# Tunnel very expensive quotes compared with P&O Ferry Dov



## delboy0127 (Mar 3, 2009)

Hi 

Just had a quote from the Caravan Club Dover Calais September 2011 Motorhome 7.3 meters and Smart car trailer £143 return 2 persons, Euro Tunnel £290 approx.

Very pleased with CC quote have booked with them.

Would have preferred Tunnel as Folkestone on return would be better for us.

But not at £290 do you agree?

Take care

Delboy


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

I would guess your overall length (looking at your avatar) must be 10m - 11m? I suppose that price is understandable, considering.

We use the tunnel because a) we have a dog, and b) we use Tesco vouchers. If we didn't have those two things, we'd definitely use the ferry.

Gerald


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## delboy0127 (Mar 3, 2009)

Hi
Bang on with the overall length 10.95 meters to be precise, and yes I agree, but it is the same length of unit for the tunnel as it is for the Ferry.

Take care

Delboy


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

seems expensive for the Tunnel in September? Were you looking at peak times? 
The unit length shouldn't matter on the tunnel, it's all one price (?), should mean that longer units have a better chance of matching the ferries.


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

I think the tunnel is so expensive in September because you have left it very late to book.

I booked earlier in the year and paid £141, out 1st Sept back 26th (£120 was paid with Tesco vouchers so actual cash paid was £21! - what would we do without Tesco vouchers?)

Denise


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## CurlyBoy (Jan 13, 2008)

joedenise said:


> I think the tunnel is so expensive in September because you have left it very late to book.
> 
> I booked earlier in the year and paid £141, out 1st Sept back 26th (£120 was paid with Tesco vouchers so actual cash paid was £21! - what would we do without Tesco vouchers?)
> 
> Denise


Just booked tunnel, out 22nd Aug back 6thOct £147, £50 pound in Tesco vouchers, what a bargain!!

curlyboy

....oh yeah, and the next fortnight is going to go soooooooooooo slow.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

bognormike said:


> The unit length shouldn't matter on the tunnel, it's all one price (?), should mean that longer units have a better chance of matching the ferries.


Thats what I thought Mike. Perhaps its the trailer/toad thats bumping the price up ?

Pete


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

peejay said:


> bognormike said:
> 
> 
> > The unit length shouldn't matter on the tunnel, it's all one price (?), should mean that longer units have a better chance of matching the ferries.
> ...


just checked it, sorry  . with a trailer it adds about £60 each way. Longer MH's, such as Rv's are a better deal than a MH with trailer / toad because it's any length for a solo MH.


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## haggisbasher (May 1, 2005)

Booked again this year thru CC to travel Dover - Dunkirk with old Norfolk Line - cost £54 return for a 7.34metre motorhome - only rule you must travel out on a Sunday and back on a Friday which is not a problem to us. Not sure if this fare is still available. Of course if you are in a hurry to get somewhere in France then tunnel obviously best bet.


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## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

In March 2009 we tried booking a Eurotunnel return crossing for the end of June returning late July, through the CC, and were offered the same ticket price that had been available to us that day on the Eurotunnel booking website. No saving at all. 

In 2011 we did exactly the same thing, for a return crossing on the same days / times, similar peak dates, similar advance booking in March. 

The only difference was that in March 2011 we added a French campsite to our booking via the CC website. Wow!  . One night on a campsite (Chateau du Gandspette, near St Omer) gave us a whopping discount on the Eurotunnel return fare. Maybe the trick with the CC computer system is to include in your holiday trip at least 1 campsite night in Europe to convert it into a holiday "package" to get the full discount. 

Anyone else tried this?


SD


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## jud (Aug 15, 2009)

hi just booked p&o as always 3rd week Aug to Oct £76 return 5 ton tag 28.5 long we have never payed more then £86 return for years we just use the guy in Dover i did post his address on here but judging bye the money people are paying for there crossing nobody took my recommendation .jud :lol:


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

bognormike said:


> seems expensive for the Tunnel in September? Were you looking at peak times?
> The unit length shouldn't matter on the tunnel, it's all one price (?), should mean that longer units have a better chance of matching the ferries.


Hi
the length wont matter that much but the fact that you have a trailer might.

Its worth trying yourself and going onto eurounnels web site and lokoing at the different dates and times so you can see the chioce you have and pick perhaps a cheaper crossing.
I am a CC member but dont boter booking through them eventhough its cheaper. I dont think the CC booking can be changed so easlily and if you cant go (as happened to me in 2008) then you leave the booking in limbo for 12 months if you book it yourself.

