Eurotunnel Day Trip tickets back

[981Boxess]

Eurotunnel have finally turned the Day Trip & Overnight tickets back on - lucky us.

Only between 25/9/2023 and 22/10/2023 mind you so don't get too excited.

At around £125 return an absolute bargain to spend a few hours in France to spend some money there, I am sure the M20 will be chockers from people queuing up to go at that price

[Puggit]

I can't remember what we used to pay in the early 00s to hop over for lunch, fill up at Cité Europe and pop home - but it certainly wasn't in that ballpark! I suspect it was something like £35.

[981Boxess]

They used to do cheap day trip deals for £25 return, in recent times the day trip ticket was £60 return.

I am starting to think I live on Alcatraz.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I've always thought the whole thing to be a bit of a con.

Why didn't they just build a road tunnel & be done with it?

[981Boxess]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

I've always thought the whole thing to be a bit of a con.

Why didn't they just build a road tunnel & be done with it?

To stop TVR drivers using it

[Deesee]

Puggit said:

I can't remember what we used to pay in the early 00s to hop over for lunch, fill up at Cité Europe and pop home - but it certainly wasn't in that ballpark! I suspect it was something like £35.

Just before covid, They were doing £20 day returns, perfect for a run to Le Touquet/Brugge. Overnight for £110 is not the end of the world (we nip over for golf and family days out) both ways for 4 people.

Just for context at 40 min train ride to London is £70pp for us (kids free)... So for a day out/overnight its not a million miles away.

However last yr DFDS were doing £40 day returns, with another free day return if you spent £160 in duty free, Ive still got a few of those to use up.

[981Boxess]

Deesee said:

Puggit said:

I can't remember what we used to pay in the early 00s to hop over for lunch, fill up at Cité Europe and pop home - but it certainly wasn't in that ballpark! I suspect it was something like £35.

Just before covid, They were doing £20 day returns, perfect for a run to Le Touquet/Brugge. Overnight for £110 is not the end of the world (we nip over for golf and family days out) both ways for 4 people.

Just for context at 40 min train ride to London is £70pp for us (kids free)... So for a day out/overnight its not a million miles away.

However last yr DFDS were doing £40 day returns, with another free day return if you spent £160 in duty free, Ive still got a few of those to use up.

So the £110 return, which doesn't really exist if you look at the times, isn't the end of the world but last year when it was considerably cheaper than that you went by ferry instead.

But you are right, it isn't the end of the world and they will probably be all sold out in no time.

[gtidriver]

Last Saturday it was £252 for a day trip/5-day trip.. who is going to pay that for a day trip?? I wonder if the Government is still subsidising them to stay open as an Essential Covid service, When I called them up I was told the management doesn't want day trippers anymore which is quite strange as surely they need bums on seats to make the tunnel profitable.

I used P&O last Saturday and even that has gone up to £70 now.

[981Boxess]

gtidriver said:

Last Saturday it was £252 for a day trip/5-day trip.. who is going to pay that for a day trip?? I wonder if the Government is still subsidising them to stay open as an Essential Covid service, When I called them up I was told the management doesn't want day trippers anymore which is quite strange as surely they need bums on seats to make the tunnel profitable.

I used P&O last Saturday and even that has gone up to £70 now.

The last few times I have been they have combined three crossing times on one train, so are saving money that way, they are not running anywhere near the number of trains they used to.

[Deesee]

981Boxess said:

So the £110 return, which doesn't really exist if you look at the times, isn't the end of the world but last year when it was considerably cheaper than that you went by ferry instead.

But you are right, it isn't the end of the world and they will probably be all sold out in no time.

Granted we live a stones throw away from the tunnel up the M20, so making a silly o clock crossing is not an issue.. I think they are testing the market.

[Deesee]

981Boxess said:

gtidriver said:

Last Saturday it was £252 for a day trip/5-day trip.. who is going to pay that for a day trip?? I wonder if the Government is still subsidising them to stay open as an Essential Covid service, When I called them up I was told the management doesn't want day trippers anymore which is quite strange as surely they need bums on seats to make the tunnel profitable.

I used P&O last Saturday and even that has gone up to £70 now.

The last few times I have been they have combined three crossing times on one train, so are saving money that way, they are not running anywhere near the number of trains they used to.

I also remember it being rammed and putting two trains together to beat the traffic (Chunnel traffic).

[gtidriver]

Just checked P&O and its now £34.50 going out and £14.50 coming back in the evening. Daytrip on Wednesday on the Le-sttole is £538 only available ticket is flexi plus, P&O £49. The tunnel surely cant sustain those prices thats just nuts. Can anyone get a higher cost for a day trip??

