Trina Baughn

I need some convincing...I've recently received posts stating that crossing from Calais as a foot passenger is extremely cheap - as little as a few dollars. Hoverspeed provided the lowest rate over the phone thus far at $50 (from Oostende). Has anyone else had better rates? I need to decide whether I should purchase in advance at the above cost or try my luck at just showing up. Specific company names would be much appreciated. Thanks! <BR> <BR>P.S. I do not intend for this msg to sound as though I am questioning the validity of the other poster's experiences, I merely want to substantiate if this is a matter of luck or a common occurrence. <BR>

Jan

Try looking on the Sea France site, they sail from Calais to Dover and foot passenger rates are £22 return for the high season.Their web address is <BR>seaview.co.uk/seafrance

Caryn

I don't know anything about this question, but I do know that with the exception of the Eurail pass, I have had a little trouble with purchasing tickets beforehand. I would be wary. Maybe if you actually call the boat company itself rather than an agent.

Jen Z

I thought you were making a funny...yah, walking on water WOULD be cheap, but I see you have a real question, now that I've looked, and one that I may be able to help with.... <BR>I took the ferry from Newhaven Harbour to Dieppe in 1995 and I think it was then about 20 pounds. The ferry back to England from Holland was more than twice as much (but also more than twice as long). If I were to do it again though, I would splurge and do the Chunnel thing. The ferry was awful. We took an overnight one...so we waited until it left, quite late, and then it was four sleepless hours with a bunch of screaming schoolchildren headed to Paris for the long weekend. Then we had to wait until customs opened for an hour (why send the ferry to arrive so early if customs doesn't open until later?), then took a huge packed bus to the train station to go to Paris, and the train was FULL of commuters. Basically it took us at least ten or twelve miserable hours to get from London to Paris, and it could have been so much simpler and enjoyable... Don't sacrifice your comfort for the sake of a couple dollars!

Dee

Has anyone taken a ferry, hovercraft or catamaran and enjoyed the trip and the sights along the way? Have thought that taking the chunnel you would miss seeing the countryside and White Cliffs of Dover but all I have read in the postings is that the chunnel is the way to go. How much difference is there in price when traveling one way between London and Paris by chunnel vs. Seafrance & trains?

Gabi

I'm planning on crossing with Sea France next month and am on their email list. There's a web page that calculates exact costs, based upon the number of people travelling and the type of fare you need. You can find it at www.seafrance.com/pages/compare.html

Christina

I have taken them all, except the Chunnel as I've <BR>done that route before it opened--ferry, hoverspeed <BR>and flying, and NO, I didn't enjoy it at all. It's <BR>terrible. There's nothing that scenic about that <BR>route; water isn't scenic, it's just gray stuff, and <BR>if choppy, can make you nauseous. It takes <BR>forever, so you waste an entire day on this trip <BR>(London-Dover-Paris), not to mention how much <BR>trouble it is to transfer several times (from train <BR>to ferry back to train, etc.). I remember a lot of <BR>walking, standing in lines, difficulty with luggage <BR>as I was alone, etc.) Hoverspeed is not a <BR>pleasant experience (kind of noisy as I recall), but <BR>at least it cut the time down some, so was an <BR>advantage over the ferry. The only scenic thing <BR>about the whole trip was the white cliffs of Dover, <BR>but big deal, that doesn't last long and isn't worth <BR>wasting an entire day on. If you get some kind of <BR>discount on the railpass (due to age, senior, having <BR>Eurailpass, etc.), it isn't that much more than the <BR>ferry/hoverspeed. Even w/o a discount, it isn't such <BR>a big difference when you include the rail ticket <BR>to/from ferry that it's worth wasting your day on-- <BR>unless you don't value your time at all--I think <BR>Eurostar is about US$125 2nd class, one-way w/ <BR>no discounts. Worth every penny in my book. <BR>

anne

Preferring to be above land and water, we took the Seacat this month from Dover to Ostend. Quick - under 2 hours - just bring a book to read or take a nap It was under $50 one way, and would be about the same for roundtrip within a certain amt. of days. We were going to Bruge, 15 min by train from Ostend, so it was best for us. However if you're going further inland other ways of travel would be more time-effective. <BR>From what I read, the Dover -Calais trip is even faster.

Trina Baughn

Thanks for all the info! It has been really helpful in deciding what to do. I'll be taking the Oostende to Dover route via Hoverspeed, so if anyone wants my input, post here after 10 August. BTW - I'm a little concerned about sea sickness. Can anyone suggest some good medication to take prior to departure? Also, someone mentioned customs, does anyone else have more info? i.e., hours of operation, length of wait, etc.

Maria

You guys are ALL nutty- $50 one way for a hovercraft- thats $100 Rt- and $125 one way for the chunnel thats $ 250 RT. British Air will fly you there in an h our for $139 RT!!! <BR> <BR>www.tiss.com <BR>www.farebase.com <BR>www.farebusters.com <BR>