Eurostar Have WITHDRAWN Their DIRECT London to Disneyland Paris Service! Here's Why...
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- Опубликовано: 12 июл 2024
- Up today, we'll be checking out the Eurostar service to Disneyland Paris from London, which has since been withdrawn as of last Monday (05/06/23). This rather popular service was withdrawn for multiple reasons, but what was it like? Find out in this video!
Journey details:
Date of Travel - December 2022
Operator - Eurostar
Train Type - Class 373 "TMST"/"e300"
Origin - London St Pancras International
Destination - Marne-la-Vallee - Chessy (Disneyland Paris)
Price - £180/€206 (Standard premier, exchange rates from Oanda.com as at 26/10/22 when the journey was booked - a refund voucher of £54 was also received for the delay).
Duration - 2 hours, 40 minutes
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed the video!
Music from EpidemicSound and is used under license.
A massive thanks to @destinationdero for the publication/use of the Disneyland stock footage, do check out his channel for more!
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#eurostar #disneyland #disneylandparis #london #stpancrasinternational #class373 #tmst #e300 #channeltunnel #tripreport #vlog
What a bummer. Now the most easiest way to Disneyland was withdrawn
What do you expect? You can't have a reasonable connection when your government makes it impossible to run on time...
Fellow Mersey transport enjoyer :)
@@caramelldansen2204 hello :)
I’ll never understand why there isn’t a train company in Europe offering “the magical express” with service to and from Disneyland in a themed environment its hard to imagine Disney wouldn’t be open to it or that there isn’t a market to make the to and from journey feel more exciting and different!
For a very long time, the train services were not open to private companies or competition in much of Europe. In France, it is only since 2021 that a non-SNCF or SNCF affiliated company can run high speed trains on the network. Eurostart and Thalys, while affiliated with the SNCF, could do it for a long time because private international train services were allowed
I remember Thalys having a commercial like that in the 2000s. When I was little, my mom and I went on a Disney themed Bus to Disneyland from the Netherlands.
@@arthemis1039 Certainly there doesn't seem to have been any competition allowed for Eurostar, and they have used their monopoly to deprive Southern England of direct services without backtracking into London, or trying other innovative options like overnight trains as an alternative to ultra-early starts or overnight hotel stays.
@@iankemp1131 sncf hates competition and international services, they hate nothing more than international cooperation and progress, since it gets in the way of their airline like operation making as much money as it can
A real shame the covid pandemic and the government have ruined Eurostar. Used to be good to go to Europe and Disney but like you say not anymore unfortunately. Hopefully it does come back soon because it certainly does attract a lot it attraction and the train looked busy as well.
How was it ruined by the government, the UK government as had no share in eurostar since March 2015, it is owned by SNCF Voyageurs (55.75%) France, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (19.31%) Canada, SNCB (18.5%) Belgium and Federated Hermes Infrastructure USA (6.44%).
@chrisedmundson6673 Well the pandemic has ruined them and have struggled since.
And Eurostar had the bare faced cheek to hold out the begging bowl to UK govt for a bailout!
They suspended service to Disneyland because of the new Entry/Exit system by the EU which Eurostar will not be able to implement smoothly, at least that's what they said.
Eurostar is not a UK company so why would we give them tax payers money? also would like to point out they asked us for funds first before asking the French government which owns nearly 56% of the company or their investors, it was said that if the French did offer to support them then we would try to over some thing also.
One of the flagship services when the Chunnel was introduced… I remember seeing “Waterloo to Disneyland in under 3 hours” or something similar on multiple promotional pieces even including the Hornby OO set of the 373. Now it’s gone. Hard to imagine.
Travelled London to Brussels (both ways) a couple of weeks ago. Very pleased with the service - perfectly punctual in this instance - and with the carriage interiors and the Eurostar staff, incl at St Pancras check-in. The ticket prices look high😬 In the past I have found good prices when combining it with a hotel booking, but on this occasion as a UK railway employee I paid the flat ‘priv’ rate thank goodness.
