We’re you aware of what the Severn Bridge charges used to be? Government owned in no way relates to ‘reasonable’ charges. If that were the case rail fares including London would be designed to encourage people off the polluting roads.
End of Frequent Traveller on Eurotunnel
- Thread starter violet
- Start date
Not trying to jump the queue I hope
Before i switched to the Frequent Traveller scheme I booked through the Caravan Club and got a small discount. On one occasion I was delayed for about 2 hours and the train got stuck in the tunnel. I complained to the Caravan Club and got all of the ticket price back. The same thing happened when I was on the Frequent Traveller scheme but Eurotunnel gave me a voucher that allowed me a supplement if I arrived early. Value of the voucher was about £20. I might go back to booking through the Caravan Club.
Not if they can pretty much fill it with full priced ones. We're on our last frequent traveler ticket ATM. From Eurotunnels prospective they can afford to lose quite a few by stopping frequent traveler tickets if say 80% still use the tunnel at full price they're likely to make more for less overheads. The ferries are quite likely to put their fares up too given less competition. Eventually it will reach the point where a new operator with cheaper fares will step in and the cycle continue.
MichaelT
LIFE MEMBER
Once the fiasco at Dover is sorted to near what it used to be the time savings on the tunnel will be minimal. We recently used ET due to the FT tickets but always found the boarding process a pain and always seemed to be delayed for one reason or other and the little hitlers who check gas and do explosive swabs a real pain.
Always found ferries were reasonably on time and crossing time of only slightly longer than ET at around 80 minutes was acceptable given they were half the price of a full priced ET ticket.
Now P&O have pet lounge they will likely take quite a bit of traffic off ET especially weekdays when chance of sitting in queue for 5 hours is unlikely and let's be honest most FT tickets were bought by the wrinklies who will travel mid week anyway probably.
Always found ferries were reasonably on time and crossing time of only slightly longer than ET at around 80 minutes was acceptable given they were half the price of a full priced ET ticket.
Now P&O have pet lounge they will likely take quite a bit of traffic off ET especially weekdays when chance of sitting in queue for 5 hours is unlikely and let's be honest most FT tickets were bought by the wrinklies who will travel mid week anyway probably.
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- Jul 5, 2013
- 11,979
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Have you ever run a business at all, let alone one running trains? Just how much do you think it costs to run the Eurotunnel trains? £10 return per van would not even cover the cost of the electricity used by the train even if it was full up! And who pays for everything else to run it. Drivers, signalling, check in, sales, tickets booths and security checks as well as a lot of other safety and security people.
I'm not convinced by the "pet lounge" I've only been to two specific "doggie cafés" but they seemed to be the place people took their badly behaved hounds to as they would probably have been ejected from a "normal" dog friendly establishment ?
MichaelT
LIFE MEMBER
WoteverI'm not convinced by the "pet lounge" I've only been to two specific "doggie cafés" but they seemed to be the place people took their badly behaved hounds to as they would probably have been ejected from a "normal" dog friendly establishment ?
mikebeaches
LIFE MEMBER
Don't want to sound too pessimistic, but given the rapidly rising price of fuel (diesel & electricity etc), personally I reckon it is unlikely there will be many cheap ways across or under the Channel in the mid-term ie next year. 
Just priced up our September trip......
Eurotunnel: £389 return, 15:20 departure which means we can finish work at lunchtime, drive down to the tunnel and be there before check in closes. If the train runs on time (which in our experience they tend to) we'll be ready to depart Calais about 17:00 CET and can get a couple of hundred miles in before stopping for a relaxed evening in Redu.
Cheapest ferry: £274 return, 16:00 departure (unfortunately we won't make it in time for the 15:25 due to the extra travel time to Dover). Should be ready to set off from Calais around 18:45 CET (how long does it take to disembark a ferry...is 15 mins realistic?) - which means we either don't get as far that evening, or we drive until later and don't have such a nice first evening of our holiday.
For us, the £112 difference is worth paying - in the scheme of things its not much and it means we can get a head start on wherever we're off to. With only 2 weeks off work time is money, though if we weren't under such time constraints I'd probably feel very differently.
The thing I'll miss most from the FT scheme is the flexibility.....if we managed to finish work earlier or couldn't get away at the time planned it was easy (and free) to change the time. We didn't need to worry about choosing our return time because we could just change it later on when we knew where we'd be. Yes it was great that the tickets were cheaper than standard one, but we regularly used to pay the FT peak time supplement anyway. I know you can also change normal tickets, but can be pretty expensive doing that at the last minute.
Eurotunnel: £389 return, 15:20 departure which means we can finish work at lunchtime, drive down to the tunnel and be there before check in closes. If the train runs on time (which in our experience they tend to) we'll be ready to depart Calais about 17:00 CET and can get a couple of hundred miles in before stopping for a relaxed evening in Redu.
Cheapest ferry: £274 return, 16:00 departure (unfortunately we won't make it in time for the 15:25 due to the extra travel time to Dover). Should be ready to set off from Calais around 18:45 CET (how long does it take to disembark a ferry...is 15 mins realistic?) - which means we either don't get as far that evening, or we drive until later and don't have such a nice first evening of our holiday.
For us, the £112 difference is worth paying - in the scheme of things its not much and it means we can get a head start on wherever we're off to. With only 2 weeks off work time is money, though if we weren't under such time constraints I'd probably feel very differently.
The thing I'll miss most from the FT scheme is the flexibility.....if we managed to finish work earlier or couldn't get away at the time planned it was easy (and free) to change the time. We didn't need to worry about choosing our return time because we could just change it later on when we knew where we'd be. Yes it was great that the tickets were cheaper than standard one, but we regularly used to pay the FT peak time supplement anyway. I know you can also change normal tickets, but can be pretty expensive doing that at the last minute.
