 Poster: A snowHead
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Just received the following from Eurotunnel. Looks like a busy one. Hope it goes better than it did at New Year!
Important pre-travel information
Folkestone to Calais 10 and 11 February / Calais to Folkestone 18 and 19 February
As you are travelling during one of our busiest travel periods of the year we wanted to give you some pre-travel advice to ensure your trip with us goes as smoothly as possible.
Thinking of taking a roof box or bicycles?
At the time of your booking you would have been asked whether or not you would be taking a roof box or bicycles on your holiday. If you indicated that you were not going to, but have now decided that you are, you must call our Contact Centre on 08433 35 35 35 to check whether we are able to allocate the correct space on the departure you have reserved.
Arrival and check-in times
We advise you to keep to your booked departure time and do not arrive early or late, during this busy weekend, as we will not have space to accommodate you. You should therefore plan to check-in at least 30 minutes prior and no more than 2 hours before your booked departure time.
24-hour Customer Information Line
Before setting off on your journey, please call our 24 hour pre-recorded Customer Information Line on +44(0)8444 63 00 00 or visit www.eurotunnel.com/latest which will give you the latest travel information for both the Folkestone and Calais Terminals.
We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding and wish you a pleasant journey with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
keep to your booked departure time and do not arrive early or late
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hahahahaha so we can sit in the queue for six hours? Sorry but this is b****cks. Especially on the return leg 
Thanks for posting it anyway.
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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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Thats not looking good, they normally send that sort of message out a couple of days before. Overheight must be getting fully booked already.
Goodness onlty knows what the queues will be like coming back, they were very bad at New Year and ifirc half term is much busier than New Year.
But if we insist on checking every passport and swabbing every car in the name of Security for the Olympics there is little that can be done to speed things up  .
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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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Boredsurfing, i'm kind of pleased in a small way that after skiing is over we won't be going via Eurotunnel for a while, or indeed leaving the country until after the Olympics are over.
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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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DJL, will be with you in spirit, though not actually this time. Good luck!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 31-01-12 19:37; edited 1 time in total
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Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 31-01-12 19:39; edited 1 time in total
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Quad post DohB
Last edited by After all it is free  on Tue 31-01-12 19:42; edited 1 time in total
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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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Thanks Lou. I have a strategy for avoiding the huge queue but if the terminals clogged all bets are off
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I got note too (twice - once for each way I guess!). Just hope we will get round M25 before masses next friday!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Don't post stuff like this. I am already nervous enough about the drive down for half term! We have a ski carrier on the roof so will fit comfortably but don't like queuing and requeuing for several hours.
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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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get back to calais by 4pm and there arent normally too many in the queue. you can return 2 hrs early and on that weekend we have booked in 3 hours in advance if well early. after 5 pm and it starts to get manic and you probably wont get an earlier train
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What queues???? we've done eurotunnel for the past few years at 1/2 term and never seen any queues
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You know it makes sense.
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andyg9053, tangowaggon, Coming back at New Year the 3 hour queue started at around 3pm 
This is due to the 2012 Olympic security requirement that every car is swabbed AND every passport is checked.
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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'm not expecting to get on our booked departure going out if last year is anything to go by. In 2009 there was gridlock on the M25 so crossing times were "adjusted" i.e. you got one eventually. The French side (coming back) is usually worse.....
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Poster: A snowHead
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I also got the note today, twice too Mildly worried, but what will be will be.
The real problem when it's this busy is getting through as they call your letter, if you try to pre-empt it but get there a bit early they will send you back then you can't get through as the entire car park is clogged. Anyone got any tips for this?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sarah, Tell them your hanger blew out of the window! Worked for us a couple of years back but it was blowing a gale and hissing down so they weren't keen to argue.
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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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Nick D, Will bear that one in mind 
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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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Boredsurfing, overheight has been fully booked for at least 3 weeks. I phoned to move our booking from Sat morning to Fri night and they said they could do it but only if we got under the over height limit (forego the roof box)
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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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| tangowaggon wrote: |
| What queues???? we've done eurotunnel for the past few years at 1/2 term and never seen any queues |
I did it 2 years ago and spent 2 hours waiting to get off the slip road in to the terminal on a Friday night. Overall delay was 4 hours +.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hah, I got two of the same yesterday.
So who's booked on what? I'm in a black Nissan Navara accompanied by a slighty dirty looking rover 400 in metalic blue.
I'm on the 12 noon - 2pm slot on FRiday the tenth of feb.