I’m a regular traveller on the Eurostar specifically travelling to Disney. I used to always take the direct train but then over the years the tickets were becoming increasingly expensive and then it was hit and miss what days the train would travel on. Once the pandemic hit, that direct service really took a hit. I now travel via Gare Du Nord and it’s an absolutely fine journey, especially as my kids are teenagers however if I had buggy’s, Babies and kids I would not like that journey! You are up and down escalators, going through gates, there’s also a train change. Oh and I got lost a few times lol It’s a pain! But the tickets are cheap 🤷🏻♀️
Hopefully this service comes back, and i hope stopping services at ebbsfleet, ashford, and calais come back soon. there also need to be direct trains to places like germany (kind of used to be a thing), and other European countries for example beyond germany and south-ish of france
"Welcome to the Brexit sir" Do you think Railway companies in mainland Europe would want anything to do with us ?
replying to my comment - iirc DB tested out the service from london to frankfurt. a eurostar route between london and berlin for cheap would be excellent and would attract more passengers and more passengers would move from flights to trains, which would also be good for the environment for lowering your carbon footprint, and so on
@@alivinghuman1
A service to Berlin would only work as an overnight train due to the travel time, but there'd likely be enough demand to justify it. Likewise there's plenty of demand for a direct connection to London from Cologne, and possibly further into the Ruhr region and Frankfurt, but none of this is going to happen.
The main obstacle for such services is the frankly unnecessary airport-style handling the UK requires for all passengers. Direct services to London have to stop at fenced-off platforms that can only be used by these services and have to be accessed through an extensive security check. When you compare this to other international services to non-EU countries, this is completely overblown. Elsewhere the train stops at a border station and customs officials enter the train to check documents. Before Schengen, many international trains in the EU had en-route checks by officials on the train. There's no reason for the UK to be so restrictive in this regard, but here we are. This stance doesn't only make travel more of a hassle and limit future services, it has also already killed off plans for overnight services (the coaches are now used in Canada) and the regional Eurostar for Paris-bound services from outside of London.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 They used to have some on-board immigration control for a while when I was commuting from Paris to London 2001-2003. It was done after Calais Frethun by British staff.
I'd like to see the UK domestic sales office come back too. Once upon a time you could call Eurostar and get a discounted ticket to a UK station. Now although the Eurostar fares can be reasonable enough getting to London is less so
What do Eurostar even offer any more? No service from Ebbsfleet, Ashford, Calais, Disney, South of France & Amsterdam (from 2024). If they're not careful a competitor will usurp them.
no competition because who else wants to run this complicated route with all these border checks? DB ICE pulled out of coming to the UK bc u guessed it, brexit!
Great video. Welcome back!
Good to have you back on RUclips
I travelled with Eurostar to Disneyland once in April 2022. I enjoyed the ride, but now I see that sometimes Eurostar can offer very little for such a high price tag. Now that the Disney services are gone, next time I go there we might just take a flight from somewhere closer to me like East Mids or Birmingham. It only takes about an hour flying.
Arrive 90 mins before....me turning up with 10 mins to spare :D
Great Video Mate. Still need to get a E300 at some point!
I really hope TGV Ouigo starts to operate through the tunnel and calls at places such as Ashford, Ebbsfleet and Stratford. Can't help but think a certain narrow mindness, on a certain subject has got something to do with Eurostar scaling back??🤔🤔
Really annoying that nobody has ever been allowed to challenge Eurostar's monopoly, as you say it has been bad for the intermediate stations and also for the south of England that could have more conveniently connected via Waterloo if that was still an option, to say nothing of the failure to offer any sort of overnight service as an alternative to horrendously early morning starts or overnight hotel stays.
could only happen if the UK joined the Schengen area. Needless to say, won't happen anytime soon...
@@thegreypenguin5097 Well, the Ashford/Ebbsfleet calls did happen even when the UK was non-Schengen (not Stratford where they never provided the facility) but ok yes it does cost more in providing border staff at each UK station. No real reason why Eurostar was allowed to keep its monopoly though.
10:43 you say build to european gauges but the gauge used in the UK is 1435mmm standard. You are talking about the loading guage of the trains that allow taller and wider trains.
1435mm is the standard for heavy rail (light rail and trams sometimes use 1000mm) in most of Europe, apart from Spain (Iberian Broad), Finland, the Baltics, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova (Russian Broad).
@@Croz89 I know that, but he was refferig to the Loading Gauge, not the Gauge
Anything which makes international train travel complicated for UK citizens gets the vote of the current UK government. The DfT do not want people actually using trains as it makes it difficult to close the railways down.
Damn true. Capitalist governments want us in cars because the training / labour (driving), the vehicles, maintenance of the vehicles, insurance, fuel, legal liability, infrastructure, etc. are all offloaded onto the working class. It's destroying our way of life, it's ruining our health, it's killing the environment... but at least it's profitable for the few at the top!!
