Do not use this ferry company! They are disgusting and have awful business practices. In March…read more2020, we had ferry tickets to go to Ireland. The global pandemic broke as we were in the UK and we were required to return to the US as flights were shutting down. Every hotel and reservation we had refunded us without penalty - even nonrefundable things - EXCEPT P&O Ferries. They gave us a credit and refused to refund. Now we're at the credit expiration date, still in a pandemic, and they are refusing to refund the money. This company is STEALING from people who were put in peril to make a profit from the global pandemic. I will never use this company nor recommend them to others. Avoid traveling with them - you have other options that actually care about good business practices and their customers!

I've been using these ferries for motorcycle trips abroad for over a decade, and still find them…read morebest overall for value, service and convenience. The secret to good value is to book ahead: if you have a group booking, (often the case with motorcycles) this is best done over the phone as the website doesn't allow multiple bookings. Booked in January, a return crossing in July cost me just £46 per bike + passengers. (This is only £10 more than the price as a foot passenger!) Booking ahead applies to cars, too. The staff are helpful and usually quick at loading bikes: they go on first, and deck-hands help secure them down. Newer ships (of both Seafrance and P&O) sometimes have special cradles for holding bikes, but when it's busy there aren't enough to go around, and so a traditional webbing brace is used, secured to floor anchors. I've never had a problem with this, even in very rough weather (but remember to put your alarm onto 'ferry' or 'service' modes, unless you want to irritate other passengers and flatten your battery). The only problem I've encountered is that the decks do get slippery in wet weather, but that affects all ferries, and I've not dropped the bike yet... The timetable varies, but in high summer sailings leave roughly hourly, or better. The crossing takes about 90 minutes overall, but with the shops, bars and cafes, there's plenty to keep you occupied. For teenagers there's also a video-games room. But I prefer to be on deck: the Channel is the world's busiest shipping lane, so there's always something to see, if only the odd passing seagull! Note: the UK smoking ban means that smoking is now only allowed in designated outdoor deck areas. Note also that passport control is undertaken at the port of departure - so UK passport control is at Calais. Allow at least 30 extra minutes for this when leaving France for the UK, as the UK checks are stringent, and therefore can be very slow in high season. Checks leaving the UK for France are rather quicker. Overall, I'd advise arriving 45 minutes ahead, just in case. Also worth knowing is that, if you arrive earlier than your booked ferry, and there's room, they will let you travel on an earlier crossing at no extra cost. We returned recently over an hour earlier, and were waved straight onto the boat. You could, of course, take a deep breath and pay to go via the Chunnel, which takes about 40 minutes (plus queuing time). But apart from losing the view, and the adventure, you'll pay at least double for an equivalent crossing. *************************** NB: address and map are for the HQ office. The ferry port is clearly signposted at both Calais and Dover.

We were driving from London, toward Belgium, Holland and France and needed to get across the…read moreEnglish Channel. We were planning to take the Eurostar car train, but not booking in advance, were shocked at the cost and decided to take the ferry instead. The ferry was costly too, but less so. Maybe because we waited until the last minute? Who knows. As others have said, I've been on smaller, local ferries, but nothing this size... it was massive like a cruise ship! On board was something else, plenty of comfortable seating, a lounge, a coffee shop, a brasserie. It wasn't cheap but the options are there. From waiting in line to drive onboard until we drove off in Calais was over 2 hours. The crossing itself was about an hour and a half and was very pleasant. We didn't have a lot of interaction with the staff, but what little we did was friendly.

I went through this ferries service on my way to France and it was what it was. Our shuttle bus did…read morestop at a small office to go through security and get our passports checked. It was fine since we were just there for about 20 minutes. I was on a shuttle bus so we waited to load the boat and then we were able to get off he boat and explore. There were lots of announcements made when we boarded so we knew what was going on the whole time. I did not buy any of the food from there nor did I buy anything from their duty free shop. The facilites were ok for what it was. I did go to the top deck outside to "take in the view" but it was not much to do up there and it was cold. The trip over the channel did not take long and there were plenty of windows to see out of.

