TGV seat allocation in Eurostar booking

[KimClive]

Hi All,

I've done a search and couldn't find an answer to this query so here is my question to you knowledgable people.

We are a family of 4 (1 youth 1 child) from Australia, looking to travel from Stevenage to Marne-la-Vallee (Disney). We plan to book the trip on the Eurostar website including the FirstCapital and TGV legs.

I note on the Eurostar website that I can allocate seats on the Eurostar leg to Lille but not on the TGV leg from Lille to Marne-la-Valle.

Does anyone know how we can ensure that our children will be seated with us on the TGV?

Tks

Clive

 

[Gordon]

Hi All,
We plan to book the trip on Eurostar including the FirstCapital and TGV legs.

I note on the Eurostar website that I can allocate seats on the Eurostar leg to Lille but not on the TGV leg from Lille to Marne-la-Valle.
Does anyone know we ensure that our children will be seated with us on the TGV?
Clive

The SNCF’s own web site (Voyages-sncf.com) does have a seat chooser option. I may be wrong but I think that by booking the SNCF bit via Eurostar you will not get access to that hence the fact you can’t see it.

I always book Eurostar and SNCF separately as it often cheaper.

See other recent threads for comments about what web sites to use for booking French TGV travel.

The French ticket system has a habit of not putting people in large groups together however hard you try. This happened to us on both outward and return journeys Paris – Switzerland in April.



.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Isn't there a direct Eurostar to Marne anyway?

 

[OxtedL]

I think there's just the one, and it's at a silly time of day, but I'm looking...

OK, here:

Travelling to Disney?
Direct Eurostar trains from the UK to Disneyland® Paris leave at 0944 and leave from Disneyland® Paris to the UK at 1937 daily but these will not run on Tuesdays and Saturdays except during UK school holidays.
Remember you can still travel to Disneyland® Paris via TGV with just one simple change in Lille, or travel to Paris and take the the regional RER train.

 

[T163R]

You can also take the RER A

 

[KimClive]

Thank you for your replies. Just to give you the complete picture, we are flying home from Paris after 3 weeks in the UK. We will have all our luggage with us on the train journey.

I always book Eurostar and SNCF separately as it often cheaper.

I've checked that one. It seems that it will be much more expensive. I think it's 'one way' that pushes the fare up.

Isn't there a direct Eurostar to Marne anyway?

I think there's just the one, and it's at a silly time of day, but I'm looking...

...Direct Eurostar trains from the UK to Disneyland® Paris leave at 0944

Catching the 9.44 from St Pancras would have us doing battle with the commuters in the morning peak on FCC from Stevenage, so as you say 'it's at a silly time of day'. It's hard to see who their targeting with that time. It's too late if you want to spend the day at Disney and too early if you're travelling for subsequent days.

You can also take the RER A

That's certainly an option we'd consider.

Perhaps I'm asking the wrong question. Maybe a better question would be;

How would you recommend we travel from Stevenage to Val d'Europe on the 5 October?

(Dad, Mum, Boy 12, Girl 11 with 4 suitcases.)

 

[valedave]

Change at Lille, as you have suggested.

I find crossing Paris on the RER a nightmare, even with no luggage.


If you book the TGV journey as one journey, then surely you'll all be seated together? Maybe not at a table or anything, but it's not like you'll be at other ends of the train

 

[coupwotcoup]

Change at Lille, as you have suggested.

I find crossing Paris on the RER a nightmare, even with no luggage.


If you book the TGV journey as one journey, then surely you'll all be seated together? Maybe not at a table or anything, but it's not like you'll be at other ends of the train

Moving slightly off subject, is it possible to buy a Paris Metro ticket at St Pancras? I believe you could at Waterloo but I always forgot. As you say, unless you know your way around it can be a nightmare even getting to Gare de Lyon from Gare du Nord and even after fifteen years I still struggle to find the Grand Lignes exit..
The ticket offices at GdN and GdL are a nightmare with machines that are usually kaput and even in rush hour only two windows open.
I would love to use Lille on a regular basis to get down to Spain but with trains not arriving there until after 9am, this is impractical.

 

[Picasso]

Hello,

When booking several seats in TGV's, the computer take them grouped (carré in 2nd class, club quatre in 1st class) as far as possible. So if you book in advance, you have many chances to get such places which are very convenient for a family.
If it is not the case (grouped seats not available anymore ) you will get 2 seats in a row, and the 2 others just behind, or beside the first 2 seats, this is generally not a concern to travel like this. And you may always ask to people to exchange your seats with theirs if you want your children to be very close to you. Well, it's generally not a big problem, and don't forget than Lille to Marne-la-Vallée is a short trip, not more than 1h05 - 1h20.

But in my opinion, the trip with a connection at Lille is the most comfortable option, much better than taking the RER with luggages (not impossible, but a bit unpleasant especially during peak hours).

Éric

 

[Gordon]

Thank you for your replies.
I've checked that one. It seems that it will be much more expensive. I think it's 'one way' that pushes the fare up.

