# A Disgraceful Rip Off



## philbre

a very quick search made me weak at the knees

I am going from Ireland to France late June, returning early july, 2weeks away in total

a return ferry from Ireland to England costs around 550 euro

a return ferry from England to France costs around 200 euro

a guess at toll bridges & fuel in UK is 150 euro to cover both UK legs

thats a total of 900 euro

Brittany Ferries want 1550 euro to take me directly from cork to roscoff return, insisting that accomodation is taken by all passengers on overnight trips

Of course I will travel through the UK at this rate, but wonder if any UK members will suggest savings to be made on ferries/tunnel to France

Thanx in advance


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## DTPCHEMICALS

come to live over here. I hope the fuel costs stay low.
I cancelled my brittany ferries membership this year due to increased costs. Travel from Dover now

Dave p


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## philbre

*costs*



DTPCHEMICALS said:


> come to live over here. I hope the fuel costs stay low.
> I cancelled my brittany ferries membership this year due to increased costs. Travel from Dover now
> 
> Dave p


when do you suggest buying tickets, now or wait
are there savings to be made by buying this early


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## Wizzo

SeaFrance (Dover/Calais) or Norfolk Lines (Dover/Dunkerque) should still be about £60 or £70 return - use their own websites. 10% discount on SeaFrance for being member of this site I believe although I must confess I forgot when I booked.

Also might be worth looking at LD Lines new service Dover/Boulogne, I believe they had some opening offers the other week.

JohnW


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Hi philbre, its a bit early to say regarding savings on the ferries due to the fluctuation in the euro pound rate. It all depends on which area you intend to tour as well When using dover calais i leave it to about 4 weeks before travel to book and always choose cheapest ticket. On occasion i have not booked the return as i sometimes have an extra day or so.

After saying all this i have just booked sea france for Assen weekend.

Best of luck Dave p


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## Suenliam

Philbre - in the main the earlier you book the better the deal. Prices go up as the boats/train thing fill up - supply and demand. Unfortunately the prices don't seem to come down if the vessel is not filling up :roll: 

I've had ours booked since last November and don't regret it.

Sue


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## 38Rover

Booked Brittany Ferries Santander to Plymouth late May return Early July Portsmouth Santander 7.5 m and 2 dogs reclining seats £868 so that looks good value compared with yours booked mine November 2008


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## Rapide561

*Ferries*

Hi

The Irish Sea crossing prices put me right off coming to Ireland - even though I would have paid with Tesco coupons.

Have you tried Celtic Link Ferries, from Ireland to France?

Also, when you look at www.poferries.com, for the Dover - Calais route, get the fare quoted to you in both Sterling and Euro. There are plenty of crossings available at just over £30 each way. Eurotunnel also has loads of availability at £61 each way.

Russell

PS - Let's hope there is some good new for the Swansea-Cork ferry.

www.bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com


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## UncleNorm

Now then, just been playing...

Assuming the Ecovip is 'up to 6m', out 25 June, home 9 July

Stenaline: Belfast to Stranraer, return, two adults £258

Norfolkline: Dover Dunkirk, return, £35.02

500 miles each way, 20 gallons, total £80 - £90 each way so let's say £200

Change from £500!!

Out of interest, look at this similar thread from a few days ago... http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-58500-0.html


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## philbre

UncleNorm said:


> Now then, just been playing...
> 
> Assuming the Ecovip is 'up to 6m', out 25 June, home 9 July
> 
> Stenaline: Belfast to Stranraer, return, two adults £258
> 
> Norfolkline: Dover Dunkirk, return, £35.02
> 
> 500 miles each way, 20 gallons, total £80 - £90 each way so let's say £200
> 
> Change from £500!!
> 
> thanx Uncle Norm
> 
> my prices included a trailer up to 4m
> 
> also just got quote for 700 euro, yes half price from a different carrier
> 
> Out of interest, look at this similar thread from a few days ago... http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-58500-0.html


