DFDS Ferry booking question

[geomannie]

Hi Folks,

I am trying to book a Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry with DFDS Ferries, 2 people, 2 bikes. Problem is that the website only seems to allow one vehicle per booking, ie 1 bike only.

I tried calling the DFDS help number but got fed up after being kept on hold at 13p/minute.

Anyone else had/resolved this issue?

Thanks

[mjr]

We just did two one bike bookings for Dover-Dunkirk but no cabins were involved then.

[Paulatic]

Use their 0344 848 6090 a regular landline.

[philvantwo]

I sent DFDS a private message on Twitter asking the question on your behalf, they were quick getting back to me. You need 2 separate bookings was the answer!

[Lookrider]

Thsts a very good prompt about using twitter
My son told me " dad ..nobody uses phones now "
Apparently they also get ratings on Twitter about seems thars the way to " enqiure" about anything anywhere

[geomannie]

I sent DFDS a private message on Twitter asking the question on your behalf, they were quick getting back to me. You need 2 separate bookings was the answer!

I also asked on Twitter

Q
Hi @dfds_uk, I am trying to book 2 people with 2 bikes from Newcastle to Amsterdam. The website only allows one vehicle (1 bike) per booking & the phone booking line goes to hold at 13p/minute. What should I do?
A
Hi Bob, you will need to have a booking per bike. Hope this helps ^RB

Totally useless!

[geomannie]

Use their 0344 848 6090 a regular landline.

Thanks!

That sounds promising.

[pal]

[Edited to add: this was a response to a post asking why DFDS's twitter response was unhelpful, which has since been deleted...]

Because a cabin is compulsory on this route (afaik?), if you make two separate bookings then you'd also end up needing (and, more to the point, paying for...) two cabins, which you might not necessarily want. So the better advice would be to speak to a human who can add the extra bike to the booking (or remove the superfluous cabin!).

(To be fair to DFDS, when you do manage to get through to them on the phone, they've always been extremely helpful, in my experience...)

[st599_uk]

Yeah, had that problem before - 4 cyclists wanting to share a cabin to IJmuiden.

Ended up cycling down to the terminal and booking face to face.

[geomannie]

That these is no way to add a second bike to a two person booking. The website only allows one bike per booking.

[Will]

I have booked two people sharing a cabin with 2 bikes on the DFDS Newcastle-IJmuiden route before.

I had originally booked it just for myself, but then a friend wanted to travel with me as well, so I just phoned them up and got them to add a second person and a second bike and then paid for it over the phone using my credit card. I was charged £20 for amending the booking (return included).

It might be that you have to book it for one person and then call them up like I did and add the second person/bike.

Will

[philvantwo]

Where there's a Will there's a way!!

[Jdsk]

I have booked two people sharing a cabin with 2 bikes on the DFDS Newcastle-IJmuiden route before.

I had originally booked it just for myself, but then a friend wanted to travel with me as well, so I just phoned them up and got them to add a second person and a second bike and then paid for it over the phone using my credit card. I was charged £20 for amending the booking (return included).

It might be that you have to book it for one person and then call them up like I did and add the second person/bike.

Thanks.

There will be a time when that that's very helpful to know.

Jonathan

[geomannie]

Hi,

Thanks all for suggestions. I finally completed a booking for 2 people & 2 bikes by using the number 0344 848 6090 as suggested by Paulatic. This was a lot better than using the premium rate (13p/min) that the website directs you to for enquiries.

It's astonishing that the website can't accommodate the concept of 2 people, 2 bikes, but no doubt the booking software is bought in & DFDS can't easily change it (wearing charitable head today).

[mjr]

[....] but no doubt the booking software is bought in & DFDS can't easily change it (wearing charitable head today).

Probably fired their web developers and replaced them with cheaper foreign agency staff...