Euro-tunnel experiences?

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I use it regularly and it is great service much quicker and better than the ferries. If you arrive early they generally give you the option of an earlier departure. Both ends it is straight off the train on to the road.
 
give you a little tip:

buy two return tickets is cheaper than just a return ticket

say your holiday is 1/7 to 5/7, buy a return ticket for 1/7, pick the time you want to set off then choose the cheapest return time slot, do the same for the return journey on 5/7. Just ignore the return leg ticket. It should save you a little bit of money.

I'm not sure I understand the above.

However, if you do not use the outbound journey, your return journey is invalid. Happened to a friend of mine 10 days ago. He had a return ticket which was not valid - he did not use the outbound to Calais as his car was already in Europe. He had to pay Euro 270 to buy a single ticket home at the Calais Eurotunnel gate.
 
However, if you do not use the outbound journey, your return journey is invalid. Happened to a friend of mine 10 days ago. He had a return ticket which was not valid - he did not use the outbound to Calais as his car was already in Europe. He had to pay Euro 270 to buy a single ticket home at the Calais Eurotunnel gate.
^ This.

It's known as "back to back ticketing" and was a commonly used technique to get cheaper airfares. The airlines got wise to it, and so are Eurotunnel. I absolutely wouldn't recommend as you are very likely to be denied carriage on the return leg unless you pay handsomely.



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mind your alloys if you've got low profile tyres. That 50mm steel kerb a bit of a bugger.:(

ask for high and wide .. it's wider with no risk of alloy damage, single deck and no extra cost
 
As all have said, it's fantastic and rarely experiences delays.

Usually about a tenner extra each way versus the ferry I've found. Good for a day trip or returning from a longer journey. Believe me, the very last thing you want to do after driving non-stop from Switzerland, for example, is sit on a ferry for 2 hours.

High and wide boarding is the way to go. The metal rails each side of the carriage are quite unforgiving otherwise and narrow every few carriages where there's a toilet. Not the nicest experience driving through the carriages in a big wide car.

You don't feel it move off, then half an hour later the lovely French sunlight bursts through the little train windows. A few miles of grass and high security fencing and guards then you reach the platform to disembark.

For anyone interested in a bit of trivia, the platforms are situated at the end of a loop of track. Trains coming into Calais travel anti-clockwise around a loop while trains coming back to Folkestone travel clockwise, so the train is always travelling in one direction and ensuring equal wear on the wheel flanges :thumb:

One of the British tunnel boring machines also remains buried under the Channel
 
mind your alloys if you've got low profile tyres. That 50mm steel kerb a bit of a bugger.:(

I always book for high vehicles ( 1.85 m ) Keeps my forged AMG's nice and safe :thumb:
 
Haven't used it for 20 years but I remember it being pretty painless.
 
It's ridiculous really, if they ran a few extra trains you could literally drive up and drive on the next train - the tunnel has capacity for far more than it actually handles - but they deliberately don't run more trains in order to push people into the "retail experience," so adding 30 - 60 minutes to the crossing but giving Eurotunnel at least an extra tenner margin contribution per passenger. (Some people pay £30-£40 for a seriously dull meal)
A group of us went to Belgium in 2015 when the illegal immigrants were playing up in Calais. Two cars were booked to go back in the evening and they called us to say that there was a 6 hour delay at about 10.00pm , when we got there at about 10.00am the following morning the 6 hour delay had been reduced to 30 mins. They just put on extra trains overnight.
 
I'm not sure I understand the above.

However, if you do not use the outbound journey, your return journey is invalid. Happened to a friend of mine 10 days ago. He had a return ticket which was not valid - he did not use the outbound to Calais as his car was already in Europe. He had to pay Euro 270 to buy a single ticket home at the Calais Eurotunnel gate.

No, I don't think you do.

Let's see if this is simpler.

E.g. Holiday is 1/7 to 10/7.

Buy a same day return ticket for 1/7, so for example, 9am Folkstone to Calais then pick same day return Calais to Folkstone (choose the cheapest time as you won't use it)

Do the same again for 10/7 - choose a Calais to Folkstone setting off time of your choice then choose the cheapest same day return ticket.

On the day, you use the 9am Folkstone to Calais ticket, ignore the same day return ticket.

On 10/7, you use the Calais to Folkstone ticket, ignore the return journey

No ''back to back ticketing'' and you will use the outbound ticket, so the complete opposite.

