CC website for overseas travel

[RayS]

As a long term and generally happy CC member it is with sadness that i have to advise anyone using this site to check very carefully before booking.

Currently I am trying to arrange our autumn break to Provence. As i shall need long term insurance again in spring 2012 (hopefully) for this trip I want single trip insurance which used to have a 'break pint' in cost at 42 days. Aftr lengthy delays a CC operator told me this was now 45 days - great. But I tried on-line putting in trips of 43 days and 40 days and - guess what, both came back with the same price with cover up to 122 days !
Then i asked about the ITX fares which used to be cheaper despite including 7 camping cheques. Also whether Brittany were offering 'free caravan' on morning sailings in september. 'Yes to both' was the answer, but on-line enquiries produced quite the opposite results - indeed very little cheaper than Brittany Ferries own website.
As and when I can ever get though on the telephone i will try to resolve both issues, but in the meantime if you are using this service it may be worth a phone call to check - which rather defeats the purpose of a website.

 

[ValA.]

I've noticed errors and problems with the Caravan Club website over a couple of years. It was first obvious in October two (or perhaps even three) years ago when the price for a return crossing and three Camping Cheques came up as the same price as a single crossing with no Camping Cheques!!!! Of course I booked the return at the price of a single, and only a few days later did they realise. Fortunately they honoured the quote - which made that year's holiday a real bargain. Since then I've found a variety of errors and problems. I've phoned to advise the Caravan Club on a couple of occasions, but nothing seems to have changed.
I'd agree, check carefully, and if you're in any doubt, then phone for a firm price!

 

[chrisbee1]

I too have had problems with their web site. Last year I posted on here a problem I had encountered with booking Red Pennant on line. There was nothing in the on line application regarding the extra premium required if taking a pet. Fortunately I eventually got through on the phone and told them about my dog travelling with me. In transpired that had I managed to book on line the dog would not have been covered in the event of me requiring hotel accommodation or repatriation. In previous years I had booked on line and assumed the dog was covered, apparently not.

 

[Tony_5041742]

I've had mixed experiences with the CC foreign travel website. I've found some great ferry deals on it, and the online ferry booking process has always been fairly straightforward. It's also great that overseas sites are now on the website, nice not having to refer back to the printed brochure. But I agree that booking overseas sites online isn't really there yet, so we still have to make a call to book sites even when we've booked the ferry online, so yes that side of things does need work. Generally though, I wouldn't book overseas sites anywhere else, and given the strides the CC has made with the website in recent years I'm fairly sure this will be sorted eventually.

 

[RayS]

Hope the following infro obtained by email from CC todays may be useful.
For single trip policies, the days away are now banded (and presumably priced) as follows:
1-6, 7-12,13-24, 25-31,32-45, 46-66, 67-94, and 95 to 122.
I've also discovered that Long Stay - up to 185 days can be used as multi-trip, but that it attracts a very large 'age' premium if you are over 70 and more so if over 75 - not a happy thing to find out on my birthday today ! It seems the 122 day does not, so it will be 32-45 for autumn and 95 - 122 for the Spring. But you may have trouble booking on line, since the 'duration of longest stay' box only allows up to 66 days.
I've also established that Brittany are offering 'free caravan' on Portsmouth - Caen afternoon and all Plymouth - Roscoff sailings in September, and on Caen - Portsmouth morning sailing, St Malo - Portsmouth morning sailing and Roscoff-Plymouth all sailings - BUT - only as part of a package which must include site bookings and / or camping cheques.
Again, these deals do not show up on line, so it's back to the telephone.
Just why CC can't / won't /don't put this information on the website is beyond me - I've had to spend a long time on the phone to get this far.
The site also falls down on the 'New CLs" section - first page comes up ok but not any subsequent ones.

But, hopefully, by the weekend I shall have my trip to Provence all set up. Don't want to wish what years I have away, but roll on September.

 

[RayS]

For the last 2 days it appears CC have been unable to contact Brittany electronically and are thus unable to make ferry booking involving camping cheques, ITX fares, free caravans and the like. To be fair, the operators have called me regularly to apologise, which is good - clearly not their fault and they must be taking a lot of flak. Jst hope my chosen dates, times and routes are still available when they do finally restore the links. How did we manage before computers?

 

[smiley]

We havew had problems this year, hubby has sent an email twice so far...

 

[RayS]

Saturday mid morning. CC site seems to be back in touch with Brittany.

 

[loadsadogs]

Perhaps the Webmaster is on an extended caravan trip. We had a French site booked thro the CC, but somebody rang recently to say it had failed its inspection and the booking was therefore cancelled. Oddly tho, you can still find this site on their website, fill in all your dimensions etc, and finally, on the Important Info page, where it tells you about paying for dogs on arrival, the photo in their directory being the wrong one, and making sure you've picked the right site because there are 2 of the same name, they mention that 'We are no longer taking bookings for this campsite'. Is it me, or it that a bit strange? Why not delete the site or put a big banner across the details? If I'd just spent hours sifting out the perfect site, I'd be slightly miffed to find that news in the small print.

 

[RayS]

Update. The Cc site came back up - sort of - earlier this week. I made a Eurotunnel booking after four attempts - during the first three the site just cleared back to the beginning rather than going to the next page.

Paid and got a reference number, also said that an email with full details would be on it's way.

48 hours later no such email, so emailed CC and asked why not.

another 48 hours later they replied saying the email would be sent ' tommorow '

You've guessed it - another 48 hours later the emails arrives. this has the all-important operators (i.e. Eurotunnel) number without which I cannot check in.

So make you you get the confirmation e-mail.