Norfolkline is now part of DFDS

[Pierre ZFP]

I just got an email saying that Norfolkline is now part of DFDS.

They haven't quite got their websites sorted out, it's possible to book Dunkerque/Dover by finding a way through their web pages but then it just redirects you to Norfolk Lines anyway.

A couple or things I noticed is that they now charge you a fuel surcharge due to 'The rising cost of fuel'  Well, no it isn't, the price has been pretty stable for ages now and the 3 month price of bunker fuel shows no signs of significant increase.  The other thing is that they charge you €5 for using a Visa card (cf Ryanair) but there are no charge options like Paypal which is useful.

Having had a mild whinge, they are still loads cheaper than the alternatives.

I need to do a return crossing at the end of August and got the following quotes (all prices are 'all in')

Norfolk Lines/DFDS €63

P&O                        €84

Seafrance                 €107

Eurotunnel                €165

So although the Tunnel would be my prefered choice, I'm not paying an extra €100 for the privilege

 

[Chancer]

Pierre.

Norfolklines have been adding on this completely unjust fuel surcharge and the credit/debit card charges for many years.

Interestingly they do not do not charge for French visa cards, actually that was before, now there are no charges for a journey booked in Euros and starting from France but they up the crossing price by the same amount instead.

[Pierre ZFP]

I don't travel this way very often and I use a Euro Visa card so perhaps I just didn't notice the add-ons before.

The bottom line is that they are still cheapest by a long way and I have to say the level of customer service is very good, unlike the bad experiences I had with S F last time,

Still, no 'Name and shame ' eh? [6]

[Théière]

Notice you didn't include LD lines, and the price of the ferry isn't everything. the extra driving (yawn) over and above the other routes plus fuel and maybe an extra toll doesn't often work out that much cheaper in the end unless it's close to your destination.

The more expensive Newhaven Dieppe for example means only a four hour journey time [:)] and two less tolls and fuel so often works out equal the Dover route fares for me. 

[Sydney and Huggy]

[:@][:(]Just announced yesterday that as of 15 December they are pulling the plug on passenger carriage between Rosyth and Zeebrugge. Yet they are putting 2 ships on for freight. We are booked to go on the service mid September on a reasonable deal and knowing that it is less than an hour from Rosyth to home can put up with the later arrivals (around 1400 at each end). Being so close makes it worth while to go in to work and leave early, saves a day's leave.

So it will be back to Hull/Zeebrugge and a 4-5 hour drive home from Hull, an extra day's leave as well as time and fuel.  Looked doing North Shields/Amsterdam but the return would mean leaving at bedtime to drive to Amsterdam.

Got to wonder - is it just co-incidence that this happens so soon after the intervention of DFDS?  Is there a subsidy from the Scottish Parliament that has run out? Either way its a complete pain although it was predicted from the start that they would price themselves out of the market, just as Superfast did.

[:@][:(]