Measuring Caravan length?

[Carole_374312871]

Hi there

Can you tell me whether they want the whole length of the caravan only or the A frame included for the ferry?

Thanks, Carole

 

[anotherDavid]

for booking purposes they want the shipping length which includes the A frame of course. It should be in your handbook, I would be honest about it as the ferry companies do occasionaly have gangs of people with tape measures on the docks.

Dave

 

[BeemerMal]

Carole, I agree with David. We have crossed the channel many times and only once had our van measured, last year. So provide the entire shipping length (Tow hitch to extreeme rear of van) Most carriers log caravan lengths as less than x metres so take the nearest length that exceeds the length of your van.

 

[DeliDave]

P&O also wanted to charge extra for bikes on a boot rack even tho van hitched but let it go when we said we would put them in van but would not move out of line to do it.No probs coming from France tho,more easy going perhaps

 

[KeithM]

Quote "P&O also wanted to charge extra for bikes on a boot rack"

Strange - we have made the Dover - Calais trip twice this year with bikes on the roof of our X-Trail, which means a vehicle height of 3.15m and we did not seem to be charged extra compared with trips without the bikes.

Keith (M)

 

[DeliDave]

we might have been unlucky I took the line they had charged the full length anyway

 

[MikeJE]

Not only length but we have had the 'vans height checked too. The business of charging for the extra height of the car if you have bikes/roof box on the roof seems unfair. After all the 'van is higher - they would hardly put the 'van on one deck then the car on a deck with less headroom.

 

[RayS]

This "length not exceeding" thing is another way of getting more money - you will notice many ferries use whole number metres, so a 7.1m van gets charged as 8.

What they dont do is to credit you any lenght remaining for the car - you usually pay for "up to 5m"

I maintain you should be able to use the full footprint you pay for, such that if you pay for 5m car and 7m van, then you should get 12m space, such that 7.2mvan and 4.8m car (including towing bracket, to be fair) should be OK.

Similarly with height suppliments. If you are not careful and have a tall 4x4 then you may pay the height suppliment twice. The CC site specifically advises about this when booking for Brittany ferries.

Travelling mainly off peak, i have never had a problem, but there's always a first time.