newhaven to dieppe

[gary_5083940]

has anyone used this crossing before.transmarche are offering a good deal on the price,but i have never heard of them before.are the ships good and is the timetable reliable,also is it possible to sleep at the docks at dieppe on the return journey

thanks

 

[TonyAsh]

We used this crossing in 2000, it was a Seacat service, quick and OK. I remember that when boarding it was very tight as the crew have you driving on and then turning towards the front of the vessel, some larger caravans had real difficulty in turning within this tight area, some people had to reverse into bays at the very back. To be very honest, even though on that occasion we were OK, it put me off using them again.

 

[TonyAsh]

Sorry Gary, meant to say also that we were not allowed entry to the port on our return for sleeping so we just parked outside the gate for a few hours.

 

[MikeP]

Transmanche offers a "minimal frills" service - the crossing is about 4 hours on uninspiring ships. Last year the Sardinia Vera lost its "ticket" for passenger operations for a few weeks because of safety concerns, while the second ship was laid up for repairs - i.e. no service at all. The SeaCat service was withdrawn last year.

I have looked at this crossing in the past, and even though there was a small time saving (I live in Sussex), the convenience and lower cost of Dover/Calais or Dunkerque outweighed the benefits of the Newhaven crossing.

Another point is frequency of crossings. If you miss Seafrance or P & O, you just hop on the next one. Miss the boat at Dieppe, and you might have to wait until the next day.

Sorry to sound so negative. Maybe someone with a good experience will post a contrary view.

 

[neil_5071011]

We use Transmanche all the time-usually once every 6 weeks and have never had any problems at all, in fact we find they tend to bend over backwards to help, even phoning to let you know your sailing has changed to a later time.

Yes they are a "no frills" operator and the ships are basic (at the moment-2 new builds are due next year) compared to others but we like that and it seems to make the crossing more relaxing. The food on board is good and cheap and the crew helpful and friendly.

TM will allow you to sleep on the dock at Dieppe, amongst the trucks as long as you e-mail them first, we've done it on numerous occasions, and you can use the freight "facilities".

If you miss the sailing don't worry ring them and they'll put you on the next.

As you can tell we're fans of TM so if you've got any other questions let us know, oh and the good bit, discovery bailey and 3 adults in Aug for 18 days

 

[gary_5083940]

We use Transmanche all the time-usually once every 6 weeks and have never had any problems at all, in fact we find they tend to bend over backwards to help, even phoning to let you know your sailing has changed to a later time.

Yes they are a "no frills" operator and the ships are basic (at the moment-2 new builds are due next year) compared to others but we like that and it seems to make the crossing more relaxing. The food on board is good and cheap and the crew helpful and friendly.

TM will allow you to sleep on the dock at Dieppe, amongst the trucks as long as you e-mail them first, we've done it on numerous occasions, and you can use the freight "facilities".

If you miss the sailing don't worry ring them and they'll put you on the next.

As you can tell we're fans of TM so if you've got any other questions let us know, oh and the good bit, discovery bailey and 3 adults in Aug for 18 days