If you book a ticket with a specified departure time, can you get on an earlier train (say 1 hour), assuming of course you're at the terminal in time and there is availability?
Chad.
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Done this recently so I can answer
Yes you can check in earlier and they will put you on the next available train with space. You can also check in late any time up to the departure of your train. IF you check in past your departure time you will pay extra (£35 in my case i think)
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Don't know that it's officially allowed, and it was a year or two back, but I've certainly done that on the return leg from France. Saved a couple of hours IIRC.
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My experience is if it's busy, they'll charge you for it - I paid £30 last time. If they're not too busy and provided the operator in the kiosk is having a good day, you'll get on an earlier crossing for nothing extra. If you turn up several hours early, they know you want/need to go early so you'll pay for it. One hour or one or two trains early seems to be the threshold. I've had to pay extra more times than I've got on for nothing but overall can't complain.
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In theory, this depends on the sort of ticket you have (you can look the terms up on the web: www3.eurotunnel.com/rcs/etun/pb_english/en_wp_pass...p) but in practice, it's like Chad says.
They have become quite strict about enforcing that you go on the crossing for which you have checked in, too. It didn't use to be like that...
As I am a really old person, I can well remember that we were sold the concept of the Chunnel on the basis of "turn up and go", ie, there would be no need to book at all, you'd just go there and get on the next available train. This is still possible in theory but in practice you'd better be booked and checked in at the time they say, and hanging around the useless tax-free shops for as long as they want you to.
The reason this matters is that most motorists wanted a tunnel you could drive through yourself but no, The Powers That Be decided we had to have this train bottleneck. So we were told it would actually be quicker this way, because we could just turn up etc etc.
If you are lucky and travel on a low-traffic day, it's still pretty quick. But heaven help you if you're travelling during school holidays or other peak seasons... The Hovercraft were actually quicker (also 35 mins crossing time, but much less hanging-around time).
(Sorry, am I ranting again...? :-))
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I used it once. I was told by a friend to get there well on time so I did. Sat in the queue for a while.
Come the appointed time, a whole load of cars came from behind us along the inside lane, straight onto train. Story was that they were people who had missed their booked slot. As a result, we had to wait for the next train.
The crossing was dead dull, expensive and I haven't used it since.
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The reason this matters is that most motorists wanted a tunnel you could drive through yourself but no, The Powers That Be decided we had to have this train bottleneck.
I think you'll find that if they'd build a road tunnel as you suggest then your username would be rather appropriate most of the time. Driving in tunnels can be very disorientating for long periods of time and when you consider it would take 30-40 minutes to drive through you can see why rail is the only real option for such tunnels. Not to mention the problems you'd get were there to be an accident of any consequence...
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I've never yet been on the train I booked for although I'm always there in plenty of time! Their system shows no obvious sign of any sort of organisation and they seem to put you on whatever the next departure is with space - may be before or after your booked time.
Having said that, it isn't my favourite way of crossing La Manche. With all the queueing it's no quicker motorway-motorway than a ferry, it's boring, you can't have a drink (coffee of ocurse)or a meal. The only thing to recommend it is for mal-de-mer sufferers. Even then the motion means isn't completely foolproof!
Terry
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I've never yet been on the train I booked for although I'm always there in plenty of time! Their system shows no obvious sign of any sort of organisation and they seem to put you on whatever the next departure is with space - may be before or after your booked time. Having said that, it isn't my favourite way of crossing La Manche. With all the queueing it's no quicker motorway-motorway than a ferry, it's boring, you can't have a drink (coffee of ocurse)or a meal. The only thing to recommend it is for mal-de-mer sufferers. Even then the motion means isn't completely foolproof! Terry
I have never used the Channel Tunnel and much prefer to use the ferry. However, I suppose much depends on where you live, so the Tunnel may be better for some.
