Are ferry crossings overpriced?

• Thursday, 8 November 2007
• 0 Comments

Do you think motorhomers are being charged too much for crossing the water? Join the debate and leave your comments below

YES
SAYS Geoff Robson
HOME TOWN Newton Aycliffe
VEHICLE McLouis 410

My beef about ferries is the complicated way fares are calculated. There is no logic to the charges and I always think I'm being ripped off somehow.

For example, outbound prices are often cheap but inbound ferries often don't have capacity until you pay a higher price. Booking early does not always secure cheaper deals and why is it more expensive the longer you stay on the Continent? Yet another example of rip off Britain!

The costs are totally different if you live in France yet they won't let you book from over there. Why can't we just have a fare structure with peak and off peak charges? Most of the main clubs' sites operate an understandable system that caters for peak times – why can't ferry companies have a similar system?

In the past I have spoken with fellow travellers and discovered that none of us paid the same price – even if we booked through the same places. It's a pity to restrict travel to the UK but my purpose of having a motorhome is to go where I want when I want and these prices restrict that flexibility. The UK is becoming a more attractive destination and I'm getting used to the wet weather too.

NO
SAYS Maggie Wakefield
HOME TOWN Huddersfield
VEHICLE Hymer 555S

I believe in market forces, and as long as people are willing to pay the prices, why would ferry companies reduce them? Besides, many run a club membership scheme that gives regular users discounts throughout the year.

It is quite a competitive market at the moment and it is possible to cross the Channel very cheaply. Special promotions offered by operators like Norfolkline and SeaFrance on the Dover-Dunkerque/Dover-Calais routes make it ridiculously cheap to get from England to France. It is possible to travel for around £50 return, a fraction of the cost of many rail journeys within the UK.

However, the shortest and cheapest routes tend to have restrictions on times and dates of travel. Two years ago I was glad I paid extra for a flexible ticket, as I had problems on the journey down to Dover and the ferry staff were extremely helpful.

The best-value crossing will not necessarily be the cheapest, and arriving at a decision can be exhausting. It would be great if the most flexible ticket on the quickest route was also the cheapest but life is never like that. I don't think British ferries are overpriced.