Eurostar update!

[kmikenchelle]

We travel to Disney on Weds, I thought I would contact Eurostar to check that everything was alright. I got through straightaway which was a bit of a surprise and the lady said that all trains including the direct Disney train are being done on a first come first serve basis so get to the station at least 2 hrs before check in time as there will be big queues due to the lack of trains.

I asked that surely as there was only one direct train to Disney it should not really be affected and all she kept saying was that there are large delays and people are boarding on a first come first serve basis.

I am still slightly concerned, after ewding the timetable on the Eurostar website I thought things weren't be much different.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

The large delays are for the Paris and Brussells train as they have cut these trains considerably.

The Disney train is hardly affected, when i called Eurostar on Sunday they assured me the train to Disney will only have a slight delay.

Try not to worry, i get the train on Monday and I've stopped worrying.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I have just this second rung Eurostar and the lady you spoke to is wrong.

The Disney train is running and those who have tickets for that train are the only ones allowed to board the train. She even said that things are starting to improve.

Just arrive early for check in she recommended.

 

[ukstitch]

I've just had a thought. It is just that - a thought - but it might be worth considering and baring in mind.

The Direct DLRP train now calls at Lille, in addition to Ebbsfleet, Ashford and of course MLVC, although those three won't cause a problem.

Bearing in mind that trains calling at Lille will have been cut back (many of the Paris and Brussels trains which have been cancelled would have called there), it is possible that the DLRP train, if it is on a first come first serve basis, could get filled by people wanting to travel to Lille.

This may not be the case, but it's worth considering and making sure you're there early, just in case. The last thing you want when traveling to DLRP is to not get your train, so for the sake of a couple of hours extra, it might be worth going early to ensure your place on the train.

 

[ukstitch]

I have just this second rung Eurostar and the lady you spoke to is wrong.

The Disney train is running and those who have tickets for that train are the only ones allowed to board the train. She even said that things are starting to improve.

Just arrive early for check in she recommended.

That's good news - you wrote that after I hit reply, hence why my post above disagrees with this.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I've just had a thought. It is just that - a thought - but it might be worth considering and baring in mind.

The Direct DLRP train now calls at Lille, in addition to Ebbsfleet, Ashford and of course MLVC, although those three won't cause a problem.

Bearing in mind that trains calling at Lille will have been cut back (many of the Paris and Brussels trains which have been cancelled would have called there), it is possible that the DLRP train, if it is on a first come first serve basis, could get filled by people wanting to travel to Lille.

This may not be the case, but it's worth considering and making sure you're there early, just in case. The last thing you want when traveling to DLRP is to not get your train, so for the sake of a couple of hours extra, it might be worth going early to ensure your place on the train.

That is not the case.

The lady has informed me just now that if you have tickets for the Disneyland train then your be the only ones allowed to board the train to Disney.

 

[ukstitch]

That is not the case.

The lady has informed me just now that if you have tickets for the Disneyland train then your be the only ones allowed to board the train to Disney.

Indeed. As I mentioned above, your post appeared after I hit reply and started replying. Mine can basically be disregarded, so long as Eurostar speak the truth.

 

[tigger137]

The lady has informed me just now that if you have tickets for the Disneyland train then your be the only ones allowed to board the train to Disney.

This is what I've been hoping would be the case. It does seem the fairest and most logical way of dealing with the situation. Whilst I sympathise with those whose trains have been cancelled, it seems crazy to inconvenience all passengers unnecessarily. If the train you have booked is running then you should be on it. Any spare capacity will already have been made available to those who needed to rebook, and they will have tickets. On the day if there are unreserved seats then it should be first come, first served to those who turn up 'on spec'.

I really do hope that Eurostar are not allowing people who haven't booked to take priority over those who have.

We are booked at the beginning of next month and are very concerned. But being there 2 hours or more before check-in isn't an option as we are travelling on the first train from home that morning.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

This is what I've been hoping would be the case. It does seem the fairest and most logical way of dealing with the situation. Whilst I sympathise with those whose trains have been cancelled, it seems crazy to inconvenience all passengers unnecessarily. If the train you have booked is running then you should be on it. Any spare capacity will already have been made available to those who needed to rebook, and they will have tickets. On the day if there are unreserved seats then it should be first come, first served to those who turn up 'on spec'.

