Ferry or tunnel?? (1 Viewer)

[Tinty]

in June we will be taking our first trip abroad in the Moho and travelling to France. I'm depending on you lovely people to keep us right as we are literally clueless! So firstly what do you recommend ferry or tunnel?? Not much difference in price, I've looked at booking through the caravan club?? Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[Deleted member 29692]

We use the tunnel every time. Never even consider the ferry and I can't see that we ever will.

The main reason for us is that the dogs can stay with us for the duration of the journey.

The other benefits in my opinion:

As you say the difference is price is minimal. Even if it wasn't IMO the tunnel is worth a premium.
It's much quicker - 35 minutes as opposed to roughly 90 minutes for the quickest ferry
It's much more flexible. You book for a specific train time but if you turn up early are offered the next available train and are only charged if it would have been a more expensive crossing when you booked. You can turn up late as well I believe but we've never tried that out!


The cheapest way of booking the tunnel is using Tesco Clubcard vouchers. £10 worth of vouchers is worth £30 on the tunnel.

 

[scousebird]

We use the tunnel every time

Ditto

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[mpdcymru]

We've done both with the motorhome and (previously) with car and caravan. The tunnel is great because you can sit in your van, read a book, have a (cold) drink or whatever you want and there is none of that jostling around at dis-embarkation time - all drivers are already there and you simply wait for the one in front to move off.

If you are travelling with a pet (dog etc) it also has the distinct advantage that you do not need to leave them alone in the car.

The ferry does mean that you can have a walk about on deck and actually watch France come into view but has little other advantage. Nowadays we leave the ferries for the longer trips (Portsmouth - Caen etc) as they then give the very real advantage of a good break before a decent days. drive - sometimes useful for us as we are in west Wales.

For us the choice boils down to where we are going - south or west of France and then it is the ferry, northern France, Germany etc then it's the tunnel.

Remember too (as is often said on here) you bought a motorhome to see different places and not the inside of a boat!

 

[mpdcymru]

We use the tunnel every time. Never even consider the ferry and I can't see that we ever will.

The main reason for us is that the dogs can stay with us for the duration of the journey.

The other benefits in my opinion:

As you say the difference is price is minimal. Even if it wasn't IMO the tunnel is worth a premium.
It's much quicker - 35 minutes as opposed to roughly 90 minutes for the quickest ferry
It's much more flexible. You book for a specific train time but if you turn up early are offered the next available train and are only charged if it would have been a more expensive crossing when you booked. You can turn up late as well I believe but we've never tried that out!


The cheapest way of booking the tunnel is using Tesco Clubcard vouchers. £10 worth of vouchers is worth £30 on the tunnel.

Yes, forgot the Tesco vouchers - it sometimes means that very few pennies actually change hands!

 

[Tinty]

Thanks all, seems the tunnel wins! I was thinking that the ferry meant we could get out and have a walk about but we are in the Moho anyway so can have a cuppa in there! Thanks again the were to stay questions will be next

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[Just smiffy]

I have been going from Dover Dunkirk every time... Long drive this side gives me a break for 2hrs and blows the driving cobwebs off and feeling refreshed for a good drive in France and I've never seen a refugee on the way back....
As others have said if you have dogs and don't want to be parted from them as their like little children and probably crap in the van then tunnel probably best...

The choice is yours..... You could book one out and other back, then you'll know for the future ..

 

[scousebird]

Thanks all, seems the tunnel wins! I was thinking that the ferry meant we could get out and have a walk about but we are in the Moho anyway so can have a cuppa in there! Thanks again the were to stay questions will be next

If you go on the ferry you have to leave your vehicle on the car deck and go up to the passengers decks where you can stretch your legs, have a coffee/meal etc. If you have driven a long way to the port you may want a break.

 

[laneside]

The tunnel only goes down and up once whereas the ferry can do it all the way across the channel, fine if you get a nice smooth crossing or you are not prone to motion sickness

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[Old Soldier]

Never done the tunnel as yet. No pets but Les suffers badly with claustrophobia, won't get on the tube in London or go into any lifts. I have suggested closing the blinds whilst in the Tunnel but she won't have it, so for us, for the time being, it's a walk around the deck in all weathers!!

 

[mitzimad]

i prefer the ferry its a chance to take a break walk round do some shopping or get a meal tunnel is a bit boring nothing to look at

 

[Old Soldier]

As a matter of interest, hope it's not a stupid question, but are you able to get out of the van whilst using the tunnel? Is there a resurant car with toilets for those travelling in their cars?

