# Hats off to Eurotunnel.



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

I have just had a phone call from Eurotunnel.The lady said she had just been checking on the phone bookings(they record for training etc)and she had noticed that when I booked a trip to France in April I might have been misled on my personal travel insurance.Apparently when I booked my trip starting in April and took out the insurance then did I realise that the annual travel cover started from the day of the order and not from day of travel.No I replied, but it didn't particularly matter.Was there anything else and could she help?I said that the only disappointing thing was that there was no room on the 5.50 train and that I would have to travel at 3.05(a tad early)she then said what about the 6.20 at no extra charge?
this was a saving of about £60 (all because Easter time)So congratulations to Eurtunnel for excellent customer relations.
tony


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

Very good service, we always use the tunnel as my wife is not a good sailor!
Its a pity they don't have somewhere to overnight at as we are booked on the 6am train which means having to leave home at 2am. Would have preferred to get to Eurotunnel at 10pm previous day and overnight. 

Wobby


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## THEPOET (May 1, 2007)

wobby said:


> Very good service, we always use the tunnel as my wife is not a good sailor!
> Its a pity they don't have somewhere to overnight at as we are booked on the 6am train which means having to leave home at 2am. Would have preferred to get to Eurotunnel at 10pm previous day and overnight.
> 
> Wobby


It takes you 3 1/2 hrs to get across Kent? (taking out the 20 to 30 mins prior to departure) It takes us only 4 hrs to get down there from mid norfolk. Sorry if I sound a little incredulous, there must be a good reason ? 8O

Pete


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

THEPOET said:


> wobby said:
> 
> 
> > Very good service, we always use the tunnel as my wife is not a good sailor!
> ...


Bit of poetic license, 90! plus a bit slow

Wobby


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

wobby said:


> Very good service, we always use the tunnel as my wife is not a good sailor!
> Its a pity they don't have somewhere to overnight at as we are booked on the 6am train which means having to leave home at 2am. Would have preferred to get to Eurotunnel at 10pm previous day and overnight.
> 
> Wobby


You've sort of answered a question I was going to ask. We've got an early morning booking for June. It's a 4-5hour run from home to the Chunnel, anyone know of anywhere you can overnight close to?


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

I can't understand why people go for the early morning trains. :? 

We always use the late evening ones, then overnight at one of the Calais aires, much easier. Reasons being you miss all the M25 traffic if you hit it after 7.00pm, the tunnel traffic is almost non-existent after 10pm and you land in Calais well before midnight, just in time to get your head down. Wake up in France the following morning, go to Auchan to fuel up (and breakfast if that takes your fancy) then you have all day to get a few miles under your belt.

We've just booked the 22.50 train, €61 (or free if you use the Tesco vouchers). We'll plan to arrive in Folkestone about 21.00 to 21.30 and with a bit of luck they'll give us the option of the earlier (and more expensive) train.

Coming back we do the opposite, drive to Calais the previous evening, stop on the aire and get the cheap train before 10.00am. This gets us to the M25 just after the rush hour traffic has died off and we get a straight run home with a bit of luck.


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## mandyandandy (Oct 1, 2006)

Hi, 

I don't want this to sound like a clever clogs put down or anything like that but don't worry about what time you can get there. If you are booked for very early train just turn up late evening and get on the next available one (which you will probably find is the very next train, it always has been for us) they are never busy at night and are happy to let you on as it saves space in a morning. 

If it doesn't let you on then and gives you the choice of a very very early one or your own then you can pick your original time and spend the night in the very quiet tunnels own car park (something else we have done before when they where very busy in August) 

Last year on 2 occasions we travelled 24 hours before our allotted train and neither time were we asked to pay extra, once we had to wait for 2 trains to go but not a problem when you have your own living accommodation there with you. 

We love the ease of it all and the speed you can get to the other side and spend the night in Cite Europes excellent over night car park then wake up fresh for the drive. 

Mandy


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

mandyandandy said:


> Hi,
> 
> I don't want this to sound like a clever clogs put down or anything like that but don't worry about what time you can get there. If you are booked for very early train just turn up late evening and get on the next available one (which you will probably find is the very next train, it always has been for us) they are never busy at night and are happy to let you on as it saves space in a morning.
> 
> ...


Thanks Mandy, for answering the original post, I didn't realise one could arrive that early as the ticket states max up to 2 hrs before departure.

Gaspode, Its horses for courses! We don't like staying at the aire by the port in Calais, much prefer to arrive early morning and head straight for our favourite aire in Broglie one of the best Aire in France.

Wobby


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## madontour (May 19, 2008)

The Eureka leisure park near junction 9 of the M20 has a huge car park. Put tn25 4nb into your sat nav or google maps for directions. We get there mid-evening and have something to eat in one of the restaurants and then get our heads down. We've never had any trouble and it's only fifteen minutes to the Tunnel from there the next morning.

Mike


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## THEPOET (May 1, 2007)

gaspode said:


> I can't understand why people go for the early morning trains. :?
> 
> We always use the late evening ones, then overnight at one of the Calais aires, much easier. Reasons being you miss all the M25 traffic if you hit it after 7.00pm, the tunnel traffic is almost non-existent after 10pm and you land in Calais well before midnight, just in time to get your head down. Wake up in France the following morning, go to Auchan to fuel up (and breakfast if that takes your fancy) then you have all day to get a few miles under your belt.
> 
> ...


I agree, This is exactly what we are booked for in Aug, same price/Tesco Vouchers. We will shoot along to Auchans at Dunquerke and stay the rest of the night there. Then it will be straight on to the non peage towards Luxembourg....or will it be Monschau....or....  Each to his own.


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## mandyandandy (Oct 1, 2006)

Yes got to agree about the late crossing, we usually book on the 10pm which we have for August , then if traffic is good we go earlier. 

A couple of times we had to book early morning because of commitments and then things changed and we got there early. 

Tesco has paid for all 15 return crossings in 2 years, bless em!!  

Mandy


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## chic1 (Nov 12, 2008)

hi,we used tunnel for first time at xmas and arrived 10.45pm hoping to get on an earlier train as we were booked on for following lunchtime.as it was xmas it was too busy and were told to stick to our original time .this meant we had to sleep somewhere.just before the terminal there is a newish services they have an early arrival parking so we stopped the night along with a coach and several other campers we did not pay.


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