Spain by Brittany Ferries or BA

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  • AlexMac
    AlexMac Posts: 2,973
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    Oops! Having praised Brittany Ferries to the heights for their budget hotel/ferry packages to Northern Spain (which can be cheaper than a ferry crossing booked alone - especially during their annual Dec-Jan early-booking discount window), I've just run foul of their recent problem that a broken propellor shaft has cancelled several of their scheduled 24 hour sailings to and from Santander...

    But having said that, and bearing in mind MSE's emphasis on the £bottom line, they've coped really well- Contacted us by phone and offered us a sailing out to France plus a free hotel night and a very fair refund based on the cheaper, shorter crossing plus costs of fuel and tolls for the drive thru France... And now that we are in Spain and the problem is persisting, sorting out an admittedly late return crossing from Bilbao, three days after our pLanned one...

    All very efficiently and quickly sorted; and I can think of worse things than an enforced four night extension to our holiday- so well done BF!

    Hasta luego from the Hotel del Oso in the beautiful Picos de Europa mountains.
  • BLUEWKD
    BLUEWKD Posts: 6,800
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    AlexMac wrote: »
    Oops! Having praised Brittany Ferries to the heights for their budget hotel/ferry packages to Northern Spain (which can be cheaper than a ferry crossing booked alone - especially during their annual Dec-Jan early-booking discount window), I've just run foul of their recent problem that a broken propellor shaft has cancelled several of their scheduled 24 hour sailings to and from Santander...

    But having said that, and bearing in mind MSE's emphasis on the £bottom line, they've coped really well- Contacted us by phone and offered us a sailing out to France plus a free hotel night and a very fair refund based on the cheaper, shorter crossing plus costs of fuel and tolls for the drive thru France... And now that we are in Spain and the problem is persisting, sorting out an admittedly late return crossing from Bilbao, three days after our pLanned one...

    All very efficiently and quickly sorted; and I can think of worse things than an enforced four night extension to our holiday- so well done BF!

    Hasta luego from the Hotel del Oso in the beautiful Picos de Europa mountains.

    I've been trying to find out what compensation is supposed to be given for a cancelled crossing like with cancelled flights but cannot work out what it should be, all I can find is this legislation, http://www.thetravelmagazine.net/ferry-cancelled.html which doesn't say when you should get 25% or 50%. We had the crossing cancelled for the same reason and were given a new booking a week later and 25% refund via a voucher, but have had expenses staying another week more than the 25%. Travelling back via France was not an option due to medical reasons and the fact we had a dog. Has anyone received more than a 25% goodwill gesture from Brittany ferries?
    Be thankful for what you have because it could all be taken away tomorrow.;)


  • Moto2
    Moto2 Posts: 2,206 Forumite
    A couple of years ago we got a full refund plus a transfer onto the Le Havre sailing

    Is it not possible to claim on travel insurance?
    Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
  • knightstyle
    knightstyle Posts: 6,985
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    Well I hope all this disruption in France is sorted out before the summer holiday season.
    Having lived in France it is easy to see that militant action gets results for the militants. Look back at the British lambs that were stopped, the British beef they refused to import to protect their struggling beef farmers, they still haven't paid that fine!
    Please everyone do not let all this put you off holidaying in France, it is a great place and if you get away from the holiday resorts very quiet and peaceful.
    If anyone wants a discount on BF send me a PM and I will help.
  • BLUEWKD
    BLUEWKD Posts: 6,800
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    Moto2 wrote: »
    A couple of years ago we got a full refund plus a transfer onto the Le Havre sailing

    Is it not possible to claim on travel insurance?

    We didn't bother with travel insurance :o:o I didn't realise the rules for treatment abroad had changed or else I might have taken out insurance. A few yeas ago you used to be able to claim medical charges back from the NHS when having treatment in Europe now you can not claim if the people in the country you are treated in would have got it free not if you would have got it free in the UK.
    Be thankful for what you have because it could all be taken away tomorrow.;)


  • BLUEWKD
    BLUEWKD Posts: 6,800
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    Well I hope all this disruption in France is sorted out before the summer holiday season.
    Having lived in France it is easy to see that militant action gets results for the militants. Look back at the British lambs that were stopped, the British beef they refused to import to protect their struggling beef farmers, they still haven't paid that fine!
    Please everyone do not let all this put you off holidaying in France, it is a great place and if you get away from the holiday resorts very quiet and peaceful.
    If anyone wants a discount on BF send me a PM and I will help.

