 Poster: A snowHead
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Helen and others.
Im not saying that you cant drive overnight with coffee/rest breaks in one go . If you sleep well before the drive and are fresh. I,ve done this many times .
But for example to work allday on Friday then jump in the car drive all night then go skiing all day the following day puts the body through enourmous stress and endurance.
Re: the actual drive
There is of course the tiredness/sleeping behind the wheel to consider but worse of all is that after 8-10 hours of driving you are at your most fatiqued and the last kilometres you drive are in the mountain areas is where the most hazardous conditions exist & where you have to be most alert !
Take the plane its easier  !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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JT, I'm not making this up, there's no need to confuse my opinion with facts I could easily go and check. The actual reliability figure on Eurotunnel for the last full year (from the last Annual report I have) is 98%, that means 98% of departures occurred within 10 mins of scheduled. If you're contending that ferry services have the same reliability then you either have some actual figures to support that or you're just expressing an opinion and should qualify it as such instead presenting it as a fact.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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During the last 2 years I have travelled thru the tunnel twice.
Each time have been delayed, once 2.5 hrs by a bomb scare and the other 3 hours by a technical fault.
Anecdotal, but there it is.
When working actually very efficient.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Travelled on Eurotunnel this year, 1st time for at least 5 years. The terminal at Folkestone was creepy. In the mid afternoon there were more staff than customers, staff were clearly bored, nothing to do. On time, outbound, but on our return, customs/immigration were queueing everyone up for the 3rd degree. We ignored the departure instructions(wait until called) as the only way to get on our booked departure was to get in the lengthening queue. An expensive way to get across, our ticket was £149 plus £30 to change to another time (we came home early because my collarbone got broke by a woman crashing into me). 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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snowbunny, their annual reports tell the same story for traffic figures.
It serves them right, for years they've been running a business based on duty-free shopping and charging the SE of England a quid to go and buy fags and lager while charging genuine travellers an arm and leg. Now they've twigged they need this traffic they're beginning to wake up and make a reasonable charge. In fact 149 quid by their standards a couple of years back is quite cheap.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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ise, Yup agree totally, looked at the website other winters and thought, HOW MUCH seeing £300+ priced up. Only the £140 early booker price got me aboard this year, but the onboard radio was defunct and the toilets were dirty (so I guess that is where they saved some money). I got the impression that unless they get the customers back "in droves" the financial mess they are in will be compounded. Which government will have to step in I wonder?
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I'm not surprised the toilets were dirty, they seem to have been focusing on the sort of punters who can't use toilets
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snowcat, How do you get £98 fare? Every time I go onto their website I find it's about £300 return. Of course I'm going for a while (usually booking Fench - English and return). 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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ise,
Go check then. And take a drive as often as I do and see how often the motorway closes for Operation stack. As I travel
this route I know when and who has instigated it. It will not be Norfolk line or Sea France as they don't carry enough to affect this. It will be P&O or the tunnel and the time would be shared, there or thereabouts.
If you were a weekly commuter over the last few years, and I don't say you weren't, you will know the problems that the tunnel had with weather. You must have been affected by them as at that time they pulled more services than anyone.
And you can be sniffy about the ferries running on duty free but if the tunnel had to pay its way it would be in the same financial position as the ferries. And don't think that the demise of P&O would help in any way. That would leave Eurotunnel
free to charge what they like, how they like.
The cross channel industry needs competition to provide the best prices.
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JT, I used to use the tunnel every week, I'm guessing you're not going to tell me you use it more than that ?
However, I did check, the figure's 98% like I said. And I did bother to check for a few years. I also happened to read the full MMC report on the cross-channel business.
Anyway, before your hobby horse runs out of breath there, I was merely commenting on your statement that "the ferry's suffer no more cancellations than the tunnel" and asking if this was something you could prove. I've given the tunnel figure which is 98% so I'm curious to know if the ferry figure is higher or lower? Personally I'd be quite interested in the figures for a single company as well as the entire sector. It's always struck me as curious they're absent from their annual reports, a bystander might conclude the figures weren't very good.
