Cheapest travel?

[joolz1910]

I would love another Disney fix and I've been pricing up 3 nights in January 2011. I was pleasantly surprised by the prices for the Santa Fe but it's the travel costs that make it prohibitive. My nearest airport is BHX (half an hour's drive) and it looks like £100 per person. We are a family of 5, so that's quite expensive for travel! Anyone know of a cheaper alternative? Swimming the channel isn't an option...

 

[zinderella]

Have you thought about driving? I'm pretty sure it wouldn't cost you £500 to drive, and if you have clubcard vouchers from tesco you can turn them into Eurotunnel vouchers (£10 clubcrd = £40 Eurotunnel)

I am a big chicken, and even I could drive in France!!!
http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals...Travel*4294966766|Travel to the UK and Europe

 

[joolz1910]

Have you thought about driving? I'm pretty sure it wouldn't cost you £500 to drive, and if you have clubcard vouchers from tesco you can turn them into Eurotunnel vouchers (£10 clubcrd = £40 Eurotunnel)

I am a big chicken, and even I could drive in France!!!
http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals...Travel*4294966766|Travel to the UK and Europe

That might be worth thinking about! I'm a coward when it comes to driving though! I'd like to know what the drive to DLP is like.

 

[zinderella]

tbh I really worried about it before hand....needlessly!
Once you drive off the train, because you are just following a trail of other cars, you are automatically on the right (wrong for us!!!) side of the road. You get used to it surprisingly easily. Also the French roads are fab, good condition and clearly signposted. You will need money for tolls (max of about 24 euros if I remember rightly) and there are loads of loo and picnic spots along the way.

I did have a co-pilot checking my directions for me, but even with me doing all the driving, my friend wasn't insured to drive my car, it wasn't too much of a tiring drive.

Once you get near DLP, it's even easier as the sighposts are everywhere. What I loved about driving was being able to pack EVERYTHING, especially food, so made it much cheaper on a day to day basis.

Link to easy directions and advice, plus a film of driving there...lol!
http://www.dlrpmagic.com/planning/travel/driving-directions/

 

[tashybea]

I'd second how easy it is to drive to disney. It's the only way we travel there now. We normally go dover - calais. It's approx 3.5 hours from Calais to disney. It's a pretty easy drive. We have a satnav, which does make it easier. Though Paris is signposted pretty much as soon as you are off the ship at Calais and then the nearer you get. Those magic disney signs appear!!! You can normally find cheap crossings, especially if you play around with the times.

 

[scampbunny]

joolz..... ur not too far from me i think, and it wud normally take 4hrs uk side, and 3 hrs french side. Prob 2 tanks of fuel shud do it.

ive done it by myself and its a lovely drive, french roads are so relaxing compared to uk roads, and if u have a tomtom its even easier!! as before mentioned if u use tesco the clubcard deals work out well. we have broken the drive up by bookin a hotel in folkestone and then gettin a 6am train over...

 

[randy muffler]

we drove first time and stopped in folkestone and got the tunnel over. soon got used to driving on the wrong side, on the way back got off the tunnel and preceded to drive on the wrong side over here its really easy more or less a straight road

 

[joolz1910]

I am getting very tempted. Isn't it scary driving when you get close to Paris? I've even been on AA route finder... I like the idea of packing the car full of stuff.
My Dh thinks I've lost the plot.

I've also been looking at Eurostar with Airmiles courtesy of Mr Tesco. Looks like it would cost £40 each plus about £12.50 in vouchers. Hmmm.

 

[zinderella]

Just a word of warning..ring Airmiles direct for a quote, as the info on the website is way out of date. For Oct half term I ended up paying a lot more on top after using my miles up, and I booked back at the beginning of may, (but then again Oct 1/2 term is peak)

AS for driving, you never actually drive into paris, just skirt round the edge

 

[joolz1910]

Just a word of warning..ring Airmiles direct for a quote, as the info on the website is way out of date. For Oct half term I ended up paying a lot more on top after using my miles up, and I booked back at the beginning of may, (but then again Oct 1/2 term is peak)

AS for driving, you never actually drive into paris, just skirt round the edge

Thanks for the tip about Airmiles.
I will have to lurk on these boards and see if anyone else is going and drive behind them all the way.

 

[randy muffler]

its more or less all motorway dead easy

 

[wideeyes]

I know what you mean, I have seen a good price for Feb half term, hotel and ticket package but the flights double the price. Unfortunately flying is the only option for us.

