Cross channel ferry between Dover and Calais

[Acton 1,616]

Hi all,

We have booked a holiday in England and are planning to drive from Berlin to Calais to take the ferry to Dover.

The on-line booking form wants us to state the exact time we want to travel.

What happens if we arrive much too early or late for that matter? Will our booking be invalid?

What about if we just turn up and pay there? Will the price be much higher?

 

Thanks for any input from people who have done this.

[silkylemon 15]

Hi Acton,

 

On the Dover-Calais route P+O offer different fare classes which, like with airlines, provide different flexibility. The cheaper the ticket the less flexible they are. I believe the basic ticket provides no flexibility, flex ticket gives +/- 4 hours and fully flexible is, well, fully flexible,

 

From experience, but this is a few years ago now, on the Norfolkline (now DFDS) route from Dunkirk - whenever you turned up early you could board - space permitting. Once was on a basic ticket and turned up 1 hour late due to traffic and was also allowed to board with no questions - although wouldn't take this as a given.

 

I would for safety look at the flex ticket as you can usually be pretty certain to arrive within an 8 hour window when driving from Germany to Calais.

 

SL

[mashi 208]

It depends on the ticket you buy and which ferry company you are booking with. The main companies are P&O and DFDS, and they have different rules and different tickets. You need read about what you are purchasing, on the terms and conditions of the fare you purchase...if you are purchasing a "this time only, non refundable" fare then you need to travel on that boat or you lose out. If you purchase a "valid for 72 hour" fare, then you can travel on any boat within 72 hours. It is all right there on the website when you book - we drive two or three times a year and I promise you, it is all right there on the website when you choose your fare.

[dj_jay_smith 3,449]

You could also consider Eurotunnel. If you arrive and check-in up to 2 hours before your planned trip then if there is availability then they will let you book on an earlier crossing. We have often got on a earlier crossing from Calais, but rarely when going from the UK (when we tend to be at peak times)

 

I know that they also used to allow you to be up to 2 hour late as well, but I can't find this information any more so maybe they have stopped this.

 

Friends also used to stop overnight at a hotel closer to the port. E.g. within 1 hour, so then you have the big drive the day before and it doesn't matter if you are early or late, and you have just a short drive and less likely to have problems on the day of travel. But this of course adds time and cost but with kids they found it less stressful.

[Acton 1,616]

Thanks everybody for your replies.

I went directly to the P+O site and booked there as there are some very bad reviews about some of the other lines.

We have also booked a hotel in Calais so to avoid the stress of meeting the sailing deadline, so, thanks for that advice too.

But the price for 2 adults, a small doggy (who has to stay in our car on the car deck!) € 74,50 there and €98.50 back seems a bit excessive don't you think?

[PeterN 1,179]

The price depends on demand and varies depending on the time of year - even time of day has an influence.

 

Can't speak for P&O but on other channel ferries when we took our dog we were the last off the car deck and there was a call for people with pets to return to their cars before others.

The car is a relatively comfortable place for your dog; he/she knows it and it has familiar smells. On one occasion our dog had obviously been asleep & was just waking up when we rushed down to the car deck full of concern.

 

If your dog has problems being alone in the car this time then consider the tunnel in the future. That way you sit in your car with your pet and the crossing takes nowhere near as long as the ferry.

[Prosie 228]

 

€ 74,50 there and €98.50 back seems a bit excessive don't you think?

 

Yes, that does sound a lot but as Peter N points out, it depends on date and time of travel…plus, I would add, on how far in advance you book. Also, have you gone for a fully flexible ticket? Perhaps that’s a touch of overkill if you’ve booked the hotel in Calais as well.

 

My family (family of 5; no pets) does this journey very often, and we would consider ourselves hard done by if we paid more than €80 RETURN. We’re paying €73 this summer; although that’s from Dunkirk to Dover with DFDS which we sometimes do for a change. We actually prefer the slightly longer boat trip from Dunkirk to help break the journey, since we don’t stop off elsewhere en route. We haven’t found that there’s really anything much to choose between P&O and DFDS, by the way, but we’re not great fans of myferrylink.

 

The tunnel is great if you want a quicker journey and/or need to stay with your car, but unfortunately it’s too expensive for us.

 

For future reference, if you want to travel cheaper, book as far in advance as you possibly can, be as flexible as you can about travel times, and check the comparison sites. Directferries.de, for instance, has a 15% discount on P&O fares at the moment (although I think there’s a limited time frame for travel dates on that).

[Acton 1,616]

"We’re paying €73 this summer"

 

That really ticks me off.

The tickets I bought today were for April 21 and May 1st and the cheapest on offer.

[Mik Dickinson 443]

Done both of them and found DFDS to be the most flexible

[PeterN 1,179]

May 1st is a Friday, a public holiday in some countries and the start of a long weekend in the UK because of the bank holiday the following Monday.

Lots of people will be taking advantage of the public holidays and spring weather. It will be a busy weekend on the channel crossings.