Not sure that's true. SNCF website one way fares are usually the cheapest (one usually just adds two single fares anyway as France has never had the system whereby return fares are anything other than twice the single fare)

If there are no cheap fares coming up it may be because the fare is not on the system yet for October

If anything I would expect the Eurostr fare to be more expensive as a single

 

[KimClive]

Gordon, I hadn't looked at the whole trip on SNCF. I had added Eurostar STP to Lille + TGV Lille to MLV. (Slaps forehead!) When the TGV booking is available, in about 14 days time, I'll check it on both sites. There is an additional factor for us in exchange rates. We are getting a much better rate for AUD/GBP than AUD/EUR. For the first time in living memory it is better for us to buy in GBP.

Thank you all for your replies. Your news is what I wanted to hear, Eric.

We'll do;
Stevenage to St Pancras on FCC
St Pancras to Lille on Eurostar
Lille to MLV on TGV

I will be booking it on the first day that the TGV booking becomes available so it should be fine. As long as my daughter is with one of her parents, all is well. We often stand for an hour on a train here in Sydney and think nothing of it, so even at worst, the TGV leg will be no different.

Cheers

Clive

 

[lemonic]

To get the cheapest tickets between Stevenage and London, phone Bob who works at Eurostar and deals with domestic queries on 01233 617913. (You may need to call 0044 1233 617913 if out of the country) He will sell you connecting tickets that are only valid with Eurostar tickets and are usually considerably cheaper than the normal tickets. The prices may have risen, but until 22 May that was £7 single for an adult anytime or £4 single for an adult arriving into London after 9:15.

 

[Gordon]

Lille to MLV on TGV
I will be booking it on the first day that the TGV booking becomes available so it should be fine. We often stand for an hour on a train here in Sydney and think nothing of it, so even at worst, the TGV leg will be no different.
Cheers
Clive

You should not have to stand on the TGV. Reservation with a seat (even if it's a tip down seat at very busy times, is compulsory so once you've booked you should have seats

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Moving slightly off subject, is it possible to buy a Paris Metro ticket at St Pancras? I believe you could at Waterloo but I always forgot.

Yes, they sell the Paris Visite, but only the zone 1 - 3 version ( which doesn't include Versailles or Marne ), and only in the departure lounge - not the Eurostar ticket office. You can, however, get the zone 1 - 6 version at Rail Europe in Piccadilly if you need it.

 

[KimClive]

To get the cheapest tickets between Stevenage and London, phone Bob who works at Eurostar and deals with domestic queries on 01233 617913. (You may need to call 0044 1233 617913 if out of the country) He will sell you connecting tickets that are only valid with Eurostar tickets and are usually considerably cheaper than the normal tickets. The prices may have risen, but until 22 May that was £7 single for an adult anytime or £4 single for an adult arriving into London after 9:15.

Thank you the tip.

I believe you can access a similarly low fare by putting your destination as 'St Pancras International' (STP) in the FCC website.

 

[Surreytraveller]

This site very helpful to buy the RER ticket from Paris to Marne la Valley Chessey in advance:

http://www.helloparis.co.uk/getting-around-paris/paris-metro-tickets/-1434.html

It is quite simple to get there from Gare du Nord - Line 'B' to Chatlet les Halles, then a cross-platform interchange to Line 'A' (make sure it is a Marne train). Takes about 45 minutes.

 

[HST Power]

I believe you can access a similarly low fare by putting your destination as 'St Pancras International' (STP) in the FCC website.

You have to put in 'London St Pancras International.'

To get the cheapest tickets between Stevenage and London, phone Bob who works at Eurostar and deals with domestic queries on 01233 617913

This is good advice. Whatever you do, do not book tickets between Stevenage and London through the trainline.com. Very rarely do they keep to their promise of saving you money. It's a complicated process and a pointless one to boot. Stick with what you know.

I presume for Stevenage to St Pancras you are going via Kings Cross. This will be easy and quite fast, as Stevenage is a major stop on the network. There will be plenty of trains running non-stop to London. If you wanted to, you could go via HST with East Coast but there's not much point in that.

Have a good trip.

 

[lemonic]

Thank you the tip.

I believe you can access a similarly low fare by putting your destination as 'St Pancras International' (STP) in the FCC website.

I have just checked and it is more expensive on the FCC website. The reason for this is that FCC just sell normal tickets to London. If you phone Eurostar, Bob will sell you a ticket to 'London Eurostar CIV' that is not bookable online and is only valid in conjunction with a Eurostar ticket. This is a fair bit cheaper than the normal tickets on this route.

 

[KimClive]

Thank you all.

The FCC leg is about 10GBP for the 4 of us when it's booked as part of the Eurostar journey and 24GBP with Groupsave4 to London St Pancras Intl on FCC.

 

[island]

Moving slightly off subject, is it possible to buy a Paris Metro ticket at St Pancras? I believe you could at Waterloo but I always forgot.

Yes, but not the one you want. Mobilis tickets are usually better value than the Paris Visite that they sell.

 

[Mike395]

I have just checked and it is more expensive on the FCC website. The reason for this is that FCC just sell normal tickets to London. If you phone Eurostar, Bob will sell you a ticket to 'London Eurostar CIV' that is not bookable online and is only valid in conjunction with a Eurostar ticket. This is a fair bit cheaper than the normal tickets on this route.

You can buy CIV tickets through raileasy (with the destination 'London International'), but they charge a booking fee, so better to do it with Eurostar directly

 

[lemonic]

Not just that Mike, Rail Easy sell tickets to London International CIV, Eurostar call centre sell tickets to London Eurostar CIV. London Eurostar tickets are usually (considerably) cheaper than London International tickets.