P&O Hull-Rotterdam Minicruise - Do I have to return?

Jamp

Hi All

I'm working in the Netherlands and might well be bringing a car over in the not too distant future. The easiest way for me to do this would be Hull - Rotterdam, but this is very expensive for a single ticket. The 'mini cruise' deal is much cheaper, despite being a return journey, so can I book this and only use the outbound journey, or will they subsequently charge my cc for the difference between this and a single? If so I'll just drive down to Harwich and go with Stena for a cheap single.

Cheers,

Ben

arnie&caseysma!

Sometimes it is in the T&C that you do have to take the return journey or they will take the outstanding money. Check the T&C carefully before booking to see what will happen.

doublekite

On a mini cruise you keep the same cabin both ways, so long as you book it as an out and back trip, not staying over for a night or two.

The keycard you get for the cabin door is non returnable, so no one will know if you comeback or not. As far as I know no head count is made, but even if there is, no one will know if you, as an individual, are absent.

shammyjack

Try booking through a Travel Agent and pay in cash to be safe .

Last year I know you could book the Minicruises through a National Express office or agent as they run coach services that tie in with sailing and arrival times .

shammy

dzug

doublekite wrote: »

On a mini cruise you keep the same cabin both ways, so long as you book it as an out and back trip, not staying over for a night or two.

The keycard you get for the cabin door is non returnable, so no one will know if you comeback or not. As far as I know no head count is made, but even if there is, no one will know if you, as an individual, are absent.

Ah but they will know if taking a car - it will not have been checked in for the return journey.

Paying cash at a travel agent is the obvious answer to avoid being charged - but they could still send you a bill and sue you for it if they were minded.

Whether P&O actually enforce this T&C I don't know - but if you book on line it is very forcibly brought to your attention.

poe.tuesday

just go the cash route and then don't return, if you get contacted about it tell tehm your car broke down and you couldn't return with them

dzug

poe.tuesday wrote: »

just go the cash route and then don't return, if you get contacted about it tell tehm your car broke down and you couldn't return with them

Breaking down is irrelevant - they are still entitled to say tough, cough up. Whether they actually would is another matter.

brodev

I have done similar to this. I booked a cheap day return. I paid in cash through a travel agent and I only used a one way journey. I heard nothing from P&O afterwords.

Jamp

Thanks all. Will see if I'm brave enough to risk it when the times comes then. It's useful to know it would work as a foot passenger, as that means it's often cheaper to sail than fly, if booking at the last minute (as I sometimes have to).