Car ferry to France

[Des]

I've used the ferry a few times, to hit Europe for a couple of weeks, always booking at the last minute due to having to fit in around work, and always pay through the nose, a friend tells me that he has regularly just rocked up at the port and booked a daytrip return thing, no extra charge for passengers in car, and when returning he's just done the same thing again, tells me it saves hundreds.(I suppose the daytrip things must be popular with the booze cruisers)Has anyone tried this? My worry would be finding myself trying to get home from a Frenchie port and the ferry company taking vengence on my shenanigans by blackmailing me a grand to get home.

[dieselnutjob]

did it years agoday trip going out3 day return to come backat the time you couldn't get a daytrip from France to the UKI heard that some ferry companies actually check reg numbers going out and in to stop itthe solution to that would be to use different ferry companies for each direction I suppose?I need a way to convince them that I want a day trip towing my caravan though. that seems impossibleI was also wondering, just how illegal would it be to put some French looking plates on your car once your are off the French highway and inside the port of Calais, and rock up to the the kiosk with your French plates on and ask for a day trip? say you're an expat and you need to get back to blighty for a 2 year supply of teabags and marmite

[Alpineandy]

I've never managed to get a cheap deal turning up last minute at calais but only once had to wait for the next ferry. Usually the france to uk is the expensive bit. But I've found the norfolk lines to dunkirk deals to be the cheapest option unless one of the others is on a super-cheap deal.

[lovejoy]

I think Mr.Bickle would have some low-down of ferry trips to france, are you there, Nigel ??? The licence plate swap is interesting, but perhaps could backfire !!

[Alpineandy]

I think they must have a dvla (french equivalent) connection and they'd rip your car apart thinking you're a drug dealer or a terrorist.

[Mr Lobster]

You used to be able to just turn up and get a cheap fare but its a lot more difficult now.They have got wise to people booking a day trip and then not using the return leg so staying in France then booking a day trip to get back on - most state that if you don't use your return crossing they will charge you the full amount of whatever it should have been. Unfortunately with the use of number plate recognition its difficult to get around...

[nigel bickle]

I'm with Mr Crustacean -ANPR has effectively stopped that stunt.Customs take an interest too- as I've discovered several times.Best guess is to book a 2am crossing - then rock up at 10,or whenever. They'll honour the'cheap' price (DON'T even mention it-they won't)-cos its too much aggravation -unless you've picked a Bank Holiday weekend!!I've 'A framed' various cars back FREE - just pull up to the booth, do the formalities, & haul it through. Poor sucker cant remember what your ticket said, isnt really interested, & now has another in front of him.Has worked 4 times at Dunkirk, twice leHavre, twice Calais. Not yet been pulled- but it'll happen one day!Even SWMBO approves - but admits that she squirms with embarrassment!Hiya Lovejoy- you OK?

[Jon]

I'm not quite sure how that number recognition bit in the port works. About 18 months ago I was working on a tv drama that involved a London taxi being driven across France and Germany. So as to make things quicker, 2 were sent out (along with a V8 Lexus for 'plate shots' - 6 cameras attached to it covering all angles of road/traffic for interior shots of the taxi back in the studio), so that doubles of the cast could be shot 'driving by' to save time etc.Anyway, totally illegally these taxis displayed the same number plates - all the time! They had a transporter to carry them but during filming in Dover, Dunkirk and Coburg they were out all day being driven on one set of plates - and it wasn't a locked of set, these were roads open to the public.They passed through the port at Dover with the same number plates, albeit at different kiosks and nothing happened. Strange, eh?

[Mr Lobster]

If you want a cheap fare, have you tried aferryto.co.uk (or whatever) as they sometimes have cheapish sailings? Similarly TransEuropaFerries are normally pretty cheap if you don't mind ending up in Ostend. I paid £60 for a four day return a year or so back which I was pretty happy with.

[FredTransit]

I'm not quite sure how that number recognition bit in the port works. About 18 months ago I was working on a tv drama that involved a London taxi being driven across France and Germany. So as to make things quicker, 2 were sent out (along with a V8 Lexus for 'plate shots' - 6 cameras attached to it covering all angles of road/traffic for interior shots of the taxi back in the studio), so that doubles of the cast could be shot 'driving by' to save time etc.Anyway, totally illegally these taxis displayed the same number plates - all the time! They had a transporter to carry them but during filming in Dover, Dunkirk and Coburg they were out all day being driven on one set of plates - and it wasn't a locked of set, these were roads open to the public.They passed through the port at Dover with the same number plates, albeit at different kiosks and nothing happened. Strange, eh?

Naughty! I once had one of the vans break down on the way to Paris, and it wasn't on the RAC cover, so we swapped plates on the hard shoulder and got recovered into Paris! It helps if you have more than one van that looks the same in the country at the same time..... As for the Dover crossing, Seafrance is cheap. Commercially we have an account though, but never book.

[messerschmitt owner]

use your tesco vouchers and go tunnel!Otherwise I find P&O to be cheapest

[FredTransit]

When we were ;looking at accounts, P&O were twice as much as Seafrance. The tunnel is 3 times as much so I have never used it.

[Rod/b]

I always use Norfolkline. You can get deals at £23 each way if you book a bit in advance. Dunkirks only 20mins from Calais so it's not a vast difference.

[scruff]

What Rod said. Ferries are mucho nicer too.

[messerschmitt owner]

I'm used to taking a 7.54m x 3.15m van! P&O is always cheapest! You can get my van on the tunnel for £32 of Tesco vouchers.

[nigel bickle]

With Rod too. 2am crossings short term internet bookings are often £6-8each way. Turn uplate morning-no bother.

 

Cheapest I ever got on P&O was £17 each way- which they further honoured when I returned with a 'trailer':-

 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb290/nigelbickle/renault/ourcars026.jpg

 

Didnt feel I could 'blag that through' - twice the size/height of the towing Saab!

Couldn't really argue at £17- although the officious berk at the tollbooth did - finally overridden by his boss. Marvellous!

[dieselnutjob]

I always found the tunnel to be really expensive, but a couple of years ago they did surprise me.I bought a day trip and they said I could have 48 hrs on the French side.I don't know whether that's still true but if so it's enough for a pretty decent trip to some of the north European cities. We had a day and a night in Amsterdam.I do wish that EU or someone would pick up on ferry prices because I like going to France but I am really fed up with being gouged by the Ferry companies.And I do not understand why it costs them so much less to do a day trip than to do the same two journeys but separated by a bigger gap.