Just turning up at the ferry terminal

Biggles

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Hello

How much more expensive if at all is it to just turn up at Dover for a crossing. I particularly like the Dover Dunkirk crossing with who ever took it over from Norfolkline.

Or can substantial savings be made by simply booking the day / night before?
 
If you are a member of one of the main clubs, CC or CCC you can get good crossing prices with a simple phone call to them, they will give you a reference number to quote at the gate and off you go, you can do this the day before departure , I have actually done this in Calais on the day of Departure, Sea France that time, you will always get a better price on line than at the departure gate ticket office.
 
We went Dover-Calais last year and booked the outward online for £25 (Kangoo van) and felt comfortable just turning up at Calais a week or so later. However when we turned up at the ticket office they wanted £180 for the return so we went to the tunnel and found they wanted £220.
After cooling down a bit we returned to Calais and parked up just short of the ticket booth. I phoned my son at home who got a reservation online for about £35 and he gave us the reference number. I drove forward and gave the reference and we were in :)

Seems to be the cheapest way to get a return ticket if you don't know when exactly you'll be returning.
 
I agree with Sparks. On the one occasion I turned up at the ferry and tried to buy a ticket, the cheapest I could get was around £180. We normally book online and cross for between £30 and £50. Always book online if you can!
 
Likewise we have always booked in advance, its just to expensive to turn up and pay up.

regards John
 
Sparks said:
We went Dover-Calais last year and booked the outward online for £25 (Kangoo van) and felt comfortable just turning up at Calais a week or so later. However when we turned up at the ticket office they wanted £180 for the return so we went to the tunnel and found they wanted £220.
After cooling down a bit we returned to Calais and parked up just short of the ticket booth. I phoned my son at home who got a reservation online for about £35 and he gave us the reference number. I drove forward and gave the reference and we were in :)

Seems to be the cheapest way to get a return ticket if you don't know when exactly you'll be returning.
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I tend to agree with you. I always book on line. On this occassion I booked it the wrong way round.....Calais to Dover and return instead of the other way. I had to pay £115 less the price of the wrong booking. It was an expensive ride.
 
its not always expensive, i had to rush back as i got a fone call my dad (well step dad, who did a better job.........) had died, so had to rush back from Dresden for the funeral. it was 50ish quid. thats the only time i had ever just turned up. i would have expected like others much higher prices, maybe not this time of year though. that was dunkirk/dover with Norfolkline

at worst find a internet cafe a few days before while your in europe.
 
Why don't you just take the laptop and the dongle with you, park up for 10 mins in Dover, book online, and get your reference number while you are down there?
 
Good deals on eurotunnel - book 10 singles in advance book 1 day ahead. £48 inc £9 motorhome supplement.
They do a similar scheme for more money and can turn up when you like! from memory about £80
 
I made a booking when returning home from Romania and to change to an earlier ferry, turned up 24 hours early, just had to pay a small admin fee....

But don't ring up to do it, just go to the gate, as they wanted £100+ to change over the phone

jacks
 
we were parked up in Calais this summer after the previous nights crossing, and I got talking to an old guy who said there was a Sea France and possibly P and O office in the centre of the town near the inner aire, where you could get very cheap tickets. Any one else used or tried this?

Stu
 
m30 said:
we were parked up in Calais this summer after the previous nights crossing, and I got talking to an old guy who said there was a Sea France and possibly P and O office in the centre of the town near the inner aire, where you could get very cheap tickets. Any one else used or tried this?

Stu
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The only one I know of, is in the parking area of the Port.
 
I know now that it is always advisable to book online.
I went over to Germany using Dover-Dunkirk, but I wanted to have the option of coming back when I fancied.
I therefore turned up at Dunkirk and asked for a price of return journey and was quoted 100 euros.
Didn't have laptop with me but never thought of getting family in Germany to phone up and book me on a ferry cheaper.
A valuable lesson learned!
 
I prefer to sail sea France across the channel if only the fact it feels part of the holiday...........2009 I was supposed to return 16 th October and had a text a few days before that there was possible industrial action and to ring before hand etcetc .....I explained to the lady on the phone I had a dog : motorhome and with the pet passport scheme I couldnt afford to be messed about ....So we re arranged for the following Tuesday ( I was in no rush )

In the meantime, I went to Belgium and errm forgot about my crossing home

Eventually 5 th Nov turned up at sea France offices and I was quoted a silly price. I explained that had it not been for their industrial action there problem not mine I would have caught the ferry 16 th October as booked and surely something they could do.

The fella said how does 29 euros sound I said I will take it , he is processing the booking all of a sudden a gallic shrug ... something has happened he said I feared the worst, and it worked out to be only 19 euros.

Mind you at the gate a woman reckoned I owed another 20 for the dog , when I explained I had travelled with the dog and on every quote I had made it clear a supervisor came along ...gadgy in a suit ...and waved me on .....best crossing yet.

Channa
 
It used to be £28 to change return dates with Norfolkline,It's now £42 for the same service with DFDS, scondrels :mad2:
 
Haaamster said:
It used to be £28 to change return dates with Norfolkline,It's now £42 for the same service with DFDS, scondrels :mad2:
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I was looking up the Dover - Dunkirque route a few days ago and the single fare on a Sunday was quoted as £24 for a motorhome and two occupants - so at those prices its cheaper to scrap the booking and start again rather than alter the original booking. The world is mad - mad, I tell you! :mad1:
 
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Once we booked the crossing one way with the idea of booking a return crossing when we wanted. I had all the UK ferry phone numbers & I knew I could get on the O2 network at Cap Gris Nez. Called round all the companies & asked what was their cheapest fare for crossing from Calais for the following week. Got a crossing for the next day with Sea France for £30.
Always think you are in a better position telephoning them, can't haggle on the internet. Don't know if you just turn up that you can get a good deal.
 
Booking on-line is definetely the cheapest way to go. Generally speaking if you just turn up you will get charged more. Also it gives you the peace of mind knowing that you actually have a booking reference. A lot of the ferries run with reduced staff overnight so whilst they may show a sailing they can only accommodate a limited number of passengers ( what is called Mode 1 and Mode 2).

Using the internet also allows you to choose the cheapest sailing time - generally speaking the early hours of the day are the cheapest.

Park up on Dover Seafront (free from 1800) - get a few hours kip and then join the ferry!

Happy travels,

Channelcrosser

p.s. Seafrance not running out of Dover at the moment. - D Day is the 12th December
 
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