4:20 You can see from the camera noise when the two xrays are taken.
They should adopt the practice of doing border control on board the train, like they did on the Allegro high speed train between Finland and Russia before that service shut down.
I still do not really understand why they withdrew such a popular service. I never rode this line but a few times got the train after to Brussels and up to them announcing the Eurodisney train was now boarding the waiting area was packed. Covid hit Eurostar badly but I am sure now people will be returning to Disneyland for their summer break and this has made it a whole lot harder
Its not hard to get to Disneyland from Gare du nord
@@mlglucas9729 OK But still a change of train with cases and kids.
My daughter and I went last year from St Pancras and the train was more or less full so I don't fully understand this decision.
No because of Covid at all, but due to the new rules for entering the European Union following Brexit, Eurostar is ending the connection between London and Disneyland Paris. Why take such a step? New rules for travellers within the EU have come into force in May 2023. Non-EU citizens will have to have their fingerprints scanned and photographed instead of simply having their passports stamped as was previously the case.
@@francinesicard464 OK Thanks. I knew it was about check in in Amsterdam where the station is being modernised. Sounds like it will be a long process to check in and also a fee to pay in future as well. It was really quick and easy before Brexit. I never thought for a moment when they said little would change. What a mess
Sick video bro, let's go MICKEY! ;-)
When i went to disney land in april, the train stopped at Lille and then went straight to Marne-la-vallee. Then you take one stop to Val-De-europe on the metro. However on the way back, person who worked at the train station took us to the wrong platform at marne-la-vallee which had no trains going towards it, luckily we noticed and had to run to the next platform which was a coach train, which took an hour, to Lille. Then we had to take the eurostar back to england from Lille
The snow caught me off guard, especially with the blue skies
Also snow in June?
@@moumenaleryani333I am incredibly late and you may of already found out, but anyways it was prerecorded, then uploaded. You can see the dates in the description.
Truly a shame, but Eurostars monopoly on the channel tunnel really is just hurting the rail link's success. It harms the number of destinations that can be served, and the customers too since Eurostar can then control the entire supply and as such the price point! Like remember when DB had plans to launch direct trains from Germany to London, I wish that would be brought back up. And what about low cost operators? The London to Disneyland route especially would be pure gold for a service like Ouigo (France's equivalent of Lumo but high speed)
the amsterdam lounge is somewhat temporary, there for small , till mid2030 when the services should move to Amsterdam south and a proper facility can be made. also due to construction works in Amsterdam they are having to stop services all together to the Netherlands. it created a whole issues with government and the operator.
And the loss of the direct service already causing chaos. Friends travelled Monday. Due to delays missed connection at Lille and ended up with 300euro taxi to Disney arriving midnight 😮
That's terrible, I'm sorry for them. There are other ways to get from Lille to Paris and then there are night buses after the RER A finishes. I know the N141 goes from gare de l'Est to Chessy.
Maybe Disney, Eurostar or the SNCF could publish the best (and safest) alternative ways to get there now.
Thank you for sharing. I've always wanted to try riding the Eurostar! By the way I know a discount can find cheaper train tickets, if someone needs, I am happy to share ❤
Good Video!
Good video
Was an easy route - just have to change trains in Paris now, not much of a pain, just takes a bit longer to get there.
A lot more of a pain if you are a family with lots of luggage.
Which app do you use to measure the speed?
I live about 30 miles southwest of St Pancras and even once I've got to my nearest main line station, it takes longer by train to get to St Pancras than it does to get from St Pancras to Lille. It also costs about the same for a much shorter journey by distance. Currently trying to see if i can save for a trip to Brussels
It was a pain when Eurostar decided to close Waterloo rather than run some services from it for the convenience of Southern England passengers. Again their monopoly situation - they or a competitor could have served Waterloo and also Ashford, then to Lille (easy connection for Brussels / Disney / Lyon) and Paris.
@@iankemp1131there's no reason to keep running services to Waterloo. It took longer running on congested tracks and you can still get the tube from St Pancras to all the other London terminals
@@grassytramtracks But you can't get the tube direct from St Pancras to Waterloo! And it takes 20-30 minutes. Ask anyone from south west of London whether they'd prefer to just walk along the platform at Waterloo to board Eurostar or take two tubes or a taxi to get to St Pancras - especially with heavy luggage for a trip to Europe. One extra train an hour would be no problem from Waterloo to Farningham Road where it can rejoin HS1.
