Arriving early at Calais terminal for return to UK

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StevenLynne

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Has anyone ever turned up at the terminal earlier than 2 hours prior to departure time?
Our fridge/freezer packed up due to the heat. All our food turned to mush and had to be binned.
We just want to get to the duty free, grab something to eat and get home. Crossing scheduled for 10.30pm tonight but am ready to go now!
 
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StevenLynne said:
Has anyone ever turned up at the terminal earlier than 2 hours prior to departure time?
Our fridge/freezer packed up due to the heat. All our food turned to mush and had to be binned.
We just want to get to the duty free, grab something to eat and get home. Crossing scheduled for 10.30pm tonight but am ready to go now!
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If they aren't busy I'm sure they would fit you on but it might cost a bit more.
 
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Ferry or Tunnel ?

If tunnel, possibility of logging in and changing booking (dependant upon type of booking) but ringing them up should resolve your issue. ferries I have less experience with.

Good luck
 
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If you mean the tunnel terminal yes we have turned up five hours before our scheduled time. they usually give you an option of an earlier train,sometimes free but if a busy period could be chargeable. Or if really busy it will be your booked time, then you wait in the motorhome parking. At least you can get some food while your waiting.
 
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Jo662 said:
If you mean the tunnel terminal yes we have turned up five hours before our scheduled time. they usually give you an option of an earlier train,sometimes free but if a busy period could be chargeable. Or if really busy it will be your booked time, then you wait in the motorhome parking. At least you can get some food while your waiting.
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Thanks for that. Happy to go just a couple of hours earlier. Just want to get some food and be parked up ready, nearby. We weren’t sure if
Jo662 said:
If you mean the tunnel terminal yes we have turned up five hours before our scheduled time. they usually give you an option of an earlier train,sometimes free but if a busy period could be chargeable. Or if really busy it will be your booked time, then you wait in the motorhome parking. At least you can get some food while your waiting.
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Thanks for that. Not really too bothered about getting a much earlier train, but really wanted to be able park up in the motorhome area, get some food, and be ready nearby. Wasn’t sure how far we’d get into the terminal if we turned up at say 2pm. Cheers
 
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Last Tuesday morning we turned up an hour-and-a-half early - Calais was almost deserted and we were waived on to the next train, which departed an hour earlier than we were booked on. :giggle:

Two weeks prior to that it was utter chaos at Folkestone - took nearly 40 minutes queuing on the motorway slip road trying to even get into the Eurotunnel terminal. :( Hence why we'd arrived in good time for our return crossing. (y)

Sorry to hear about your fridge, by the way. Hope you can get an earlier crossing.
 
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We always travelled in the middle of the night so when we got home the Dartford crossing was free. We always turned up early for the crossing, usually 4 hours early. 9 times out of ten they put us on the next train with no surcharge. One time we weren't offered and just waited.
 
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I've noticed a few people sleeping in vans outside the pet building.
 
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The only time we have had a problem at the tunnel is when we had a 6 in the morning train, and got there before midnight, and they turned us round because it was the wrong day, apparently the computers only worked on the actual day, and they couldn't book us in, that is quite a few years ago now, and never had an early morning train again so it might have changed now.

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StevenLynne said:
Has anyone ever turned up at the terminal earlier than 2 hours prior to departure time?
Our fridge/freezer packed up due to the heat. All our food turned to mush and had to be binned.
We just want to get to the duty free, grab something to eat and get home. Crossing scheduled for 10.30pm tonight but am ready to go now!
Click to expand...
Don't know if you've tried it but if you take the bottom fridge vent cover off undo the connector for the electrics and after a few moments reconnect it often resets the fridge and it'll work again.
 
