Hi, looking for cheapest way through tunnel in August (not ferry). If I google the above search term a load of sites come up, promising cheapest deals I've tried two and got the same price - do discounts actually exist and if so name names!
Cheers
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- do discounts actually exist and if so
I dont think so, at least not in Aug..
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Eurotunnel were offering £49 each way for a car + 9 recently but it was probably for odd times of day/night and I think it has ended now
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It will have to go bancrupt, £100 cheapest return tickets is just unreasonably priced compared to pretty much any method of transportation across 23 miles.
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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It will have to go bancrupt, £100 cheapest return tickets is just unreasonably priced compared to pretty much any method of transportation across 23 miles. --------------------
I think the tunnel is very good value compared to the hassle of using ferries and the extra time this takes. I know the Dover-Calais route is competitive, but when you consider that at peak weeks of the year the Southern channel routes are all around the £500 mark to take a car over.
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Mmmm! It must be say, one hour extra absolute maximum if you check-in 30 mins before the Speedferries sailing, which itself lasts 55 minutes. You then end up about 15 miles further south at Boulogne which cuts another 15 minutes off a journey going south.
Cost £50 return, so £25 single. Not many, even those rich ones in Dulwich, pick up £75 per hour after tax. So I must disagree. In my opinion the tunnel gives exceedingly poor value for money. I'd only use it in gale force winds - even then I'd think about spending the £75+ on a meal and night's sleep in France.
PS The "new Hoverspeed" cat ferry is now on its way to the channel from Lake Ontario in Canada and should be in business on the Dover - Boulogne route by late summer.
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Have you looked at Tesco's vouchers. With £1 of voucher you can get £4 of Eurotunnel tickets.
I think I remember you book on a special number then send your Tesco shopping vouchers to an address and they exchange it for a special voucher that you then send to Eurotunnel with a booking number.
Look at the clubcard deals section on their web site.
We went for the 'board whenever you turn up' tickets for our holiday which is very useful with children. Too expensive to consider normally but far far better than the ferry, all the people removing your mirrors as they don't care as they walk between the cars and the security angle.
We booked a few months ago - I don't know if the tickets are number limited at peak times.
Simon
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Seafrance - £140 return for car and three passengers this Saturday, Dover to Calais.
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You could have an all inclusive two week holiday in the Bahamas for what Euro tunnel want for their peak travel fares.Norfolk Line being the cheapest way to cross the channel.
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Norfolk Line being the cheapest way to cross the channel.
Actually they aren't. They look good until you start booking and then they add all those hidden extras, like fuel per passenger (!?) and such. Speedferries are still the cheapest...
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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We are all trying to help but OP wants the tunnel and not a ferry!
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We are all trying to help but OP wants the tunnel and not a ferry!
Then price of flight to US it is.
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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Personally I would pay a premium to go by ferry, so the high price of the tunnel, for cars anyway, doesn't affect me.
A cousin of my wife bought Eurotunnel shares when they were first offered (I don't know how many). One of his privileges as a shareholder is a one-way passage for his car and passengers for ten quid or thereabouts, any time he wants it. Useful as he lives in Paris as well as London.
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I doubt you'll get a discount the way things are at the moment, they are in the news today saying that they will go bust within months, so every crossing makes a huge loss anyway and has done since it opened. This means that it is attrocious value for money if they charged a price that would cover their costs.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5156846.stm
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Also, do you want to travel in a tunnel where the walls are packed with explosives in the current political climate?
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the walls are packed with explosives
Why?
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Because it would probably hurt!
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Biggest white elephant of the last 50 years IMO. If I were the Chairman of P&O etc. I would be livid - the ferries have had to restructure to keep their businesses afloat (very poor pun I agree) with P&O pulling out of the west country routes all together. The tunnel is and always has been effectively bankrupt, IIRC it has never made a profit, other than an operating one.
A victory of politics over common sense.
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My return fare on Norfolk Ferries going next Friday returning the week after is 58 quid! Yes, it's at an odd time, but it leaves me a lot more to spend on wine. And cheese. And fags.
I only use Eurotunnel if work are paying!
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£180 return for the times I want in August.
I just hate all the waiting about with the ferries - I'd far rather spend the time having lunch in France.
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Just checked on Speedferries - useless departure times and £128. So £50 saving to waste two days of my holiday and for the journey to take longer on both legs.
I realise that sounds like a tunnel good/ferries bad statement so for the avoidance of doubt I have no connection with the tunnel!
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Used the Eurotunnel 48 hour (I can only afford one night in UK!) return deal for £30 last year and found it excellent. You can travel at convenient times and they were flexible with timings if you arrived early.
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I don't cross the Cannel that often but if I wanted 'lunch in France' I'd travel on Sea France. I don't want to pay a shed load of money and then sit in my own car in a tunnel for half an hour! Not having any chilren and their tackle to transport, I tend to grit my teeth and fly with that Irish bloke's airline and get a deal on a hire car when I land. End of August - 2 adults Luton to Shannon, with the luggage check-in charge, £35 return. That wouldn't even buy me the fuel to get to Fishguard for the ferry and back from Bedford never mind the wear and tear on the car. One can get similar deals to France but I do appreciate that they arent going to work if you are a family of 4 or 5 and going camping or self-catering for 2 weeks!
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>> Norfolk Line being the cheapest way to cross the channel. >> Actually they aren't. They look good until you start booking and then they add all those hidden extras, like fuel per passenger (!?) and such. Speedferries are still the cheapest...
I have never paid any surcharges and we use them all the time the price shown is the price you pay and are the cheapest way to cross the channel
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In reply to post by Nsar
> I have never paid any surcharges and we use them all
> the time the price shown is the price you pay and
> are the cheapest way to cross the channel
Not the case, during booking on page 2 they claim price of the ferry is £39 for example but in fact around step four out of five of booking process the £39 becomes:
Standard Price £ 39.00
+ FUEL SURCHARGE £ 5.00
+ LOW LOW SEASON £ 10.00
Considering all this happens after you provide them with your personal details during step 3 such antics are borderline illegal. Many before them tried similar tactics but at least the others claim it to be airport tax or port surcharge, whilst Norfolkline just goes for "it's not really £39 now that you are ready to pay we want more money"....
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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>>looking for cheapest way through tunnel in August (not ferry)
I have used driveline before for day trips on the tunnel and found them very good and cheap.
It takes a little while to load all the infomation as they quote ferries as well. You can book just the Tunnel.
You select the day and time of departure and return to suit yourself. I do know they have a surcharge for weekend use, so best to avoid by going mid week. Also best if you avoid the early morning departures to France or return in the early evening.
www.driveline.co.uk/
Hope this helps.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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For a return trip which I am paying £86 with Norfolk line Driveline wanted £256 to use the tunnel and they were the cheapest times
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For once I can feel smug (I never plan ahead).
Booked SeaFrance in Feb for an August two weeks away. Dates and times precisely as we wanted. £105 return for car and two. Which I'm pleased with.
Tunnel is good, but I'd only go if I wasn't paying.
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