Dover ferry crossings suspended

Channel ferry services in and out of the Port of Dover have been cancelled following closure of the port due to high winds.

The south westerly winds battering the south-east coast have been classified as Storm Force 10, which means gusts of up to 63mph.

The port was closed at 8.20am due to the high winds, which have created rough sea conditions in the Channel.

Dover is used by four ferry companies: Norfolkline, P&O Ferries, SpeedFerries and SeaFrance, which operate services to Calais, Boulogne and Dunkerque. Service normally depart from Dover every 20 minutes.

Passengers with ferry bookings have been advised to contact their ferry operator. The Port of Dover published the following telephone numbers:

P & O FERRIES 08705 20 20 20

SEAFRANCE 08705 711 711

Ferry industry UK Expansion plans

In the UK it is thought that only 2-4 % of people have ever gone on a cruise on a ferry. This is expected to change in teh next five years though with some experts predicting that the market will more than double. Experts from ferry operators such as P&O and DFDS spoke at the annual ABTA travel convention and with new ferries expected to be built to cope with demand it is certainly worth finding out a little more about this.

People who currently enjoy, spa days or weekends, fitness drives, adventure holidays and speciality holidays, such as safaris and jungle adventures are where this new uptake in cruise holidays is said to come from.

To capitalise on this new market, the main ferry carriers are already planning to build more than 40 new ferry cruise ships to be launched by P&O, DFDS and other carriers in the early 2010’s. These will be state of the art ships with luxurious cabins, top-notch facilities and be the stars of the respective fleets, with onboard swimming pools, casinos and exclusive restaurants.
Many people overlook ferries and instead fly with airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet as they are mostly cheaper, but that is at the detriment of the scenery when docking at the port and comfortability. Also the ability to arrive refreshed to your destination port because of the facilities on a ferry, mean you can be fully refreshed when you arrive at your destination.

I for one will look at experiencing this type of holiday first hand!I’m king of the world!