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mikebeaches said:
Last Tuesday morning we turned up an hour-and-a-half early - Calais was almost deserted and we were waived on to the next train, which departed an hour earlier than we were booked on. :giggle:

Two weeks prior to that it was utter chaos at Folkestone - took nearly 40 minutes queuing on the motorway slip road trying to even get into the Eurotunnel terminal. :( Hence why we'd arrived in good time for our return crossing. (y)

Sorry to hear about your fridge, by the way. Hope you can get an earlier crossing.
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Thanks. We’ve had some info on the fridge/freezer and some people have had problems with theirs due to extreme heat. It appears to be back to normal this morning, but the food has been ruined and we’ve already thrown away two lots of everything😩
 
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The Wino said:
Don't know if you've tried it but if you take the bottom fridge vent cover off undo the connector for the electrics and after a few moments reconnect it often resets the fridge and it'll work again.
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Thx will have a look when we get back home
 
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Our experiences are not based on the arrival more than 2 hrs early but from what we've seen and trips arriving within 2 hrs. It partly depends on how busy it is when you arrive, how big your vehicle is and how busy your booked slot is. We've had been put onto earlier trains to fill them up - we arrived mins before the early train loading was about to close and were sent straight to customs etc and were amongst the last on to the train. We passed many other vehicles that were bigger or smaller which were waiting for the next train or parked in the carpark. We were aware that our scheduled departure time was very popular and they probably wanted to create some extra space for that trip.

We've also sat waiting and watched what appeared to be smaller batches of vehicles heading off for their crossing and wondered why we weren't shunted in earlier - but our crossing was also similarly relatively empty so I guess they had no incentive to get us moving.
 
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On a side note has anyone been down the M20 in the last week towards Tunnel? Im heading down their a week on saturday and would be like to know if there are delays since operation brock was reintroduced.

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Can only speak for the tunnel if you turn up early or late on the same date of departure you will be put on the next available departure normally without charge.
 
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Chris Laing said:
On a side note has anyone been down the M20 in the last week towards Tunnel? Im heading down their a week on saturday and would be like to know if there are delays since operation brock was reintroduced.
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Yesterday there were 45min - 1:15 queues getting off the motorway junction to get to check in then very long delays due broken down trains and start of main school holidays.
 
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orridge said:
Yesterday there were 45min - 1:15 queues getting off the motorway junction to get to check in then very long delays due broken down trains and start of main school holidays.
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Thanks
I heard on the news that there are big problems today getting to Dover and onto ferries.
 
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Bad delays today, arrived at 1pm queued for hours both on the motorway and after check in. Disembarked at 6.30.
Nothing to do with passport control either, that took all of 30 seconds, just pure incompetance leading to a free for all.
 
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If you load Eurotunnel app that shows 4hr check-in. My email said two hours but app still said check open 4 hours before crossing time when it was busy.

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tribalbrit said:
Bad delays today, arrived at 1pm queued for hours both on the motorway and after check in. Disembarked at 6.30.
Nothing to do with passport control either, that took all of 30 seconds, just pure incompetance leading to a free for all.
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is this on the french side ? tribalbrit
 
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Chris Laing said:
On a side note has anyone been down the M20 in the last week towards Tunnel? Im heading down their a week on saturday and would be like to know if there are delays since operation brock was reintroduced.
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Hi we used the tunnel on Friday 29-6.35 am train all working ok and no waiting no restrictions on the m20.
 
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Anyone going from french side and get there too early. There is dedicated motorhome parking on the retail shopping park next door Cite Europe. No overnighting but as long as you like all day. Huge motorhome car park sign posted
 
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StevenLynne said:
Has anyone ever turned up at the terminal earlier than 2 hours prior to departure time?
Our fridge/freezer packed up due to the heat. All our food turned to mush and had to be binned.
We just want to get to the duty free, grab something to eat and get home. Crossing scheduled for 10.30pm tonight but am ready to go now!
Click to expand...
Our original email said 1 to 4 hours prior. We turned up 4 hours early last Sunday and got offered a choice of earlier tunnels at no charge.
 
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We regularly park at the French terminal overnight. A couple weeks ago we were offered a spot that night but stuck with our original time early morning. The toilet block stays open and duty free shut 10pm or 11pm. Its safe as all fenced in and regular security patrols.
 
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