Mostly, I use the longer crossings from Portsmouth as it saves driving time the other side. When I have used the Dover route I have always been put on an earlier boat if I was early. I missed the boat on one occasion, due to severe traffic congestion on the M25, and was not charged extra.
Another reason I have for not using the Tunnel is that I have P&O shares, and get a 50% discount on the Dover route and 40% on the rest.
Incidentally, they are down at the moment so now is a good time to buy. You need 600 to get the full discount.
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Robbie
Sorry to pick a nit but for your P&O discount you do not have P&O shares.You have from memory 5 per cent redeemable preferred stock. Totally different and not subject to going up or down in price as you suggest.
Need to say this in case people try to buy the wrong things.
Over the last,(What is it?) 15 ? years must have saved thousands.
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Robbie Sorry to pick a nit but for your P&O discount you do not have P&O shares.You have from memory 5 per cent redeemable preferred stock. Totally different and not subject to going up or down in price as you suggest. Need to say this in case people try to buy the wrong things. Over the last,(What is it?) 15 ? years must have saved thousands.
To pick a nut, they are 5% Preference shares and the prices do vary. Last weeek the price was down at 145p and they have since risen to 150p. Indeed, a few weeks ago they were trading at 190p.
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Actually, they are 5.5%, not 5% as I mentioned. They can also be referred to as "preferred stock" which is the same as preference shares.
I bought the original Townsend Thoresson (sp?) shares, and when they were taken over by P&O some time in the eighties I had to make a choice regarding the type of share I wished to have. Later on, P&O had a rights issue and you were required to have 600 shares to obtain the full discount. I think they were 30p.
If you read the Daily Telegraph you can see the movement of these shares on a daily basis. They were actually trading at their highest value of 195p in 2003.
There is no reason why anyone should be confused about which share to purchase as they can go to the P&O site to register an interest in becoming a "stockholder." Any stockbroker will advise if they want the discounted fares.
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Re the P&O thing, I recently got the Shareholder pack and there were two things that stuck in my mind:
1) You needed to own shares by the end of Dec 2003 for any discounts in 2004
2) The discount only applies to car & passengers, not to caravans.
Oh, and the third thing was...I believe many of the crossing prices shown in the brochure were usually beatable by buying directly from P&O on their website!
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Re the P&O thing, I recently got the Shareholder pack and there were two things that stuck in my mind: 1) You needed to own shares by the end of Dec 2003 for any discounts in 2004 2) The discount only applies to car & passengers, not to caravans. Oh, and the third thing was...I believe many of the crossing prices shown in the brochure were usually beatable by buying directly from P&O on their website!
You are quite correct about 1 & 2.
The share price drops at the beginning of the year, probably due to that, but they usually rise steadily until about December. They were trading at 135p a few weeks ago and they are now up to 155p. If you are interested you should buy in the near future.
P&O offer "caravans go free" on certain crossings.
You can only beat the discounted prices on the Dover-Calais route if you are prepared to travel at certain times, whereas shareholder discounts apply at all times. Last June I travelled on the Portsmouth Express to Cherbourg, Club Class, plus the dog - he had to stay in the car - for £192 return.
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IIRC caravans only Go Free between about midnight and 4 am!
Good point that to beat the prices you need to go at certain times, and quite valid, but I am usually prepared to go "at certain times! anyway to get the keenest prices.
And I will admit now that I do not use the ferries during peak months. Out of those times, they seem to have a myriad of offers for Joe Public anyway.
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Thanks for all your responses;
I've booked a 7:33am (weekday) train but circumstances may be such that I'm at the terminal around 6'ish. So I'd rather get on with the journey than hang around.
Cheers,
Chad.
P.S Never been in the chunnel before so booked it for the novelty value, plus my wife get sea sick just looking at the ferry :-)
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Chad:
Living 10 minutes from the tunnel terminal, I have used Eurotunnel more often than most.
When they are busy and the system is operating at full capacity (school holidays etc) they are vulnerable to delays. Inevitably there are occasional "technical problems" like any railway and non-too infrequent strikes by militant French.
