Eurotunnel terminal, Folkestone - space to work?

[mcgandalf]

Hi,

Looking at a drive to Deutschland over the coming weeks, with a view to getting as far across the Continent as possible in the evening of departure and still having dinner at our stopoff destination. Seeing as departure day would be a working day, I was thinking I'd drive to the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone at lunchtime, find somewhere to work remotely for the afternoon and have the car on a train ASAP after 5pm.

Is there a suitable space in the Eurotunnel terminal UK-side to plug a laptop in and work with reliable wi-fi? Can you actually arrive at the terminal 5 hours in advance and park for that period (or are there motorway services-style parking restrictions)?

In case I decide to take the (Calais) ferry, are there similar facilities at the Dover terminal?

Cheers!

[5potTurbo]

Don't know how "reliable" the wifi is, but ....

http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/traveller-info/termin...


I don't see why you couldn't arrive that early. You select the crossing you want when you check-in and it's not stupid peak periods, so if you're early the system may offer you an earlier crossing (since 'normal people' don't hang around ) but you can choose your booked corssing, IIRC.


(Personally I'd rather get on with my driving ASAP. then get some work done the other end if the catch-up is needed. You never know what "delights" await you in Belgium!)

[hman]

oh BELGIUM!

sorry, I just used the worst swear word in the universe.

[Silver993tt]

Depending on how busy the terminal is you can't simply turn up when you like. If it's busy you'll be turned away at the checkin kiosks. Happnened to me twice when I arrived 3-4hrs early for my crossing. I had to drive off to a service station until the minimum 2hrs were left.

[PositronicRay]

Silver993tt said:

Depending on how busy the terminal is you can't simply turn up when you like. If it's busy you'll be turned away at the checkin kiosks. Happnened to me twice when I arrived 3-4hrs early for my crossing. I had to drive off to a service station until the minimum 2hrs were left.

Didn't they just offer you an earlier crossing? (maybe with slight additional cost if applicable) This is what's always happened to me.

[Adenauer]

Those Eurotunnel terminal buildings are full of Hippopig legging wearing chip scoffing Chantelle's trundling after their football shirt wearing knuckle dragging Wanye's looking forward to spending 50p on 3000 cans of wife beater.

I cannot think of a more disgusting place to try and plug in a laptop to do some work.

Forget it.

[Silver993tt]

PositronicRay said:

Silver993tt said:

Depending on how busy the terminal is you can't simply turn up when you like. If it's busy you'll be turned away at the checkin kiosks. Happnened to me twice when I arrived 3-4hrs early for my crossing. I had to drive off to a service station until the minimum 2hrs were left.

Didn't they just offer you an earlier crossing? (maybe with slight additional cost if applicable) This is what's always happened to me.

No, that doesn't always happen. If it's busy they won't let yo into the terminal area more than 2hrs before the crossing. Sometimes when not so busy and earlier crossing is offered.