# Overnight on Dover Esplanade on 3rd April anyone ???



## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

We'll be there! 8am ferry on Monday 4th.


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Have you thought of crossing in the evening and staying in the Calais Port car park - scores of us do. The advantages are that you get a cheap evening crossing, save on GMT the next day, have the crossing behind you the next day and start out fresh.

Ron


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## moblee (Dec 31, 2006)

Good idea Ron..........And a good map too :!:


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## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Thanks Ron. We do sometimes cross in the evening, but like to ring the changes. We are only travelling onwards as far as Ypres (about 30 miles) the first day, so will still be there well before Last Post.


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## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Oh, and have paid £39 single with Norfolkline (through CC), so didn't think that was too bad.


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## clive1821 (Mar 27, 2010)

I see now I often did wonder why a lot of people stay overnight in Dover etc.... As we always try to catch the 21:30 or the 22:15 service and sleep overnight in callias then ready for the off after the visit to the Market in town lol... Seems we are staYing in the uk for some while..... Something to do with the fuel price me thinks :evil: but looking forward to going over to the good old EU when work finishes mid September....


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## Dinks123 (Apr 20, 2010)

Not just because I am his better half (Clive1821) but also because it works for us. By the time us working class can leave Oxford, we can get to Dover by about 10pm. We catch the ferry, have supper(or as other refer to it "tea"!) and then arrive in Calais ready for bed. If you cross on a Friday night, there is a great market across the road from the marina...quick shop and then move on! The market is great....lots of fresh fish, meat, cheese,olives and veg! And you can bargain!


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## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Looks like we're on our own then!


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## midlifecrisismil (Sep 27, 2009)

If it was 3rd May then we'd join you.

Milly


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

We are very jealous got to wait weeks yet!!!!


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## dewaltman (Aug 28, 2008)

dues anybody know if its easy to reach the calais port parking as shown in ob1's map is easy to get to from the tunnel exit,a similar map would be great if possible as i am travelling on a late train thanks


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

alphadee said:


> Looks like we're on our own then!


We cross to Dunkerque on the evening of 31 March.
We will overnight on the carpark of the ferryport and expect to have a great night's sleep.

It was after 8am when we woke up last time we crossed!

Coming back we will overnight on Marine Drive, Dover as we need the early start to get under the Dartford Crossing for the journey north.
The parking at the Dunkerque ferryport is great for the return as you can get there as early as you like, have a meal and a sleep before the crossing.


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## DC4JC (Sep 19, 2007)

We are booked on the 06.00 Dover - Dunkerque on the 31st March.

On our way to the Denia meet for the 4th April. 8) 

Janice.


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## jackeen (Dec 14, 2007)

*overnight on dover esplanade on 3rd April*

Tue 5th April for us (9.05 pm at £38 with P & O). Will o/night at Auchan & fill up, then to Abbeyville


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## jonah999 (Sep 6, 2010)

Hi all- We are travelling to Dover on 7th April aiming to get down there around midnight ready for a 8am ferry on the 8th to Dunkerque if I can get on it (my ticket says 2pm). We will then head down to Samoens for a weeks skiing if there is snow or a weeks sunbathing if there isn't!
We are total novices at motorhoming and forgive me if I sound rather clueless but can I park up at the ferry terminal at midnight when I arrive and also what does everyone do about taking water with them. Ideally I would like to take minimum fresh water and then fill up in Dover. Please help?!

Darren


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## alphadee (May 10, 2009)

Hi Darren,

You can definitely spend the night on Dover Esplanade (as we are planning to do on Sunday 3rd). There is usually plenty of space to park up, and free after 6pm. Not sure about the water though... I would take enough to last me til France and get some there. Have a great time.