Phill


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## MicknPat (Jul 18, 2005)

I just wonder what the operating costs are for the tunnel compared to the ferries?

Also are ALL the carriages and ships full or is the 'extra' cost to subsidise half full trains.

Or is the extra price an attempt at trying to pay back the cost of building the tunnel sooner?


We used Brittany Ferries to travel Portsmouth to Santander 16m vehicle length, outside cabin for two £725  

Mick


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

drcotts said:


> bognormike said:
> 
> 
> > seems expensive for the Tunnel in September? Were you looking at peak times?
> ...


"the length wont matter that much but the fact that you have a trailer might."

Correct, it is cheaper to take the motorhome and a car seperate (just). But if you have a car on a trailer, more expensive.

I have been on too many almost empty trains to understand why Eurotunnel is so expensive.

One busy weekend, the staff told me that although the system was designed for you to simply turn up and pay. If someone turned up that day and offered £300 to go one way, they would be turned away.

Madness.

I don't like the tunnel much, but as it is the only way across the eastern channel with Tesco Deals, I do use them from time-to-time. Mostly we use North Sea ferries or Stena.

TM


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

the tunnel do have massive capital costs to recover, but the banks effectively wrote off a load of that :roll: . It always seems quiet when we go on the tunnel, and I wonder if they pitched their fares just above the ferries they would get more revenue? The marginal costs of filling up the trains that are running would be minimal.

But having said that we prefer the tunnel, lots more convenient, no rough seas, no hoards of kids running about and quicker. And of course the possibility to use tesco vouchers - without that I think it's approx 1/3 more than the ferries?


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

bognormike said:


> no hoards of kids running about


You must be kidding - I've lost count of the number of times I've been sat in my car with kids running around in circles outside and also squeezing through between the cars - despite the signs stating it is forbidden to do so - do the parents do anything about it? :roll:


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Out*



Stanner said:


> bognormike said:
> 
> 
> > no hoards of kids running about
> ...


Ours were never allowed out of the Car!

But I have chilled out a bit now and take my Grandson a walk or carry him.

TM


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## 96706 (Nov 13, 2005)

Even though we are close to Newhaven Ferry, we find it far cheaper & quicker door/door to use the Tunnel, even if we are heading down the western side of France ( as a couple of weeks ago). 

With 2 driving, we can then plan to leave home after a days working and get a sensible train. We grab a few hours sleep at Cite Europe or some where else close by, before hitting the Auto Route. 

The Ferry leaves late at night and now gets us into Dieppe at 0330 hours, little time for decent sleep and it costs a fortune by comparison, as well as the hanging around to board & then unload.


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

I was about to tow a motorbike trailer across on September and add the trailer cost to my pre-booked crossing (Tescos) - £60 each way!!! Blimey, that doubled the cost of my ticket! 

There was an internet thread running some time ago during the ferry strikes when a Honda Goldwing rider asked his daughter to try and get him a eurotunnel crossing one way from France, which for about £50 she did - He turned up and was surcharged £100 for his trailer which she had not mentioned - Mad


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## jud (Aug 15, 2009)

jud said:


> hi just booked p&o as always 3rd week Aug to Oct £76 return 5 ton tag 28.5 long we have never payed more then £86 return for years we just use the guy in Dover i did post his address on here but judging bye the money people are paying for there crossing nobody took my recommendation .jud :lol:


 ! bump!


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## Hymervanman (Aug 20, 2010)

We returned on the tunnel last Sunday morning- very busy in the over-height carriages. We arrived about 1 1/2 hours before our 0854 scheduled crossing and were not given an alternative. We moved off the car-park as our train was called and only just got on the train- plenty of motorhomes were bumped onto the next train. They probably could have got more vehicles on the train if the French didn't have such a laid back approach to boarding. When we left the UK two weeks previously we were measured so that vehicles were mixed up and the carriages filled to capacity. The French were just loading in the order that vehicles were in the queue- consequently the carriage in front of us was occupied by a single car and caravan- whwereas they could have got at least another Vw camper or similar in as well. 
On the plus side though - it is a great way to cross the Channel, and means that you normally save loads of time- more so if you are fortunate enough to get an earlier train.
We used Tesco vouchers and paid £158 for peak Summer week-end crossings- £13 in hard- earned cash and the rest in vouchers- BARGAIN!


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## Gazzer (May 1, 2005)

Just checked with Norfolk line:

12M motorhome 
Outward journey - Friday 02 September 2011
Dover to Dunkirk (France)
Return journey - Friday 04 November 2011
Dunkirk (France) to Dover
Cost £220

Cost for Motorhome and trailer length up to 12M = £121 :? :?


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