 Poster: A snowHead
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Just got this e-mail from Eurotunnel
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Dear Boredsurfing,
Important travel information - NEW French Terminal Layout
To further improve your travel experience, a new layout of our French terminal is now in place.
After proceeding through Check-In, you will now clear border controls prior to accessing our French Terminal Building. This will enable you to relax in the comfort of our Passenger Terminal Building until your booked departure is called. Simply follow the revised signage and directions given by our Terminal staff.
If you require any further information, please call our Contact Centre on 08443 35 35 35. Opening times are:
08:00 - 19:00 Monday to Friday
08:00 - 17:30 Saturday and Bank Holidays
09:00 - 17:30 Sunday
For the latest real-time travel information for both the UK & French Terminals, please call our 24 hour Customer Information Line +44 (0)8444 63 00 00.
We wish you a pleasant journey with Eurotunnel
Yours sincerely,
Marketing and Sales Director
Commercial Division - Passenger. |
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 9-02-11 16:56; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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relax in the comfort of our Passenger Terminal Building
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 Wow they must have built a new terminal as well!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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sounds a good idea - was a pain at times, before - they should do that in the UK too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Great idea.
It should save the bun fight at the end of bank holidays.
Funny how it always seemed to be the big 4 wheel drive cars that used to push in !
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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hosepiper,
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Funny how it always seemed to be the big 4 wheel drive cars that used to push in !
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Not me, it was the Audi drivers 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Never been very impressed with the French side. We use it simply for loo stop and sometimes coffee. Absolutely hell on earth late on a bank holiday, particularly in the summer. Litter, litter and more litter, people just chuck it where they have eaten. Cruel reminder that Blightly beckons.
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Lou, Agree, absolutely detest the French terminal, stinky toilets and awful food plus the thought of doing battle with the M25 once the other side. This may make it slightly more bearable.
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Used it Sunday, you now queue longer, but only once 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I guess it was done to try and encourage more people to actually stop in the terminal rather than getting straight into the mad queue for customs.
No doubt they will be very strictly enforcing the letters allowed on, to make sure you do stay and spend some money there
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Boris, the last couple of times we have come back, they have missed our queue entirely and we have missed our scheduled crossing. Still wouldn't encourage me to spend any more than a penny in that place
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The delay does seem to be UK customs. We have missed our train several times due to this despite going when called. Hopefully this may resolve that, but likewise won't be spending any money there!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I always thought the hideous consumer experience in the French terminal served a purpose in making England not seem quite so bad after all 
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Last year we foolishly (as we were hungry and in a hurry) bought "food" at Quick. To shamelessly steal Bill Bryson's line - the full name of that place is "Quick - a bucket I'm going to be sick'
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You know it makes sense.
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The stuff from the boulangerie is OK if expensive.
Lou, they missed our lane last year sometime. Just two vehicles in it. I blamed hubby for going to the over 1.85m lane, when we didn't have the roofbox on, but perhaps it wasn't his fault after all.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Lou, it was really quiet too, so we couldn't understand why we were still sitting there. Eventually more cars, vans etc joined us and we went on the next train.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Last August, again in the over height lane, we left in a train with 3 cars on the overheight cars. Despite the fact there were hundreds waiting. I guess they were more concerned on getting the trains away on time than clearing the queue.
It SHOULD get better, as the delay is at UK customs, once through this there should be no issues with getting trains queued and loaded. We will just all have to remember that to get your booked time you will need to be at check-in probably 1hr before
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hells Bells, and staff rapidly disappear off in their little white cars just as people realise what's happened.
Still prefer to ferry though
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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BUMP
Just came through the new layout on way home today and what a complete and utter farce!
Get through check-in and immediately hit back of huge queue to get through customs, with only a couple of grotty portaloos to cope with the hundreds of people there. Needless to say, we along with everyone else we saw, then drove straight past the shops etc onto the train.
They seriously need to sort something out there - I guess the revised layout is intended to give you more time shop but at least with the old layout you could nip to the loo after arrival. Now even that's not possible!
Seems to be a big KFC opened just down the road before Eurotunnel - I can see that doing a lot of business!
I was so pished off with their performance today I am tempted to give the ferries another go. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Boris, Might be worth complaining to Eurotunnel as they have just signed a new service level agreement with UK Borders for the Calais 'process' of vehicles.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We used the new layout in March. We didn't need to use the loos, as we'd already been  (at the Majestic Wine place), but if we had needed a pee, we were directed away from the terminal to the boarding area, despite being well within the recommended check in time.
The lass at the UK border agency was the most miserable COW we have ever encountered.
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Boris, I came through at 17.00 and got behind a car at check in who thought he was at the ferry terminal!!!!!!! and then got into the queue for UK customs, why do they make it so hard for UK residents to enter their own country? Single market and open borders!
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Boredsurfing, normally I can take the odd hold-up, but after today's performance I am going to complain. We checked in at 11 and only just got the 12.20 crossing!
I mean I paid errrr bog-all for this crossing with vouchers you know!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sailed through at 1630 today, seems like a big improvement.
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Boris, indeed, missed our departure due to having to nip to the loos after arriving in plenty of time, then queuing for UK customs after flying through the French customs!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Boris, indeed, missed our departure due to having to nip to the loos after arriving in plenty of time, then queuing for UK customs after flying through the French customs!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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We arrived early for a 2120 departure and got on at 2042, which left exactly on time - very quickly through everything, just time for a coffee and a pain au raisin. Probably better being later in the day - though there were still some warnings at check-in about customs delays, presumably left over from earlier.