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

jonah999 said:


> Hi all- We are travelling to Dover on 7th April aiming to get down there around midnight ready for a 8am ferry on the 8th to Dunkerque if I can get on it (my ticket says 2pm). We will then head down to Samoens for a weeks skiing if there is snow or a weeks sunbathing if there isn't!
> We are total novices at motorhoming and forgive me if I sound rather clueless but can I park up at the ferry terminal at midnight when I arrive and also what does everyone do about taking water with them. Ideally I would like to take minimum fresh water and then fill up in Dover. Please help?!
> 
> Darren


You definitely cannot park at the Dover ferry terminal or get water there. Marine Parade is your best bet given your ferry times or you could get on a late night ferry (subject to Norfolkline's ticketing policy) and stay overnight at Dunkerque. To avoid any problem why not give the ferry people a ring and ask about your options for changing your ferry especially as you are intending to travel at a time you haven't booked.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

gelathae said:


> To avoid any problem why not give the ferry people a ring and ask about your options for changing your ferry especially as you are intending to travel at a time you haven't booked.


About 3 weeks ago we did just that: phoned from France to ask if we could bring our 10am Friday (Dunkirk to Dover) sailing forward by exactly one week- same day and time.

They charged us more to do that than the sailing cost us in the first place and have not managed to explain, in answer to my subsequent e-mails- why they were charging so much just to change a time. The earlier ferry, when we caught it, was nothing near full.

G
Edit to add PS: To add injury to insult they told me that they had NEVER had a policy of allowing people to travel early for free if they turned up at the port early. We have done this several times in previous ( ie previous to DFDS) years so we know that is not so.


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

Grizzly said:


> gelathae said:
> 
> 
> > To avoid any problem why not give the ferry people a ring and ask about your options for changing your ferry especially as you are intending to travel at a time you haven't booked.
> ...


I regularly travelled with Norfolkline and can't recall ever getting on the ferry I had booked. However, I know from others that their policy changed even before the takeover. The purpose of my suggestion was to warn jonah999 that his intention of catching an 8am ferry when he is booked on a 2pm ferry might not be without penalty and I thought it might be worthwhile to contact them first to ascertain:

1. whether he could change the booking and

2. How much it might cost.

Armed with such information his overnight arrangements might be modfied to coincide with his ticketed departure time.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

gelathae said:


> The purpose of my suggestion was to warn jonah999 that his intention of catching an 8am ferry when he is booked on a 2pm ferry might not be without penalty and I thought it might be worthwhile to contact them first to ascertain:
> 
> .


Sound advice and it was not my intention to sound critical or to decry it. My apologies if it came over like that. I guess I'm still sore from being what we- frankly- regard as being "done" ! We'd have been happy to pay a resaonable amount to pay for administration costs but we did not think that nearly 40 euros was reasonable.

G


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## belcher (Mar 3, 2010)

You are lucky, last December we came back early (P&O) as it was snowing heavily, went to the ferryport 2 days early expecting to pay a tenner to change the sailing time as we do with Brittany Ferries & was totally gobsmacked when they charged £68. I said I would go to the office & buy a new ticket but they said that would cost £120. The one way ticket, ordered in Spain on the internet only cost £35 in the first place.
We didn't fancy hanging around Calais for 2 days iin the snow, so I swallowed it & paid the 68 quid.
In future, I will leave the booking until the last minute & pop into a MuckDonalds on the way to the port & book it online as it seems to be the same price the day before as weeks in advance.
P&0 are a***holes.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

belcher said:


> In future, I will leave the booking until the last minute & pop into a MuckDonalds on the way to the port & book it online as it seems to be the same price the day before as weeks in advance.
> .


What made me doubly mad with DFDS was that it took ages to get through on the phone (mobile, from France so expensive) but what they did not tell us was that there were free telephones at the port office from which we could have booked a ticket when we arrived there.

You're warned on the booking sheet that it is cheaper to phone ahead or book on the internet and it will be more expensive at the port in person (why ??) but not told you can book for free from the port via their phone.

I had tried to get a flexible fare when I booked but there were none to be had.

G


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## Telbell (May 1, 2005)

The last two crossings we've done (Since DFDS times) we've arrived at Dover up to 4 hrs before scheduled Crossing time and been OFFERED an earlier crossing at no extra charge.

This may be the answer ie rather than ring ahead and ask, to be told "no" or "It will cost"....risk it and just turn up early.


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