TRAVEL BY CAR FROM THE UK TO FRANCE

 

CROSSING THE CHANNEL WITH DFDS

Established in 1866, DFDS is one of Northern Europe's biggest ferry operators, operating a total of eight passenger routes, four of which are between the UK and the European continent, these are Dover to Calais, Dover to Dunkirk, Newhaven to Dieppe and Newcastle to Amsterdam. Other routes are located in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania and Estonia, with a new route added in August 2022 between Rosslare and Dunkirk.

DFDS have recently been nominated for the World Travel Awards 2022, as Europe's leading ferry operator, and also for the British Travel Awards 21/22. Impressively, they have also been voted World's & Europe's leading ferry operator for the last eleven years.

The ferries operated by DFDS are modern and spacious, with all the facilities required for an enjoyable and relaxing journey. From the comfort of the premium lounge with its complimentary drinks and snacks, to the many varied bars and restaurants, notably the splendid 7 Seas Restaurant with its comprehensive menu and comfortable seating area. For entertainment there is the video gaming area, and for the younger passengers, the 'Pirate's' play area, which is sure to keep them happy and entertained. There is also a well stocked Duty free shop where passengers can browse and shop at their leisure.

There are six vessels operating between the UK and France, three of these are UK flagged vessels, sailing between Dover and Dunkirk, they are Dover Seaways, Delft Seaways, and Dunkirk Seaways. Built in 2005 and of Scandinavian design, they have a light and airy atmosphere. At 186 meters long, 28 meters wide, and with a cruising speed of 20 knots, they can comfortably accommodate 1,000 passengers and 250 cars.

The three French flagged vessels are Cote Des Dunes, Cote Des Flandres, and Cote D' Opale. Cote Des Dunes and Cote Des Flandres were built in 2001 and 2004 respectively and were refurbished in 2016. At a length of 186 meters and a width of 28 meters, they have a cruising speed of 25 knots and can accommodate 1,500 passengers and 400 cars. Cote D' Opale is the newest vessel in the fleet, having been built in 2019 and first sailing in 2021. At 214 meters long, she is also the longest vessel in the fleet. She has a cruising speed of 20 to 22 knots and can accommodate 1,000 passengers.

For our European road trip, my wife and I had decided to sail with DFDS with our outward journey departing from Dover to Dunkirk. Having stayed at a hotel in Dover the previous night, we arrived in good time for our 12:00 sailing. Check in was very quick and efficient, however we were directed into the customs shed for a routine check of our car and contents, then having found nothing untoward they very quickly allowed us to continue, and we were soon onboard and setting sail for France.

The Ferry was very quiet, with not too many passengers, and we found a nice, secluded spot on deck 7 in some very comfortable seats by a window, where we had an excellent view throughout the calm and pleasant crossing. We found the staff onboard, in all departments, to be very friendly and helpful, from the Customer service desk to the Duty-Free shop, all were happy to assist us when necessary.

The two hour crossing went by very quickly and we were soon disembarking in Dunkirk. As we had already been checked by French Passport control in Dover, and had our British passports stamped, we could now simply drive off the ferry and immediately start our European Road Trip (you can read the full review of our trip by clicking on this link:World Travel Reviews: TRAVEL POST COVID PANDEMIC (independentworldtravelreviews.blogspot.com)  ).

Our return crossing to the UK was also with DFDS, but this time we sailed on the Calais to Dover route. Again, we arrived at the port in plenty of time to catch our ferry which was timed to leave at 13:15. However, when we checked in, which unfortunately wasn't as quick as it had been in Dover, our boarding card stated our sailing time as 12:50. This was good as it meant we would arrive in Dover 25 minutes earlier than expected, and could start our 124 mile drive home that much earlier. Unfortunately, this meant that we couldn't spend as much time as we would have liked in the excellent, newly opened Duty Free Shop in Calais.

The new border controls in France can be a little confusing if you haven't travelled abroad since before Brexit, as you now have to go through two sets of Passport controls, first the French control (make sure they stamp your passport!) and then the UK control. All very time consuming, but it does mean that once you have arrived in Dover you can drive straight off the ferry and on your way without delay. 

My wife and I were among the first passengers to board, and for a while we thought we were in for another quiet crossing. We headed immediately to the 7 Seas restaurant for lunch but were told that the restaurant would not start serving food for another ten minutes, my wife found us a table by the window whilst I went to take some photographs of the ferry for this review. When I returned, no more than ten minutes later, the restaurant was full of teenagers on a school trip, there were literally hundreds of them, all queuing up to be served food, it was only in the last fifteen minutes of the crossing that they finally left the restaurant to return to their coaches. It was only then that my wife and I were finally able to grab ourselves some sandwiches and bottled water to take to our car to eat on the drive home.

If it hadn't been for the huge number of very excitable and very noisy teenagers, then this would have been a very pleasant crossing indeed, the sea was once again very calm, and the ferry is a very nice ship with many good facilities, which under normal circumstances would have made the crossing a very comfortable one.

Over all, I certainly do recommend DFDS as a means to cross the channel, the vessels are modern, spacious, clean and comfortable and all the staff that my wife and I encountered were very friendly and extremely helpful.

For further information on DFDS sailings and fares, please visit their website at: www.dfds.com or keep up to date with current news on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Youtube.