P&O ferry booking June 2022
Can’t say I am impressed with the club or P&O after a conversation I have had regarding a ferry booking for 2022. Had 2 return journey ferries booked for 2020 with car & caravan, total £399. Couldn’t obviously use these and had them as a credit to use within 2 years. Decided not to use them this year (2021).
Time to book for 2022!
Caravan club website quoted was £535.50 for Dover-Calais return, out in June back July, P&O website quoted £585! Added 4 site vouchers @£19.95/each to the club and it dropped it to total of £317.10. Kick in the teeth came as I had to ring up to book to use the credit I had held over and could only book a ferry, if I wanted vouchers they would be a separate booking and no discount offered. So it was pay the additional £136.50 or chance the prices going up, not getting the ferry times I wanted.
So a company that has had my money for over 2 years gives no discount and a club that supposedly had its members interest at heart can’t/won’t offer deals as it’s down to P&O policies. Disgusted with both and shall be loath to use in future, should have claimed a charge back off the credit card company last year!
Anyway beware prices for 2022 are about 3 times what they where in 2020, at least with P&O.
Comments
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Are you too late to reclaim the cost of your unused 2020 tickets?
If you are able to do that you could start again with others operators and other routes. But I would caution about making a new booking nine months ahead for June 2022. There will be availability nearer the time and prices will probably stabilise. I hope you can sort it out one way or another.
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Eurotraveller, problem was non refundable tickets, ferries we’re running, I couldn’t use it wasn’t there fault so would have had to claim on insurance, but excess meant would have lost half of it so asked for credit note, so yes too late for refund.
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I had a ferry booked for 1st July through the club, non refundable & was only £25 cheaper than a refundable direct from P & O..... so in future maybe the way to go.....!!
£175 credit towards whatever price I'll get charged for 2022 .......
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My P&O 2020 issued credit note covered a return Dover - Calais crossing. For 2022 it will only cover me for a single. The nice lady at P&O on the phone did say if I wait then prices should come down as more places will be made available due to covid distancing regulations being eased.
When I last looked Eurotunnel was cheaper than a ferry so if starting from scratch this is the way I would go.
C&MC are still cheaper than going direct, but as others have said you are dealing with a 3rd party so if things go wrong it is more problematic.
Prices for Brittany Ferries on Plymouth - Roscoff seem to have stabilised over the last 3 months, that is my 2022 price is about 10% higher than my 2020 credit note and the price has held stable for the last 3 to 4 months.
Stenna crossings for Harwich - Hook of Holland still look very good on a return basis with C&MC.
Colin
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"Prices for Brittany Ferries on Plymouth - Roscoff seem to have stabilised over the last 3 months, that is my 2022 price is about 10% higher than my 2020 credit note and the price has held stable for the last 3 to 4 months."
Hi, Sadly not my experience!
We have used BF Plymouth to Roscoff for many years enjoying near 50% discount via the club over what BF were quoting-last crossing was £355 club V £642.BF.
Having had several quotes recently that were almost £300 more for an almost identical trip I rang the travel service.
The BF offers of free or 50% off a caravan are no more-they state there are discounts but when the travel service got a quote it was the same as direct with BF. I have just done it again and it is £632.76 compared with the £355 the last time I used it.
My initial disappointment has now given way to the enjoyment of planning and looking at lots of other options. One feature of the discounted fares is that it must be a return with the same carrier but now I am looking at trips of a more circular type using single fares on different routes.
Harwich outbound suits visiting friends in Holland, and Roscoff inbound is best for coming home being just 35 miles away-so maybe that will be the choice but still a long time to plan!
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Credit notes for unused travel tie you to the company which issued them - and they can hike their 2022 prices to whatever level they like to cover themselves. So the OP has been quoted a price over £500 for a simple Dover - Calais- Dover ferry crossing. Lesson is beware of credit notes - they stop you using other routes with other companies.
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allanandjean,
it just shows how unstable the market is when we are getting different results on prices for crossings.
I was initially annoyed at BF on the Plymouth to Roscoff route. My crossing price went up as the cheap morning crossing, when I booked it a few months ago, is no more for late August 2022. This means I've had to book a night crossing and a cabin, but as we will land in the morning instead of late evening it saves on cost and possible stress of a late one night pitch.
We are also going the circular route for 2022. It allows flexibility in looking at best fairs, but then it gets tricky if you need to re-book. My original P&O return was out in June and back in Oct, but it was in effect two singles as we have a BF and a Stenna in the middle.
When you throw these variables into the equation, along with trying to guess when ACSI low season starts it's a midfield. I'm hoping by the time their 2022 book is out in late December then crossing prices will be more stable.
Colin
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Irish Ferries are now operating on the Dover/Calais route, and when I looked at crossings they were £62 each way compared to more than twice that with P and O. It's worth a look for anyone struggling to find a reasonably priced crossing.
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Hi Val, They don't as yet have any prices for 2022 however, it would need to be a heck of a saving to tempt us back to the trip to Dover which was always a right pain-hence switching to BF despite, at the time, it being more expensive.
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Hi Val, After seeing your post on another forum did a quote for this month, same period and crossing times, with van and its £386.
Our MH buddies have been using Newhaven for last couple of years, due to high cost of BF for their MH, and recommend it so, as we are going to Italy, its an option but, as we are planning on a visit to friends in Holland most likely routes are Harwich out and Roscoff return.
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I've got an IOU for £135 from P&O which expires next June. I wonder how far across it will get me? I've heard that a trip on a Zodiac is about £1000 one way.
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We received a full refund (crossing and Red Pennant) in 2020 from the Club. We have been crossing to Europe each year since 2004 for 6 or 9 weeks, but had started to tread the same rut. This year we did a Somerset, Dorset and Cornwall staycation due to Covid worries and I must says it was a very enjoyable change. Currently, with the price hikes and Covid uncertainties, I'm keeping my powder dry although the Harwich crossing is a tempting price, and would open up different regions to possibly explore.
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