Whether the tunnel's got an unfair commercial advantage in wiping out much of its debt is neither a concern for current investors or current users.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ise,
I will tell you what I will do. I will note every stoppage that incurs Operation Stack. I am not concerned with 10 minutes here and there. And I am more than confident that over a year they will work out roughly the same.
And for a weekly user over the last couple of years you must have been used to delays when the train could not turn around in bad weather.
If you don't remember that then I would doubt you used the tunnel as much as you say.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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JT, that's no then isn't it? You don't have figures but you do have a really strong opinion. Fair enough, it turns out I don't have a strong opinion about it but I do have the figures and my limited interest has been totally exhausted now.
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ise,
I do the journey every day so I know when and why the motorway becomes a car park.
I'd take that as a reference over company figures any day, thank you very much.
And I'm not so interested in your reply either..
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You know it makes sense.
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JT, Sea France have half the daily sailings of P&O, which is still very significant. they have a big following with freight operators. 70 min crossing on their new ferries. Freight is leaving the tunnel for the ferries in droves due to their new pricing policies. I have done Hull- Zeebrugge a couple of times in bad storms and have heard of ferries stuck outside Dover for hours...Ugggh.
IMHO best channel crossing from sheffield or above is hull - Zeebrugge or Europoort
anywhere south of sheffield and west of London then Portsmouth etc to Caen, Le havre etc
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Frosty the Snowman,
I'm not sure of the FR8 percentage that Sea France have. Eurotunnel were market leaders for a few months but the trade is aggessive so this will ebb and flow. But you are correct to say that FR8 has moved away from them and Sea France might have benefited from this. Norfolk line will be no small operators here in a few years as they have two new ships being built at this time. As well as a proposed new terminal in Dunkirk being built or planned
The problem with weather for ferries is that the French side is very exposed and the ports will kick ships off the berths because of damage. Dover is more sheltered but then a queue may form to get the ships in. In cases like these the tunnel and the ferries will have a reciprocal arrangement to take each others passengers.
If I was driving from the north then maybe I would prefer 10 hours at sea rather than 3-4 hrs drive down to Dover/Folkestone.
At least on those long crossings you would get a cabin. Dover/Calais can be a bit cattle-truck like as can the tunnel.
In the end you pays your money and takes your choice.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| JT wrote: |
ise,
I will tell you what I will do. I will note every stoppage that incurs Operation Stack. I am not concerned with 10 minutes here and there. And I am more than confident that over a year they will work out roughly the same.
And for a weekly user over the last couple of years you must have been used to delays when the train could not turn around in bad weather.
If you don't remember that then I would doubt you used the tunnel as much as you say. |
bump
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The berth problems in Calais are ongoing and serious. Not as serious as the fire in the tunnel a few years back though and nowhere as costly.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Chris Angus wrote: |
| sarah@alpedhuez, I guess that those transfers are from Grenoble to Alpe d'Huez? I took the public buses on up to Les 2 Alpes a couple of years ago from Grenoble when Buzz still flew there and that was very painless! Just a shame Mr O'Leary cut the route! |
Easyjet fly there from Luton and Stanstead if you are interested.
Personnally I nearly always take the ferry but I nearly always have a 2/3 hour drive on the other side so the ferry is a pleasant way to get a snack and a few beers in before hitting the nice wide, well laid out and free British autoroutes. Anyway I like to respect my seafaring routes rather than scuttling down a tunnel like a yellow toothed rat.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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JT, I reckon that if the bigger ferry companies are starting to get more competitive it's probably because Speedferries have started up. I never could understand how any company (Eurotunnel, P & O or SeaFrance) could justify charging me 1000x the day return rate to come and go out of season and usually at off peak hours. There should be some sort of Ombudsman to stop it.