I've used this about 4 times in total, and last time was 2 months ago, it works and saves anything from £20 to £60. :D
 
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No, I don't think you do.

Let's see if this is simpler.

E.g. Holiday is 1/7 to 10/7.

Buy a same day return ticket for 1/7, so for example, 9am Folkstone to Calais then pick same day return Calais to Folkstone (choose the cheapest time as you won't use it)

Do the same again for 10/7 - choose a Calais to Folkstone setting off time of your choice then choose the cheapest same day return ticket.

On the day, you use the 9am Folkstone to Calais ticket, ignore the same day return ticket.

On 10/7, you use the Calais to Folkstone ticket, ignore the return journey

No ''back to back ticketing'' and you will use the outbound ticket, so the complete opposite.

I've used this about 4 times in total, and last time was 2 months ago, it works and saves anything from £20 to £60. :D

Sounds great, you happy to pay the shortfall should it not work?
 
No, I don't think you do.

Let's see if this is simpler.

E.g. Holiday is 1/7 to 10/7.

Buy a same day return ticket for 1/7, so for example, 9am Folkstone to Calais then pick same day return Calais to Folkstone (choose the cheapest time as you won't use it)

Do the same again for 10/7 - choose a Calais to Folkstone setting off time of your choice then choose the cheapest same day return ticket.

On the day, you use the 9am Folkstone to Calais ticket, ignore the same day return ticket.

On 10/7, you use the Calais to Folkstone ticket, ignore the return journey

No ''back to back ticketing'' and you will use the outbound ticket, so the complete opposite.

I've used this about 4 times in total, and last time was 2 months ago, it works and saves anything from £20 to £60. :D

makes sense as you are using the outbound portion on both tickets
 
Buy a same day return ticket for 1/7, so for example, 9am Folkstone to Calais then pick same day return Calais to Folkstone (choose the cheapest time as you won't use it)

Do the same again for 10/7 - choose a Calais to Folkstone setting off time of your choice then choose the cheapest same day return ticket.

On the day, you use the 9am Folkstone to Calais ticket, ignore the same day return ticket.

On 10/7, you use the Calais to Folkstone ticket, ignore the return journey

No ''back to back ticketing'' and you will use the outbound ticket, so the complete opposite.
OK, I misunderstood.

I guess it depends upon how long it takes before Eurotunnel's IT system gets coded to check for unused return tickets then :D
 
OK, I misunderstood.

I guess it depends upon how long it takes before Eurotunnel's IT system gets coded to check for unused return tickets then :D

I can't think of a way they can detect or stop this loophole apart from increasing the price to make it the same as buying a normal return ticket.

Think about it, by the time they realise you haven't used your same day return ticket, they will just void it and can't do anything else. Can they void your other same day ticket? definitely not, that's a different journey entirely. :bannana:
 
We used the tunnel a few weeks ago again (probably 20 times now) and once again it was all very easy and quick.

Things nearly went wrong as I had booked as a high vehicle but when going through the terminal in the high lane one of the staff members tried to redirect me. I pointed out we had booked as a high vehicle and she let me on my way, cue no curbed alloys on the train (shame I curbed one in Monaco).
 
ask for high and wide .. it's wider with no risk of alloy damage, single deck and no extra cost

Didn't know you could do this - as I vowed never to use again after I caught one of my alloys on the metal kerb as I was ushered up to the ramp. Which by its nature is offset and there is that moment where you see nothing but the carriage roof it seems. Ruined one of my Lorinser alloys ...
 
On the few occasions that I've taken my 968 - coupe or cab - on the Tunnel and they've tried to direct me upstairs, I just politely point out the low front clearance of the car and request to go downstairs. It's worked every time. OK, you still have the kerb either side and the chicane at the toilets, but do not have the on and off ramps to contend with!

Regarding using 2 tickets instead of 1, an aquaintance does this regularly by booking a Folkestone-Calais return and a Calais-Folkestone return then only using the outbound part of each ticket. Also he does not enter his registration number on the online booking.
 
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why wouldn't it work?

it's already been tried and tested by myself

think outside the box ;)

Good that it worked..though there are carriers who specifically state that they will charge the full price if the return portion is not used.
 
Good that it worked..though there are carriers who specifically state that they will charge the full price if the return portion is not used.

They've already taken payment at that point tho? Couldn't it be that you were late etc as missed the train?
 

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