Frequently Asked Questions

A large number of ferries are well adapted to suit the needs of disabled / reduced mobility passengers, although the ferry operators are not always able to offer all on-board facilities, and some routes are not suitable for disabled / reduced mobility passengers. The following services are normally offered by the ferry operators, however please note that these services must be requested well before departure or at the check-in time. We advise all customers wishing assistance in boarding to check-in much earlier than the latest check-in times.

• Your car to be positioned close to the lift on the car deck.
• Use of wheelchair in the terminal and on the ship.

This depends on the operator with which you wish to travel. Usually, children are permitted to travel alone from the age of 16, providing they have a letter of permission from a parent or guardian.

As we are a booking agent, we do not have any means of obtaining lost property. Please contact the ferry operator directly.

FerryCheap.com now offers customers the option to book a different number of passengers on outbound and return journeys. When you enter your details into our booking form, make sure you select "Different Return Details" at the top, and you will then be presented with options to select a different number of passengers, including dogs and cats, for your return journey. You can also select different vehicle and trailer options, and even a different return route. Please double-check the information you have selected for each journey.

Yes, please enter the total number of people travelling including the driver. The drop-down box for passengers refers to the total number of passengers in your party.

If there are no dates showing on the month you have selected or there is no time showing on the date you have selected, then this means that there are currently no timetables available online for that selection. Please select alternative dates to proceed with the booking. We make every effort to update the schedules online as soon as the timetables are available to us.

No, unfortunately it is not possible to book open return tickets with FerryCheap.com

To make a foot passenger booking, please select 'Foot Passenger' from the Vehicle dropdown at stage 2 of the booking process. Please note some routes do not permit foot passengers. If you wish to travel as a foot passenger but the option to select foot passenger in the vehicle drop-down menu does not appear, this means that the route you have selected does not accept foot passengers. If you wish to travel out in a vehicle but return as a foot passenger, make sure you select "Different Return Details" at the top of the booking form, and carefully check your Outward and Return journey details.

Our cheapest ferries are all available online; the prices quoted online are our lowest fares for the route / date / time combination that you have selected. Most fares are demand driven, so we advise you to book early and avoid peak sailings if possible. If you are flexible with the routes and dates that you can travel, you can use our compare prices form to find the lowest fares.

The quote that appears in "red" is the closest match to the dates and timings you have selected in the drop down of the compare price booking engine. This quote is in red only to highlight this fact.

Please select 'Bicycle' from the vehicle drop down menu and proceed with the booking. Please note a separate booking will need to be made for each bicycle. If 'Bicycle' does not appear in the vehicle drop-down menu it is because that option is not available for that route.

The prices you see online are only valid at the time of the quote. As many ferry operators use a demand-driven pricing structure, the price may change according to availability. Therefore, we advise booking early to obtain the cheapest prices.

In most cases, all taxes and fuel surcharges are included in the price quoted. However, in a few cases, the ferry operator may apply these charges upon arrival at the port. If this is the case, you will be informed of this at the quote stage of the booking process.

Once you have made your booking, you will receive your on-screen and email booking confirmation. The email confirmation includes the ferry operating company, your booking reference number, check-in time and other essential information. Also, if you look at the terms and conditions for your quotation / booking you will see the operator you have chosen for your routes.

In most cases you will not receive tickets if you make your booking through us. When your booking has been completed, you will receive an on screen BOOKING REFERENCE NUMBER which will at the same time be confirmed by email. Unless given specific instructions on your booking confirmation, we recommend that you print a copy of your email booking confirmation and present a copy of it, together with photo ID, at the check-in point, and you will be issued with your travel documents. In some cases you will be advised to print one or more copies of your email booking confirmation as this is your ticket.

Yes, you can still book online even if you don't know the make or registration number of the car. Simply enter 'Rental Car' in the vehicle registration field and the expected size of the car, e.g. Small, Regular, MPV etc in the Make / Model field. We would advise that you check that your rental car may be taken on the journey that you are proposing before confirming your booking.

FerryCheap.com now offers the option to book freight vehicles through our booking form. Just choose your preferred route and then select the vehicle options from the "Method of Transport" section.

Yes. Please make sure that you enter your vehicle dimensions correctly, including any attached racks / boxes. Failure to enter vehicle dimensions correctly may lead to problems at port, such as additional charges or not enough space being available for you to board the ferry.

Once you have selected your route in our booking form, in the 'Method of Transport' section, just select your vehicle type and tick the 'Add Trailer' check-box.

Yes, provided the new vehicle falls within the dimensions of the original vehicle booked and is the same category of vehicle (e.g. car, van, motorhome), we can change this for you; please note a £10 administrative charge will be made to amend the vehicle details. If the new vehicle is larger than that originally booked, please contact us at your earliest convenience so that we can amend your booking. Failure to do this may result in extra charges at the port.

You can only book one motorcycle / vehicle per booking; you need to make separate bookings if you wish to book more than one motorcycle.

On-board accommodation is usually only required on overnight crossings. If on-board accommodation is compulsory, and you have not selected sufficient accommodation, you will be notified during the booking process.

