Just got back from the UK, a word of warning to all ferry users coming into Caen
Normally it only took 20-40 mins to clear the port.
Today we were about the 40th car off a half empty ferry and it took us 45mins to clear passport control. If you were at the back of the queue God only knows how long it would have taken.
The main delay was people that used their phones to present the appropriate forms. The car in front of us had four occupants, each of which had to pass the phones to the boarder guards several times. It took them 10 mins to clear.
Please, please , please print your docs out. It is so much quicker and easier.
On the other side, no questions about what goods you were carrying
I used the Portsmouth - Can crossing regularly each year and always had a steward enter the room in the morning using his pass key. He wouldnât knock, just barge in (Iâm not sure what he hoped to gain).
I now use The Tunnel, longer travelling at both ends but more relaxed.
The only times Iâve ever had that experience @PhilCAM was quite a while back when we had more money than we have now and used one of those posh cabins with beds rather than bunks (whose name escapes me ). The steward always came in in the mornings to bring our breakfast (how civilised!) Since weâve been using the ordinary cabins, weâve never had anyone come in âŚ
Please please print your documents.
I had a similar experience at Dover leaving for Calais on Sunday August 8th when few people were travelling.
There was a huge line all caused by mobile phones being passed back and forth. One phone was actually dropped onto the concrete.
Please print. I say again Please print.
I am due to travel next Calais to Dover early in October and I hope this message is heard by everyone.
I once had a random check at Pompey on the way out. Never before nor since. I was asked what the purpose of the trip was and I was able to truthfully say that it was my passengerâs b/day in a couple of days so we were going on a day return booze-cruise, ÂŁ10/p.p return courtesy of the M-B Ownersâ Club.
I had that happen to me at about 2 aâŚm. in a hotel in Lâpool. I was woken up by a lot of scrabbling at the door and eventually it burst open. A bloke and his squeeze stood, non too steadily, looking down at me from the end of the bed.
âErrr⌠ummm ⌠I think you have the wrong roomâ.
The bloke staggered out of the door. The woman staggered towards the bed, looking fiesty! The bloke returned and suddenly - whoosh! - she was gone.
Iâll third that, just come through Dieppe, not massively busy but could see several cars doing the âhand everybodyâs phone seriallyâ thing and taking ages. The guy was visibly relieved when I handed him a wad of printouts.
As my position on the car deck does not give me much hope of being among the first few cars off it could be a long wait in Newhaven.
Also print paperwork for air travel please! Again, hold-ups as Bordeaux airport as people scrabbled to open their app to show their certificate, and to scrabble again to show their boarding passâŚ
You need to show your proof of vaccination. If youâre not vaccinated, you must show a negative Covid test taken within 24 hours of departure.
In theory you are also meant to write out a âstatement on my honourâ confirming that you have no symptoms of Covid, nor have been in contact, to the best of your knowledge, with anyone with a confirmed case of Covid within the last 14 days. However on my return to Bordeaux, I wasnât asked for that. If you have a carte de sejour, you need to show that with your passport.
Came back through the tunnel on Sunday and French border control carefully checked the vaccination certificates, they were not interested in the âhonneurâ statement.
Just came back to France via Caen today.
45 minutes to clear customs & immigration - and we were about half way along the line / queue.
The delay appears to be immigration stamping passports and people having documents on their phones.
Flew to Toulouse from Heathrow yesterday. Guy at passport control wasnât interested at all in my attestation, or my vaccination certificate. Didnât even acknowledge thier presence. He also didnât look at my TdeS, or my passport photo ⌠or even look at me directly. He just stamped my passport (grrrrrrrr) and handed it back to me. He was the most bored, disinterested person I think Iâve ever seen. It was like he was on another planet entirely.
). The steward always came in in the mornings to bring our breakfast (how civilised!) Since weâve been using the ordinary cabins, weâve never had anyone come in âŚ
