 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok, so we are off to LDA for some summer skiing in a month's time and are trying to sort out travel plans. Hubby's suggested we look at the Hull-Zeebrugge or Rotterdam ferry as the terminal is only 20 mins from here and it'd work out well in terms of maximising the length of the holiday, as we both have to work on Thu June 24th but could leave on the boat that night & on our return I have to work Fri 9th July and could just about get to work on time from the overnight boat home.
The price though is a bit steep. Even for a June Thursday, the P&O website price starts at £458  . Then I tripped over a site called Camping cheques. Anyone used them?
Their deal seems to offer the ferry AND 3 nights campsite fees for £325 which is a huge difference. To compare the value of it against the Tunnel:
to go across from the south coast involves a 500 mile round trip by road from here (£100?), plus 2 nights accommodation near the channel (£100) and then add on the cost of 3 nights at a campsite (£50?) and then use Tesco vouchers for the Tunnel. It still is lots dearer to do the Hull route and it'd put us a bit further away from LDA than Calais too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Looked at Ferries today as I'm planning a paddling trip to the Soca in Slovenia. Norfolk line are the cheapest I found, at the end of August for a people carrier with 7 people and trailer it was £120 return dover-calais adn £40 return for a car with 3 people.
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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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Nice place. Going back there in July 
Vaguely recall my parents mentioning something about them. But they're away on another 7 week camping trip across Europe and only blag WiFi every so often. No idea how they work.
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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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Butterfly, I use Norfolk Lines from Dunkirk in preference to any of the Calais ferries. Cheaper and easier to access without running the gauntlet of refugees drawn to Calais. Any of the overnight ferries are cheap as chips usually. The terminal at Dunkirk is a bit grim, but with luck you won't be doing anything except driving on to and then 2 hours later, off the ferry.
Whether you will save anything is more a question of what traffic you will hit between Rotterdam and LDA. Travelling on a Friday you are going to be hitting more commercial traffic, but less touristy stuff. I prefer driving through the night as there is generally less traffic around.
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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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If we go down to the south coast we'll probably spend our Tesco vouchers on the tunnel rather than do a ferry.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Butterfly, if you do use your Tesco vouchers, do it in plenty of time. Your crossing has to be booked two weeks in advance. We've not been bothered by refugees in Calais. We've looked at the longer North Sea crossings ourselves, but it never works out for us to do it.
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If you use Norfolk Lines, you can get cashback via Quidco
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clarky999, Watch out with Norfolk lines, as they add on a fuel surcharge after the headline price. We are off to Slovenia to ascend a few mountains in 3 weeks, and found that once the surcharge was added on the price was the same as SeaFrance. We went SeaFrance as they are much more efficient/quicker loading and unloading.
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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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| Quote: |
We've not been bothered by refugees in Calais.
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We've never even seen any - though maybe that's because we always use the Tunnel.
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| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
| Butterfly, I use Norfolk Lines from Dunkirk in preference to any of the Calais ferries. Cheaper and easier to access without running the gauntlet of refugees drawn to Calais. |
Have you actually been bothered by refugees? In a car?
I use Dover-Calais several times a year, ferry and tunnel, and not once did I see a refugee...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hells Bells, thanks - hadn't registered that I have to book it that far ahead.
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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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Butterfly, you also have to get the voucher things, which involves working out roughly how much your passage will be, so you have the right vouchers when you ring up to book. It's a bit of a mission but worth it in the end! Because it's so much cheaper with the vouchers I tend to get enough to book one of the more expensive crossings of the day concerned. Then if you turn up markedly earlier (or later) there is less likelihood of your having to pay the difference.
the camping cheques sound quite a good deal - but are you then restricted to specific sites? One of the glories of camping en route is NOT having to book and faff about where you're going to get to.
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| Butterfly wrote: |
| Hells Bells, thanks - hadn't registered that I have to book it that far ahead. |
Was just going to say that when I saw that Hells Bells already had! Although I am pretty sure that I did book just inside the 14 days cut off last time, the guy on the phone accepted the booking and was very helpful and instructed me to mark clearly on the outside of envelope 'urgent' and the dates of travel and then told me to ring if I hadn't received the confirmation by a couple of days before travel. I got it the next day!
Re. P&O we used the Rotterdam-Hull overnight ferry on the way back from the Alps last summer, it was so convenient and very enjoyable. You can book some kind of meals included in ticket price deal which IIRC was very good value, we used it in Langan's and had a fantastic meal which was much cheaper than if we had just walked in. Worth investigating.
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You know it makes sense.
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We've used SeaFrance and Norfolkline in the past year, no problems with either company in terms of loading or unloading.
