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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask of you're stuck at Dover?

179 replies

aholidaynotacarpark · 02/04/2023 08:23

We're travelling tomorrow morning and I'm dreading it! The reports I'm reading mainly mention problems with coaches and we'll be in a car. It sounds seagull for al the school kids stuck there, I really feel for them.
I need to work out how much food and In car entertainment to pack!

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 02/04/2023 09:52

Aposterhasnoname · 02/04/2023 09:47

Ah right, I never use ferries so I’ve learned something today. I was panicking that we might have to queue going out in airports.

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You will probably have a queue when you get off the plane though.
Last time we flew to Portugal 3 planes arrived from England at around the same time so you can imagine.
Luckily DH has an EU passport and I’m allowed to go through with him

Squidlydoo · 02/04/2023 09:56

family member runs a coach company. Apparently only two French border control workers working. Means it’s taking hours to get coaches through. Dangerous for drivers who are ending up on duty for 24 hours. Terrible for kids and teachers too. Limited food options.

GMOOH2023 · 02/04/2023 09:56

Since when have passports been stamped going out of the UK?

This tiny thing called Brexit happened (not widely reported or discussed!!)

Those with a UK passport can now only spend a certain amount of time in the Schengen area - 90 days in 180.

Passports need to be stamped to monitor how long you have been away. No more "let's spend 4 months in France this summer" (unless, of course, you have French residency).

Aposterhasnoname · 02/04/2023 09:57

Hoppinggreen · 02/04/2023 09:52

You will probably have a queue when you get off the plane though.
Last time we flew to Portugal 3 planes arrived from England at around the same time so you can imagine.
Luckily DH has an EU passport and I’m allowed to go through with him

Show quote history

To be fair the last few times we’ve travelled in the eu we’ve not really noticed a difference. We usually go outside of the ru anyway so quite used to queuing at passport control. Having to queue to get out of the uk though is a whole other circle of hell.

Kindofcrunchy · 02/04/2023 09:57

@familyissues12345 are they on their way now?

There have been issues at Dover (and most ports actually) since forever. I remember as a child my family used to holiday in France via ferry and we'd always be stuck in the queue to get the boat for bloody hours. That was in the 90s and early 00s. Annoyingly my parents always fly places now 🙄

notimagain · 02/04/2023 09:58

@Aposterhasnoname

Since when have passports been stamped going out of the UK?

As @Ifailed says it's not being stamped because you are going out of the UK, it's being stamped because you are entering the EU.

Post Brexit/post transition British passport holders with no EU residency rights and/or no long stay visa are restricted as to how much time they can stay in the Schengen zone (from memory 90 days in 180).

Hence the border process on entering the EU/Schengen, which currently involves passport checking/stamping...happens at the arrival airport if entering France from the UK, not just something done at the Channel ferry ports.

Aposterhasnoname · 02/04/2023 10:00

GMOOH2023 · 02/04/2023 09:56

Since when have passports been stamped going out of the UK?

This tiny thing called Brexit happened (not widely reported or discussed!!)

Those with a UK passport can now only spend a certain amount of time in the Schengen area - 90 days in 180.

Passports need to be stamped to monitor how long you have been away. No more "let's spend 4 months in France this summer" (unless, of course, you have French residency).

Funnily enough I’m fully aware of Brexit, but thanks for your patronising tone. I’m also fully aware of the necessity to get your passport stamped given that we travel a lot. I was questioning the need to get it stamped exiting the uk.

Inthedarkagain · 02/04/2023 10:01

Labtastic · 02/04/2023 09:10

Brexit. Passports now have to be checked properly (every page looked at to look at all other stamps) and then each passport stamped out of the UK. On a coach of 60-70 people that takes time, then multiply those coaches by the many that are/were heading off on the first week of the Easter holidays and you get the gridlock that has happened this weekend. Port of Dover doesn't have the capacity for all these coaches waiting so they're shunted off to ill equipped services to wait. It's a fucking disgrace. But then this is what we wanted...

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Smart people. We were intertwined legally and logistically with the EU and operated in accordance to those laws for over 40 years, but apparently we can just undo all that in a fraction of that time and everything will run perfectly well......

How could people not see this coming? I know it hasn't been armagedon since leaving and a lot of the shit is purely down to the Tories other policies, but I'm still waiting for the benefits of Brexit and those sunlight uplands....