No, cabins are usually for sole use - unless stated otherwise.

Please select the number of cabins you require. You will only select the number of berths required if you have selected a shared cabin. When booking seats, please enter the number of seats needed.

We accept Visa debit / credit / Electron, Mastercard and Switch - We do not accept American Express or Solo.

This depends on the type of card you use. There is no extra charge if you use Visa Electron, whereas with Mastercard and Visa Credit you are charged 2.5% of the value of your booking. If you use Mastercard Debit, Visa Debit or Maestro there is a fixed charge of £1 per booking.

We require full payment at the time of booking, and therefore you are unable to make a booking and pay at the port. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept cash or cheque payments.

Yes, all online bookings are handled via a secure server which encrypts all your details into a format that cannot be recognised. FerryCheap.com website uses Thawte SSL encryption technology.

Yes, providing you have their full permission to use their card.

We do not have access to information regarding your card and cannot see why a transaction has been declined. Please ensure that the card details are entered correctly, and that you have sufficient funds in your account to make the payment. If you are still having problems, you may need to contact your card issuer.

Yes. We require full payment when making a booking.

When a booking is attempted, money is automatically reserved in your account for the transaction and it may appear as though the amount has been debited from your account. If a booking fails, this money will NOT be debited from your account, and an automatic response will be sent to your bank cancelling the transaction. However, occasionally, it may take some time for your bank to process this, and in the interim period the money may still appear to have been taken out of the account. If this is the case, please do not be alarmed. We will not debit the money from your account, and it will appear back in your account shortly.

In this case we would suggest that you first check if you have received an email confirmation from us. If your booking has been confirmed, an email is automatically sent to the email address declared during the booking process. If you can not see this confirmation email in your inbox, please check your Spam/Junk folder, in case the email has been filtered into these.

Generally, no tickets will be issued for your booking. The email confirmation you receive with your booking reference number on it serves as the ticket. Please print out the email confirmation and present it at the check-in desk and you will be issued with the boarding passes at that point. You need not collect your tickets separately anywhere else.

When you make your booking you will be issued with an email address which you can use to request any amendment to your booking. Our service team is available 5 days a week (excluding all public and bank holidays) for customers with a current booking. Please note that in some instances it is not possible for us to amend your booking due to the terms and conditions of the purchase. You will have been notified of this before you confirm your booking, and any variation of such terms and conditions which you would have agreed to before we accepted your booking request are solely at the discretion of the provider of the service you have purchased.

When you make your booking you will be issued with an email address and telephone number which you can use to request cancellation of your booking. Our service team is available 5 days a week (excluding all public and bank holidays) for customers with a current booking. Please note that in some instances it is not possible to cancel your booking and for you to receive a refund of the price paid. You will have been notified of this before you confirm your booking, along with any other cancellation charges, and any variation of such terms and conditions which you would have agreed to before we accepted your booking request are solely at the discretion of the provider of the service you have purchased.

Yes, we will charge an administration fee for all amendments / cancellations made, where they are allowed in the terms and conditions of the services purchased. The payment of administration fees for providing this service are included in the terms and conditions which you agree to prior to confirming your booking, and unless stated otherwise are normally £25 / €40 per amendment. You will also be charged any change in price for the service(s) you have purchased. If the change you are making results in a refund being due to you, the administration fee is taken from the value of that refund.

If you are due a refund, for example for a cancelled booking, this will be made to the card originally used to make the booking. Please note we are unable to refund the amount to a different payment card.

In a small number of cases, a refund may be made in the form of travel vouchers. In this case, you will be made aware of this before the cancellation is made.

Your precise check-in time is detailed on your booking confirmation (in the email). However, as a guideline with most operators you need to arrive 60 minutes prior to departure. Please check the minimum check-in time required by the ferry operator in advance of travel.

No, you cannot go aboard the ferry until boarding commences.

For all international ferry crossings every passenger must have a valid passport with them to board the ferry. All children and infants now need to have their own passports to travel if going abroad. Birth Certificates will not be accepted and children can no longer be added to their parents passports. For any domestic ferry crossing (for example within the UK) a form of photo ID is accepted if a passport is not available.

Most ports have secure parking at the port, or close by. The cost of the will vary according to the particular port. For more information, contact the port directly.

No. For safety and security reasons overnight camping at the port is not permitted.

The Pet Travel Scheme was introduced by the Government in 2000 to allow pet dogs, cats and ferrets to travel between the UK and certain countries (mainly EU countries), without quarantine. Not all ferry operators have the facility to take pets; if pets ARE allowed on the route you want to book, adding pets will appear as an option in the booking form after 'number of passengers'.

If bringing a pet into the UK, the pet will have to be part of the Pets Passport Scheme. Depending on the ferry operator and route, your pet may have to remain in the car for the duration of the crossing, with no passenger access. For more information on the Pet Travel Scheme and Pet Passports see our article on travelling with pets or visit the official Defra website.

If you are not satisfied with the service you have received, please write to us at the address below. We take all complaints very seriously and will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.

FerryCheap.com
2morrow Court
Appleford Road
Sutton Courtenay
Oxfordshire
OX14 4FH