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## sweetie

I to was ripped off on monday after arriving back at calais from spain for the 9.50am ferry was told I was a day early due to an error by the CCC or myself the ticket had already cost £95.50 booked 7 days previous for 7m m/h +5m trailer one way but was told there was a 41.27 euro surcharge if i wanted to travel and the operator would not budge, me being me was prepared to tell them to get stuffed and come back following day but the wife said no I want to get home after having a bad trip this year. What made it worse when the ferry sailed it was not 1/4 full if it was not for 3 coaches would have been a ghost ship. on the deck we where on i counted 14 vehicles. :evil: :evil: 
Steve


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## wobby

That is hefty we used to do that trip each year and the last time 2 years ago it cost €900 all in. 

Wobby


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## wobby

That is hefty we used to do that trip each year and the last time 2 years ago it cost €900 all in. 

Wobby


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## aido

*Re: costs*



philbre said:


> DTPCHEMICALS said:
> 
> 
> 
> come to live over here. I hope the fuel costs stay low.
> I cancelled my brittany ferries membership this year due to increased costs. Travel from Dover now
> 
> Dave p
> 
> 
> 
> when do you suggest buying tickets, now or wait
> are there savings to be made by buying this early
Click to expand...

Try Nutt Travel.com very reasonable.

Aido


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## Chris_s

Hi Philbre
Recently booked SeaFrance out 13 Aug return 17 Sept in our panel van conversion. £56.70 for van, me and him indoors both sailings at a respectable 9.30am ish.

Travelling from Wales through France into northern Spain and calculated this was the cheapest. We are not in any hurry so will use non toll trunk roads rather than boring motorways and travel at a steady 50-60mph.

I believe there may be cheaper fares to be had but certainly booking early seems to be a good idea. Certainly use the MHF promotion code too!

Chris


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## LPDrifter

philbre said:


> a very quick search made me weak at the knees
> 
> I am going from Ireland to France late June, returning early july, 2weeks away in total
> 
> a return ferry from Ireland to England costs around 550 euro
> 
> a return ferry from England to France costs around 200 euro
> 
> a guess at toll bridges & fuel in UK is 150 euro to cover both UK legs
> 
> thats a total of 900 euro
> 
> Brittany Ferries want 1550 euro to take me directly from cork to roscoff return, insisting that accomodation is taken by all passengers on overnight trips
> 
> Of course I will travel through the UK at this rate, but wonder if any UK members will suggest savings to be made on ferries/tunnel to France
> 
> Thanx in advance


I just checked Irish Ferries website and you can get a ferry

Out - Rosslare - Cherbourg 30th June
Back - Cherbourgh - Rosslare 15 July
(for two adults and a motorhome more than 2.4 mt high less than 8 mt long - also includes a cabin out and back)

Total cost 960 Euro

It is a lot less than the 1550 Euro quoted you by Brittainy

I have to say that you really do need a cabin for those trips. You are on the boat for 20 hours approx. With luck you will sleep for 9 hours.


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## DubPaul

as above.... Irish Ferries tend to be cheaper. I am doing Rosslare Roscoff return with ensuite cabin for 4 May27 - June 12 for €650


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## tincan

I think we have used every route from Ireland to France in over 30 years of trips, some solo with tent or going posh staying in villas, tugging and lately with MH. This year we will travel Irish Ferries leaving mid June returning mid July for €980. We did explore Landbridge as usual this year but taking time, diesel and stress into the equation, not to mention one or two days pay depending on the route chosen, we feel that we are doing the right thing. You may be certain that Irish Ferries have their fare pitched at a rate that exploits mugs like us who are prepared to pay a little extra for the convenience of arriving in France ready to start our holiday, not drained after that run from Holyhead to the south coast. 
One tip though if sailing direct; bring your own food and drink and deny them the pleasure of helping themselves to your hard earned cash for grotty onboard grub. The cabins on the Oscar Wilde provide ample space for dining if you are too shy to eat your picnic in the self service area. 
I came across an old invoice from 1981 recently and was amazed to see that we had paid £360 back then, mind you it included a 4 berth cabin then, now we only need a 2 berth. It would not appear to have kept pace with inflation thankfully

Noel


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## Tim3

'Disgraceful Rip Off' seems a bit harsh... No one has been ripped off, they've just quoted you a high figure. You do always have the option of shopping elsewhere if you don't like Brittany Ferries prices!!!