Good luck in sorting something,

 

[hollymattbenmilo]

this is exactly where i am at the moment!
usually we fly.. we are in cornwall.. so normally be drive to bristol (3 hrs) and fly.. we have always got good flights.. 25 each.. each way.. so £50 each then two bags.. flights for us all come in at about £260-300.
then you add car parking .. £60 ish
then you add petrol to and from airport £50
then transfer 120 euros

it soon adds up even wtih a cheap flight.. but being in cornwall the tunnel is a long way away.. (6 hour drive) so we never considered it an option before.

but this time (next time we go...not sure yet) we have decided to drive. we think petrol for whole holiday will be £250 max!! (over estimating as always) tunnel or ferry over.. i found crossings about £58 each way.. or £12 for some ferries.

it ends up around the same price as flying.. if not a bit cheaper...
but.. we think we can also stay at david crocket and be self catering, and take alot with us food wise also.. saving alot of money there! and maybe having an extra night in exchange.

matthew mum lives about 2 hours from the tunnel.. so we think we will drive to hers night before.. stay over (as much as a nightmare that will be) then get early crossing in the morning.. breaking it up.

i think the more people you have the more sense it makes to drive in a way! if it was just matthew and i then getting a flight would be cheaper but when you have 3 children to take... all those costs add up!
happy planning!!

 

[bpeacock]

I agree driving for me was so easy it cost around £70 total for the ferry and the drive from Calais to Disney was so easy (used a satnav). It was my first ever time driving abroad and I am doing the same next year only we are going from Hull and driving from Zeebrugge which is 15 minutes longer (3hrs 15mins) than going from Calais but the tolls are cheaper (around £15).

Can't wait it seems so long

 

[IsobelJackmummy]

We drove when we went in Feb, and it was SO easy we are doing it again in October! You save so much money, and with little ones (ours are 4 and 2), you don't have the 'airport stress', and you can stop whenever you like. You can take loads of snacks and drinks etc, without having to worry about luggage allowance. It even left room for all of DD's princess dresses!

From the North West, it took about 4.5 hours to Folkstone, we stayed in the holiday inn express which is right next to the tunnel. (£50 for family room inc buffet breakfast, nice clean hotel)

We had booked onto a tunnel crossing about 8am, but arrived much earlier the following morning (too excited to sleep), and we were moved to an earlier crossing with no hassle and no extra charge. I have to say the whole Euro tunnel experience was a breeze, and you are in France before you know it (all courtesy of Tesco!).

As others have said, driving is really easy, as you are mostly on the motorway, which is clearly signposted, with so many toilet/picnic stops, I couldn't beleive it! You don't actually enter Paris, the only slightly difficult part was around CDG airport, but it is VERY clearly sign posted where you need to be.

We did the Calais-DLP part of the trip on a Sunday, as the roads are much quieter (No HGVS allowed apparently).

Also means that you have plenty of room to bring back those souveniers! And you probably get longer on your last day, as you can leave whenever suits you!

Happy planning

 

[loladelorean]

I'm jealous of those of you within driving distance - we're in Scotland so the drive would be pretty epic.
However, my boyfriend is keen on the idea of driving next summer. We would probably stop in London for a couple of days to see my cousins, and stay a few places in France. As a restaurant manager and a real food/wine lover, my BF wants to explore the Champagne region.
We'll see if some sort of French driving adventure evolves around our DLP trip next June! It's certainly encouraging to hear how cheap and easy it all is, and very interested in tesco clubcard points. Can these only be used for Eurotunnel or for Eurostar too?

 

[IsobelJackmummy]

Can these only be used for Eurotunnel or for Eurostar too?

I think it is just eurotunnel, but check out the tesco clubcard website, they do add extra deals on regularly.

 

[poppyears]

I would love another Disney fix and I've been pricing up 3 nights in January 2011. I was pleasantly surprised by the prices for the Santa Fe but it's the travel costs that make it prohibitive. My nearest airport is BHX (half an hour's drive) and it looks like £100 per person. We are a family of 5, so that's quite expensive for travel! Anyone know of a cheaper alternative? Swimming the channel isn't an option...

Hi wet suits are half price I think in Tesco!!!

We have driven and are doing it again in 3 weeks. It was the cheapest option, £52 each way on the tunnel.
Looked at flights and cost crazy.
So bought a new satnav with France on, used it loads already, and a 2 screen DVD player for girls to watch in Argos sale and used that a couple of times already.
We plan to have plenty of loo breaks and know that it is not a bad journey.

Have fun planning.

 

[joolz1910]

Sooooooooooooo tempted. I only wish flights were affordable. I remember they were included in the package price in 2004! It was 'Children under 12 stay, play and travel for free'. Those were the days.

 

[joolz1910]

I've had to shelve my plans for the time being as I've just noticed that the 40% off offer has expired. I will have to wait until it returns.