Is a ferry a viable alternative to the Eurotunnel?

eldergeek said:
If there's going to be an accident on the channel, I'd rather have the option of being able to swim away thanks. So yes, yes the ferry is viable. Not quite as fast as the Eurotunnel, but I'm a fan of the way ferries stay on top of the water rather than a few hundred feet underneath it.
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Yep. A mate of mine swears by the Chunnel and finds me weird for always taking the ferry. I simply ask him where the lifeboats and the life jackets are stored on the Chunnel trains and he goes quiet.

True story, back in '87 we went on a family trip to visit friends who lived in Belgium, the ferry that took us across was The Herald of Free Enterprise which capsized and sank later that day taking nearly 200 souls with her.
 
Done Dover to Dunkirk this summer gone and one before that with no issues, cheaper and nice to have a break since drive down from the North.
 
Did the ferry last summer. Disappointingly access to the outside decks is much more restricted than it was about 10 years ago. You're now confined to a small area at the back of the ship rather the front and sides as well. I'm not sure if the ferries are just smaller now, or they have just blocked areas off. :(
 
Malevolence said:
Yep. A mate of mine swears by the Chunnel and finds me weird for always taking the ferry. I simply ask him where the lifeboats and the life jackets are stored on the Chunnel trains and he goes quiet.

True story, back in '87 we went on a family trip to visit friends who lived in Belgium, the ferry that took us across was The Herald of Free Enterprise which capsized and sank later that day taking nearly 200 souls with her.
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Well that's quite the plot twist - I was on the herald of free enterprise the day before it capsized too!
 
I always go via the tunnel (I hate boats as they make me sick). Takes less than 30mins and I've always got on an earlier train if I've arrived early.
 
Eurotunnel for me now. We always used to take the ferry but it's slow, no cheaper generally and check in etc is no faster so I can't see the point? Plus you have to drive further to get to it :p
 
I have some lovely memories of crossing on the ferry as a kid. It always seemed to mark the start of the holiday nicely.
 
Used the Dover Dunkirk route last year, no issues going but coming back was horrendous. Sailing was at 10pm so we got there for 8.30 ish and ended up at the back of a huge queue of traffic because everyone had been diverted from Calais due to the grief there.

It took 5 hours to get through the checking in gate and the customs checks and we ended up on the 3am boat. All the time with 2 children in the car and no information from the ferry company whatsoever.

And we'd booked a hotel room in Ashford so we could have a leisurely drive back the next day which was completely wasted.
 
As long as you dont get sea sick ferries are a great option. Most people dont get sea sick on ferries but i know a few people that always do :)
 
Will be driving to France this Christmas and a bit worried about the various different options. Normally take the Eurotunnel however like the OP I'm concerned about the frequency of these so-called technical faults. I'm generally concerned about going to Dover at all these days so would prefer to not use the Dover-Calais crossing. I'm seriously considering going Newhaven -> Dieppe, but it's something like a 4 hour crossing and the English Channel in December/January can be a pretty uncomfortable place on a boat. The last option would be a longer 6 hour crossing somewhere like Portsmouth -> Caen and get yourself a cabin where you can lie down and avoid sea sickness. However the price of this is astronomical. Can't fly or get the train because it's Christmas and presents are bulky.

Overall, I think in conclusion; expect delays and discomfort :(
 
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Ferry is fine. I'm using it on Friday as i'm going on a Battlefields trip to Ypres and the surrounding area. Will let you know how badly we are delayed.
 
When we went over the channel last we took the ferry. If you're coming from Warwickshire then I'd imagine you'll be trying to do the run down from home in one go, the crossing and then do some driving afterwards? The crossing will be a nice break and if you find a quiet seat you might even manage a short nap which will help. I found the two hours just not driving to be very beneficial.
 
Dover-Calais is really short and convenient. The Portsmouth -Cherbourg and similar routes takes a bit of time but its quite nice to walk around, read a book, grab something to eat.
 
We always use the Shuttle,
We can stay with the dog in the motorhome
I can have a half hour sleep in the back during the crossing
We're on the autoroute as soon as we arrive
I can pay with Tesco vouchers
my wife doesn't get seasick!
 
Well we went there and back again on ferry. Got through really easily, no delays and we were put on an earlier ferry as we got there early. Only thing i would say is make sure you use a daytime ferry. We could see loads of rubbish and debris from the riots from the night before.
 
I've always found it depends on the weather on the day.

I don't mind boats no matter what happens, but it's never pleasant on a stormy/windy day.
 
Took the ferry from Dover - Dunkirk last January when visiting family in Holland. Very glad we did after listening to reports of 4hr+ delays on the tunnel; our ferry left within 20mins of the scheduled departure time, had a nice hour and a half break in the ~8hrs of driving, leisurely lunch on the boat and our 3 year old had great fun in the soft play area :)
 
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