The best, biggest boats providing a comfortable relaxed 1hr ride across the infamous channel…read more Yes it's maybe 10-20% more expensive than the standard [if booked in advanced enough] P&O 30quid. but totally worth it, your health and day after is more worth than the savings. The channel is verry scarry when on a shaky boat, been there, done that. It will leave u with a splitting headache [and try getting anything other than pastries or steak for breakfast in Calais, France].

Holy shit. These…read moreboats are like walking into a giant warehouse that floats on the water, and they were running a £30 one-way deal this summer, which made it the most cost-effective way to get to France. The staff were friendly, and the food on the boat was really good (et le chef de cuisine etait très poli). The ride was smooth and they made going through customs pretty easy in both directions. All-in-all, it was a pretty good experience. I was pretty impressed by the professionalism. My only qualm is that for most of the boat rides, portions of the boat were closed off. On both of my journeys, the actual sit-down restaurant was closed. In all, it's a comfortable way to cross the English channel. Get upstairs early if you're on a late boat or else you won't find a seat to lay down in.

It's below SeaFrance but it's better then P&O, and they have a good restaurant which closes at 7p…read moreand than they have a buffet style with horrifying food, but they have beer and wine available much later than all ferries.

I usually cross the channel by Eurotunnel, but because of the fire in September had to look at…read morealternative routes, and as oyu can imagine, every ferry operator was very busy. Norfolk Line were great. Booked them because they were the only company that did not sail into Calais - we knew it would be really busy and wanted to go to Dieppe which gave us a 50 mile head start on our long drive. The crossing was smooth, the ship clean and much more light and airey than the other ferries. Checking in at Dieppe was so much more stress free as it is no where near as busy as Calais, and the best bit it was for the crossing times we had chosen some £10 cheaper than the competition.

Took a ride east across the channel as part of the London to Paris FlixBus ride. Makes for a long…read moreday, but it's a pleasant journey, very economically priced, and surprise to us, the ticket included a hot meal, choice of entrees of beef stew, fried fish or baked chicken with sides and a beverage. Enjoyed the boat ride very much tho it was a very calm day, and regret there is no way to enjoy the sea air and be outside for part of the ride. Loading and unloading goes quickly. French frontier check is on the England side. Quick passport look and stamp.

Dover cliffs are a pretty cool sight to see. There's secure bicycle parking for those needing the…read moreconvenience. This is an easy access ferry dock. Customs is onsite and speedy. Quickest passport stamp I've ever gotten lol... In no time flat I was boarding the comfortable ferry; in route to Paris, France. Bonjour, ~Christy

A bit of a strange experience after travelling on many other ferries in Europe, but worth it (just)…read morefor the cheap price compared to other local operators. Basically aimed at the freight market, with most of their ships only taking accompanied freight units, the passenger service is sparse but adequate. The ferries are all elderly, and have seen a lot of service. The crew are all east European, and very polite, but the food leaves a little to be desired. However, for a fairly simple budget crossing to Ostend it works out ok. Ostend is always a joy to visit, and although the ferry port no longer has the terminal in the town centre, it is not to far away. A little regret that they only accept vehicle passengers and no buses but this is due to the limited staffing which keeps the cost down. On the whole ok but not a brilliant experience.

Dover Priory is the main station for Dover, one of the best-known port towns on Britain's south…read morecoast. It's a terminus of the South East Main Line from London, and of the Dover Branch of the Chatham Main Line - so as well as services to London St Pancras, Victoria and Charing Cross, it's well connected with the rest of Kent. First opened as a temporary station in 1861, today it's very much a permanent one and has a striking whitewashed facade that dates back to a modernization project in 1932. The station is just west of the town centre, with the shops around Biggin street a five-minute walk away. At the end of Biggin Street, you'll find the Grade 2 listed St Mary's Church, with the pleasant Pencester Gardens behind it. Keep heading south and you'll come to the waterfront, with Dover Marina to your right and the busy ferry terminal to your left.