I really do hope that Eurostar are not allowing people who haven't booked to take priority over those who have.

We are booked at the beginning of next month and are very concerned. But being there 2 hours or more before check-in isn't an option as we are travelling on the first train from home that morning.

I really think the whole issue on the first come first served basis is on the Paris and Brussel trains as they have cut there daily trains by half from what I have seen.

I really wouldnt worry, if there was any chance you wouldn't get your seat on the Disney train then Eurostar would of you informed you. But from what I've been told by 2 diff people at Eurostar is that the Disney train is the least effected train.

 

[PinkPig]

If the train you have booked is running then you should be on it.

For the Disney train that certainly makes the most sense - for people who have a ticket for the Disney train but aren't allowed on it, there's much more inconvenience than for other passengers (because you not only have to wait longer to get a train at all, you'll arrive at the wrong place and have to work out further transport yourself)

For the other trains, they're just running much lower capacity at completely different times to the original trains, so you can't say which of the original trains are running and which aren't. This means that everyone is first-come-first-served, and when there are many trains going to the same place this is really the only option they have.

Glad to hear that people with tickets to MLVC are getting priority on that train!

 

[tigger137]

For the Disney train that certainly makes the most sense - for people who have a ticket for the Disney train but aren't allowed on it, there's much more inconvenience than for other passengers (because you not only have to wait longer to get a train at all, you'll arrive at the wrong place and have to work out further transport yourself)

For the other trains, they're just running much lower capacity at completely different times to the original trains, so you can't say which of the original trains are running and which aren't. This means that everyone is first-come-first-served, and when there are many trains going to the same place this is really the only option they have.

Glad to hear that people with tickets to MLVC are getting priority on that train!

You can say which of the original trains are running and which aren't because the trains don't just have a time, they have a train number. On the reduced timetable, the train times may differ slightly because of the delays but the train numbers are the same. For example, we are booked on the direct Disney train out which is No 9074. Our return is via Lille on No 9149. Both those services are still running according to the reduced timetable.

Other than people turning up without a reservation, there should be no need for first-come, first-served. If the train you are booked on is still running then you should be on it. If your train has been cancelled then you will have been able to re-book and will have a ticket for another train, and you should be on that.

The instances of people not being aware and/or unable to re-book (eg, if you had already undertaken your outward journey) should, by now, be few and far between.

There are a couple of threads on TripAdvisor (on the London and Paris forums) with interesting information, including updates by an employee of SNCF and a report from someone who recently travelled back to the UK on Eurostar.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

You can say which of the original trains are running and which aren't because the trains don't just have a time, they have a train number. On the reduced timetable, the train times may differ slightly because of the delays but the train numbers are the same. For example, we are booked on the direct Disney train out which is No 9074. Our return is via Lille on No 9149. Both those services are still running according to the reduced timetable.

Other than people turning up without a reservation, there should be no need for first-come, first-served. If the train you are booked on is still running then you should be on it. If your train has been cancelled then you will have been able to re-book and will have a ticket for another train, and you should be on that.

The instances of people not being aware and/or unable to re-book (eg, if you had already undertaken your outward journey) should, by now, be few and far between.

There are a couple of threads on TripAdvisor (on the London and Paris forums) with interesting information, including updates by an employee of SNCF and a report from someone who recently travelled back to the UK on Eurostar.

I for one completely agree with you

 

[tigger137]

Try not to worry, i get the train on Monday and I've stopped worrying.

I hope all goes smoothly and you have a wonderful time at DLRP.

I'll be waiting anxiously to hear about your Eurostar experience when you get back.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I hope all goes smoothly and you have a wonderful time at DLRP.

I'll be waiting anxiously to hear about your Eurostar experience when you get back.

Thankyou

Lets hope for only a short delay eh? lol

 

[PinkPig]

Other than people turning up without a reservation, there should be no need for first-come, first-served. If the train you are booked on is still running then you should be on it. If your train has been cancelled then you will have been able to re-book and will have a ticket for another train, and you should be on that.

I get what you're saying but I really don't agree. The way they're doing it (first come, first served for people who already have valid tickets) seems much fairer. Whether or not there are train numbers, the decision about which trains are running and which aren't is completely arbitary. Your system would mean that 50% of people who'd booked for a particular day had no problems but 50% would be stuck and probably not able to rebook a ticket on the same day (or even in the next few days).

