Opinions on Direct Ferries – Ferry comparison calculator
Buying a ticket for a ferry trip to Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica or the Canary Islands can be a real headache: how do you find your way through the jungle of private shipping companies, each with their own pricing conditions?
In the age of Web 2.0, matchmaking platforms and service comparators – for car rentals, flights, hotels and unusual accommodations – are playing an increasingly important role in the world of tourism.
By quickly analyzing a whole range of available offers on behalf of the user, comparators save users a great deal of time and money. Among these is Direct Ferries, a ticket comparator that is revolutionizing maritime transport.
What is Direct Ferries, how does it work and what do you need to know before booking on the site? Here’s an essential mini-guide to one of the heavyweights of the travel and tourism industry.
What is Direct Ferries?
Photo credit: Facebook – Directferries.fr
Direct Ferries is an online ferry booking agency, offering the possibility of consulting, comparing and booking a ticket from over 1,000 ferry crossings throughout Europe and in many countries around the world.
The story of Direct Ferries began in 1999, when the British founders – based in London – developed the site that was to become the leader in ferry travel. Today, in addition to ferry bookings, the comparator offers a number of associated services, including accommodation, train tickets and European cancellation insurance in the event of breakdown.
Building on its success, the company now has offices in England, Germany and Switzerland. Its website is also adapted for most European countries. Connected to the ferry companies’ booking systems, the site enables users to compare all crossings for different destinations, and to choose a different port if the price is more attractive or if the initially chosen departure city is not available.
And that’s not all! The site also provides the public with all theinformation they need to prepare their crossing (port access guides, customer reviews and comments). The company boasts the ability to find the best fares and the « widest choice » of crossings available.
Direct Ferries also offers promotions and discounts on ticket prices. Today, Direct Ferries works with 230 shipping companies, offers over 3,100 crossings in Europe and elsewhere in the world, and offers travel among a total of 759 ferry ports. In all, destinations cover 197 countries and islands!
How does it work?
Photo Credit : App Store
How do I use this tool? It’s very simple.
- Select destination
Simply enter the destination of your choice, for example Toulon-Corsica, and the tree structure reveals the routes available from Toulon (Ajaccio, Bastia, Porto-Vecchio, etc.).
- Complete travel information
You then enter your estimated travel dates, the number of passengers, the number of pets (if any), your preferred flight times, and whether or not you have a vehicle to load in the hold (type, make, model).
- Select crossing
The search then sorts the crossings among the available shipping companies (Corsica Ferries, GNV, etc.) and proposes the best fare offers available for booking.
The results show the desired destinations, but also alternative solutions for other ports (for the Mediterranean islands, Toulon, Nice or Genoa, for example). You can choose the shipping company, the port of departure, the day and the time, depending on the price of the crossing.
- Select ticket type
After selecting a crossing by clicking on « continue », the site offers the option of switching to a standard ticket (free of charge), or taking out a refundable ticket in the event of cancellation by the customer (although a fee will apply).
- Select options
The rest is simple: the user chooses his or her cabin type (none, 2, 3 or 4 berths), seat, on-board meals and options (wifi, priority boarding). These options are, of course, subject to a charge, which increases the price of the initial ticket.
- Enter personal information
The booking continues with the personal information field (surname, first name, nationality, date of birth, passport or identity card number). For added peace of mind, you can choose to have your reservation sent by SMS and check-in details sent the day before departure for €1.99.
- Whether or not to take out cancellation insurance
Finally, each passenger can choose whether or not to take out « free cancellation insurance », which guarantees a full refund of the ticket in the event of cancellation up to 48 hours before departure.
Advantages and disadvantages of Direct Ferries
Photo credit: Facebook – Directferries.fr
Benefits
- Free access
- Time saving
- A wide range of crossings
- Attractive rates
- Flexibility
- Fast, efficient search
Disadvantages
- Numerous paying options (cabin, seat, meals, wifi options, insurance, etc.)
- Hard-to-reach online service
Direct Ferries: the editor’s opinion
With a plethora of ferry routes throughout Europe and the Maghreb, Direct Ferries is an incredibly time-saving and easy-to-use ferry comparison service. In fact, the solution centralizes all available companies, making the process much easier than having to compare every fare with every company. With just a few clicks, you’ll be able to see the different prices and get a complete overview of what’s available.
Did you know? The Direct Ferries website includes a tab where you can see the countries of the world, where you can compare crossings, and all the continents are represented. It’s a great way to get travel ideas and inspiration! We still advise you to compare the prices obtained on each company’s website, to see if you can find a better deal direct!