Club Arnage

Just been informed by email that my cabin on the Pompey to Le Havre crossing night boat 11 June with DFDS has been cancelled because of a change of vessel anyone know what the problem is? :(

I had same mail last 2 weeks back, rang them up and got an outside cabin of which they had several available ,but had to pay more ,

They've sold the Norman Voyager to Britney Ferries for their cheap Pompey le Havre service, and moved in the Seven Sisters from Newhaven Dieppe.  Its all done on a shoestring.  The Norman Voyager must be the worse ferry ever, but it got you there cheap

I'll be in the bar anyway

Sounds like we will be all sleeping in the bar!

Thanks for the info chaps all the outside cabins had gone by the time I had the email so spose its a night in the bar then  :)

Same thing has happened to our group. Don't know what criteria they have used to decide who gets bumped, but we booked back last October.

Well they're French aren't they. They is obviously no planning, insight, organisation or selection process! !

Historically I think the DS stands for Danish Seaways and their HQ is in Copenhagen so no, they're not.

Very poor that they change confirmed bookings but I suspect it's either this or go bust and leave customers completely in the lurch :(

I guess that I stand corrected then. I doff my cap to your superior knowledge / google abilities!

And apologise to DFDS and the entire nation of France.

I agree there has been rumours about that crossing with DFDS so at least we still have the crossing
Got the refund now for the cabin so will be a night in the cheap seats :)

i swear i've never been on the same boat twice on the Western routes !

It's all to do with the fact that no-one really wants Newhaven > Dieppe, apart from DFDS who apparently have 'won' the route

long read here from a Forum i stumbled across from your post on PH re: the same subject...amazing what some people will talk about!
http://forums.bfenthusiasts.com/showthread.php?t=11357&page=17

and in the RetroRides tradition have a pic as recompense of my car lonely on one of said ferries...1 car, 1 deck

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h276/old-uns/Honda%20Beat/IMAG0245.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/old-uns/media/Honda%20Beat/IMAG0245.jpg.html)

Wow! The French regional govt have apparently spent Eu231Million subsidising the Newhaven-Dieppe route over the last ten years. That's about £30,000 per crossing! No wonder Jean E Frog is bankrupt  >:D

http://www.lemarin.fr/articles/detail/items/4406.html

Thank you Mr DFDS!!  I've just heard that we have also been bumped out of our cabins travelling over the Sunday before - and we booked early September.

As I hadn't heard anything, I assumed that we had been re-allocated, so not a happy bunny!!

Del

Edit:  Seems the way the issue was handled was not as you would expect first bookers keep their cabins, later bookings lose theirs.   Looks like everybody was bounced and it was those who phoned up first to complain after getting the email got cabins and those who phoned later didn't.  DFDS say that they sent us an email early April, but it was never received.  Of course, there are no cabins available now so as has been said - a night in the bar!!.  Del


 

Just got back from a trip to France, on this ferry,Severn Sisters, good points over the old Norman Voyager are, better bar, duty free and a lot  cleaner,but for you guys who have been evicted from your cabins there is no bench seating in any area and all the seats in the bar are of the bucket type, so would be hard to sleep in them. There did seem to be plenty of reclining in the other rest areas at a cost though.

Sounds good about the bar as  the one on the old boat last year was shocking we should have free seating as part of the cabin cancellation so hopefully it will be the recliner type

Thanks for the update Brian

The reclining chairs are free. When you book you are given the choice, free seat or book a cabin. Those that booked a cabin and have been told you don't have one now will have a reclining chair.
John

reclining chair its is then not long now  ;D