Booking P&O ferry at last minute - is it more expensive?

[Peter Clark]

Taking MH on first overseas road trip in January - intending to use P&O ferries to Calais - would like flexibility to decide departure date at last minute.

Two questions - Can anyone enlighten me?

Q1) Can't find any clear information on whether it costs more to book a day or two before sailing.

And if it does cost more, is it a little or a lot?

Q2) From what I can see - booking one way seems to be almost identical price to booking return - is that correct?


(As a former motorcyclist with lots of Tesco vouchers, I haven't used a ferry since the tunnel opened - but their prices are silly for a MH)

 

[Brains]

I agree but just pointing out its hypocrisy to use Irish ferries as they are cheaper and not p&o because of the way they acted when they both as bad as each other. Maybe its why eurotunnel can't compete now.

I was always opposed to minimum wage as all it does is set a low bar for wages and does not encourage firms to pay more to attract staff but it has stopped (mostly) sweat shops .

Eurotunnels finance was set up incorrectly from the start, the Conservative government of the day (Thatcher era) decided that it should be treated as a private money making project, whereas the French (correctly) treated it as national infrastructure project.

The UK government then learnt for the next big project that you do it like the French. The next big project was HS2, and look what actually happened ......

As for minimum wage, it's a good thing, it stops effective slavery, it means companies that are not prepared to pay their workers a proper wage go out of business.
It drives up the wages of people on the lower rungs.
If a security guard is paid minimum wage, a shelf stacker should be getting minimum wage plus £1 p/h, a cleaner minimum plus £2 p/h, a person on a production line minimum plus £3 ph and so on.

The thing that is needed with a minimum wage scheme is to ensure the import tax on certain items is kept high, so as to ensure it is profitable to still produce them in this country, if it's in the countries interest to produce them ourselves.
(Polluter pays, we would rather filthy heavy industry items are bought in rather than made here)

Bottom line is we have a shortage of workers in certain low paid sectors in the UK.
Pay them properly and their will not be a shortage.
The private hospitals and decent hotels do not have a problem finding staff.

 

[MichaelT]

Eurotunnels finance was set up incorrectly from the start, the Conservative government of the day (Thatcher era) decided that it should be treated as a private money making project, whereas the French (correctly) treated it as national infrastructure project.

The UK government then learnt for the next big project that you do it like the French. The next big project was HS2, and look what actually happened ......

As for minimum wage, it's a good thing, it stops effective slavery, it means companies that are not prepared to pay their workers a proper wage go out of business.
It drives up the wages of people on the lower rungs.
If a security guard is paid minimum wage, a shelf stacker should be getting minimum wage plus £1 p/h, a cleaner minimum plus £2 p/h, a person on a production line minimum plus £3 ph and so on.

The thing that is needed with a minimum wage scheme is to ensure the import tax on certain items is kept high, so as to ensure it is profitable to still produce them in this country, if it's in the countries interest to produce them ourselves.
(Polluter pays, we would rather filthy heavy industry items are bought in rather than made here)

Bottom line is we have a shortage of workers in certain low paid sectors in the UK.
Pay them properly and their will not be a shortage.
The private hospitals and decent hotels do not have a problem finding staff.

I think you wrong on all counts for various reasons soles agree to disagree

 

[Brains]

I think you wrong on all counts for various reasons soles agree to disagree

Interesting.

The UK already has millions living in abject poverty, life expectancy is falling.
and you think a policy that at least stops those at the very bottom being exploited is not a good idea.

I just wonder what yours solutions would be ?
The return of the workhouse ? Child labour ? Debtors prisons ? Shipping undesirables to the Colonies?

I've spend quite some time in 'developing nations' (many of which are not developing, they are un-developing, but we are not supposed to call them 2nd or 3rd world countries any more), I've seen people living in favelas and shanty towns, where you need an armed guard and a fast motorbike to visit, you can buy almost anything, drugs, labour, guns, and some amazing food, desperation will force people to make money any way they can .
There are places in the UK that are not far off this level of poverty.

It may only take a decade to get into a poverty trap, but it can take several generations to get out of it, and the only exit is via Government sponsored schemes.
Which means the upper 80% need to support bottom 20% otherwise the cost increases and you will have 70% supporting 30% and so on.

(By the way, yes, I'd support an idea of conscription, or if you have been unemployed for longer than 6 months you'll be given any job the government needs doing such as tarmacking potholes, but they will still get paid, you can not have a section of society living below a poverty line, it brings down the rest of the county)

 

[MichaelT]

Interesting.

The UK already has millions living in abject poverty, life expectancy is falling.
and you think a policy that at least stops those at the very bottom being exploited is not a good idea.

I just wonder what yours solutions would be ?
The return of the workhouse ? Child labour ? Debtors prisons ? Shipping undesirables to the Colonies?

I've spend quite some time in 'developing nations' (many of which are not developing, they are un-developing, but we are not supposed to call them 2nd or 3rd world countries any more), I've seen people living in favelas and shanty towns, where you need an armed guard and a fast motorbike to visit, you can buy almost anything, drugs, labour, guns, and some amazing food, desperation will force people to make money any way they can .
There are places in the UK that are not far off this level of poverty.

It may only take a decade to get into a poverty trap, but it can take several generations to get out of it, and the only exit is via Government sponsored schemes.
Which means the upper 80% need to support bottom 20% otherwise the cost increases and you will have 70% supporting 30% and so on.

(By the way, yes, I'd support an idea of conscription, or if you have been unemployed for longer than 6 months you'll be given any job the government needs doing such as tarmacking potholes, but they will still get paid, you can not have a section of society living below a poverty line, it brings down the rest of the county)

I said let's agree to disagree, no one pays more than minimum unless they have to, I am not condoning or wanting poverty in fact the opposite so please leave it and let's get back to the post.

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[Wheelnut]

After the way they treated their staff a year or two back
(Fired them all and then employed some of them back at a lower wage and replaced the rest with Phillipinos)
I will never travel by P&O until the management is replaced.

I totally agree with you I will not be using P&O in the future I also think there is a safety issue with the staff that are not conversant with running a ship in a emergency situation that may arise with to many new people without sea experience

 

[WillH]

20 years ago I worked for Stena Line and anyone turning up was always charged top brochure price.