If you want cheap, travel on odd days and at inconvenient times. We've just booked through Caravan & Camping Club for a Dover/Calais crossing on 11 March at 1 o'clock in the morning. For the 6.5m van, 2 adults and a dog we've been charged the princly sum of £26.75.


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## Stapeler

Try LD Lines They are new to the Roslare-LeHavre route. Quoting family of four for around €900.


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## SidT

Tim3, Philbre no doubt knows there are cheap fares Dover/Calais, He is talking about Ireland to France where fares are out of all proportion.
Cheers Sid


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## Tim3

Either way Sid, to use terms like 'A Disgraceful Rip Off' implies that there has been a scam or confidence trick of some sort and that someone has paid well in excess of what they were quoted, or that the goods they have paid for were not as advertised...

That is not the case here, the fare was advertised up front and as other posters have pointed out there are direct competitors for Brittany Ferries. If someone doesn't like the fare quoted by Brittany Ferries then they should do the research and find cheaper alternatives... one of which is to use the landbridge and the Dover/Calais crossing. 

I certainly don't think any of the ferry companies are in the wrong for charging a premium for a direct Ireland/France crossing, convenience always comes at a price. Nor do I think it is wrong that they insist on passengers taking some form of accomodation on these long crossings, otherwise they would be spilling out hundreds of sleep deprived drivers onto the roads.

Its fair enough to post on here that someone finds the fares being quoted by a company as excessively high, but to imply that a company is carrying out a 'Disgraceful Rip Off'' seems a huge over dramatisation of the situation. Equally, it is in all of our interests for people to post on here about companies who are charging very competitive prices or have exceptional levels of customer service which is why I mentioned the fare we have obtained from C&CC.

Ultimately, if we all excercise our right to shop around for the best deal, the only people that will suffer from Brittany Ferries high pricing policy is Brittany Ferries.


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## philbre

*y'know, maybe you're right......*



Tim3 said:


> Either way Sid, to use terms like 'A Disgraceful Rip Off' implies that there has been a scam or confidence trick of some sort and that someone has paid well in excess of what they were quoted, or that the goods they have paid for were not as advertised...
> 
> That is not the case here, the fare was advertised up front and as other posters have pointed out there are direct competitors for Brittany Ferries. If someone doesn't like the fare quoted by Brittany Ferries then they should do the research and find cheaper alternatives... one of which is to use the landbridge and the Dover/Calais crossing.
> 
> I certainly don't think any of the ferry companies are in the wrong for charging a premium for a direct Ireland/France crossing, convenience always comes at a price. Nor do I think it is wrong that they insist on passengers taking some form of accomodation on these long crossings, otherwise they would be spilling out hundreds of sleep deprived drivers onto the roads.
> 
> Its fair enough to post on here that someone finds the fares being quoted by a company as excessively high, but to imply that a company is carrying out a 'Disgraceful Rip Off'' seems a huge over dramatisation of the situation. Equally, it is in all of our interests for people to post on here about companies who are charging very competitive prices or have exceptional levels of customer service which is why I mentioned the fare we have obtained from C&CC.
> 
> Ultimately, if we all excercise our right to shop around for the best deal, the only people that will suffer from Brittany Ferries high pricing policy is Brittany Ferries.


agreed, Tim3

it is grossly excessive

we in Eire do not have your luxury of choice which forces competitive pricing

I am all for a fair price for a fair days work

I dont feel Brittany ferries are.....