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Came through on Sat evening and it was a joke. Queued for French customs, queued for UK border control, queued for train...finally got on a train 1 hour 30 after arriving (did manage a fly into the terminal building which was like a ghost town, girl on the counter said it had been like that since they moved the border control - can't see that lasting long as business must be hurting.)
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You know it makes sense.
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One of the best things about the tunnel last year was the speed of boarding, this new customs seems to have negated this......
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I encountered 90 minute delays coming back at the end of the February half term, all due to the passport control bit. Made worse by the fact that I had paid for the Flexiplus Upgrade and had to queue with everyone else
I complained and Eurotunnel gave me a £100 voucher.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We were an hour exactly after pam w last night. Straight through on train previous to one we had booked. No delays - although was the first time ever that our car was checked on the French side (by a very thorough German Shepherd )
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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when Eurotunnel/TML constructed the terminal for opening in 1994, they decided themselves to have a huge row of Contol Booths across the whole councourse. Out of these only, 2 have ever been used by UK Borders. The rest of the booths that you can see are used as offices by various border staff and Eurotunnel, so the UK and French passport booths are NOT UNUSED, they have never ever opened in the 17 years of existence. Yes it does seem bizarre for someone who does not know about the history, but 2 booths is for peak periods (both sides used) and one booth for off-peak periods, the other 4 booths are not control booths. If you think there are not enough staff already at 2 passport booths that are used, bear in mind that David Cameron wishes to reduce the Civil Service by a further 25%, so staff there will have to be reduced.
Yes it may seem a pain when travelling through Eurotunnel's site, there is French Customs, French Immigration, British Immigration and British Customs, plus any checks Eurotunnel wish to make. This is because this is a Schengen border point AND the tunnel is a target for terrorists and also it is a very long tunnel and vehicles need to be risk assessed before entry into it.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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PS I am guessing the reason for the change of layout is so that people can go to the Passenger Terminal building with all checks and queues already cleared (apart from the queue for the trains), there they can see at what time their train leaves and just drive a go. Previously, many people left it too late and missed their trains because of the checks afterwards. Under both systems, there are checks and queues, now it means all the checks and queues are immediate after check-in. You'd have to ask Eurotunnel if the change has benefitted their business in increased revenues at the Passenger Terminal Building or from the aspect of more passengers making their booked trains.
And finally, if there are queues at passport booths, it is an indication that Eurotunnel are at capacity. Even if you took those security checks away, it would still leave you queuing for a train, the security checks rarely impede embarkation times, they are more likley to be carried out during the time you would be waiting for your train, if you understand.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Other than the usual 'where do we go' confusion, no issues. We specifically arranged our travel times to be at what we thought would be non peak.
We arrived at the French terminal on Sunday 24th April at about 02:30 hrs and were offered a 03:05 train, which we selected. We were on the train approx 25 mins from arriving!
At the new control booths there were only a few vehicles ahead, all were swabbed, French PP control waved us through. Longest part of the process was the UK controls. Everyone was identified inc kids and were were asked where we had been. Seemed to be 1 UK PP booth open. Total process, inc other vehicles ahead, took 10 mins.
We then sat in the empty car park for approx 6 mins waiting for the first call. There only appeared to be a 5 min window between first and last call. 1 further Eurotunnel control gate where we were allocated a lane and a final 5 min wait before boarding commenced.
Boarded a train at about 02:55 ish.
Unless they increase the number of security and PP control booths, I suspect that at peak times all they will have done is now shift the queues back after the check in booths or onto the entrance road.
Why can't they have the check in booths after the controls? 
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BMF skier, very good point, it would seem beneficial from a customer point of view. Howeve, I am guessing the answer that the system is the way it is because of the decision to construct the terminal how it is now was made before opening in 1994 and the buildings have not moved since because of cost perhaps. You could probably construct new check-in booths behind the current control booths, but there are alot of authorities involved in any decisions to move around anything there. There is the French National Police, Nation Gendarmerie, French Customs, UK Border Agency (Customs and Immigration), UK Police, Eurotunnel, local commune etc. The initial decision to have check-in may have been down to security in the site, knowing the identification immediately of every vehicle on the site, I really am just guessing. I'm sure if you wrote to Eurotunnel, they would give a better explanation.
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Apparently there was chaos and huge queues today with trains 45 mins late departing and queues backed up onto the motorway 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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And we are back... Saw this thread and had to respond. When we arrived @ the terminal @ 17.20 today we saw the '35 minutes until you check in' sign and queues of cars perhaps ten or eleven deep but well within the Eurotunnel area and not back to the motorway. After check in there was a relatively quick queue for passport control (both sorts) spread across about six booths for each border and then onwards.
We were flexi-plus and were on the 18.06 departure, despite a quick comfort break, so less than an hour from arrival to departure but most of that was taking with queuing up.
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For years the French side has puzzled me. You go through check in to be diverted through the car park for the terminal! Nothing has changed, except the drive is longer now. Every time we do this I say "why didn't we just pop into the Flunch at Cité de Europe rather than chance the crap in the Terminal or end up at Leeds Services on the M20!
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FAQ
