Since Eurotunnel stopped selling season tickets in 2020 I have been using P&O and buying a package of 3 return crossings a year. I have just booked to cross from Dover on 10th June, back from Calais on 1st July in our Adria Twin, £176 return. Out of interest I looked at the Eurotunnel price for the same dates and times - - £432!
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Always going to be that way with the Tunnel the closer you get to departure date.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Quote: Originally posted by blueexpo97 on 01/6/2024
Always going to be that way with the Tunnel the closer you get to departure date.
We used to have a Frequent Traveller package, and were always able to book crossings at short notice (sometimes less than 36 hours before) at a decent price. The most we paid during our last year of having FT tickets was £56.00 each way - double with the caravan. Eurotunnel prices have gone up hugely since they became 'Le Shuttle' again recently!
Frequent Traveller used a different pricing structure.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Forgot to say that as there is a promotion on at the moment P&O will give me a free day return trip for the car. As we live 30 minutes from Dover that sound like an excuse for a nice lunch some time in the future.
Most years a crowd of us do a trip to France for a week or ten day stay, and usually me, but somebody, will do a 'due diligence' costing of the available routes, calculating Channel crossing costs, total mileage fuel costs and journey times, road toll fees etc.
Our start/return point was usually NW London and our ultimate destination Le Mans, often with a detour via D-Day related attractions. Apart from the Tunnel being out on a limb when it comes to mileage and associated costs/journey times, it used in the past to be a close thing on the overall cost of getting to/from France and was given serious consideration on the basis of we could do some 'touristing' en route. But in recent years it seems to have become just stupidly expensive, and became the least attractive option outright, with the right timing even the western Channel ferries were working out cheaper!
Add in some of the horrible delays that now seem to happen on the Tunnel crossing, which in decades of using western Channel ferries, we've NEVER experienced, I don't see us even bothering to consider it in our future 'due diligence' calculations.
For our proposed next journey (One way, same dates, convenient times, no caravan (stored in France). short crossings only)
DFDS Newhaven to Dieppe (£61) (Price after 20% over 60's discount£48.80
P and O Ferries Dover to Calais £95
Irish Ferries Dover to Calais £96
DFDS Dover to Calais or Dunkerque £139
Eurotunnel £180
Edited: Longer crossings, same dates, for my curiousity:
Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Caen £203
Brittany Ferries Poole to Cherbourg £288
Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to St Malo £409
Brittany Ferries Plymouth to Roscoff £344
I think we'll stick with Newhaven, even allowing for the delays at Dieppe on arrival! Such a huge difference between £48 and £409!
Post last edited on 04/06/2024 09:59:43
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Yes but…I live in Cornwall and like to visit Brittany. Going via Newhaven/ Dieppe would add 1000 miles of driving for the return trip. Cheap would become very expensive.
Quote: Originally posted by Netherton on 04/6/2024
Yes but…I live in Cornwall and like to visit Brittany. Going via Newhaven/ Dieppe would add 1000 miles of driving for the return trip. Cheap would become very expensive.
Obviously each to his own, but as we live in t'North every port (except Hull) is miles away. Newhaven is actually the nearest port, so 'cheapest is best' makes more sense.
It shows, though, that doing a 'comparison' of costs and routes, mileage, fuel and (potentially) tolls can really be worth while.
Quote: Originally posted by Netherton on 04/6/2024
Yes but…I live in Cornwall and like to visit Brittany. Going via Newhaven/ Dieppe would add 1000 miles of driving for the return trip. Cheap would become very expensive.
I'm not sure how the economics worked out, and the mileage looked horrendous to me, but mate's sister and family would often join us at Le Mans for our trips, they lived in North Devon and had one of the now defunct I believe 'frequent traveller' packages with the Tunnel so got their crossings for their MH at good rates. Don't think they just viewed it as A to B journey, more a bit of a 'road trip', but even so they clocked up a LOT more miles than we did (nearly twice as many!) and had an overnight stop or two on the way – can't see the cheapest Tunnel fare working out cheaper than a more direct route!
For many years we used our Tesco vouchers to pay for Tunnel crossings, in the old days we got a lot more points and they were worth more with the original 4x, so we seldom paid any extra. We used to speculate whether we would continue to use the Tunnel without the vouchers, and the answer was yes, probably. And so we do, using whatever vouchers we have. But for our recent trip in May, we had no vouchers so paid in full, it was £214 return for a campervan, booked about 6 weeks beforehand.
On both crossings, we turned up early and crossed immediately, didn't even have time to get out at the terminals. So within 1 hour of arriving at check in we were driving away. And that is the reason we use the Tunnel.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 04/6/2024
For our proposed next journey (One way, same dates, convenient times, no caravan (stored in France). short crossings only)
DFDS Newhaven to Dieppe (£61) (Price after 20% over 60's discount£48.80
P and O Ferries Dover to Calais £95
Irish Ferries Dover to Calais £96
DFDS Dover to Calais or Dunkerque £139
Eurotunnel £180
Edited: Longer crossings, same dates, for my curiousity:
Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Caen £203
Brittany Ferries Poole to Cherbourg £288
Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to St Malo £409
Brittany Ferries Plymouth to Roscoff £344
I think we'll stick with Newhaven, even allowing for the delays at Dieppe on arrival! Such a huge difference between £48 and £409!
Just whatever was cheapest on the day (28th July, as were all the others), LongCol. It isn't a crossing we would use as the logistics of a trip to Portsmouth or Plymouth isn't convenient for us, and not enough saving on the mileage overall to make it worthwhile spending so much more money.
An early morning Dieppe arrival allows us to get down to our house in the Aude, (or our caravan) with time for an essentials shop somewhere, and arrive early evening. There are two drivers, so we do two stints each.
If you purchase Eurotunnel using Tesco vouchers and then have to cancel what happens?
Do you (a) just get the sterling payment and forfeit the vouchers
(b) just get the sterling payment and vouchers returned
(c) get refunded the full sterling price
Slightly off topic , saw the two very large buildings they have put up on the French side to do the biometric screening, quite close to the terminal building at the caravan parking side.
Also spoke to the LLL(lovely lady loader)and she told me about the train the other week that the unloading door would not open everyone had to reverse to the loading door to get off, sorry this is the high carriages.
All caravans were unhithched and pushed the length of the train to get off.
Bet there was some high blood pressure that day, and of course a HUGE delay.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
SGT, I don't think you get any refund if you cancel, but you can change your crossing and pay any extra as required. They do offer a refundable 'ticket' at some greater cost, but I daresay Tesco vouchers aren't usuable for those.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Eurotunnel prices.
, saw the two very large buildings they have put up on the French side to do the biometric screening, quite close to the terminal building at the caravan parking side.
everyone had to reverse to the loading door to get off, sorry this is the high carriages.
