited, a return fare for 48hours spent in France can cost as much (or more) than a return fare when several months are to be spent abroad. This can easily be confirmed by making experimental bookings on the Brittany Ferries website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Derek, It would appear that you have far more experience with Brittany Ferries than I - although somehow I doubt it. I guess you've possesed a members card a lot longer than I - judging by your vast knowledge on the matter. The penalty I was referring to only applied to us with a discount card - but then if you had a card you would know that. As I clearly stated, the discount was always at a reduced rate 10% for shorter trips - for Travel Club members. Many times it has been cheaper to extend a short break. I merely posted my observations as a long-stanging card holder, with a view to giving people some more insight I wasn't expecting someone with such vast knowledge to assist the forum - I should bow to your superior knowledge. FYI - historically prices do increase as the lead-time for your booking decreases! But hey folks - don't take my word for it - consult the oracle!! But hey don't take my Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Keith T - 2013-04-29 9:14 AM I think they are still 'market priced' though,and can change (up or down) over the period of time, so you really don't know whether you gain by booking early or leaving till last minute. I guess it depends on how popuolare the particular day/time and route is. BF now use dynamic pricing meaning the later you book the more expensive the crossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal55 Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 when i look for a quote on Brittany ferries they seem to charge £60 for a dog on the portsmouth/poole crossings, it this correct or am i doing somthing wrong.This is why we always use dover/folkstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac111051 Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Where is the best place to overnight at Portsmouth to catch the ferry next morning,we have only sailed from Roscoff and stayed on the car park, can you do the same this end, Thanks Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 mac111051 - 2013-05-06 5:56 PM Where is the best place to overnight at Portsmouth to catch the ferry next morning,we have only sailed from Roscoff and stayed on the car park, can you do the same this end, Thanks Mac Yes. Enter the port as though you were boarding the ferry, keep to the left and park alongside the fence. You can also park in the lanes after the last sailing of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnerontheroad Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Mike88 - 2013-05-06 7:19 PM mac111051 - 2013-05-06 5:56 PM Where is the best place to overnight at Portsmouth to catch the ferry next morning,we have only sailed from Roscoff and stayed on the car park, can you do the same this end, Thanks Mac Yes. Enter the port as though you were boarding the ferry, keep to the left and park alongside the fence. You can also park in the lanes after the last sailing of the night. After the last sailing at 2300hrs other wise Jobs worth will ask you to move and come back later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Parking at the UK ports used by Brittany Ferries is covered here: http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/uk-ports-parking Parking "alongside the fence" now seems to be frowned on. In March 2013 I arrived at the ferry-port at around 12:30 and parked alongside the fence as our sailing was not until 14:45. About 13:30 a security officer asked me to move the motorhome into the check-in lanes, go through the embarkation formalities and park in the lower section of the parking area. I inquired about late-night parking ("I knew you were going to ask that", said the security officer) and was told that parking post-midnight in the check-in lanes was acceptable, but alongside the fence was considered a restricted area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 bigal55 - 2013-05-05 10:48 PM when i look for a quote on Brittany ferries they seem to charge £60 for a dog on the portsmouth/poole crossings, it this correct or am i doing somthing wrong.This is why we always use dover/folkstone. The rates for travelling with a pet are given here: http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/holidays/pet-friendly/PETS-travel-scheme The price is on an 'each way' crossing basis, is cheaper for a UK-to-the-Continent crossing than for a The-Continent-to-the-UK crossing, and is cheaper for France-related crossings than for Spain-related crossings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal55 Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 thanks for that, i was looking by mistake at the spanish crossing price not the french. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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