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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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| Quote: |
Have you actually been bothered by refugees? In a car?
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Several times. Hopping over the crash barriers @ Rocade Est a few 100m before the entrance to Calais Port. Fortunately they were waiting for a gap in the traffic, but I was prepared to drive straight at them to make them realise I was not going to stop. I always hit the "Lock All Doors" button just as I turn off the A16/E40. Nothing gets opened until I'm at the first kiosk @ Calais.
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Poster: A snowHead
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andy, with respect, that sounds like a massive over-reaction...... what do you actually think they're going to do to you? presuming you're not driving an empty artic with no lock on the back 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gilo,
Exactly...
andy,
So really appart from them trying to cross a dangerous road, they haven't really been a nuisance to you. You thought they might try and get the door open as you drive by at 70mph, hop in and hope nobody notices until they're in the UK?
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We investigated booking with Norfolkline for a trip mid-June for me to go to Les Gets (have used them before with no probs) but after the fuel surcharge was added there was very little difference, a fiver or so, between them and P&O Dover/Calais so booked that in preference. I think we could have found something quite a bit cheaper but going very early or very late and that wasn't going to suit.
Like all these things its worth looking at all the options each time and just seeing what suit best and is the best value at the time.
Out of interest we have just booked an apartment for a week in January and through the firm we have booked with we could have a fully flexible tunnel ticket for £130 which we could then use mid December, returning early February. Is £130 a good price for that trip in the winter? (Could use Tesco vouchers but always use them for a very expensive trip to the IoW at the end of July and the rest go into Airmiles for visiting son in the States.)
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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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gilo, Kruisler Calais attacks on tourists
Having been in Calais at night I would never ever go there again unless I had to. Straight off the motorway and into the tunnel toll booths for me. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Boredsurfing,
There's "refugee crime" in Calais, big news.
However suggesting that you need to" run a gauntlet to the ferrys" would do the Mail and other tabloids proud.
People seem to loose all sense of proportion these days..
EDIT: I just noticed my post count....some 4000th post that is!! 
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 24-05-10 14:18; edited 1 time in total
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Pamski, £130 is about the average price i pay for our crossing (although I use Tesco vouchers).
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Last time I stayed overnight in Dover it didn't seem a great deal better there.
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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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Colin B, we recently stayed out at the Holiday Inn express near the Eurotunnel. That was OK, but I wouldn't stay in Dover, we usually cross into France to spend the night.
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Going over to LDA at the end of July to do some Mountain Biking and P&O from Dover cost me £50 return when I booked at xmas  .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hells Bells, thanks for that info - so not a particularly good price.
We will probably stick with a ferry - we just seem to prefer them, decent breakfast in Langan's sets us up for the journey - unless someone else has a rock bottom price in which case we go without the breakfast, and really save money!
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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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Pamski, I don't think the price gets much below that to be honest. Suits us becasue of the Tesco vouchers, having the dog with us, and the journey time. We would be eating lunch on the ferry not breakfast.
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You know it makes sense.
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| RobinS wrote: |
| clarky999, Watch out with Norfolk lines, as they add on a fuel surcharge after the headline price. We are off to Slovenia to ascend a few mountains in 3 weeks, and found that once the surcharge was added on the price was the same as SeaFrance. We went SeaFrance as they are much more efficient/quicker loading and unloading. |
With Norfolklines you can travel on the ferry before or after your booked departure at no extra cost. Useful if you find yourself running early (although you need to be quite a bit early, because they run every two hours).
Seafrance used to allow this but have started charging - a lot - in recent years.
I've only used Norfolklines the once before, no discernable difference in loading/unloading times between them and Seafrance/P&O.
I also like the extra hour on the crossing. It allows me to get some proper rest before hitting the motorways.
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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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Samerberg Sue, you may indeed be correct. I booked a single trip from Dover, and was charged for using my debit card, and for a fuel surcharge. I booked the return trip once I knew our exact plans, and was not charged for paying by debit card, and there was no fuel surcharge. Perhaps it is not legal to charge them in France?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hells Bells, that is interesting... perhaps we should start the booking procedure from France some time having got there as a single. We very often only book a single on whatever crossing as we don't know when we will be coming back.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We have decided that it's going to be the Tunnel using the Tesco vouchers and I have ordered them today so that should give me plenty of time to book with Eurotunnel. We simply can't justify the cost of the ferry from Hull. Talking of booking from France I note that the Ts&Cs of the Clubcard deal says you can't do that with them - they are only for trips originating from Folkestone.
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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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Butterfly, that's true, it is no good to book with Eurotunnel with Tesco vouchers.
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FAQ