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## Tim3

Hi Philbre

To a lesser extent the same is true for us...

We're off to Portugal early next month and the only reason we've booked that Dover/Calais crossing is because of the considerable saving compared with going Portsmouth/Bilbao or Santander. 

The cheapest we could find that was £365, so our crossing at £26 allows us a hell of a lot of deisel to get down there. Yes it'll take a lot longer, but thats the choice we made, convenience came at too high a price for us. In fact it'll probably take us 3-4 days longer but we're looking forward to an adventure on the way seeing new towns and villages.

You guys over on the emarald isle do seem to have it worse than us, but from some of the earlier posts there are some cheaper alternatives to be had.

Tim


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## ozzi

Try booking your ferry through the uk website. We found a difference of €200 between the irish site and uk site


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Ask the ferry operators how much it actually costs to run these long distance crossings.

I think the crossing to the isle of man may be the dearest mile for pound.
Dave P


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## thieawin

No that honour goes to Wightlink!

IOMSPCO has some really good offers at about £1.50 per mile but in peak, with a family, at times of high demand it can hit £4 per mile


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## sallytrafic

thieawin said:


> No that honour goes to Wightlink!
> 
> IOMSPCO has some really good offers at about £1.50 per mile but in peak, with a family, at times of high demand it can hit £4 per mile


Are you sure its not Red Funnel when we lived on the island is was often more expensive than Wightlink

No I think that the calmac ferry between the Isle of Bute and Colintraive must be the most expensive £ per mile unless its the chain ferry at Cowes (at low water I once worked out it was over £30 per mile)


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## 121576

philbre said:


> a very quick search made me weak at the knees
> 
> I am going from Ireland to France late June, returning early july, 2weeks away in total
> 
> a return ferry from Ireland to England costs around 550 euro
> 
> a return ferry from England to France costs around 200 euro
> 
> a guess at toll bridges & fuel in UK is 150 euro to cover both UK legs
> 
> thats a total of 900 euro
> 
> Brittany Ferries want 1550 euro to take me directly from cork to roscoff return, insisting that accomodation is taken by all passengers on overnight trips
> 
> Of course I will travel through the UK at this rate, but wonder if any UK members will suggest savings to be made on ferries/tunnel to France
> 
> Thanx in advance


Philbre,
try irish ferries,got a decent deal 7.2m mh,2 persons +dog,speedferry 2 hrs exactly,£198.00 return.In december sea franch were the cheapest,but p&o now seem to be just booked dover calais out in august ret october same compliment £117.00 less dog would be £87.00 so good deal,prices seem to change every few seconds??
Regards.
Peter Kean.


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## raynipper

I'm sorry to disagree with you Tim3.

When we bought 15 years ago our now permanent residence near Cherbourg. Part of the equation was the three very competitive ferries plying from UK to Cherbourg. Prices were on a par with the shorter Dover/Calais routes.

Now some years later after P&O buying out Sealink and then abandoning the Cherbourg route, even though this was referred to the Monopolies Commission. We are stuck with the highly inflated and some would say 'Rip Off' Brittany Ferries charges and indifferent service.

£500 return in high season is normal for our kids to bring their kids over to see us as the prices rocket in all school holidays.
We find it saves us between £100 and £150 to drive the 200 miles to get the LD Ferry from Dieppe even taking into account fuel and tolls.

So yes I would definitely use the words "Rip Off" where BF is concerned.

Ray.


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## sobersam

Hi All
New to the forum so I thought I would have a say on ferry prices. I booked on Tues 2nd june to go from Rosslare to le Havre Sat 4th July return Frid 31st July 2 persons and motorhome 6mts long for £612.00 with LD lines. No cabins, sleep on seats. I forgot to use my discount codes. I think that is value for money.


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Wecome sobersam, £612 gosh thats the cost of a full holiday for me.

DAve P


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