Dover Priory is the main station in Dover, situated close to the town centre…read more History Dover has an unusually complex railway history. The first line opened in 1844 from London via Redhill terminated at a point at the foot of Shakespeare Cliffs, extended to the Admiralty Pier in 1860. This line was extended to a new station, Dover Marine, opened in 1921 (later renamed Dover Western Docks). Meanwhile, the London Chatham and Dover Railway had opened its line from the north, with a station at Dover Priory in 1861. This line was extended under the cliffs to the harbour later the same year, appropriately called Dover Harbour, and also extended to the Admiralty Pier station in 1864 and Dover Marine in 1921. Unsurprisingly, rationalisation was needed, with the closure of Admiralty Station when services were diverted to Dover Marine; Dover Town in 1914; Dover Harbour in 1927; and Dover Marine in 1994 (with the onset of services via the Channel Tunnel). Dover Harbour's station buildings can still be seen next to Limekiln Roundabout on the A20, and Dover Marine is now a cruise-liner terminal. This has left Dover Priory as the town's only station. The current main building was built by the Southern Railway in a modernist style in 1932. The station forecourt is currently undergoing a substantial refurbishment. The station has three platforms. Services The stations has two trains per hour to London Charing Cross via Sevenoaks; two trains per hour to London Victoria via Canterbury East and Chatham, and an hourly service to Ramsgate via Deal. Since December 2009, the station has also benefited from the new high-speed 140mph (225kph) service to London St Pancras via Ashford and the high-speed line used by Eurostar trains. Facilities As well as a ticket office and waiting area, there is a cash-machine, taxi rank, a small car park, and cycle storage. There is level access (via lifts) to all platforms.

Simple, fast and a good option for travellers with pets…read more We went to the UK this year and took the Tunnel both ways. We had our dog with, so this was way faster than taking the ferry and we didn't have to be seperated from our doggy. Prices are similar to the ferries. Taking the dog from the UK into mainland EU is simple. No special preparations are needed. The boarding areas both in Folkestone is pretty big with plenty of shops and fast food chains. Pet areas as well. The arriving area is quite a bit smaller. Just a shop or two and some fast food chain. Small pet area and a gas station. That's it. But it's all you need I guess. The Check-In is pretty fast (even faster if you prepare everything in advance online) and the lines are moving quickly. We got chosen randomly for a security check, which took a few minutes. Enough to miss our booked train. But that's wasn't a big deal, the next train left in 25 minutes, and we didn't have to do anything extra to get on that one. Time enough to eat a Burger in the car in the waiting line. Once inside it's a fast ride and pretty smooth and quiet. Most people stayed inside their cars....but you can wander around a bit, if you fancy a talk with some travellers. Exiting the trains is a fast affair. In a matter of minutes after arriving you'll find yourself on the motorway. Be sure to drive on the correct side :) We really liked the Tunnel. Of course, a ferry might be more enjoyable when it comes to travel. But if you have a pet, I'd go for the Tunnel. It's all very well organised. Travelling from Folkestone to Calais is a bit easier. Everything is thought trough very well with good signs. From Calais to Folkestone it's a bit more difficult.

The train service between U.K. and France is awesome. It's quick and you stay in your vehicle as…read moreyou cross the English Channel and it takes about 35 mins. We chose the train as you are allowed to stay with your pet in the car, something the ferry does not allow. We had initially booked the ferry and ended up canceling it for the simple reason that you had to leave the dog in cargo in car. The train was easy and quick without stress for all. Prices are not too dissimilar to the ferry and the process is fairly quick and easy. Would definitely use this service again. It was my first time and I really liked it.

Large port with minimal facilities. Its just there to get you onboard your cross channel ferry and…read morenothing else. Three booths to stop at, French immigration then UK immigration, then check in with the ferry company. Relatively well organised, I passed through the port in peak holiday season with the minimum of fuss. Facilities pretty much non existent, I couldn't see any restrooms anywhere. A mile down the road is a tent city full of migrants hoping to illegally enter the UK, though you won't see this unless you turn off the main road.