Tunnel next year
Im planning our main summer hols for next year & normally book via the club with the extra discount you get via DFDS ferries (when the show at the NEC is on). But as were thinking of Lake Garda this time i'm thinking of the tunnel instead. I'll need to look at July/Aug 2018 as we have kids . I bet loads have done this, but how does it work as I cant even get a ball park figure on the Euro tunnel web site?
Steve
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This year we booked on Eurotunnel from the middle of July until mid August.
Outward we paid £111 for a 5pm crossing and inward £105 at 10am.
It is cheaper crossing late at night and early morning but would probably only save a few pounds either way.
The earlier you book the cheaper the price.
We always use Eurotunnel, whatever the price, as it's considerably quicker and less stressful for our dog.
Hope this helps on pricing.
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Scotts, if you phone Eurotunnel customer services they will tell you when the July/August prices will be released. You can dodge their premium rate number by calling them on 0130 328 2061 instead.
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We use the tunnel a lot and haven't noticed any saving from booking early. This year we went away mid-September (got back Sunday). I was monitoring the prices and finally booked about two weeks ahead and the price was no different to that if we had booked several months ahead, however, out of interest I kept checking the price for a new booking and about 2-3 days before the price shot up considerably. We paid around £200 return for a Motorhome in June and also in September but would be higher in August and more for a caravan
Far better than the ferries if you don't mind the extra cost and for Motorhomers you never need to get out! Just enough time to eat a sandwich if you travel at lunchtime.
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Eurotunnel fares are usually available nine months ahead on a rolling basis. Fares tend to increase depending on how full the Shuttle is so even at busy times on the less popular crossings they can still appear not to have changed much over the months. We have had to change return dates over the years and we have never had to pay that much extra. I think the problem with the school holidays is getting the slot on the crossing you want so there would be some advantage in booking earlier just to secure your crossing.
I am a bit surprised that Eurotraveller has not suggested this but is there an advantage in travelling to Folkestone when you live in Wiltshire and Portsmouth is so much nearer. Might be worth a bit of research to see if one route has an advantage over the other?
David
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We only use Dover/Calais - with dog....
I have found the club to be cheaper by around £10 each way. We usually book the outward trip for mid-March in early Feb.....and we don't phone the club for the return booking until we have got the vet appointment in Calais sometime early June. Never had a problem getting what we want regarding timings as there are so many crossings to choose from!
Last year was £99 outbound and £95 return leg for a 12-metre outfit caravan and car) with 2 passengers and one dog. The year before was approx. £3 less.....
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Scotts, Have you no Tesco Clubcard vouchers? They are worth three times their face value for Eurotunnel bookings - that's the cheapest way to book for the tunnel.
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Tunnel. We're a 12.2m car & caravan outfit and usually seem to pay about £330 return with terrier, last return leg was 4 weeks ago. Dearer than ferry but much preferred by us.
We use the Aldi scheme which gives us free trips. It's simple just shop at Aldi, save about £30 a week on your shop and use the £1500 saving a year to pay for the tunnel via CMC or the friendlier one. Much simpler than the modern version of green shield stamps.
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A Portsmouth or Calais crossing is best for me but I prefer the convenience of the tunnel which costs on average £200 return for my motorhome and up to 9 passengers. I use Tescos vouchers to cover all of the costs unless I do two trips a year or are booking a winter site via the C&CC. In the latter case to avoid £70 booking charges it is best to book the crossing with the C&CC as well..
peedee
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We found the Club price for a Tunnel crossing earlier this year to be about £10 cheaper each way than booking direct with Eurotunnel.
Unfortunately, due to unexpected illness, we had to change our booking dates - the Club charged £20 for altering them - Eurotunnel (as I found out later) do not charge however many times you change the details of your crossings.
If, for example, you had a problem in France and couldn't get to your crossing in time you would have to contact the Club to rebook your crossing rather than the very helpful Eurotunnel.
You pays your money and you takes your choice
We've booked direct with Eurotunnel on our other crossings this year
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Deleted User User - I have only used the tunnel once but when we turned up late they just put us on the next crossing without any charge and that had been booked through the club.
They will put you on an earlier train, or later if you miss your time slot by an hour or two, whoever you book with but changing dates is a no-no with a Club booking.
We asked to just transfer the date but it wasn't allowed without a financial penalty.
In this case we weren't really out of pocket, virtually the same cost as if we'd originally booked with Eurotunnel but it does irritate somewhat.
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Whilst the Club is £20 cheaper as has been said they charge you £20 Admin charge if you change your booking. As we have changed our return several times there was no gain PLUS you cannot contact them out of hours. Eurotunnel will charge you extra if you book a more expensive band but no admin charge. Whenever we have arrived at the tunnel it has been more expensive to take an earlier crossing. The automated check-in gives you the options.
I am a bit suspicious of how they work because frequently the timetable is ad hoc. I suspect they cut trains out if they are quiet.
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I'm another Eurotunnel-with-Tesco-points fan! We've travelled that way for years now. If you don't have Tesco points, I still wouldn't book through the club though. As already pointed out, if you need to change your crossing for any reason, then you can only do so via them during "normal"(?) working hours. Should you need to contact them during the weekend, then you've had it. Also, they charge an amendment fee of £20.
I've had to change date/time a few times over the years, all I've paid is the difference (if any) between the price I'd already paid and the new price. At times the price has been the same, and I've not had to pay anything at all! Eurotunnel themselves don't charge a fee for amendments at all and are available 7/7. This all applies if you've booked with Tesco vouchers as well.
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