I say - all go Speedferries or Norfolkline, get a good service and make P & O etc. hurt!!! 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Charlotte, hear, hear, especially as Speedferries have got a very good promotion going right now.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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They've pissed me of just a little by cancelling our return trip just after Easter with the excuse that their (one and only) craft is in for its annual inspection. Surely they know this more than 2 months in advance.
Rebooked the return with Hoverspeed at double what the Speedferry crossing was. And now *they've* pisssed me off by halving the price!
But overall, I still think I'll book in future with Speedferries for at last providing some competition on the cross-channel market.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowskisnow, if you'd seen the documentry a month or three ago on speed ferries you would have seen that they had all sorts of problems to start off with, mainly it seemed due to their craft being supplied with incorect or second hand parts, the boss sorted this out with the leasing company eventually and I guess at some time he'd like to expand the buisness but unti then .........................
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Whatever you decide on folks, forget Dover to Calais on P&O or Sea France for the time being with the ongoing berthing problems. From what I can make out there was a problem with one of the slipways which was lowered on to a ferry back in early February when one of the hawsers broke causing a vehicle on the ramp to slide into another vehicle. Apparently it was a near thing that one of the vehicles didn't end up in the sea. This accident seems to have prompted the Calais Harbour Authority to carry out safety checks on all their berths, and they appear to be finding problems. It must be costing P&O and Sea France a fortune in lost business. As for the Calais Harbour Authority, they must be looking at huge compensation claims.
Last Friday week I arrived at Dover and was told I could not check-in because they didn't know when the next ferry would depart. A quick call to Eurotunnel and around £120 poorer we switched to the tunnel. On the return last Saturday we picked up the 21.20 P&O ferry from Calais which was on time!
Generally speaking when everything is running OK I would suggest the ferry. It is my experience that they have now got the loading routine at Dover to a fine art. The ferry is more leisurely, with a chance for a meal - forget the mass catering canteen and opt for the Langans restaurant for a great start to the holiday. It always amases me how the staff can serve a 3 course meal in 1.5 hours and you still have time for shopping.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Well, whatever our preferred method of crossing, we will in future b using the Eurotunnel more often, as our dog will have her pet passport, and we don't want to have to leave her inside the car on the ferry. At least on the train we will be with her
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Well that is a strange bit of spam.
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You know it makes sense.
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blahblahblah, not any more it isn't. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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P&O yesterday evening, no fun at all. Boat late, toilets vandalised. Boat overrun with large groups of schoolkids, constantly roaming. Tannoy announcements for Teachers to keep their children under control. Plenty of pax sitting on floors in corridors.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We did P&O Thursday evening of last week, 10th I think. When we checked in we were told they were running an hour late due to bad weather in previous 24 hours, so we just sat and read queuing up. Annoying thing was that we had had a text which had said check in as usual - we could have gone a bit faster and got a delayed ferry at 'our' scheduled time. There seemed to be a few school parties but we were in the brasserie and you do feel a bit insulated from the public up there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pamski, if we do the ferry now, although it is a rare occurrence, we always do P&0 or Myferrylink and head for the brasserie.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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usually the sarnie bar for me, but you don't get groups of kids at Christmas. they're all in the ball pool and watching cartoons or families using up the entire bar seating.
and the other half of my journeys are newcastle ferry, where i'll prolly just crash out, since consuming anything on board in any restaurant needs a 2nd mortgage. and that's after paying a Monkey for the privilege of boarding. syaing that, my fare this year is a whole £120 cheaper than last, and that's travelling at a weekend and august bank holiday monday.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Book with a company that offers a free flexi upgrade; turn up any time at tunnel, straight on, private lounge with free travel food, coffee, papers etc. Got on in 15 mins last xmas during 2 hr + queues. Peak retreats and Erna Low spring to mind.
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FAQ
)Both crossings at £38 return,and nice daytime sailings as well 
But it was cheap as chips and good fun(most of the time!)
Does make you wonder what will happen 'when'(and not if)the boat breaks down?Have they got any oars 