Channel tunnel insanity...
Discussion
Upon a comment from Mrs DG I decided to look up a channel tunnel crossing and was amazed at the costs involved. I appreciate that I was looking up 'fully flexible' tickets but even so this seems insane to me...
Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
Flexiplus will always be quite a bit more.
We travelled last week (reasonably regular Eurostar travelers) outbound is never any issues so I wouldn’t bother flexiplus (we do just because we can). Return is where flexiplus comes in a bit of delay due to British passport control but once through pop into the lounge 4 people fill up on all the sandwiches, crisps and cake you can for the day and next day, one of every soft drink they supply and a Starbucks coffee (smaller in France than the UK) and then jump the line to get on the next train it pays for the upgrade just in the food.
We travelled last week (reasonably regular Eurostar travelers) outbound is never any issues so I wouldn’t bother flexiplus (we do just because we can). Return is where flexiplus comes in a bit of delay due to British passport control but once through pop into the lounge 4 people fill up on all the sandwiches, crisps and cake you can for the day and next day, one of every soft drink they supply and a Starbucks coffee (smaller in France than the UK) and then jump the line to get on the next train it pays for the upgrade just in the food.
DodgyGeezer said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
...and it's cheaper than it was a couple of years ago!
Pre COVID we did a European road trip every year for years.
We loved the Flexi tickets as it was always hassle free and as the name suggests flexible! We booked our last trip in the January of '19 for the May of that year, not expecting what was to come. The ticket price was refunded to us immediately no questions asked.
DodgyGeezer said:
Upon a comment from Mrs DG I decided to look up a channel tunnel crossing and was amazed at the costs involved. I appreciate that I was looking up 'fully flexible' tickets but even so this seems insane to me...
Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
Just clocked the car. This was 2 weeks ago:Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
Arrived at Dover to find a load of Plymouth prowlers and the mustang owners club (plus this guy).
Chicken Chaser said:
I've just been quoted £560 but that is for a van & caravan in the middle of August.
That’s not bad really when the space it takes is 2 cars, based on the prices above. For anyone with a VW transporter conversion when chucking in a reg our T6 was classed as a van and the price was high, putting the vehicle in manually as a tall car and came out cheaper.
DodgyGeezer said:
Upon a comment from Mrs DG I decided to look up a channel tunnel crossing and was amazed at the costs involved. I appreciate that I was looking up 'fully flexible' tickets but even so this seems insane to me...
Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
You obviously have not looked lately at car rental prices in Europe...they are crazy!Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
R.
DodgyGeezer said:
bigandclever said:
Flexiplus is lounge access, first on and off, loads of passengers, unlimited luggage, fully refundable and on and on.
unlimited luggage? Loads of passengers? As everything is in my car what does it matter?
It's what they say when good people like yourself say 'why not get an easy jet flight?'bigandclever said:
It was a bit oblique, I grant you It's what they say when good people like yourself say 'why not get an easy jet flight?'
It's what they say when good people like yourself say 'why not get an easy jet flight?'
oh bugger, I see what you mean now (in fairness I did say in my opening whinge about a couple, rather than family - for that very reason. I guess being an old fart I can remember
I can see this being a ferry journey if we do plump for that course of action. Tempted to go the dearer routes on the ferry just because I've never done the first and not done the 2nd in a long time:
Newhaven - Dieppe (D-day stuff, Mont St Michel etc etc)
Harwich - Hook (drive to Denmark & cross to Sweden, 'just because')
I guess it depends on what we'll do... I'm not feeling particularly enthused about Dunkerque or Calais
ecsrobin said:
That’s not bad really when the space it takes is 2 cars, based on the prices above.
For anyone with a VW transporter conversion when chucking in a reg our T6 was classed as a van and the price was high, putting the vehicle in manually as a tall car and came out cheaper.
Yeah thats what I thought, If I was going Portsmouth - Cherbourg, it was £1200 for the same thing and an overnight crossing. I'd rather do this in less time and then drive over to wherever I needed to be. For anyone with a VW transporter conversion when chucking in a reg our T6 was classed as a van and the price was high, putting the vehicle in manually as a tall car and came out cheaper.
DodgyGeezer said:
Upon a comment from Mrs DG I decided to look up a channel tunnel crossing and was amazed at the costs involved. I appreciate that I was looking up 'fully flexible' tickets but even so this seems insane to me...
Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
Ferry,Over £550 return - surely most couples would be better served to get an Easy Jet flight and then a rental? Seems insane. The ferry is cheaper (as you'd hope, but not as cheap as you'd hope!)
Or am I being a cheapskate?
£74 to go, £77 to back
07:15 out 16:00 back
Chicken Chaser said:
Yeah thats what I thought, If I was going Portsmouth - Cherbourg, it was £1200 for the same thing and an overnight crossing. I'd rather do this in less time and then drive over to wherever I needed to be.
I live near Portsmouth and still travel to the tunnel as the time and cost is better than a ferry. Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff