Thinking of travelling with your caravan or motorhome via ferry this summer? Then make sure you know your rights
Summer is creeping around the corner, which means it’ll finally be time to bust out the caravan or motorhome and get ready for your holiday. And if you’re thinking about travelling through Europe to explore pastures new, then travelling by ferry will certainly be on the agenda. Before you set sail though, it might be handy to ensure you brush up on your rights as a passenger, and now – thanks to The Consumer Council – you can.
The Consumer Council has provided information on your rights as a passenger using the ferry for travel, from or within European Union countries.
Firstly, if your sailing is cancelled or delayed, your ferry company is required to inform you as soon as possible, and no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time. It would be nice to think this is just common courtesy, but did you know this procedure wasn’t even a legal requirement before December 2012? Your ferry company is also obliged by law to provide you with new departure information and arrival times as soon as they are available, as well as being responsible for informing you about alternative travel connections should your delay cause further issues once you eventually reach your port of call.
If things begin to look slightly bleaker and your service is expected to be cancelled or delayed for more than 90 minutes beyond its scheduled departure time, the next step your ferry operator must take is to provide passengers with free snacks, meals and refreshments wherever available or can reasonably be supplied. You should also be given the opportunity to choose if you want to take another ferry at the earliest convenience or request a full refund. But unless you’ve got one of these, we’d pretty much say it would pay to stick around.
If the cancellation or delay of your sail results in an overnight stay then the ferry company is also obliged to provide you with free accommodation for up to three nights. You are also eligible to receive compensation for the inconvenience equal to 25 per cent of the ticket price if you are delayed for at least:
If the delay exceeds double the times set above, the compensation you will be eligible to receive will then be increased to 50 per cent of the ticket price. Keep in mind, though, that you aren’t entitled to any accommodation or compensation if weather or extraordinary conditions are the cause of delay or cancellation. But that’s what your trusty caravan or motorhome is for, right?!
For any more details, click here.
Have you ever experienced the worst when travelling by ferry? Let us know in the comments below.