Of course ferry prices are high on that date.

[Prosie 228]

 

That really ticks me off.

 

Sorry We did book back in January, which makes a big difference. Just out of interest I put your dates in directferries.de and you might have saved around €30 to €40 going through them, but at the cost of antisocial sailing times and non-refundable tickets.

[mashi 208]

Have done the P&O route from Calais a couple of times and we also prefer DFDS. Dunkirk is so much less messing about and DFDS in general suits us better. P&O makes you buy a ticket that is either fixed and you can't change or pay extra to be able to move to a sailing one hour earlier or one hour later, or a fully flex ticket (€€€€) and so on. DFDS's regular non-flexi ticket lets you cross in the sailing before and after you've booked. Book for 10am and it automatically gives you the 8am or 12noon crossing as well, free of charge, provided there is space. Their entire checking-in process in Dunkirk is so much easier, not that P&O is difficult, just that it is a lot of faff.

 

P&O's boats are nicer, no doubt about it. They have food that is somewhat edible. The outside decks are nice, with seating and a cafe. But you can not sit down on any bench or chair in the place unless you have bought food from that area's restaurant. There are about 40 "free" chairs on the boat and it's gobsmacking to watch people push their way out of their cars and shove themselves through crowds to sprint for the free chairs and stretch out trying to take up as many as possible. Seriously. DFDS is a much simpler boat, but we have always found the service and staff to be great and for the sake of 2 hours of my life I don't need P&O. DFDS has loads of place to sit, a small shop, a small kids play area.

 

I guess it's a bit like the difference in paying to fly British Air from Berlin to London or deciding to go with Ryanair. If money is important than take Ryanair, if not then go BA.

 

Last summer we went on a UK bank holiday weekend and our return crossing was 60 euros (3 people and car). That was with booking the night before we left.

[Prosie 228]

I’m surprised to hear you’re not supposed to sit in the restaurant area of P&O boats without buying food from them. We’ve always done that (like you say, where else can you sit?) and have never been moved on. We’ve also missed our P&O ferry on several occasions and have been put on the next sailing without a problem. Just once we had to pay an extra €20 because we’d gone into the next price bracket. That might depend on the “Kulanz” of the person checking you in, though, so I wouldn’t rely on it always working.

 

Oh yes, that’s another tip for the OP: make sure you allow plenty of time for checking in, especially if you’re travelling at a busy bank holiday weekend. It can take longer than you think, and Calais is especially hot on security at the moment after a kind of “mass trespass “attempt by asylum seekers recently. The customs folk particularly like taking large cars (like my family’s people carrier) and white vans to one side for an extra search which all adds to the time.

 

I agree with mashi: Dunkirk is less hectic (fewer ferries). DFDS boats are definitely scruffier but their Dunkirk – Dover service has become our preferred route.

[Acton 1,616]

"it's gobsmacking to watch people push their way out of their cars and shove themselves through crowds to sprint for the free chairs and stretch out trying to take up as many as possible"

 

You can't be serious!!

After paying all this money, we don't even qualify for a seat?? (My wife is handicapped and can't stand up all the way for C's sake.) This is getting to sound worse and worse.

[Prosie 228]

Don't worry, Acton. We've always found a seat, including in the restaurant areas without ordering food. Just make sure you get to the port nice and early and you'll be fine :)

[Acton 1,616]

Thanks Prosie, but the point is surely that all passengers should expect to have a seat (not 'free' by the way but paid for!) without having to feel guilty about it, don't you think?.

[PeterN 1,179]

 

 

 

...(My wife is handicapped and can't stand up all the way for C's sake.) This is getting to sound worse and worse.

 

From the P&O ferries website:

"If you have any special requirements or mobility issues, we’ll do everything we can to make your journey as relaxing and comfortable as possible."

"If you’ve other requirements not mentioned here, get in touch with us before you travel."

[bobbylines 1,729]

If you book through the ADAC you get a discount.

[Biglaa 147]

I haven't driven back for a couple of years now, bit always used to go Norfolkline (DFDS) from Dunkirk as it was cheaper each time. Especially if you don't mind when you travel, the night ferries are always far less crowded (and cheaper of course). I tried to leave home aiming for the ferry before the one I had booked to allow for traffic etc. (From Leipzig it varied between 7.5 hrs and 10 depending on what time I hit Frankfurt) I was always allowed to travel on the next available ferry, even if I arrived in time for the ferry 2 before that booked, and the one time I was late was told I was automatically rebooked for the later ferry. Certainly never had any problems at all with DFDS, and would definitely use them next time I fancy 15 hrs in my car! ;-)

[Sir Percy B 1,309]

 

The tickets I bought today were for April 21 and May 1st and the cheapest on offer.

 

I think you mean they were the cheapest on offer from the P&O website. If you had used one of the booking agents like aferry.de then you would of got yourself the same ticket for under €140.00 return.