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I'd read somewhere recently that it's possible to turn up at Dover and pick up any empty spaces on car ferries cheaply at the last minute. Does anyone have any knowledge or further info on this? I need to go to France for 3or 4 days and normally fly, but I have a load of stuff I need to take so car is the only real option.
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Lordwoody
Someone's having you on I'm afraid. Turn up and go incurs a £10 (iirc) surcharge and you'll pay top-notch for your ticket. You could try one of the ticket agencies along the approach road to the docks though.
There's a new operator who is supposed to be very competitive. Speedferries (www.speedferries.com ) operate a fastcraft from Dover to Boulogne, I think they are charging £80 return for a car +5 irrespective of how long you're away for. They only started operating last week, so I've no idea what they're like.
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Terry
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand"
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www.ferry.co.uk and www.aferry.com are pretty good for cheap fares. I've used both and found them to be very efficient, despite the website at ferry.co.uk frequently falling over.... there is a 'phone number you can use instead that allows you to get quotes and book in a 5 minute call. The also offer a service whereby you tell them how much you are prepared to pay and they see how close they can get to it. Worth getting a price from both websites, then taking the cheapest quote and knocking a fiver off and ringing to see if they'll match.
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Oops. Just looked at the site. Speedferries start operations on the 19th. It was last week they were on the radio talking about it!
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Terry
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand"
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Ive found that the prices have rocketed this year compared with last. Ive been looking, and for a 5 day return cheapest I can find Dover-Calais is about £165 (last year I paid £83 for 3.5 weeks from ferry.co.uk)
If you need hotels aswell might be worth looking at www.drive-alive.com, especially if you need more than 5 days (for 6 days for me, costs £240 from P&0, and also £240 from drive alive, but that includes 2 nights b&b for 2 people)
The Chunnel is just a joke price wise and its no wonder they havent got the traffic they projected!
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Maybe our taxes/duty grabbing Gordon Brown is hoping the Cross Channel operators will keep prices high so that many Brits are discouraged from going on trips to buy cheaper booze.
Why on earth won't the Government have the nous to reduce our ridiculous levels of duty, which would surely result in more Brits supporting UK shops, rather than helping the French, and, BTW, avoid much of the smuggling?
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Prices are rising because of the consequnces of the EU. For years the operators only made money from duty free sales. Now they have gone they only have what they take in the shops, resturants and the fare. That is why routes have consolidated, operators have gone, and fares are rising.
Pity the tunnel, they have no captive audience for an hour or two in their shops, only those that choose to stop before boarding. All they have is the fare.
Someone will soon pop up and say "its the most expensive sea crossing in the world mile for mile"
Of course it is. The whole business model is flawed, and its not subsidised. If you were looking at entering a new business you would not choose one where.
The boat is in dock 2 hours out of every 3.5 being expensively loaded and unloaded.
Your shops only have custom every 2 hours out of three.
A HUge capital outlay upfront
Expensive state (french) controlled payroll.
Plus being fined if HM imigration dont do their job properly
Nope not a good business to be in.
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Maybe our taxes/duty grabbing Gordon Brown is hoping the Cross Channel operators will keep prices high so that many Brits are discouraged from going on trips to buy cheaper booze.
No chance. I'm sure many are like me and go once or twice a year on some sort of special offer. I went on Monday for £9.98 return and came back with a heavily laden Picasso and lots of cheap booze for the summer.
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PR
Try Speedferries, I'm sure they'll beat that. I looked for a 2-day return and got £65 quoted.
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Terry
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand"
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Cheers Terryb, I just checked and got quoted £50!! It does say to book soon as the price increases as capacity is filled! The only downside for me is that I have a 320mile drive from the NE, and there arent many crossings, so its difficult to judge.
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IMO booking early is better than booking later. In January I booked a week in June with P&O, car + caravan, for a bit over £200.
Having received a letter last week telling me how I was a preferred customer and they would always offer me the lowest prices available automatically, I called them for a price for the same crossing. £400+. I will write to tell them how they really don't want me as a preferred customer.
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We are driving from the Costa del Sol to the U.K. in early August this year.
Horrified, last year, by a one way fare Calais to Dover of 225 Euros, on a turn up & go basis, plus a Hoverspeed single to return to Calais of £65 I decided to book early this year.
After some net trawling I found a pretty good deal with the Norfolk Line,( Dunquerke to Dover), for 200 Euros return. Not bad for peak season, as we return in the first 10 days of September.
Roger.
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Thanks for all the help so far, Speedferries sound a good bet but have a non-Mac compatible site so although I can get on it I can't check prices until I can force my kids off their PCs.
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Just as an aside to the above discussion re. prices to France I was in Carcassonne ( far S of France last week for 3 days, return fare 49p each with Ryanair, and even at the end of July we've booked for £24 each way. Makes ferry prices look a bit mad.
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Make the most of it. EasyJet have publically said that current airfares are "unsustainable" and Tony Ryan of Ryan Air said they were "(f expletive) suicidal"
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I take airline bosses comments with a pinch of salt. When Ryanair were defeated in European courts for accepting subsidies it was supposedly the end of cheap flights then.
Of course the flight prices I've quoted aren't always thus-book late as we did last year and the fares are in 3 figures.
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Don't know if this helps at all, but i got a 5 day Dover-Calais return for next Wednesday-Sunday for £106, just me and car.
Can't remember which site it was from, but i know im going on an 81m Seacat
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Result, Ive just booked for an 8 day stay abroad, for £65 return on Speedferries. Cheers for the suggestion, I just saved at least £180!
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