It's not often that when you want a luxury European getaway that you think of taking your own car with you on the ferry since the ferry itself really doesn't sound that fun. If anything, the car ferry has its own stereotypes and none of those scream 'premium or luxury!' However, P&O ferries for a while now have had a little-used extra on their Dover-Calais route that could actually save you money on your trip. This my friends is Club Lounge.
Club Lounge might be £12 per person each way, but it's a fun way to start or end your European day trip or getaway, and the treats that you get are endless. For example, there's a free welcome glass of champagne, free refillable soft drinks including orange juice and Pepsi, as well as free refillable hot drinks, free snacks like peanuts, crisps, almonds, cookies etc. If that's not enough, then you can buy also meals and other alcoholic drinks from the Club Lounge menu. By the time you look at how many drinks and snacks you've had that you'd otherwise have to buy if you weren't in Club Lounge, it makes sense as to why some people pay the Club Lounge upgrade. The other thing that Club Lounge gets you is free WiFi, so if you're getting the Club Lounge upgrade, you don't have to worry about paying for WiFi when you book your trip.
But what I really love about Club Lounge is the design and layout of the lounge, especially on the 2 youngest ships in the fleet - Spirit of Britain and Spirit of France. In a wheelchair, it's so easy to move around the Club Lounge area, even the private outside deck is easy to navigate, and the doors are easy to get through. On the outside deck, there are even sun loungers so if you're going in the summer you can really relax and put your feet up! Back inside, and everything is within easy reach, making for a much more relaxing journey across the channel. Even nicer, is that if you can get parked in the correct part of the car deck, the lift takes you straight to the Club Lounge entrance, something that was massively welcome when we didn't want to have to hunt the car down at 10pm!
Overall, the Club Lounge in my eyes will always be worth it, it's quiet, great value for money and I think P&O Ferries have done well to add a little luxury onboard.