ronsrecord wrote:Also the amount of time waiting to get through Immigration at Calais was horrendous. If you arrived a bit late for your crossing home on any ferry there you would miss the boat literally.
Patrick
Quick question - how long is it taking to get through immigration at calais?[/quote]
PRD (Patrick) appears to be talking about UK Passport Control/Border Control searches carried out at Calais on your return journey. French Passport Control is at Dover & immigration checks at Calais are none existent. Also, prior to check in with P&O at Dover on Monday 14th May I was directed into a large shed & my van was searched by UK security officers. These were not Customs or Border Control Agency personnel. I had to remove my belt/coins etc & walk through a scanner.
In June 2011 my van was searched by UK Border Control in Calais & again by Customs at Dover. It gets ridiculous at times. I am not looking forward to the expected repeat performance on 3rd June 2012.
BOWTON LAD, CLUB 80-90 MEMBER No.2488
2013 VW PASSAT ESTATE 2.OL TDI BLUE MOTION TECHNOLOGY
Last few years been to France with T25 and trailer or teardrop on the back. Have always found Norfolk Line (now DFDS?) Dover to Dunkirk to be BY FAR the cheapest option. Also nicely appointed boats never too crowded.
Last year we had travelled Dover to Calais with P&O to try to cut down travelling from Dunkirk.
We broke down and had to be repatriated without the van so I phoned P&O to alter booking. They were happy to change to day of travel with no additional charge but when i pointed out we had become foot passengers they wanted to add around another £80 to our journey home. After a very long and arduous few days we really had no choice but to agree. Fortunately the desk staff at Calais were very disorganised and had no idea how to deal with our change of circumstances and applied no additional few but that was just good fortune, certainly the company policy INTENDED to charge us extra.
Duty free sales obviously account for a large part of income for the ferries but if you don't have a vehicle you are unlikely to purchase much and consequently you come very much down the pecking order in the company's eyes.
The experience of travelling as a foot passenger was horrendous. We were herded (thats not an exaggeration) into a large holding shed to go through passport control (one person on duty!) that was overbearingly hot and had insufficient seating. Several people collapsed and had to be tended by medics.
I will certainly be going back to Dover - Dunkirk next time. I will never travel with P&O again.
