Travel 23/7/22 - worth upgrading Eurotunnel to fastrack?

[waterwonder]

Hi,

I've got a flexible ticket booked for 08:36 on the 23rd of July. We've used fast track before when we've needed the flexibility but travel times are fairly nailed on this time unless we get caught in some mega traffic jam.

However, all the general travel chaos has got me a bit worried that this will eventually have a knock on impact on the tunnel either due to increased popularity or just general SNAFUs and we may find ourselves in a mighty long queue. I'm guessing our travel date is also one of the busiest of the year as well.

For those in the know if it is choca block on the english side how much time is fast track likely to save please? The cost to upgrade this time is around £200.

From memory it only makes a difference once past border control but I can't remember for how much or what time this equates to when everything it running at max. Coming back once (french side) it was very busy but fast track didn't really seem to make much difference as the queue was to get through border control. From memory this was covid related in one of the many iterations of the rules.

Thanks

[22s]

I went through at 6pm on a Friday 2 weeks ago and it took less than 10 mins (in spite of the repeated warnings via Eurostar to arrive at least 90 mins before etc). Our train was full.

Obviously can't predict what will happen on your dates and times but that was my experience. £200 sounds steep!

[waterwonder]

22s said:

I went through at 6pm on a Friday 2 weeks ago and it took less than 10 mins (in spite of the repeated warnings via Eurostar to arrive at least 90 mins before etc). Our train was full.

Obviously can't predict what will happen on your dates and times but that was my experience. £200 sounds steep!

Interesting thanks. I assume this was on a normal ticket?

Yep, first day of the summer holidays for most and it's a Saturday so a bad combo price wise. £200 is on top of the ticket price I've already paid of around £150. In the grand scheme of things not a major concern if its going to make a substsntial difference but at the same time if its not then there are better things to spend £200 on.

[akadk]

Just arrive early?

[omniflow]

The problem with Fast track on the UK side is that traffic queueing for check-in blocks the access to the fast track check-in, so you have to queue with everyone else until you get to a point where you can bear right and use the fast track lane. If queues are massive, you're sitting in them for a while.

There's a slight queue jump to UK passport control, but nothing between there and French passport control. Once clear of that however, you're on the next train out. No hanging around in car parks waiting for your letter to come up.

It all depends on what price you put on a relaxing start to your holiday, and how much hanging around winds you up.

[Badda]

I just came back through on the last day of half term and it was carnage in France. I reckon flexi would have saved us an hour or so of waiting - £200 would seem a bit steep.

[Bill]

omniflow said:

The problem with Fast track on the UK side is that traffic queueing for check-in blocks the access to the fast track check-in, so you have to queue with everyone else until you get to a point where you can bear right and use the fast track lane. If queues are massive, you're sitting in them for a while.

There's a slight queue jump to UK passport control, but nothing between there and French passport control. Once clear of that however, you're on the next train out. No hanging around in car parks waiting for your letter to come up.

It all depends on what price you put on a relaxing start to your holiday, and how much hanging around winds you up.

Last weekend the fasttrack people were sat in the same 1.5 hour queue we were to get to check in, but then they'd added a queue round the car park so you'd have saved an hour there.

But last weekend was pretty exceptional IME.

23rd is the first day of the holidays, but there isn't quite the pressure as plenty of people will be going away later in the holidays.

[waterwonder]

Badda said:

I just came back through on the last day of half term and it was carnage in France. I reckon flexi would have saved us an hour or so of waiting - £200 would seem a bit steep.

Thanks Badda. Where was the queue and how long did it take once you were through the border please?

I think it was in 2020 where I had the issue on the French side but the issue was at the border, once we were through that it seemed fairly straightforward for everyone but what I don't know is if non-fast track got stuck waiting for available space or if by that point they were just basically loading everyone on the next train available.

I agree £200 is steep and is what's causing my hesitation. That is just one way as well. An extra £350 to upgrade my tickets in both directions. I probably won't bother with the return as that is midweek in the middle of the holidays so hopefully less of a problem.

As a side note when you think of what it used to cost for a predictable service - shelling out around £600 for a return ticket with fast track hurts a bit.

[waterwonder]

omniflow said:

The problem with Fast track on the UK side is that traffic queueing for check-in blocks the access to the fast track check-in, so you have to queue with everyone else until you get to a point where you can bear right and use the fast track lane. If queues are massive, you're sitting in them for a while.

There's a slight queue jump to UK passport control, but nothing between there and French passport control. Once clear of that however, you're on the next train out. No hanging around in car parks waiting for your letter to come up.

It all depends on what price you put on a relaxing start to your holiday, and how much hanging around winds you up.

Thanks for confirming the details. It makes the benefit a bit clearer.

[waterwonder]

akadk said:

Just arrive early?

Thanks for the thought provoking post.

[waterwonder]

Bill said:

omniflow said:

The problem with Fast track on the UK side is that traffic queueing for check-in blocks the access to the fast track check-in, so you have to queue with everyone else until you get to a point where you can bear right and use the fast track lane. If queues are massive, you're sitting in them for a while.

There's a slight queue jump to UK passport control, but nothing between there and French passport control. Once clear of that however, you're on the next train out. No hanging around in car parks waiting for your letter to come up.

It all depends on what price you put on a relaxing start to your holiday, and how much hanging around winds you up.

Last weekend the fasttrack people were sat in the same 1.5 hour queue we were to get to check in, but then they'd added a queue round the car park so you'd have saved an hour there.

But last weekend was pretty exceptional IME.

23rd is the first day of the holidays, but there isn't quite the pressure as plenty of people will be going away later in the holidays.

Thanks, really helpful. Seems like the max benefit is around an hour then. Beyond that everyone is in the same queue. Hmmm.

[2 GKC]

I wouldn’t bother. We went through last wkd which was the champions league final, half term and Monaco GP. There was a queue on the UK side but as others have said, the fast track people were in it too until quite near the end. They’re advising arriving an hour ahead of departure, I’d aim for 90 mins.

[Bill]

waterwonder said:

Thanks, really helpful. Seems like the max benefit is around an hour then. Beyond that everyone is in the same queue. Hmmm.

I don't know TBH. Last weekend it was. It seems to me that the main benefit is the flexibility, so whenever you turn up they'll get you in the next train. But they've always seemed pretty flexible when I've cocked up (Turning up a day early having got my dates mixed up was a highlight! Fixed by paying the difference...

I have used flexiplus but it didn't seem massively more efficient and the lounge is nothing special, the coffee average and the sandwiches horrendous.

[22s]

waterwonder said:

22s said:

I went through at 6pm on a Friday 2 weeks ago and it took less than 10 mins (in spite of the repeated warnings via Eurostar to arrive at least 90 mins before etc). Our train was full.

Obviously can't predict what will happen on your dates and times but that was my experience. £200 sounds steep!

Interesting thanks. I assume this was on a normal ticket?

Yep, first day of the summer holidays for most and it's a Saturday so a bad combo price wise. £200 is on top of the ticket price I've already paid of around £150. In the grand scheme of things not a major concern if its going to make a substsntial difference but at the same time if its not then there are better things to spend £200 on.

Yes, normal ticket. We actually ended up in the fast track lane as it wasn’t rammed.

Probs safe to assume first day of summer hols will be busier and from other posts sounds like mixed experiences! So hard one to call.

[waterwonder]

Thanks all, appreciate the input.

For completeness I've opted to upgrade. Time will tell if that is money we'll spent or not.