...2006) when I klicked onto the Hoverspeed website in order to research this particular review:
Hoverspeed Announcement
Hoverspeed ceased operations on the Dover - Calais route on the 7th November 2005
Click here for the press release
Existing bookings beyond this date will ... Read review
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What a thoroughly unconventional way to start a review!
If you are wishing to read the press release or contact Hoverspeed you will need to go to www.hoverspeed.co.uk where more information on the sad closure of this business is very well explained. more
This is the message that greeted me this morning (19.02.2006) when I klicked onto the Hoverspeed website in order to research this particular review:
Hoverspeed Announcement
Hoverspeed ceased operations on the Dover - Calais route on the 7th November 2005
Click here for the press release
Existing bookings beyond this date will be honoured.
To ensure travel arrangements incur minimal disruption, Hoverspeed has arranged for existing bookings to be transferred to an alternative cross-Channel operator.
Notification of transfers will be advised by post or via your booking agent.
For further information and enquiries please contact Hoverspeed on:
What a thoroughly unconventional way to start a review!
If you are wishing to read the press release or contact Hoverspeed you will need to go to www.hoverspeed.co.uk where more information on the sad closure of this business is very well explained.
Not Helpful at all is it?
Such a pity, because they (Hoverspeed) were!
Well, looking for suitable subjects to review, I turned my mind to our travels over the past year, in fact the "Despatches" Ryanair programme the other week put me in mind of reviewing alternative ways to cross the channel, thanks to using the Channel Tunnel at Christmas for the first time, all of which we have now experienced on our twice yearly visits to Poland in the car.
We were very much aware of the closure of Hoverspeed's operation. Indeed we had booked to sail out on their wonderful 81 metre Seacat ferry from Dover on 19th December to Calais at 7.00am. They emailed us the cancellation news the very week after we booked it. The email informed us that we had been transferred onto a SeaFrance crossing; we contacted Hoverspeed and were granted a full refund. We re-booked with Eurotunnel the same day for exactly the cost of our tickets on Hoverspeed.
I was therefore amazed to find a fully functional product category for this, now regrettably defunct, company here on Ciao, so thought that an "R.I.P." review would be in order.
By the title of this company "Hoverspeed" you may well draw the correct conclusion that this was originally the, then rather trendy and glamorous, hovercraft operator of the 1960's era. As a child I well remember crossing the channel on a huge multi-engined hovercraft called Princess Margaret, now I believe being preserved in a museum at Lee on Solent. In actual fact that was not a particularly comfortable way to cross - it was comparatively fast compared to the much slower conventional ferries of the day though.
The thrill of travelling on that huge air cushioned and very noisy beast had far more to do with the technology of it all than the advertised "first class levels" of comfort and service. Those hovercraft were very sensitive to sea conditions and required a lot of maintenance, neither factor helping the reliability or in the end the popularity of the service.
Dover being the closest point in England to France, via Calais, there has always, throughout the centuries of history, been a demand there for a sea crossings. However, it was not until the mid 1960's that English people generally had the means or inclination to holiday abroad. The "jet-age" changed that, along with the dawning of better cars and roads to accommodate them. Fortunately, due to massive expansion of the port facilities, during the Second World War, Dover was more than able to cope with the increasing traffic. Just about anybody who is anybody in the transport business has operated some form of cross channel ferry service from here. In hindsight Hoverspeed, with over 30 years in business on this route, have proven to be one of the most enduring, which for me makes their departure all the more sad.
The old hovercraft were some time ago pensioned off to be replaced by an assortment of "fast ferries", continuing similar routes. Latterly these ferries have taken the extraordinary form of huge, Italian or Australian built, "Seacats". Some of these were monohull designs, some were catamarans. All of them, using a form of water-jet propulsion were fast, having a cruising speed of 35 knots and a maximum of 40 knots, making them almost twice as fast as the modern conventional ferries plying the same route.
