"Very disappointing at the end of a very long drive"
We were booked on the 9.55pm P&O crossing from Calais to Dover on 31st August 2019. We had paid extra for access to the lounge on board We drove 9 hours+ to reach the port at 8.45pm. There, we found long, slow moving queues through UK passport control. Once through passport control, vehicles had to shuffle (with difficulty) into correct check-in lines for either P&O or DFDS Seaways. Again, these were very slow moving lines. By the time we reached the check in desk, the departure time for our ferry had been and gone. At the desk, there was no explanation or apology for the extreme delay. We were simply told that the earliest ferry we would be put on was the 11.35pm which was delayed to 11.50pm. We were also advised that there was no lounge facility on the ferry and that no refund would be possible on the ferry. No discount, voucher or apology was offered. I find it fairly appalling that, on a clear, calm, fair-weather day, P&O, the Port of Calais and the UK border force could not, between them, enable customers who had booked and paid for a crossing and arrived at the agreed time, to board that ferry. It is particularly disappointing that P&O could not offer some sort of recompense on the spot. The actual ferry experience was very poor with limited service in the snack bars, shop and restaurants leading to long queues (AGAIN!) and passengers forced to lay in corners and corridors because there appear to be fewer seats than are required when the car decks are full. The final weekend of the UK s summer holiday are always going to busy so there can't be any excuse for P&O, the Port of Calais and the Border Force not to have contingencies in place.
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Overall Rating:
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General:
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Catering:
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Cleanliness:
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Staff:
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Punctuality:
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Recommended?
No
Reviewed by Simeon who travelled with P&O Ferries on Spirit of France
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