Eurotunnel advice

[PeenaM]

Hi all, So as the title suggests I’m looking for advice for going on the Eurotunnel.
We’re booked to go to France in may half term, Sunday-Friday. 2 adults, 2 kids & 1 dog. My eldest is autistic & ADHD amongst other things! I know it’s going to be busy as it’s half term, but I’m hoping to make it as quick & seamless as possible.

Is there a time of day that is better to travel? We have a 2.5 hours drive from home to folkestone (traffic dependent). And then a 3 & a bit hour drive once we leave Calais.
We obviously need to do the pet passport bit too, does that take long?
Never done the Eurotunnel before, and not been abroad for 12 years. So feeling slightly anxious. Thankyou in advance 😊

If you can afford it I’d highly recommend booking Flexiplus - means you can turn up whenever and board basically straight away. Also get a separate toilet/food area where you get to help yourself to lunch or brekkie etc. We’ve found it so worth it so there is no stress about being late and you skip the queues.

I haven't done the pet passport thing but have found the Eurotunnel experience to be generally fine. Passport control well signed and easy. On the return journey last year everything was very delayed but somehow it didn't even feel that long.

However I would say that if your oldest is autistic, try to avoid the passenger centre where the restaurants etc are. The food is bilge (the usual burger king/chips) and the acoustics are HORRENDOUS. My DD struggled and had to find a quiet corner with her headphones (a struggle in itself). Would advise eating before you get there. Wees may be unavoidable obviously.

Once in the train it's absolutely fine and then you just drive off and into the world!

We usually leave home around 5am, and a 7am shuttle. The dog part is pretty quick. We have a 10 hour drive the other side though otherwise we’d leave later. My theory always was that if you go early the traffic hasn’t had much time to build up going through if there are any issues.

Ideally we plan on not leaving the car ? (Other than the pet passport bit)
Is that possible?

I would take food etc in the car with us. I Was thinking if I booked for lunchrime - there is one at 11.50am then we would eat as were on the train. Hoping that eating & having her ipad would distract her enough.

@hotchocfiend does the flexi plus give you priority boarding?

It's possible. You'll have to park up for a bit usually because of the long check in time, but you don't have to get out!

Main thing is the whole complex is designed for herding loads of people through in cars so they are pretty clear about what you need to do and it's very difficult indeed to get it wrong! They don't assume a level of knowledge you might not have. So I would try not to worry.

If you don’t want to leave the car then Flexi will make this more feasible. Yes there is basically a separate lane for Flexi Plus so you might have to queue a little at passport bit but otherwise you’re straight through on the next available train.

We’ve only ever done it very early in the morning or late at night.
pet passport is very quick, just scanning the microchip and checking paper work.

TBH I find it far less stressful than catching a flight, and that’s with a reactive dog who hates high viz jackets and motorbikes, both of which are plentiful when you’re queueing at passport control 😂

Thanks all!
All of your advice is much appreciated x

The pet passport/microchip check at the Eurotunnel terminal is generally quick when everything’s in order — they scan the microchip and check your animal health certificate (or pet passport) dates, but any mismatch (like the microchip being implanted after the rabies vaccine) means a hold while it’s sorted out, so it’s worth double-checking beforehand. We put together a guide checked against the official Eurotunnel and government requirements, covering the exact steps and the timing mistakes that trip people up most: gossippet.com/france-transport-eurotunnel-into-france — hope it helps with your May trip!

I would recommend the Flexiplus. You turn up, go to the lounge area, it‘s quieter, you can fill up on some drinks and snack to take with you, no need to eat there.

Clean toilets and you then just join the next train leaving.

We come from SE London but it means we don‘t have to worry about accidents, roadworks, rush hour, Eurostar delays or just mad holiday traffic (we had all of that).

You don‘t have to get out at the lounge, if your child feels comfortable she can stay in the car.

No idea about pets, sorry.

Make sure everything is in order for your dog, both for the outward and inward trips. We had the required wormer administered at the vets in France for our return and the vet didn’t record it correctly. We were unable to travel and had to book for another wormer at another vet then wait the required duration prior to travel. Obviously had to make another booking with the tunnel. A real pain.

the tunnel itself is quick and easy.

We live in France, so come at it from the other side. We take a late train, around 8pm ish, to avoid traffic. We’ve never paid for Flexi, but they’ve always let us on an earlier train or even two, if we’ve arrived early. I can’t reiterate enough how quick the journey is; there’s barely time to go to the loo etc before you’re back off the train,

I'd aim for an earlier crossing if possible, just to give yourselves a bit more breathing room. Sounds like you've thought of plenty already though. Hope it all goes smoothly!

We’ve done the tunnel a few times with our dog. It’s a really straightforward experience, far more efficient and quicker than the ferry.

It’s much quicker than the ferry. It’s was seamless when we travelled in it and was there in 40 minutes

We get the middle price ticket so not flexiplus. You still get a 4 hour window to get a train and you're usually put on the next one whatever time you arrive. We always just stay in the car unless need the loo. It's a very stress free way to travel.

Not done the pet thing, but otherwise it's all pretty easy. If you get held up they always put you on the next available train. Obviously, if there have been delays you can end up waiting for a couple of trains to go before you get loaded up, but personally I wouldn't splash out on Flexiplus just for that.

You don't need to get out of the car. Go straight through passports and into the holding queues as soon as you can (it's quite possible to go through before your code has been called), and you can wait in the queue there. There are toilets, and, occasionally, a cafe there.

Or you can go earlier and stop for lunch in France, whether in town (depending on where you're going) or at an Aire - the Aires are so much nicer than UK service stations.

We are backwards and forwards regularly to France, with the dogs.
I’m sorry to say we have experienced quite a few severe delays this year when travelling during school holidays.
Take lots of snacks etc if you don’t want to get out of the car. In any case food is very expensive at the terminal.
I don’t find flexi worth the money. We normally try and cross first thing in a morning from either direction. This has meant fewer delays.
Pet check in is much better now on the French side.
Make sure you are familiar with the requirements of the AHC.
My dogs have french passports but now also need an AHC as I’m resident in the UK.
I would find three hours from Calais too much travelling if you have had a long delay at the tunnel and a few hours travelling in the UK.
I would stay nearer to Calais on the first night.
I hope you have a lovely holiday in France.