DFDS ferries newhaven dieppe

[Thingsthatgo]

Hello. This will be my first time ever booking a ferry, so any advice gratefully received. We are planning to go on holiday next summer. Our destination is actually between Caen and le havre, but from research I think newhaven dieppe will be cheaper and take around the same amount of time overall.
DFDS aren’t taking bookings past jan 2019, does anyone know when I will be able to book? (I’m just going to take the risk that we can travel post brexit btw).
Is it best to book ASAP? Are there any sneaky ways of getting cheaper travel/voucher codes? Thank you

We regularly travel by ferry although haven't done the Newhaven Dieppe crossing in recent years. I think you will find your cheapest option will be P & O or DFDS Dover to Calais. It is only a 3 hour drive from there to the area of Normandy you are visiting. The most expensive option will be Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Caen. I expect Newhaven Dieppe will fall between the two. Any of these companies will charge more for Friday to Sunday crossings as there is more demand at weekends. I very much doubt you will get any voucher codes in main summer hols. you can collect Nectar points with DFDS though.
Brittany Ferries prices rise nearer the time of departure. I am not sure if this is the same for P & O / DFDS.
If you book a Brittany Ferries crossing with their accommodation (ie. apartment on their website) the price paid for the crossing will be a lot cheaper than if you just book the crossing without accommodation.

If you have already booked accommodation you will just be looking for the ferry ticket and it is unlikely you will find any discounts by leaving it nearer the time. Best to book when the prices come out.

Brittany Ferries are quite expensive but we enjoy using them as it is like going on a mini cruise with a decent onboard restaurant, and entertainment etc. If one travels overnight the crossing is longer than Newhaven to Dieppe so there is just enough time to go to sleep. I imagine that the Newhaven Dieppe crossing with DFDS is more basic on a par with the Brittany Ferries economie service to Le Havre.

Thank you so much! That is really useful information. I really appreciate your help.

If you cross over to Calais/Dieppe you need to factor in the cost of the tolls too (can do it easily on viamichelin) as well as fuel.

If you do decide to use Brittany Ferries I have a discount code you can use too.

We've lived in the South of Brittany for years, so have done most possible combinations back and forth to the UK, and tend to stick with BF, it's just easier and nicer boats.

You don't need to book Newhaven Dieppe this far in advance. Wait til January.

They don't do wierd pricing changes, whenever I've looked/travelled the price is the same 6 months before or 1 month before. Probably around 2-300 pounds return in summer. So more than Calais but cheaper than Caen or le Havre.

You will certainly be able to travel to France post Brexit!
British tourists are a major contributor to the French economy.

The £ is good against the € at the moment so spend your money on travel money instead..?

Don’t go new haven dieppe it’s awlful, the food and facilities are poor.

Travel with Brittany Ferries ⛴ they are amazing the food and restaurants, shops and entertainment are great customer service superb.

Yeah, but BF is much more expensive. We did Newhaven-Dieppe this year and were pleasantly surprised. Boats are more basic but absolutely fine - like ferries from the 80s. Dieppe itself is nice (Newhaven, not so much) so good if you're killing time. The "facilities" at the port are v. limited and it took ages disembarking from Newhaven - lots of checks. But we'd definitely use them again as good value for money.

We've travelled Newhaven to Dieppe a couple of times, (we stay in a gite near Vire), but prefer Dover to Calais despite the additional drive time. If travelling from Newhaven, I would advise you to book a private room on the boat -this will give you 4 hours sleep/rest and means you could do the drive door to door more comfortably. We've found the ferries to be nicer, with better amenities, when travelling via Dover.

Thank you all for your advice. It’s helpful to know that the ferries don’t go in for the constant price changes that airlines do. Does it make a difference if it’s weekday or weekend? The holiday place is very flexible so we can go when we like.

They are usually more expensive at peak times (eg Fri, Sat and ££ can vary throughout the day).

We're planning on doing Newhaven/Dieppe next year for first trip to France with the kids... not been on that route before... dfds say info on timetable and fares is due "in the next few weeks".



Depends where in the uk you are. We are in north west and found Hull- Zebrugge best . Roads and motorways in France are much easier and quieter here .

If you have a passenger over 60 you get a discount on you booking on the Newhaven route. It is not advertised and is only on telephone bookings if you ask for it. If you’re doing a daytime crossing I’d use DFDS from Newhaven, overnight BF Portsmouth to Le Havre is also reasonable. It’s the économie crossing so fairly basic, but perfectly fine. Btw I think the food is better on DFDS.

I have travelled Newhaven-Dieppe a few times now. I chose it as it's more direct for us to get ot Newhaven than to Dover. Plus cuts off a little driving once in France.

Prices are higher than Dover-Calais and Eurotunnel but not too much.

I like to take the 11pm departure from Newhaven which lands in France 4am. Not much sleep but not much traffic either. However we travel without DC.

Your journey in France will only be 1.5/2 hours at most so should be easy.

Where abouts are you in the UK? That can influence which time of crossing to choose and from where. We have to drive down from W Yorkshire which takes at least 4.5 hours so I plan carefully.

DH isn't a fan of overnight ferries - he'd rather drive more than sleep on the ferry.

Looks like the Newhaven Dieppe schedule/tickets for 2019 are live now