Ferry Prices, Where Have The Club Discounts Gone.

[Paullus1959]

I’ve been pricing ferry crossing from Poole to Cherbourg. This route is operated by Brittany Ferries. I got the price from BF direct and then tried CCC and CAMC. CCC we’re exactly the same price and CAMC couldn’t offer me anything!!
There used to be a good discount from both clubs on ferry prices but it seems this is no longer the case or, am I missing something?

 

[otherclive]

I have found the same thing for Portsmouth to Caen in September. Just under £400 for a medium car no caravan, no roofbox with a flexifare. Daytime crossings. Got a small discount via Boundless. Enough for a couple of croissants and a coffee en route.

 

[Challenger]

We found the same with the CMC on the Newhaven - Dieppe crossing. £ 5saved.

I phoned to query this and was told that they only had a limited numbe of fares issued by the operators at a discounted price. When they are sold, that's it !

I had checked all the operators of Channel routes and found that it appeared all the cheap fares were sold (early in January).

Strange that......

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Unfortunately both clubs seem more interested in taking ever increasing amounts of your money for less and less in return.
As long as those at the top get their massive pay packages and get to strut around trying to look important nothing will change.

 

[Buckman]

If a regular traveller to the continent probably better to join the Brittany Club Voyage for better discounts. When we used to do two trips a year to continent we were members. If you know someone who is already a member you can get a small discount.

 

[Hutch]

When I was travelling to France every 12 weeks for 4 weeks we found that DFDS direct was the best for us, normal done a 5 am crossing, cheapest fare, drive for and hour or two and get our heads down in a busy Aire for and hour to refresh.

 

[otherclive]

Unfortunately both clubs seem more interested in taking ever increasing amounts of your money for less and less in return.
As long as those at the top get their massive pay packages and get to strut around trying to look important nothing will change.

It’s not just the Clubs my other organisations that I’m a member of couldn’t do any better I eventually found a crossing not on my preferred day as all adjacent days were fully booked. A slight discount too via Boundless. Could the ferry companies be playing hard ball given the losses they must have incurred during covid and beyond? After all they are in business to make a profit.

 

[JTQ]

How well filled or otherwise the sailings pan out to be could well influence the prices on offer as the year progresses; that's the model they used to follow.

I got a fantastic BF Portsmouth Caen price one year when I picked up the phone to explore what price vs sailing options I could get later in the same week for car plus caravan, we though had to get our act together to be on the boat the next evening and we did. Being that flexible and reactive could under halve the cost.

 

[Raywood]

The clubs could only give you a discount if they could get one from the ferry company. If they cannot get one there is little they can do, which would mean it is not profiteering.

 

[otherclive]

Mine is a morning sailing Portsmouth to Caen booked for early September. The other factors that could affect prices are the introduction of new ferries to BF, and a reduction in freight traffic from Ireland via GB to the Continent. There has has been a significant increase in ferries from Ireland directly to the Continent. Most of that traffic used to travel via Britain as it was faster and cheaper to go via Britain through the short channel crossings. When we were last in Ireland in 2016 the ferry from Rosslare to wherever it went to on the Continent was an infrequent visitor.

 

[Mr Plodd]

I had an email from Brittany Ferries the other day explaining why costs have risen. BF are multiple millions in debt due to covid and basically 2 years of not having any income, but kept their staff on.
That money has to be recouped from somewhere, so I expect they have nit offered any deals to the clubs. I recall that on the Poole - Cherbourg route caravans went for free if booked through CMC
Ah memories !!