EuroTunnel Category

Questions, tips & observations about taking your Bongo over the water.

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Guru
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EuroTunnel Category

Post by Guru » Thu Mar 20, 2014 10:25 pm

Hello Bongoers,

Looking to book EuoTunnel as works out cheaper than the ferry.

Unsure on the category though. Assume I can get away with the former?

Car with roof box/bikes: Any car (including roof box, roof rack or cycles) over 1.85m in height, used for private, tourist, leisure or business travel. This excludes minibuses, campervans, trailers, caravans, motorcycles and any light commercial goods vehicles carrying commercial goods for resale.
If the height of your vehicle exceeds 1.85m, even though you are not carrying roof box, roof rack or cycles, please select this category.

Van: Any van (including roof box, roof rack or cycles) over 1.85m in height, used for private, tourist or leisure travel. This excludes minibuses, campervans, trailers, caravans, motorcycles and any light commercial goods vehicles carrying commercial goods for resale. Please note, the maximum laden weight for a van on our Passenger service is 3.5 tonnes.

Thanks,

Andy
Afcbandy
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by Afcbandy » Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:37 pm

I booked mine over the phone and told them it was a campervan and gave them dimensions. Worked out cheaper than the ferry and better still all covered with tesco clubcard vouchers!
scanner
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by scanner » Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:49 pm

The Bongo is a car not a van.

They might argue it is a campervan which is another category altogether but it is not (and never ever has been) any form of commercial vehicle.

In response you can argue that it takes up less space than a Volvo Estate with a roofbox on.

PS

You MUST book it in as a "high Vehicle".
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Gaby
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by Gaby » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:54 am

Even though we've only booked it onto a ferry once, we've already noticed there's no consensus when it comes to its category.
The UK side of the trip (Stena Line Harwich) had no problems with us booking it as a MPV over 1.8m.
The Dutch side, on the other hand, stressed that next time we'd book we 'd book it as a van..

By the way: What's the difference in price between taking a Dover-Calais/Dunkerque and the tunnel you've found? Going to mainland Europe in May/June... :)
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dunslair
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by dunslair » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:16 pm

What Scanner said +1. You need to book it as a car over 1.85m high. No need to confuse the issue further than that. (although I agree it's not intuitive when you book it online) Now get saving your Tesco club points...... (its the only redeeming thing about using Tesco) :D
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Muzorewa
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by Muzorewa » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:27 pm

Just remember you can't take your Bongo on the train if it's had an LPG conversion. Gas for your cooker is ok but not for your engine.
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scanner
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by scanner » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:22 pm

Gaby wrote: ................. stressed that next time we'd book we 'd book it as a van..
Just tell them (in English - they will understand) it is not and never has been a van.
Anymore than a Ford Galaxy/VW Sharan is a van.

A VW T 2/3/4/5 started life as a van - a Citroen Berlingo started life as a van - the Bongo didn't.
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Simon Jones
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by Simon Jones » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:35 pm

Book as high vehicle @ no extra cost: http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/traveller- ... -vehicles/ although that is not a category in the drop down list.
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briwy
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by briwy » Fri Mar 21, 2014 6:53 pm

Guru wrote:Hello Bongoers,

Looking to book EuoTunnel as works out cheaper than the ferry.

Andy
Very surprised at that, we've never found the tunnel cheaper. Lot more convenient yes, cheaper no.
Have a look at these prices if you want to save some money

http://ldlines.co.uk/?gclid=CP6XoY2O7YgCFTdPEgodxiVlpQ
Guru
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by Guru » Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:15 pm

Thanks a lot for all of your input.

I must have been looking on a different website/inputting the wrong category as the website that Briwy has given is £54 cheaper than the EuroTunnel(£134).

Time to ask the parents whether they are happy to give up some Tesco points me thinks ;)

Have a good weekend.
scanner
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by scanner » Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:38 pm

Guru wrote:I must have been looking on a different website/inputting the wrong category
Which website were you looking at for the tunnel prices?
Guru
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by Guru » Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:47 am

scanner wrote:
Guru wrote:I must have been looking on a different website/inputting the wrong category
Which website were you looking at for the tunnel prices?
Hi scanner,

I was referring to different ferry websites.

I used the standard euro tunnel website for their prices.

We are leaving on a Tuesday and returning on a Monday.
scanner
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Re: EuroTunnel Category

Post by scanner » Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:33 pm

Guru wrote:
scanner wrote:
Guru wrote:I must have been looking on a different website/inputting the wrong category
Which website were you looking at for the tunnel prices?
Hi scanner,

I was referring to different ferry websites.

I used the standard euro tunnel website for their prices.

We are leaving on a Tuesday and returning on a Monday.
The ONLY website to use to get a true price is each company's own website.

DFDS, P&O, MyFerryLink etc.

The other sites like Aferryto or Ferrycheap are only useful for initial comparisons
then use the company's own site to book, you are then sure you have the right price on the right crossing.

Other organisations like CSMA, Caravan Club and the Camping & Caravan Club are useful if you are a member because they have various discount deals and supply a discount code to use when booking.

Not all the clubs have deals with all the ferry companies, so you need to do your research.
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