2022 Ferries
Brittany Ferries fares are available on line now which is a lot earlier than normal.
Prices seem similar to this year
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But unfortunately up on previous years and with less crossings.
Colin
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I saw this on another forum and on first looking at the announcement appeared to be designed to appeal to those with vouchers to re-book.
Their CEO made a statement saying prices will not be rising however have not looked myself, to compare with this year, but my now abandoned 2021 trip would have been more than my similarly dropped 2020 trip.
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There appear to be fewer sailings because full list of sailings from Plymouth and Poole have not yet been announced, nor have sailings from Portsmouth to Bilbao and Le Havre. Patience needed!
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2022 sailings from Portsmouth were out early in the week, moved my flexi tickets to outbound April return June 2022, added bonus dog friendly cabin on outbound Portsmouth - Caen whereas previously pooch has had to sleep in boot of car, would not normally book a cabin for a 5 hr crossing but it maybe somewhere to self isolate but hopefully most people will have been vaccinated so not such a big deal.
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No problem with sailings on the Portsmouth-St Malo route for 2022...Just amended my 2021 (original 2020 booking) Portsmouth-St Malo overnight booking to 2022 at no extra charge...and in fact slightly cheaper...probably a cabin type difference.
Also received yesterday, a full refund of a deposit credit note issued in 2020 from the site i had booked. the CR stated that if not used, or intended use, within 18months a full refund could be claimed. Fired off an email to the site saying we would not be travelling to Europe this year...request came back for IBAN to pay refund...I don't think this would happen in the UK with commercial sites...
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Have to say BF have been brilliant throughtout for us, so glad we booked direct and used flexi tickets, club might be cheaper, but not much on short crossing, but so much easier to go on line to change or cancel a booking, they also extended my Club Voyage membership.
after getting caught with my pants down in France and arriving late afternoon in April at a site i had used previously only to find it full and the only alternative was a site where you slept with one eye open and the dog in full view, I did book two 1 nighters 2020 for which i still have credit notes and which have been extended to 2022, so all good.
p.s. still only paid the deposit on the inbound sailing which was for 2020 so another result
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Ditto re the flexi tickets...Yes the club may be slightly cheaper...but I understand the club make a charge for any amendments...
p.s. still only paid the deposit on the inbound sailing which was for 2020 so another result.
As the amendment did not exceed the original ticket price..there was nothing to pay..until the balance next year. Together with the voucher and the concession (20%) offered by the CEO for keeping with the voucher scheme...my balance is just under £200 for 2022. That is if we are not with another lockdown..!!
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Many Club members love booking all their travel a year ahead. But I don’t.
If I cross to France I will wait until a few days before departing and book day crossings from Plymouth to Roscoff - paying for cheaper Economy tickets instead of more expensive Flexible tickets - and on day sailings have no need for an expensive cabin in either direction.
I really don’t have any need to be repeatedly amending sailing dates, and I have never found any difficulty getting availability at short notice on that route.
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It used to only costs an admin fee (£10) to phone the Club to change ferry crossing dates! Having not used the Club for some years I don't know if this is still the case? I have never bought a flexi ticket although I have had to abandon one trip and return early. Claimed the excess I had to pay from travel insurance. These days I use Tesco vouchers and the tunnel and accept I would probably have to claim off travel insurance for an interrupted trip.
peedee
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Dear Flexible Friends!
Well, as I have no bookings and have only once had to amend a crossing with the club, no charge was made, I will stick with the 'small', average of around £300, saving that I make booking via the club.
As I say since 1992 I have only once had to amend a crossing, due to a family bereavement, and as we have no intention of crossing again till things are more 'known' don't see it as any more likely to happen in the near future.
As for the BF Voyager, the savings, for one return a year with the van are no where near the savings with the club and that's before you pay the cost of membership-I have done to sums a few times.
Now it may be that this is as I only use Plymouth and that's one of the 'caravan goes free routes' but whatever the reason I wont be booking direct.
EDIT-Just done a quote for a September crossing, earliest we could go if things improve, for a Plymouth to Roscoff return and;
BOOKING VIA CLUB INC 4 SITE VOUCHERS £311.80 MINUS VALUE OF VOUCHERS=£211
BOOKING DIRECT WITH BF=£538
So a minimum saving of £326 and if you use the vouchers, we always have, a saving of £327.I could go twice and still be over £100 in pocket.
