Hoverspeed

...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 ...
...information and enquiries please contact Hoverspeed on: 00 44 (0)870 240 8070 (UK) or 00800 1211 1211 (Cont.) Email: info@hoverspeed.com 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) ...

RICHADA 19.02.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

...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) · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

...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) · Read full review
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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) · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

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 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

...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 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

...days! Why were we sold the tickets in the first place? Why were we allowed to check in? why were we not stopped on departure? We put these questions to hoverspeed and they could only apologise and taxi us to Calais from where we had to make our return journey. ...

sexygirl 07.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

The Hoverspeed Seacats on the Dover-Calais line have been re-vitalised; but so far I found no reviews so I am writing one... We were traveling to Poland for the Easter week and as the whole trip was to be for about 10 days; we needed a cheap ferry crossing. While it is very easy to find one for a day or weekend trip; standard prices for over 5 days stay is in the region of 220 GBP. Eventually, we used a voucher from a local paper which allowed us ...
...of the "proper" ferries - I suspect SeaFrance is the nicest one although cannot vouch as have not yet personally been on one of their ferries. The other danger with Hoverspeed is that they are cancleled when the weather gets *really* bad; so reliability is not their strongest point. ...

magdadh 24.04.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

...marks out of 10 ;- Hoverspeed : 8 P&O Stena Line : 8 Eurotunnel : 5 Easy of Boarding and Getting Off The Eurotunnel trains are very easy to drive onto and off again. The P&O Ferry is also large enough to be a simple drive on at the stern and off at the bow (or vice versa). On both these services the cars are in almost straight lines whenever you get on or off. Alas this is not the case with the SeaCat. Cars seem to be jumbled in all directions ...
...Marks out of 10 :- Hoverspeed : 3 P&O Stena Line : 9 Eurotunnel : 9 Comfort On Board Of course for the Eurotunnel this is a case of How comfortable is your car? As you remain with your car for the whole journey the trip is as comfy as your car lets you be. You can stretch your legs to go to the toilet or stand by your car but that’s it. OK for a business trip but as part of the overall ambience of your holiday, perhaps not ideal. The Ferries ...

polydeuces 18.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

...tobacco was actually at the Hoverspeed port. We learned by our mistakes and always purchase at the port now. We have travelled with Hoverspeed many times now and the service has always been consistent. We have tried P & O, but find Hover speed more convenient and less hassle. One thing Hoverspeed do not advertise is the fact they do a Frequent User Loyalty Scheme. We found this out by chance whilst talking to another passenger. You must have done ...
...qualify. You phone up and give them your booking numbers and they send you a number to quote when making further bookings. You then receive a 20% discount on the cost of your travel. This only applies to regular priced bookings and not to their offers. We find that not only do we have a lovely day out, especially in the summer months, but also we are saving a fortune on our duty free purchases. Thanks Hoverspeed! ...

jewels 20.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

Hoverspeed 1st Class Newhaven to Dieppe. I hope you find this review some help when making your travel arrangements. I have just returned from a weekend in France. I travel to France at least twice a year using Hoverspeed or Transmanche Ferries. Hoverspeed use a Super Seacat in this route which will hold up to 148 vehicles 26 crew members and 674 passengers in a 2 class configuration. It travels at around 37 knots zipping across the channel in 2 ...
...This route was operated by Hoverspeed using Hovercraft, but these went out of service in 1999. Which is a shame as the Hovercraft were a lot of fun. The Super Seacat is stylish, fast and hassle free. The docks in Newhaven are small. The Hoverspeed Terminal is in need of a makeover. It has a Cafe small shop and toilets (which are very clean). 1st Class passengers can use the lounge. This is an exclusive area which is quite and has comfortable seating. ...

Collipops 09.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

Having used the services of Hoverspeed on the Dover - Calais route several times in the last year, I decided to add my thoughts after reading some of the older reviews, just to bring potential travellers up to date. Hoverspeed operate a few other routes, which I have not used - this review will only cover the Dover/Calais route. Travelling between the UK and the Continent gives you a huge amount of choice, from cut-price airlines to traditional ...
...where to start with the Hoverspeed experience? Well the booking process (I have used the website every time) is extremely painless. It's all kept to a minimum of questions - who you are, when are you going, and how are you going to pay (Always keep an eye out for the "special offers" page, as the booking process doesn't always add those into the equation). Add an email address and two minutes later all is confirmed with a booking reference, no tickets ...

holmes11 12.11.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

...share my experience of the Hoverspeed Service between Dover and Oostende with you, in the hope that it might assist you with choosing the type of crossing right for you. In my opinion, the Service between Dover and Oostende is a real alternative for travellers wishing to visit Belgium or moving further into Europe to Germany and beyond. The Catamaran used by Hoverspeed on this route is of the larger variety, compared with the Dover Calais route. ...
...is friendly and efficient. As the Vessel is not able to carry anything bigger then your average High-roof Tranist Van, no Lories are seen anywhere, resulting in an efficient and speedy loading of your Vehicle. Should you consider taking a Caravan, you should note that the rather small Car Deck might look a little bit daunting, considering you have to turn inside the Vessel, as only loading via the rear of the Vessel is facilitated. Once on board, ...

AlfWilbert 29.11.2000 (01.12.2000) · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

I was stuck at Portsmouth, and I needed to get to the Isle of Wight fast. Let me say that again. I needed to get there FAST. I was looking through a leaflet when I stumbled across an advert for HoverTravel. So then I waited at the bus stop where the advertised HoverBus picked me up, and left me just outside the terminal. I went to the booking/sales desk and bought four tickets - myself my wife and two kids. The staff were very kind and helpful and ...
...happy. After about five minutes in the waiting room, I was looking out to see and saw a jet of spray approaching. Right then, that must be for us. After a few last moments in the waiting room, we stepped outside into the cold sea breeze where the HoverCraft was approaching us. It was a bit like a box on a stretched out balloon. Well, it finally arrived and made its noises. The stairs were taken up to the skirt and the passengers got out. We got ...

danieletheridge 20.03.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed

Although it is quite a while ago that I have been on the Hovercraft I still remember it as a bloody awful experience. We arrived in Dover and the check-in was quite fast. However, the waiting etc in Dover is less than exiting. When the craft - on time at least - it caused quite a stir. It is fascinating to see this huge craft coming charging at you wiht great speed. The loading up was quite fast and after 20 min or so, we could leave our car to sit ...
...it is really boring, because there is no TV, Magazines or any kind of entertainment whatsoever. The seats are uncomfortable and crammed and the windows are tiny. Once the engine starts this thing makes the loudest noise ever and you can hardly understand each other inside because of the noise. As far as I remember there were hardly any facilities on board. And now the best part: it was so shaky and rocking the whole time that I started being sick ...

vicks 22.06.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Hoverspeed