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[ludo]

Yes you can get out of your vehicle and walk the length of the train if you wish. No, there is no food but you can of course eat in your van. Yes there are toilets at either end of the train but you still have yours in your van.

 

[Old Soldier]

Yes you can get out of your vehicle and walk the length of the train if you wish. No, there is no food but you can of course eat in your van. Yes there are toilets at either end of the train but you still have yours in your van.

Understood, thanks.

 

[Tinty]

Is it ok carrying gas in the tunnel?

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[Deleted member 29692]

Is it ok carrying gas in the tunnel?

Yes but the bottles must be switched off. You'll get checked 95% of the time.

 

[ludo]

We always use the tunnel these days. The last time we used the ferry, DFDS, was in 2010 from Dover to Dunkirk return. We had brand new van and the loading master put us on the open deck both ways! We watched the sea spray washing over the van with horror. At that point we said, "never again"!

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Is there a resurant car with toilets for those travelling in their cars?

You're only on the thing for 35 minutes. By the time you'd walked to a restaurant car and queued up it would be time to go back to your car

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[ludo]

Is it ok carrying gas in the tunnel?

It depends what the gas is!! Hope that you are not thinking of being one of those "gassers", robbing people sleeping at night!

You could start a thread about gassing perhaps!

Seriously, butane/propane is fie if properly secured.

 

[ianandkath]

Remember too (as is often said on here) you bought a motorhome to see different places and not the inside of a boat!

or the inside of a train

 

[Old Soldier]

You're only on the thing for 35 minutes. By the time you'd walked to a restaurant car and queued up it would be time to go back to your car

The question was more for information rather than using the train facilities if we did use the tunnel whilst in the van.

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[Just smiffy]

We always use the tunnel these days. The last time we used the ferry, DFDS, was in 2010 from Dover to Dunkirk return. We had brand new van and the loading master put us on the open deck both ways! We watched the sea spray washing over the van with horror. At that point we said, "never again"!

Half way up the M1 will be just as bad in winter after the gritters have been....

 

[denisejoe]

Thanks all, seems the tunnel wins! I was thinking that the ferry meant we could get out and have a walk about but we are in the Moho anyway so can have a cuppa in there! Thanks again the were to stay questions will be next

If you want a cuppa you'll have to make it before you get on the train. We've bought thermal mugs for this particular reason! I also always make Cornish pasties to eat on the way out.

Denise

 

[ludo]

Half way up the M1 will be just as bad in winter after the gritters have been....

An Awful lot worse that that, believe me, and the concentration of salt is sea water is so much more than that found on any of our roads!

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[sdc77]

Tunnel for us too .. don't even consider the ferry.
As others have said you get 35 mins of sitting in your van.. listening to music.. watching something on your TV (obviously dvd or files) whilst you have a drink.
Dogs with you and before you know it you're there . You can even send him out to take a quick selfie.

 

[Southdowners]

We use the tunnel - it's quick and very easy.

As for drinks... I always take a pump action flask full of boiling water so I can make hot drinks as and when we want. It stays hot for absolutely ages.

We've also found that we get a crossing immediately on arrival as, if there's room, you can travel on earlier crossings if you wish.

 

[gus-lopez]

As a matter of interest, hope it's not a stupid question, but are you able to get out of the van whilst using the tunnel?

Yes & the older kids run up & down shouting 'fire'. Wife wasn't happy.

but we are in the Moho anyway so can have a cuppa in there!

No you can't, gas has to be turned off & checked.

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[Old Soldier]

If you want a cuppa you'll have to make it before you get on the train. We've bought thermal mugs for this particular reason! I also always make Cornish pasties to eat on the way out.

Denise

We use a thermal jug whenever we travel. Fill it with hot water before starting and it stays hot for about 8 hours. Makes it quick and easy to make a fresh hot drink where ever we are without using the gas.

 

[Boringfrog]

Dunno how ferry is same price as tunnel, I never pay more than £60 for ferry, can you go via the tunnel for that?

 

[Puddleduck]

We use a thermal jug whenever we travel. Fill it with hot water before starting and it stays hot for about 8 hours. Makes it quick and easy to make a hot drink where ever we are without using the gas.

Yep, we do the same. Stainless steel flask so there is hot water (hot enough for coffee or herbal tea) when we want it I'm usually organised enough so there is a packed meal to eat whilst on the train. I also get claustrophobia and thought the tunnel would be awful and I would be (even more of) a basket case by the time we got off but it's fine.