Sadly, I think you're probably rightDon't want to sound too pessimistic, but given the rapidly rising price of fuel (diesel & electricity etc), personally I reckon it is unlikely there will be many cheap ways across or under the Channel in the mid-term ie next year.
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Minxy
LIFE MEMBER
- Aug 22, 2007
- 33,963
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We've used ET for years twinning with a fellow funster for FT tickets, it was the only way we could travel as Lily was petrified if ferries, now we no longer have her we can use the ferries again, I much prefer the tunnel but not at 3times the cost.
Puddleduck
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- Jan 15, 2014
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We probably won't use the tunnel again for a number of reasons.
The price has just got to be so expensive, especially since we live in Scotland so have to factor in getting to the terminal plus a night (or two) at a campsite on the way down and back.
We will probably use one of the Newcastle or Hull ferries in future and start any trip with a "cruise".
The price has just got to be so expensive, especially since we live in Scotland so have to factor in getting to the terminal plus a night (or two) at a campsite on the way down and back.
We will probably use one of the Newcastle or Hull ferries in future and start any trip with a "cruise".
It’s amazing different peoples perception of the same things.
I’ve always found ET staff pleasant and helpful, whereas the port lane marshals usually seemed to come across as a abupt and grumpy, and the fact that the boarding process on the boats is down to individual deck officers used to drive me up the wall.
Accept totally that the provision of pet facilities on the short sea routes should prove to be a good marketing ploy.
- Aug 18, 2014
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When it's 40quid on the boat
Exactly!
Before 4 to 6 trains per hour. Usually fullish.
Now 1 to 1.5.sometimes half full. Around 75% reduction.
As above ,it will never happen.
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just been reading this thread,
as ive never experienced either i am surprised that the ferry is cheaper than the tunnel.
Dont know why i thought this.
as ive never experienced either i am surprised that the ferry is cheaper than the tunnel.
Dont know why i thought this.
I didn't realise that the ferry companies did bundles. Are they as competitive as the tunnel used to be?
I used to use P&Os bundles years ago. They were brilliant, apart from the price you used to get a page of booking ref. numbers, just show up at check in and show the next number and you were put on next ferry, in either direction. Be careful though, I seem to remember they stopped allowing MHs to use them
MichaelT
LIFE MEMBER
Looks like MH are between £79 & £84 per crossing depending on how many crossings you buy...
https://www.poferries.com/en/routes/dover-to-calais/deals/season-tickets
Minxy
LIFE MEMBER
- Aug 22, 2007
- 33,963
- 71,483
- Funster No
- 149
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- Carthago Compactline
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- Since 1996, had Elddis/Swift/Rapido/Rimor/Chausson MHs. Autocruise/Globecar PVCs/Compactline i-138
You get a discount on pet travel costs if you buy 5 or more returns with P&O (10+ crossings) so £7.50 each way instead of £15.00 each way, the cost per single crossing is £84 so if you did a comparison with ET FT for 10 single crossings (as was the minimum with ET) it equates to:
P&O: £840 = 10 x £84.00
ET: £580 = 10 x £58.00 (includes MH supplement)
If you added in the pet cost it worked out cheaper with ET (the FT pet rate was £18 each way instead of £22 for non-FT bookings):
P&O
£840 = 10 x £84.00
£ 75 = 10 x £7.50 (1 pet)
£915
£840 = 10 x £84.00
£150 = 10 x £15.00 (2 pets)
£990
ET
£580 = 10 x £58.00 (includes MH supplement)
£180 = 10 x £18.00 (1 pet)
£760
£580 = 10 x £58.00 (includes MH supplement)
£360 = 10 x £36.00 (2 pets)
£940
However there is a P&O ticket transfer supplement of £10 per ticket which has to be done at the time of purchase so depending on how many of those you do (ie to share) then the costs for P&O would change.Subscribers do not see these advertisements
MichaelT
LIFE MEMBER
The cost per trip for 10 tickets is £81 plus the supplement for peak is on a per day basis (non Sept-Nov) not per time so not likely to hit those of us who travel outside of peak season but even in August peak days are mostly weekends anyway.
Not saying either is better but there is an option with P&O wheras ET not, but I think they will bring something in next year once all the old ones are used up wether it will match the old schem or P&O who knows....
I’ve always used ET because of my dog but I have just priced my crossings with both ET and P&O and it’s coming out £110 cheaper for the ferry. My main concern is any amendments for the ferry are £20.
I still have a problem with P&O and living locally many of my friends are either P&O retirees or sacked workers.... But....
You are quite right, I should probably be boycotting them but £110 is a lot of money and me not booking with them isn’t going to get them their jobs back. The government should not have let it happen.
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I was just about to say that. A few months ago a lot said they would never use p and o again because of how they treated the staff but now it just comes down to the price!
Minxy
LIFE MEMBER
- Aug 22, 2007
- 33,963
- 71,483
- Funster No
- 149
- MH
- Carthago Compactline
- Exp
- Since 1996, had Elddis/Swift/Rapido/Rimor/Chausson MHs. Autocruise/Globecar PVCs/Compactline i-138
Nope, it's £84 (ie 5 returns), you're looking at the 9+ returns price (ie 18 singles or more):
MichaelT
LIFE MEMBER
Oh yes sorry you are right, must go to specsavers
it does. Seeing a few tomorrow on a bike club meeting at H's on the A2. Will ask for dispensation.
Saw a few ex-P&O mates today at H's cafe on the A2 and they both said go for it. Irish Ferries already did this in the past so if you can save £120 why not.
Nowe I need to find the free day trip email from when they cancelled my annual pilgrimage to Vimy in April....
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