9:25 was that Ebbsfleet in the background?
I used to board this train from when I was 4-9 years old
Well, you can still get the RER from Gare du Nord to Disneyland pretty quickly, so it's not a huge inconvenience.
Try that with young children and people who have never been to Gare du Nord, the whole point of this service was to get on and be at the park gates in one go with your entry tickets, passes and luggage checked in before you even left the UK now this has become a huge inconvenience.
Easiest way to Disneyland Paris gone. At least i was able to get on it once
Nice train but it needs a cafe or restaurant car. Some coaches don't seem to have individual reclining seats but two seats instead joined together.?
I remember going to Disneyland Paris by Eurostar once. But that was way back when my parents were still together (they've been divorced for some time now) and Eurostar was running from Waterloo.
A real shame, I went on it once as a child.
I couldn't find the menu in the description :(
Good!
Nice !
Such a pity they've axed that service, let's hope they find a solution and restart it.
What's the metering app used at 10:47 ?
And there's a little problem on the map shown at 6:47 it's not the correct route, LGV Nord is much more straight than that and goes a lot less to the East. It goes almost straight South from Lille.
Great video and trip report, just subscribed !
I cannot understand that, why! I miss that Disneyland Parus so much, hh?!!... 😭💔
In this case, I think the delay is rather unacceptable. Disneyland Paris is very expensive and most people will probably only visit for two or three days. It must really be a downer to begin your trip with such a sizable chunck being taken out of your first Disney day. Later in the day as the park fills up, queue times become an absolute nightmare. I mean, its great that you at least get a part of you train ticket refunded, but thats only a fraction of the true costs of the delay in this case.
Do they have metal detectors at St Pancras?
Yes. And xray machines and residue checkers.
@@fishettibean The Bastards!
I went on this service when I was 3 or 4
Think Eurostar should think about level boarding I find the high step is awkward.I have mobility problem but think others with more severe problems would find the step very awkward.
Where is the food menu?
10:43 I thought Britain used standard gauge as well?
He means loading gauge. For example: A french TGV can run on HS1 but it can't run on any other british lines.
@@BrendanC123 Ohhhhh. I'm dumb lol
Where is the menu link?
how. Many. Hour of travel. from England to France the. Ticket price must. Be Expensive
is it just me or do other people also love the smell in st pancras
Now u have to change for tgv at lilie europe just to go disneylanf paris 🙄
Or just take the RER line from Paris gare du nord 🤷♂️
Very sad
Fun fact: thé train from Paris Nord never stops at Lille
I know why they’re not going to Disneyland Paris is because
Due to the effects of Covid
And a fall out of the EU
Did anyone know what is ironic about Eurostar ending their direct London to Disneyland Paris service? They end it in 2023 and Disney is celebrating its centennial anniversary. That's a terrible way of celebrating Disney's centennial anniversary!
Snow in june how
same thoughts...
Ironic that billions are spent to decrease journey times sometimes by just a handful of minutes and then all is sacrificed when they tell us to arrive an hour before scheduled departure time.
This is what Eurostar cannot influence very much. Passport control takes time. Result of the UK's decision not to join the Schengen area. And it's not going to get better with fingerprint scanning starting next year.
And let’s also mention how uncomfortable the overcrowded post-security lounge is. Somehow, Eurostar have made train travel less comfortable than flying…
Aerostar, an entity, a corporation, is a single unit. Therefore, Eurostar “has” withdrawn “its” direct ….Not plural, single. Thanks.
I really don't understand why you are not criticizing the whole process of the customs between UK and UE. It is really a shame in the middle of a very developed Europe. You, as UK citizen should be very angry about this stupid process. And I understand from 2024 UK will prepare a Custom based on the fingerprinting process!
Idk why they made rail way travel simular to plane travel. Arrive one hour before departure? 😂
Not Eurostar's fault the UK never joined Schengen and then left the EU making border checks slower and more complicated, and set to get worse
Crazy, I knew many people that used to commute to London from Brussels on Eurostar, I was chatting to a girl that used to go back home from university every month. It was very easy pre-Brexit. It was certainly much cheaper too.
Another victim of Brexit. 🙄
Here is hoping that younger generations will not just restore this Eurostar service, but figure out ways to connect the British side of Eurostar to places that French families might want to visit for holidays.
