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An on-board drinks service was dropped last year, so there is nothing to do on the 35min journey. You can walk around and there are toilet facilities on board.
Club Class passengers get priority loading so they can catch the shuttle ahead of other waiting passengers.
Where possible, they go to the front of the train for priority disembarkation.
Cars are loaded on two floors, an average four cars per carriage.
Service in the Club Class lounge in the UK was very good. We were told where to look on screens for the next departure and when loading would start.
On the French side we were served our meals and left to find our way around. Safety announcements are good and made in French and English. Fire doors automatically close behind a carriage once it is full.
Club Class has certainly improved. There is a good choice of food which offers a filling snack.
It is nice to have more space to sit and eat as eating in the car can be a juggling act
A plastic lunch box among the offerings on the return was better.
The main benefit of Club Class is being able to jump the queue, especially for business people, but the delays at passport control detracted from the service. A fast track is needed.
It is worth considering Club Class if you are likely to be travelling on a busy day. The Folkestone terminal seemed barely able to cope with the numbers and was a perfect advert for paying the supplement, which is not cheap.
The Club Class lounges have doubled in size since I travelled Club in 1997.
Club passengers get a duty-free shop – small, but with all the popular brands – free newspapers and a free meal. There is a choice of sandwiches, with a mousse fruit salad or similar served in a basket, and a drink.
You can take the food to eat in the car, or eat in the lounge. Tea and coffee is also on offer. The lounges on the UK and French side are identical.
safety and service
club Class
on board
arrival and terminals
embarkation
THERE were queues at the check-in booths at Folkestone, pointing to a busy start to the first day of half-term. With a Club Class ticket you jump the queue and head to the dedicated check-in, which takes minutes.
Club Class passengers get a coin, which gives entry to the dedicated lounges – one on each side of the Channel. These are sited after passport control and security.
You can go straight to the Club Class lounge, but I visited the main terminal first. This has a large duty-free shop plus other outlets, including Boots, WH Smith, Burger King, Pret a Manger, Espace Vins and Hamleys. But it was so full due to the number of people travelling and a backlog caused by an earlier delay to the service that it was difficult even to walk around.
The French terminal is smaller and has a duty-free shop, wine and perfume shops and two food outlets. There were far fewer people travelling when I returned.