Coastalvenues · 02/04/2023 10:01

ozoruk1 · 02/04/2023 09:49

@Labtastic ”I can’t help but smile” - I voted remain but that smug sentence is uncalled for - I’m sure lots of the suffering didn’t vote for this either.

So what did those that voted for Brexit think would happen when we, you know, left the EU?

Mummyoflittledragon · 02/04/2023 10:02

familyissues12345 · 02/04/2023 09:10

Our schools ski trip coach was stuck for 12 hours on Friday evening. The teachers need medals!

Gosh poor things. I hope their return is easier.

bellac11 · 02/04/2023 10:03

ozoruk1 · 02/04/2023 09:49

@Labtastic ”I can’t help but smile” - I voted remain but that smug sentence is uncalled for - I’m sure lots of the suffering didn’t vote for this either.

I suspect they did

And people that were apathetic and didnt vote at all also bear responsiblity

People really dont like being left with the consequences of their behaviour.

Kendodd · 02/04/2023 10:04

Small price to pay for the freedom to pump shit into our waters and spray bee killing pesticides on our land.

bellac11 · 02/04/2023 10:05

Aposterhasnoname · 02/04/2023 09:57

To be fair the last few times we’ve travelled in the eu we’ve not really noticed a difference. We usually go outside of the ru anyway so quite used to queuing at passport control. Having to queue to get out of the uk though is a whole other circle of hell.

Show quote history

We've travelled to the EU since brexit and the queues were horrendous to be honest. Virtually empty at the EU gates, long queues for non EU.

Depressing

midsomermurderess · 02/04/2023 10:05

bellac11 · 02/04/2023 09:06

Whats the hold up?

Oh, mate.

Labtastic · 02/04/2023 10:16

ozoruk1 · 02/04/2023 09:49

@Labtastic ”I can’t help but smile” - I voted remain but that smug sentence is uncalled for - I’m sure lots of the suffering didn’t vote for this either.

That wasn't me that said that

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 02/04/2023 10:17

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 02/04/2023 09:50

We got what we voted for. Hard on those of us who didn’t actually vote for Brexit but we have to presume that exactly this outcome is what those who voted Leave wanted to happen 🤷‍♀️ I’m sure at some point it will become clear to the rest of us why they wanted that and how it’s benefitting us…

Exactly.

I really wonder what the leavers are thinking now.

familyissues12345 · 02/04/2023 10:26

Kindofcrunchy · 02/04/2023 09:57

@familyissues12345 are they on their way now?

There have been issues at Dover (and most ports actually) since forever. I remember as a child my family used to holiday in France via ferry and we'd always be stuck in the queue to get the boat for bloody hours. That was in the 90s and early 00s. Annoyingly my parents always fly places now 🙄

Yes finally arrived in Austria yesterday teatime

UnshakenNeedsStirring · 02/04/2023 10:28

@Labtastic yep brexit winnings....all that sovereignty and no where to go

Northumberlandlass · 02/04/2023 10:34

Last summer we almost missed a connecting flight at Schipol due to queues to get our passports stamped entering the EU. It was stressful - the guy who stamped our passport said every Brit that came through swore they had voted Remain.

bellac11 · 02/04/2023 10:37

Northumberlandlass · 02/04/2023 10:34

Last summer we almost missed a connecting flight at Schipol due to queues to get our passports stamped entering the EU. It was stressful - the guy who stamped our passport said every Brit that came through swore they had voted Remain.

Yes its almost impossible these days to find someone who actually voted leave.

Which is odd considering we kept getting told the 'vast majority' of voters voted for it and wanted it.

Even people accusing posters of being 'smug' apparently voted remain.

Donatinasdonutdelight · 02/04/2023 10:37

@familyissues12345 pretty sure my kids are on the same trip as yours, the teachers need a medal for keeping the students spirits up during their trip as do the coach drivers

EvelynKatie · 02/04/2023 10:39

I had to laugh when my DM said about queues at passport control “but they didn’t tell us this would happen!” 😑

Thelondonone · 02/04/2023 10:46

Drivers of coaches don’t keep going. They stop. My kids school trip has stopped overnight in Bonn on the way to Austria so they lose a day of skiing. Another local s hoop are waiting at services in France for another driver. This happened last year too. French border force are at the Uk border, massively understaffed but essentially it’s not their problem. Brexit is a shitshow.

Clymene · 02/04/2023 10:46

The biggest demographic of people who voted leave were over 50 and not graduates. I'm guessing they're not the people sending their kids on school ski trips.