Whereas the traditional ferries have holds large enough to take a much more lucrative mix of freight, coach and private transport (i.e. motorcycles, cars and caravans etc) the Hoverspeed vessels were smaller. In some cases they were not roll on, roll off type ships which seriously restricted their carrying capacity allowing only the smaller, private vehicles to be carried.
Apart from the speed, and "experience" of travelling on these Seacats, a major factor as far as we were concerned, was the much 'smaller nature' of the whole operation on both sides of the English Channel. The customs, booking in and queuing to board was far simpler and more stress free on Hoverspeed, obviously with a smaller ship the actual loading times were reduced too.
When you drove into, or away from, the Hoverspeed terminals, both in Dover and Calais, you had direct access off the main road on both sides of the Channel. It is amazing how much time this saved, as both ports are huge and have confusing road systems and multiple lanes to follow, Hoverspeed avoided all that by being out off to one side of the main port on both sides.
We always paid an extra £15 per ticket in order to travel First Class - a real bargain I thought. Not only did that give you priority loading, first on, first off, but it also included a dedicated lounge where a complimentary meal and newspapers were served by an extremely efficient and polite staff. In our case this meal always took the form of an excellent breakfast - we fell into the habit of travelling out on Hoverspeed and back on the P & O Ferries ships, in order to dine in a more leisurely fashion in Langan's Brassiere on the way home. The general Hoverspeed service was always so much more personal than on P & O somehow though.
Our early morning, first of the day, sailings always left on time, the ships were clean and all staff encountered were polite and helpful. We crossed each year at Christmas, as well as in the summer and even in a fairly stiff breeze never felt uncomfortable on the Seacat.
Another benefit, and I cannot really understand why this should be so, was that we often met and struck up conversations with interesting people over breakfast. These people generally shared our own high opinion of this service, if not on a couple of occasions the food, which certainly never gave us any cause for complaint.
We must have crossed on a Hoverspeed Seacat six or seven times over the last five years and I enjoyed the last crossing as much as the first. The dramatic speed - all that white foaming wake from the back of the ship, the comfortable airline seating and civilised meal arrangements, for me it all added up to an unbeatable combination.
One wonderful "touch" always remembered from our days of travelling First Class on Hoverspeed will be the hot, moistened hand towels handed around at the end of the voyage. So very refreshing, especially if you had fingers blackened with newspaper print.
Hoverspeed did also run other routes apart from Dover to Calais, which obviously was the "big one". Its parent company Sea Containers may well resurrect some of these routes, under their own or another name as they do still own the 74 and 81 metre Seacat Vessels. Searching around on the net this morning, it would appear that these routes also have been closed, certainly the popular Newhaven to Dieppe one, which was seasonal, does not look as though it will be running during the summer of 2006. I could find no evidence of the Irish Sea crossings being maintained either.
Thank you Hoverspeed - it was great whilst it lasted. Your Seacats were my favourite way to cross the Channel. As a company you always made us feel valued as customers and I thank you for honouring our booking and returning the money on that last crossing this Christmas. Many companies would have declared bankruptcy leaving their customers high and dry under such circumstances.
Sorry folks, but for this particular, and excellent service, it is too late, you have all missed the boat!
Advantages: Cheap wine, quick Disadvantages: Lack of cleaning, tatty hovercraft
...way to get there. Hoverspeed were offering a crossing from Dover to Ostend by car for £35 return (sameday). Times are quite restrictive and you only get this price if you return on the hovercraft crossing times you book. So onto the research budget it goes!
I don't really know much about the technical qualities of a hovercraft (and to be honest I am not really that interested!) but I know they hover on a pocket of air supposedly to make your journey ... ...The shop at the Hoverspeed terminal is excellent. Bottles of wine start from 80p and it is actually quite good stuff (having tested a few bottles on my return!). Do not bother buying alcohol in Belgium supermarkets as the choice and the price here is amazing and cheaper! Beer is also cheaper, although they do not offer as much choice and offer mainly English brands (I like Belgium lager!). They also mainly stock canned rather than bottled beers.
