I have just tried to book a Dover to Calais return crossing for early July and cannot get one cheaper than £480 !! Pre Covid it was £170 to £230 on average.
Now, as we all know, companies left right and centre are using Covid as as excuse to pump up prices BUT this is a right mickey take. By the time you have added insurance i.e Red Pennant, you've spent £700 plus without moving.
Has anyone managed to get a cheaper crossing ?
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I wrote a message a couple of weeks ago on the same subject. It only seems to be car and caravan that they are hitting. I wrote to the Caravan club on this subject and they told me that instead of charging the car and caravan as one unit they are charging separately. It means that although you have a car and a caravan which measures connected the same as a motorhome, you are paying twice as much.
If you belong to the Caravan Club you can save quite a bit by buying campsite vouchers and then use them on P & O crossings. You can still save quite a bit of money even if you don't use the vouchers.
Thanks Roy I wasn't aware of the reasoning which is somewhat anti caravanner isn't it. Most of the times we have travelled from Dover / Calais the ferry has never been full so what is the justification ?
The Caravan Club have been the cheapest at £480 so we'll vote with our feet and we'll be going to Wales instead, they can have my money lol.
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Don't know your circumstances but have you tried the tunnel?
I did a comparison the other day and they came out cheaper than all the ferries out of Dover.
Good luck !!
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PJC thanks for that. I hadn't bothered looking at them as, historically, they were always much dearer than a ferry.
However they are in the low to mid £200s.
Possible rethink !!
I would be interested to know if the tunnel turns out cheaper. I have just priced a short stay crossing (5day) end of March car only at £200 .
A June crossing with Trailer Tent with the tunnel was more than the boat …. And yes what a complete rip off since pre Covid days.
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Don't forget to book through a caravan site, can't remeber what we paid but we got a discount booking through the Camping and Motorhome Club (I think about £450 return in august with caravan and car)
Definitely gone up,since our last trip in 2019. Just booked Eurotunnel Crossings for June for 5 weeks trip
It was not much more than the ferry so thought we would have a change.
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Thanks for the update re tunnel. I am looking at 3 weeks mid June… so am on the case !!!
I Like the tunnel as we live only 3 miles away so can easily get a very early crossing. . I also think when you get back this side it’s a swifter process to get on the road . It can be a bit of a palava at Dover if there are a few ships docking at the same time.
We booked Harwich to Hook of Holland car/caravan return for £181 out in June back in Sept through the Camping & Caravan Club website including the £20 non member fee. This for weekday day crossings. If you are going to southern France & live in Essex or east UK the road mileage is little different from going Dover Calais.
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Quote: Originally posted by roy gallafant on 15/2/2022
I wrote to the Caravan club on this subject and they told me that instead of charging the car and caravan as one unit they are charging separately. It means that although you have a car and a caravan which measures connected the same as a motorhome, you are paying twice as much.
I think a car + caravan would measure substantially more than a MH. Our MH is about the same length as our Škoda estate, less than 6m. It would be an enormous MH to measure potentially 13m (car 5m & caravan potentially 8m, even at 6m that’s 11m, a huge MH!)
On CalMac ferries, the car is a flat rate, MH is priced per length in tiers, add driver & passenger(s) then add the caravan / boat / trailer priced per length in tiers. I’ve never seen a 2.5m caravan, the length you’d need for a car plus caravan to be the same length as a pretty long MH.
Harwich to The Hook is cheaper (£350 or thereabouts) but the crossing is 6 hours longer and then its 200 miles back to Calais.
If I'm going east or down to say Nice not so bad but if I'm heading West or down to Spain it doesn't really add up.
Even at £350 its still a hike.
Hi Clarybel, I looked at the tunnel prices for car and caravan for early July and they are around half the ferry prices. Huge surprise to me I will admit.
We have for many years used BF from Plymouth with last crossing in 2019.
Price for a near identical crossing £300 more for 2022, booked via CMC, as there are no longer any “caravan goes free” offers.
As we are heading for Italy and visiting friends near Arnhem Harwich is suitable and at £188, compared to £552 for BF, is by far the cheapest current option.
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Topic: Ferry Costs
via mobile 15/2/2022 at 1:04pm
. I also think when you get back this side it’s a swifter process to get on the road . It can be a bit of a palava at Dover if there are a few ships docking at the same time.