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We're on the 20:20 (wife's a Headteacher, so we can't "skip school" and leave earlier). I'm expecting to miss the slot and have to wait until 1am to cross That'll mean not getting to LesGets until lunchtime, rather than breakky!
Still.. there's never a queue for the 1:20am coming back on Sunday 19th!
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Saab 9-5 Aero Estate - Graphite Green (not as bad as it sounds!) and very scruffy non-standard wheels for my winter tyres - nothing on the roof. Booked on 18.42 but looking to be there at least an hour earlier. If you spot me bang on the window.
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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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Thats my gamble, set off from the north about 4am and get across befor the evening masses descend.
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homers double, Wow - how far North are you starting if its a 4am start for a 12-14 tunnel slot?
jamescollings, Don't be too sure about the 1.20 am slot on Sunday 19th. If New Year was any sort of a guide it is still likely to be congested at that time.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
if you try to pre-empt it but get there a bit early they will send you back then you can't get through as the entire car park is clogged. Anyone got any tips for this?
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don't try to pre-empt it?
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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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| Quote: |
Don't be too sure about the 1.20 am slot on Sunday 19th
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I'm pretty sure that's the one we caught at New Year (2nd Jan or technically, 3rd.) It was rammed. THe guy in front of us on the train had been there since 6 30.
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| sanman wrote: |
| Quote: |
Don't be too sure about the 1.20 am slot on Sunday 19th
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I'm pretty sure that's the one we caught at New Year (2nd Jan or technically, 3rd.) It was rammed. THe guy in front of us on the train had been there since 6 30. |
But don't forget that on the 2nd Jan, they closed Dover Port due to the Force 10 gales that were battering Britain, so all the Ferry crossing were delayed, so assume a lot of people headed for the tunnel as this would not be disrupted. I was one of the unfortunate ones stuck in Dunkirk for 7hrs....got there eventually 8 hrs later..
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You know it makes sense.
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Depart 7:20am on Friday 10th (should be OK based on last couple of 1/2 terms). Coming back @ 5pm Sunday 19th, will this be as bad as the Saturday? From their emails it seems that if I get there earlier they wont send me across. Looks like I need to accept that it will be awful. Last year on the Saturday was pretty bad - about 90 mins to get through the booths.
Is there a cheeky snow heads route around the queues? 
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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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andyhumph - I travel on business 1~2 per month and have collected a whole glove box full of hangers, almost the whole alphabet.
In the dark, I have found that by folding 2 hangers together, one with the correct letter, one with the correct date, I can get on any Eurotunnel train
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Poster: A snowHead
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If the queue is 90 mins is it worth considering the ferry instead or does that have long queues at half term too? We aren't going at half term this year but may do in the future.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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DJL, Near Manchester but its half term, its a long way (300m) and its expensive/ a pain in the bum if we miss our train.
I'm hoping to bu lucky in that we're travelling back to the UK on the 26th so should miss the return leg bustle
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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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We're on the 21:50 on thursday night so hope its quieter then, 06:20 on sunday 19th return, driving O/N both ways, plus 6 hours each way on the uk side.
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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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Puus if I rock up early I might catch up with an hours sleep which is always good for the driver.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Does anybody else use the Ashford Travelodge for overnight Friday? Seems slightly less hellish than the Friday evening crossings.
Gourmet meal @ Frankie & Benny's, up at sparrow's fart for the 5.50am crossing, foot down to Reims for a mid-morning refuel/hypermarche stop, then hopefully on the A40 by mid-afternoon at worst for the crawl to Morzine in time for supper.
Coming back we ski the final Saturday then it's an hour's drive to the Campanile at Annemasse (which admittedly is a little pricier this year). Leave there by 7.30am Sunday & have always made it to Calais by 3pm with no major queues, until passport control at the tunnel anyway.
Works for me 
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head_like_a_rock, I've used the Holiday Inn express right next to the tunnel on a couple of occasions using booking.com. They'll do you a packed breakfast to take away, but as we don't travel often at peak times, we tend to get a crossing around 8am. The staff are really friendly.
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head_like_a_rock,Used it once, prefer the canterbury one then slip down the A roads to ashford avoiding the motorway and any possible stacking due to dover being closed. Don't bother with overnighters any more as we have enough drivers to just keep on through the night
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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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There'll be at least one spare slot on the Sunday night - I am changing my tunnel to a ferry because its more flexible - never had a problem with p&o getting on a ferry early or late and now I'll be the only driver I can catch some kip on the ferry. If its too windy etc. and they aren't running we'll just wait and the kids will have to miss school.
This all hinges on me being able to swap the return tunnel crossing to one in August for our camping trip.
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FAQ