...
moose 24.04.2001 (06.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hoverspeed
Advantages: Efficient, Seacat is fast, Modern decor on board Disadvantages: Could be suspended during inclement weather
...agent I opted for the Hoverspeed Seacat service. My return fare,as a foot passenger, cost 28 pounds and I thought it was good value. It was not the first time I had been on the Seacat having previously travelled on the Folkestone-Boulogne service three or four years earlier. That is less than one hour's journey.
I duly arrived for my check-in at the Hoverspeed terminal in the Eastern Docks at Dover about half an hour before departure time and must ... ...found the spacious departure lounge to be a pleasant place with a cafe,foreign exchange outlets and a very well stocked newsagents and confectioners. My only complaint is just like on railway stations the tannoy announcements were very hard to decipher;however,there was a LCD screen in the lounge where you could see updated details of arrivals and departures
The boarding on to the catamaran was smooth and I found the vessel had a very modern and ...
ashford 26.01.2001 (27.06.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hoverspeed
...The Hoverspeed service on this route is a Seacat – a stonking big speedboat that takes cars and passengers at about 40mph. I don’t believe there are any Hovercraft in the Channel anymore which is a shame as they were great fun. As this was a simple exploratory trip for an initial recce we decided to go as foot-passengers as this would be cheaper and less hassle. You can park the car at Newhaven which costs £3 for 24 hours. As Edith Piaf ... ...is not too good. The Hoverspeed dock area was also rather small and unimpressive and there does not seem to be any other shipping using the port.
The foot-passenger price was reduced from £10 to £7.50 for a day-trip courtesy of a coupon picked up in Brighton recently. Check-in was at 8 am for an 8.30 sailing. The terminal was small and could do with a makeover but overall it was quite acceptable. The ferry is at most a few hundred yards from the ...
docrt 12.04.2001 (14.04.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hoverspeed
Advantages: Comfort, Good Food, No Queues. Disadvantages: Price may not suit all pockets.
I have regularly used the Hoverspeed seacat to travel between Dover and Ostend usually as a foot passenger. I normally purchase the cheapest ticket available and put up with crowded seating areas, poor food and plenty of queues. I have often seen people with prams / children, or elderly people finding it difficult to cope with the bus journey from the departure lounge at Dover to the seacat, not to mention the notoriously long walk at Ostend from ... ...I was to take my wife and 9 month old daughter and based on my previous findings I enquired about the first class upgrade option. The travel agent showed me Hoverspeed's promotional leaflet which promised the following to first class passengers.
* Use of an exclusive lounge at Dover. * Spacious and private seating on board with lots of room to spread your legs. * Shopping service at your seat.
* Complimentary newspaper.
* Priority embarkation ...
arnie001 13.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hoverspeed
Advantages: Good value for money, quick crossing times Disadvantages: takes a while to get on and off the boat
...Newhaven to Dieppe on the Hoverspeed service. I have read other opinions on this service, and they didnt seem to be very much in favour, but i would like to offer my view (if i may!).
I suspect the service has been improved recently, thats the impression i got when i used it. It was clean, comfortable and speedy.
The journey took 2 hours, which i thought was quite impressive. I went as a foot passenger, so check in times were only 45 mins. It was ... ...The trip only cost £15, a price which i think is exceedingly good. (it is however, a summer special offer, ending in September, so go now i urge you!). It makes a good day trip. (PLUS I saw the Gilly lady from food and drink! ooh bonus!)
The food on board in the cafe was quite expensive, which was a downside, and the ques were long. However, the boat was well equipped for such a short journey. Facilities include amusements, cafe, duty free, bureo ...
Isobel_Princess 22.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hoverspeed
Reliability
Comfort
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