If you're at a quiet time, which you will be, my experience is that they will put you on the first available train and it's likely that in your case, the next departure will have space. Your main problem at such an earlly hour, there will probably only be 2 trains per hour running, rather than the more ususal 3 or 4. When there are only 2 trains, they sometimes run them at silly times, like 0607 then 0615, then 0706 etc! I dunno why! I think you can check the times on the Eurotunnel web site and if not by ringing them.
Seeing as they insist you arrive 35 minutes before departure, you don't have much to loose by turning up early. There's a Pret a Manger in the terminal for a decent breakfast sandwich and coffee to take on the train with you.
Safe journey
Andy
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Mostly OK, but never rely their scheduled times to get there or back to UK at certain times - went last Sat and one tunnel was closed, so trains running 60-90 mins late in morning. Without being prompted, Eurotunnel now offered us half price next time!
Just a personal point, but it's a very boring way to travel, altho fast, and you don't actually feel you've left the country, as opposed to a ferry where you see cliffs disappear and appear.
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Agree with HJ.
I use the Eurotunnel a lot, normally in the wee small hours outbound, and 21:00-22:00ish return.
Outbound, I normally arrive 45 minutes early if the traffic and middle o'night roadworks was kind, and drive straight to the holding area. I have never yet failed to be waved straight on to an early train when travelling at this time of day, normally at the offing of the marshalls and without having to ask. When travelling later in the day, I have never been asked to take a later train, but concede I may have been lucky.
Return, is a different matter.
Don't even think about trying to squeeze on to an earlier train! I have, twice, having been told I would have to pay by the biddy on the gate, and been unceremoniously sent back round the roundabout to the 'profit centre' both times! Yes, the dangly doo dah is read by the car park exit marshall! :-(
However, I think it's an excellent service, if expensive like the ferries unless you qualify for one of the quick break deals. I have never used a car ferry since the day Eurotunnel opened for business, though did try the Cat to Zebrugge once as an experiment. Most of my journeys are either quick forays to Belgium, where time is of the essence, or I am driving to the Czech Republic, where time is also of the essence, and the last thing I want to do is waste time paddling over the pond.
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I use the tunnel several times a year. One of the big advantages is that unlike the ferry you don't have to do Duke of Hazzard style manoeuvres to get in and out of the car (no-one parked next to you!)
Regarding timing, there are actually four barriers to cross:
1. the toll booth "biddy" (I actually find the employees courteous and pleasant even in freezing, snowy, wet or windy conditions) whom you must "persuade" to issue you with a dangly doo da with the earliest possible letter: if you have a cheap fixed-time ticket and are obviously more than 2 hours before it, or have missed it, then she can send you away / take for the difference:
2. The car park marshal who is checking your dangly doo da only (irrespective of what kind of ticket you booked, though club tickets are recognisable and always have priority.
3. Customs - do not underestimate the effect on journey time of a thorough vehicle search!
4. The "reservoir" where you get priority with a club class dangly doo da and there is some sorting by letter. if there is still some space and no more club passengers arrive, some cars with the earliest letter can join up. However, the cars are sorted by lane. (if you are behind a car with a later letter, you get no reward for all the shopping you must have been doing!)
always drive up the channel marked "green" as advaised, you don't get on first by driving up an empty lane!
So the dangly doo das are important to when you get on and off. They used to be preprinted but are now clearly marked with the date. Evidently people used to carry lots and try sneaking through early on a re-used one. I know I had lots "confiscated" on a thorough car search once, didn't even remember they were there!
Just to mention, you get very worthwhile travel dicounts by joining the tunnel points scheme, it can amount to a 30% discount off the flexible fares.
Always an enjoyable and hassle free trip.
pat
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A related question to which I couldn't find a definitive answer....
In France, if requested, do you need to produce the UK "photocard" driving license AND the "paper" license, or is the photo bit enough?
Chad.
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