    Is it the 10% discount? I also have a code for that
    Be thankful for what you have because it could all be taken away tomorrow.;)


  • AlexMac
    AlexMac Posts: 2,973
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    BLUEWKD wrote: »
    I've been trying to find out what compensation is supposed to be given ... all I can find is this legislation, http://www.thetravelmagazine.net/ferry-cancelled.html which doesn't say when you should get 25% or 50%. We ... were given a new booking a week later and 25% refund via a voucher, but have had expenses staying another week more than the 25%. Travelling back via France was not an option...Has anyone received more than a 25% goodwill gesture from Brittany ferries?

    Thanks for that link. We had a holiday with hotels booked rather than crossing only, and while we got less than you in % terms, we still feel well-served. For our outbound trip, we got an extra free hotel night (due to taking up the BF offer of leaving a day early, at a few hours notice, to drive via France) plus £265 to cover fuel, mileage and tolls, and as the shorter ferry trip was a bit cheaper. As the ferry was still broke two weeks later, we decided not to drive home, but to extend our stay by another three days; this time BF asked us for the cost of the extra hotel nights but with adjustments, that was only £45 extra. They also threw in a couple of £50 vouchers off next year's hol (already pencilled in!). In other words we go about £350 towards our extra costs.

    BF suggested we claim on our insurance for the extras, but as they were so efficient in contacting us and re-scheduling, and as in effect, we got an 18 night holiday in classy hotels with crossings for about £800 for two, I won't argue with BF and might not bother claiming.

    As the article in the link says about new EU regs "...If the ferry is delayed or cancelled, compensation of 25% -50% of the ticket price will be awarded. This would have pleased passengers caught up in the Brittany Ferries strike but may have ruined the ferry operator financially...."

    and given that BF were in trouble a few years ago, I'd rather they were still around!
  • lushlady
    lushlady Posts: 504 Forumite
    edited 17 October 2016 at 11:05AM
    AlexMac wrote: »
    Oops! Having praised Brittany Ferries to the heights for their budget hotel/ferry packages to Northern Spain (which can be cheaper than a ferry crossing booked alone - especially during their annual Dec-Jan early-booking discount window), I've just run foul of their recent problem that a broken propellor shaft has cancelled several of their scheduled 24 hour sailings to and from Santander...

    Alex, any idea when the BF packages are up online and available especially their early-booking discount window for bookings for next year 2017? :T
  • AlexMac
    AlexMac Posts: 2,973
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    Hi, LL
    just seen your post (sorry; was in Spain on a short BF holiday; spending one of my two discount vouchers from last May's cancellation- yes really!)

    The honest reply is I don't know; it has varied a bit in recent years, but while I always thought it was Dec or Jan, I just looked at my May 2016 holiday files on the laptop (what a geek, eh?) to see that I booked and paid the £80 deposit on 13th Nov 2015.

    So last year it must have opened in November!

    I'd just keep checking their website; co-incidentally I was on this morning, checking dates for a planned 3-week jaunt next May and the booking page at
    http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/holiday-search/Spain/cantabria/hotels?c=Spain&t=&r=&k=&a=17%2F05%2F2017&got=3&d=2&holidayselection-search=Search
    said "Our apartments, chalet camping and hotel holidays will be on sale early November. To keep up-to-date with our latest holiday offers and updates, please sign up to our mailing list or check back soon"...

    So I'd sign up but also keep checking online. Once you get the hang of their website it's really useful. As I've said elsewhere, we always upgrade to an outside 4-berth cabin on the crossing, even for two of us as that way you get a window and two low-level beds. It doesn't cost much more as part of a "holidays & breaks" package - unlike the £100 plus each way if booking as part of a ferry-only deal.

    Happy hols!
  • lushlady
    lushlady Posts: 504 Forumite
    Mucho gracias for your great reply. I'll subscribe to their emails and keep an eye out :)
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