[gtidriver]

981Boxess said:

gtidriver said:

Last Saturday it was £252 for a day trip/5-day trip.. who is going to pay that for a day trip?? I wonder if the Government is still subsidising them to stay open as an Essential Covid service, When I called them up I was told the management doesn't want day trippers anymore which is quite strange as surely they need bums on seats to make the tunnel profitable.

I used P&O last Saturday and even that has gone up to £70 now.

The last few times I have been they have combined three crossing times on one train, so are saving money that way, they are not running anywhere near the number of trains they used to.

I wonder if they are broken down/scrapped, there's only so much checker plate can fix..

[Deesee]

gtidriver said:

981Boxess said:

gtidriver said:

Last Saturday it was £252 for a day trip/5-day trip.. who is going to pay that for a day trip?? I wonder if the Government is still subsidising them to stay open as an Essential Covid service, When I called them up I was told the management doesn't want day trippers anymore which is quite strange as surely they need bums on seats to make the tunnel profitable.

I used P&O last Saturday and even that has gone up to £70 now.

The last few times I have been they have combined three crossing times on one train, so are saving money that way, they are not running anywhere near the number of trains they used to.

I wonder if they are broken down/scrapped, there's only so much checker plate can fix..

TBF, if you count the number of loading platforms and the amount used it’s woefully under capacity..

But! They underestimated the heat from the trains and can only run so many car trains/fright + container freight + eurostar per hour & at low speeds.

& yes the rolling stock does need replacing..

[981Boxess]

gtidriver said:

Just checked P&O and its now £34.50 going out and £14.50 coming back in the evening. Daytrip on Wednesday on the Le-sttole is £538 only available ticket is flexi plus, P&O £49. The tunnel surely cant sustain those prices thats just nuts. Can anyone get a higher cost for a day trip??

The bottom line is we live on an island, the easiest way off it is by Eurotunnel and they can do what they like with what services they choose to offer.
When they have decided their pricing the ferry companies adjust accordingly and we are then given a cheaper less convenient option as an alternative.

Take it or leave it.

[Deesee]

Hovercrafts were better faster.. time to bring ‘em back..

[gtidriver]

981Boxess said:

gtidriver said:

Just checked P&O and its now £34.50 going out and £14.50 coming back in the evening. Daytrip on Wednesday on the Le-sttole is £538 only available ticket is Flexi Plus, P&O £49. The tunnel surely can't sustain those prices that's just nuts. Can anyone get a higher cost for a day trip??

The bottom line is we live on an island, the easiest way off it is by Eurotunnel and they can do what they like with what services they choose to offer.
When they have decided their pricing the ferry companies adjust accordingly and we are then given a cheaper less convenient option as an alternative.

Take it or leave it.

I'll leave it then, probably along with a lot of people who refuse the comedy pricing. I used to travel twice a month, that's £60 for each ticket plus spending at the tunnel on both ends, that money gets spent on the boat now, although not as frequently at the moment.
It's just a shame as I've used the tunnel regularly since it pretty much opened and I do miss the quickness of the tunnel, when it was working of course.

[greygoose]

gtidriver said:

I wonder if they are broken down/scrapped, there's only so much checker plate can fix..

One train is being refurbished at the moment with a redesign of the interior, and the others will follow over the next few years. Eurotunnel have kept their prices high throughout the summer and limited capacity to 7000 cars per day as they have a train out of the schedule. They don't care if the ferries are cheaper as they think that one of the ferry companies will go out of business due to their lower prices being unsustainable.

[981Boxess]

gtidriver said:

I'll leave it then, probably along with a lot of people who refuse the comedy pricing.

Likewise - you will always get people that will say £125, loose change, I spend more than that in Starbucks most days, but talk is cheap. Other than cheese and wine there isn't anything cheap in France nowadays so it is just going out for a bit of a drive and lunch for us and that is only worth so much.

They obviously don't want day trip business and they will suceed in not getting any.

Not seen him posting for a while, but there used to be one chap on here that used Eurotunnel every weekday for his work commute, I bet he isn't now.

[mikef]

For me, it’s a break-even calculation on wine buying in France. We’re currently in the Bergerac region picking up very good reds and whites from the producer at under EUR 8 a bottle, a saving of at least £10 over a quality wine in the UK. If two people can bring back 48 bottles, that sort of sets a limit on how much it’s worth paying for the tunnel (taking petrol and tolls into account)