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OOOPS- maths and typing dont mix for me! Saving with vouchers gives a price of £232 not £211.
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Each to their own, no good trying to contact the club late in the evening to try to change a ferry booking for 0800 hrs the following morning as we have done on at least 2 occasions when travelling back thru France, or changed a booking from Caen - Portsmouth to Cherbourg - Portsmouth again late in the evening, on the other hand we could not tour like ET and book on the spur of the moment. Club Voyage does have perks like half price cabins and on 2 occasions we have been upgraded, and got a dog friendly cabin, but as i said each to their own
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Thank you, Allan, and I don't doubt your Maths, But if I go it will be to a friend's house and without a caravan, so I will make no savings on fares by booking with the Club, and site vouchers will be meaningless to me - and I often hear motorhomers who also say that "caravan goes free" doesn't excite them either.
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The earliest we have ever booked was in September for the following May, but this was when I was working so my travel dates were not so flexible.
In 2018, for a variety of reasons we could not book till late and made a booking on July 27th for a crossing on 9th August!
Whilst it worked then would not leave it that late by choice and our usual routine is for out travel companions to visit for a few days in late November, discuss options and make the bookings and like AD we enjoy the anticipation.
However, cant get excited yet about a possible/perhaps/maybe trip in May 2022!
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Having taught secondary school for 35 years I must admit we always booked any crossing very early as we knew when we had to go. As soon as the summer was over we looked for followings years crossings. Sometimes direct, sometimes C&MC but most frequently though the Tesco vouchers scheme.The best deal seemed to change a little each year but the early bird usually got a good deal whichever option we chose. As we were in high season campsites also had to be booked.
But things change and like many who are now retired we are a bit more relaxed, but still book the crossing early, again for the best deal. Out of high season we do not generally book sites, except first and last nights if near the port. The only other exception is our preferred site in the Loire where we have found some riverside pitches are pre-booked by regulars up to 5 years in advance.
Colin
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The ability, or not, to book/reserve a particular pitch is a classic double edged sword.
Or favourite site, Bella Italia on Lake Garda, does not take pitch bookings outside of high season so visiting in May/June as we did meant you could be lucky and get a lakeside pitch or, as we did, time your arrival for a Friday as lots of people still seem to do Saturday to Saturday, and keep your eyes open for a lakeside opportunity!
However in the summer you could never get one as they were always booked by the same people year after year and, after three years on the same pitch at Polmanter in St Ives, we know that there is the pressure to not 'loose out' if you dont book again.
If like David we found a pitch we liked and could book it, at BI, then it would be very tempting but on balance would, at the moment,prefer the flexibility and not being tied down but know plenty who go, usually long term, to the same site to meet up with the same people every year.
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Croatia is, as you know, on our list of places we would like to try but we do a rally in September near home and as over there was looking dodgy we are already booked onto that for this year.
Our MH buddies also fancy it so its quite likely to happen, I just need to persuade Jean that it needs a little longer away to justify it!
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I never bother booking waterside pitches now. From experience I have found them not to be very private. Once at Samur overlooking the Loire we paid for such a pitch only to find people from other parts of the site walking along the front of the pitch to admire the same view. People even carried their chairs etc on an evening and set up 'camp'.
Same thing happened here at Bunree some years ago
We like our privacy so they are not for us.
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Re privacy, at Bella Italia the ‘front row’ has a road running along it which was very well used for the ‘passegetto’ evening stroll and we struck up many conversations due to this.
however, if I had paid a premium for a true waterside pitch I might expect a bit more ‘exclusivity’ but, having experienced a snobby, haughty attitude by Brits in the Dordogne on a river side site because we dared to use the path alongside their unit, maybe it’s not worth it!
We also had a really bad experience in the Loire, linked to booking such a pitch and not getting it, resulting in quite a lot of unpleasantness so will maybe stick to pot luck.
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First thing that I noticed about your pic David was that you are pitched across the pitch which is our preferred way as it’s far more sociable-OK we just like being nosey!
Club, and most UK sites, are quite open but many continental sites, as you will know, have trees and shrubs delimiting the pitch.
On our first trip to France one pitch was long and narrow, with a slope at the front, and 8ft high hedges all round so pitching toward the rear was like being in a tunnel!
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