Given that lots of people travel for very important reasons - for buisness or to get home - this would completely undermine any confidence in Eurostar. Would you really like it if you were told that your train was cancelled and your ticket wasn't valid for travel on any others for another 2 weeks? It simply couldn't work like that. What they've done instead is encourage people not to travel if they don't need to, which means that some people will cancel or exchange their tickets (which eases pressure for everyone and wouldn't happen if you arbitarily cancelled 50% of people), and dealt with everyone else who still wants to travel in the same way. I really don't see how it could possibly have been done any differently. You might be upset that you have a ticket for "your train number", which is still running, and suddenly you no longer have a guaranteed space on it, but in fact you're in exactly the same situation as someone who's booked on one of the "cancelled" trains.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I get what you're saying but I really don't agree. The way they're doing it (first come, first served for people who already have valid tickets) seems much fairer. Whether or not there are train numbers, the decision about which trains are running and which aren't is completely arbitary. Your system would mean that 50% of people who'd booked for a particular day had no problems but 50% would be stuck and probably not able to rebook a ticket on the same day (or even in the next few days).

Given that lots of people travel for very important reasons - for buisness or to get home - this would completely undermine any confidence in Eurostar. Would you really like it if you were told that your train was cancelled and your ticket wasn't valid for travel on any others for another 2 weeks? It simply couldn't work like that. What they've done instead is encourage people not to travel if they don't need to, which means that some people will cancel or exchange their tickets (which eases pressure for everyone and wouldn't happen if you arbitarily cancelled 50% of people), and dealt with everyone else who still wants to travel in the same way. I really don't see how it could possibly have been done any differently. You might be upset that you have a ticket for "your train number", which is still running, and suddenly you no longer have a guaranteed space on it, but in fact you're in exactly the same situation as someone who's booked on one of the "cancelled" trains.

That is actually untrue, I have spoken to Eurostar on 2 occasions who have said if your train is running you will get on your train. If you're train is not running then you will be allocated to one that has space, not take up someone else's seat who already has a ticket.

The problem here is that Eurostar have cut alot of the London-Paris and London-Brusell trains, which means that you need to be prepared to wait longer hours if its your train thats been cancelled as they will accomadate those onto trains that are running with seats avaliable.

The direct Disney train is just 1 train that runs once a day to and from Disney, so those with tickets booked for that allocated 1 train will get on it as normal with only a small and slight delay.(no first come or first serve basis involved)

Today Eurostar have added more trains to there revised timetable but still say expect delays of some amount.

Eurostar is pleased to announce that it has put more additional tickets on sale for travel from Monday 22 September onwards.

This is as a result of extra capacity becoming available through the Channel tunnel, with an increase in the number of trains between London and Paris from 12 to 15 trains per day each way, from Monday 22 September. The number of trains between London and Brussels will remain at six trains per day each way for the time being. However, the restriction on Channel tunnel capacity caused by the incicent on 11 September means Eurostar continues to operate to a reduced timetable, with longer journey times and extended gaps between the departures of some trains.

 

[chris1373]

Regarding the Disney train on Wednesday, passengers are being told to
turn up at least an hour early. The disney service is hardly affected because
sales are now closed until October 1st to guarantee seating for existing ticket holders. As more trains are rolled out next week with new eurotunnel entry times, this only makes it easier on those travelling to get away.

Turning up early is just a precaution so that the staff can get you through without too much stress...for both parties. The concern lies more with the Paris route as passengers are using this new compensation flexibility to go at popular times of the day,therefore the trains at 05h22 are going out empty and the 0926 is heaving...Regardless of this, everyone so far appears to have travelled with their first choice, so you should be no exception.

The tickets from 11 September to the 30th september are now flexible in three ways.

1. Refund them where you bought them.
2. Turn up before October 2008 and travel on next available service.
3. Exchange them for another date of your choosing after October 2008

Anyway Disney is not a concern at all. Turn up in good time though to avoid the queuing.

Happy hols

ps: Forgot to mention, the ticket sales announced today will still be limited on each train as existing ticket holders still maintain priority to travel.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Cheers Chris for clearing that up...