Ferry Deal

[Gafferbill]

There does not seem many French ferry deals around for 2016..... and fares seem to have gone up quite a bit.

I have booked with the Caravan Club who do have an offer at the moment with DFDS.
The Dover to Dunkerque return crossing gave me a £37.00 discount over booking direct.
The offer runs out on October 26th.

 

[RayS]

For those who live to the west of UK the longer western crossings may be attractive, avoiding the nightmare of M25 and possible disruptions around Eurotunnel / Calais.

If so, the choice of operator is somewhat limited - Brittany Ferries or ???

The BF Economie service seems very popular on a 'non frills' concept and I used this outbound some weeks ago. The popularity was such that the vessel was virtually at full capacity which caused considerable boarding delays and congestion at the terminal entry. The second vehicle deck is open to the elements in part, and although a reasonably calm night the outfit had a coating of salt spray on arrival. Accommodation was good; we didn't try the self service cafe.

The BF French travel Club offers reasonable discounts but has a setting up plus and annual fee. Discounts do not apply to overnight cabins. It really comes into it's own if you make more than one trip a year. We do, using overnight crossings both ways. I calculated we broke even on the first year but actually made quite good savings in the second year. A separate but similar Club applies for Spanish routes and the two are to some extent interchangeable but with smaller discounts. There are also discounts on food. Perhaps worth a look if you travel twice a year or more.

 

[intransient1]

I find it very amusing as I frequently get emails offering 20% discount if I book before a certain date as the deal only covers a vehicle with up to 9 passengers, but as I only book ferries with a caravan in tow these offers are useless as they don't give the discount for towing a caravan.
Then there is the easier routes to save driving, great idea, but when I work out the fuel, extra stops en route and not using toll roads, I still save money doing the extra milage and get chance to see more. Add to that the other half's sea sickness Dover is always the cheapest and best choice for me.
I have also found that sometimes the club ferry prices are not always the best deal.

 

[Gafferbill]

So what are the costs for comparison?

This year I made two return trips with car and 6.2m caravan @ £112.50 each trip.
Both Dover/Calais DFDS booked with CC in October 2014 as a special offer.

This year just booked with CC special offer with DFDS Dover/ Dunkerque return trip with same outfit @ £131.00 for travel next year.

 

[Norwichbluenose]

I always wait until March, when ferry fortnight deals come out, last year we got a crossing in June with 2 dogs and the club lounge for 2 each way . For only £180