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Booze cruise to France from Britain - frequently asked questions

(This page should be read in conjunction with the special offer by Majestic (Wine and Beer World) explained on the booze cruise Page)

Apart from about booze cruises, this site is packed with information, including maps and driving. about France. Don't forget to look at our site map before you go .

How long will it will take to drive to Dover (or Folkestone)? A superb online mapping resource,  www.multimap.com  (take option 'DIRECTIONS'), will tell you.

What insurance do I need? 

The E111, the reciprocal EEC medical insurance form, is available free of charge from main Post Offices. However, this gives fairly basic cover and you need to pay the charges and then claim back. For a short trip, many people simply take the E111 and take the risk. If you're not one of them, or if you're thinking of going for longer, or going abroad more than once, you should certainly see our insurance page 
For driving information about France, see out driving pages.

What do I have to do to get a free ferry crossing?

For your crossing price to be refunded, you need to pre-order £300 worth of drinks from Majestic (£800 if you are taking a van). However, if you order between £50 and £300 worth, you will be eligible for a reduced fare - see the Majestic Wine website for more on this.
For the Price List, please refer to the Majestic Wine web site

How do I book the ferry and how do I get my money back? This changes slightly from time to time, but basically:

  • you order your drinks through Majestic

  • they give you a reference number

  • you book your same day crossing quoting that reference number

  • your ticket price is refunded when you collect the order

  • More details are available on the Majestic Wine web site.

What if we want to go for longer than one day - do we still get the ticket price refunded

If you've ordered more than £300 worth of drink, Majestic will deduct £30 from your bill (see the Majestic Wine web site for details) And with French hotels costing about half of British ones, and with  Sea France offering very reasonable crossing prices, it's a great mini-break. You could book a trip as a surprise for somebody special, like I did for my wife.
How much  can I get in my car? A case of wine (12 bottles) weighs 15 kilograms. A pack of 24 (33cl) bottles of beer weighs 10 kg. Refer to your vehicle owner's manual for the weight it can carry. If you have Excel, we can provide you with a spreadsheet which should help you with this calculation. and provide you with a record of your order. Simply click here to email us.

How much can I bring back? Customs and excise publish guidelines of what can be considered reasonable which are (per person):

  • Wine and/or champagne: 90 litres

  • Beer: 100 litres

  • Spirits: 10 litres

  • More about this on the Majestic Wine web site

These are guidelines only. If you bring back more, 'you must be able to prove that it is for personal use.' The guidelines per person for tobacco are: 3200 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos or 200 cigars or 3 kg of smoking tobacco.
How long does the offer run? Wine and Beer World tend to run offers for limited periods (2 or 3 months 'chunks' and then renew them immediately afterwards.) This is so the price lists can be updated if any products get more expensive - or cheaper, there are always very interesting special offers running for limited periods. Refer to  the Majestic Wine web site for specific of what the latest dates are.
If you like books as well as booze, why not read two of the most enjoyable and informative books on rural France? More details here.
Where are good days out from Calais?

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