Ferries
There are numerous ferry routes throughout Europe, ranging from Dover - Calais and other cross Channel routes to Marseille - North Africa and the Scandinavian routes. Being Welsh, I shall concentrate on the Ferry routes to and from the UK.
The rising cost of fuel and now the global economic downturn have lead to a number of operators failing or consolidating in the last year. These include SpeedFerries who operated fast ferries on the dover - Boulogne route. Other ferry companies have dropped routes such as the Newcastle - Norway links. There are still good prices available though if you take the time to search out good deals.
Getting a good ferry deal
The best time to buy a ferry ticket is probably between October and February. During this time deals for the following year abound. Good deals can be found throughout the year especially by using the Internet.Frequent Travellers
Most cross channel operators give incentives for frequent travellers. These are schemes similar to "Air Miles" where points are amassed and can be used to obtain a free ticket. Brittany Ferries also offers discounted fares for persons with property in France or Spain.Early booking Offers
The best bargains can be found between December and February.News
This is the time of year when the ferry companies offer some really cheap channel crossing deals.The cheapest crossings to France can be found starting at £38 return inclusive, (Norfolkline) but may entail travel at times of low demand and in the early hours of the morning.
Shareholder Perks
If you are a frequent cross Channel traveller then it is worth considering becoming a shareholder in a cross channel operator Eurotunnel have had some good shareholder perks in the past. The best perks came with the 1987 flotation and 1990 Rights Issue but shareholders with enough shares in Groupe Eurotunnel can still get a 30% discount with the requisite number of shares.
Other perks previously mentioned on this site have gone as the companies' were taken over or went into administration.
UK Ferry Links |
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| Eurotunnel Sea France Stena Line Brittany Ferries SeaFrance P&O Ferries Norfolkline condor Ferries |
DFDS Seaways Irish Ferries LD Lines Transmanche Ferries Isle of Man Steam Packet Company |
Discount Ferry agents |
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| FerryCheap | |