Do the French families like going to Birmingham and Manchester?
I went to Disneyland Paris in 2009 but I didn't take this service there, I went to Paris Nord and then took the RER there. Shame that this Eurostar service has had to be scrapped because of the effects of the pandemic.
The pandemic is mostly gone but Brexit remains. Each of the closed stations would require customs facilities to be extended considerably in order to deal with border checks. It's unlikely they will reopen very soon.
@@flitsertheo And the station site at Marne la Vallée is not viable at the moment to deal with that.
Not because of the pandemic! New rules for travellers within the EU have come into force in May 2023. Non-EU citizens will have to have their fingerprints scanned and photographed instead of simply having their passports stamped as it was the case before. Impossible in a direct line London-Disney Land.
@@francinesicard464if only the UK was part of a construction, say like Schengen and the EU, that could avoid all this mess. In the meantime I'm traveling all over Europe without showing my passport once....🙈
@paulthiel5145 because people here in the UK get whipped up into a frenzy about freedom of movement by the media and narrow minded politicians, why we got brexit 🙄. its a miracle in my opinion that the channel tunnel didn't get filled in and we still have it available 😂😂
The eurostar place looks like an airport
brexit...
Blame Covid & Brexit won’t be long till the Marseille route gone
Tough eh? Well, no one can afford Disney World or Land in the USA either. So that just leaves Rotterdam for our Weetabix. There is also a real story about nun towers too if you want to hear it, ask Hitler.
boarding stops half an hour befor departure? madness, for a train i never arrive in station earlier than half an hour, 10 mins early should be the norm. And that airport style security, make loose all the appeal of the train! lukly it's not here where i am
Different for an international route. Always needed passport and security checks, even before Brexit. Still easier and quicker than going through airports. But yes, for domestic trains a few minutes is enough (sometimes even less, intentionally or not ...)
@@iankemp1131 yes both domestic and intra eu should never have airport style in my mind because that make disappear a lot of the appealing side of trains. just jumping in in a city centre and jumping out in another city centre is super convenient and what is making short flights stumbeling
@@iankemp1131 "Always needed passport and security checks, even before Brexit" doesn't make it though, does it. The most effective Schengen ad one could think of.
I’m happy to see a Muslim train reviewer. Keep it up brother
because no one want to go to disneyland anymore!!!
Don’t you just love all the benefits of Brexit like……………yeah
True brexiteers do not travel abroad. And Blackpool isn't that bad.
Ahh yes... another Remoaner looking silly, trying to claim a wholly unrelated development (which you'd know if you read the explanation) is the fault of democracy at work. Next!
@@francoisleyrat8659🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Excellent video. Maybe just a bit of practice with the accent... 😊
I believe the ‘escape’ tunnels are for the evacuation of trains rather than of passengers which would be a very messy business without the proper equipment.
No it's for passengers. The central service tunnel is smaller than the two main ones and has no rails.
Each main tunnel is linked to the service tunnel by connectors closed by massive bunker like pressure doors located every 375 meters. Pressure relief piston ducts are located every 250 meters, they link both main tunnels but not the service tunnel.
In case of evacuation of a stranded train like a Eurostar, and given its massive length, a train covers at least 2 evacuation connectors.
There are different types of evacuation, if it's an emergency due to fire or anything urgent requiring to abandon the train and tunnel, passengers deboard the train either by the doors closest to connectors or by the first door they find and walk in the tunnel lateral walkway to the nearest or chosen connector.
The bunker doors are automated and controlled by Eurotunnel's HQ. The service tunnel is over-pressurized to prevent smoke from entering the escape route.
In case of a simple train break down, passengers are usually deboarded to the service tunnel and another train is waiting in the other tunnel to carry them to the surface.
Trains only run in the main tunnels, never in the service one that is too small and not equipped with rails.
There are small cars and special reversible vehicles with driving cabins at both ends that can run in the service tunnel.
There are also 2 massive undersea crossover junctions often referred to as "cathedrals" where both main tunnels join.
Each cathedral crossover is separated by gigantic sliding doors.
Search RUclips for Eurostar or Le Shuttle Eurotunnel evacuation, you'll see how it works.
It is NOt
Hatch
It is Aitch.
Yes, I am a pedant but make no apologies for being so.
Re traveling to Europe, I have only ever been Ince when I was thirteen on a school trip by rail and coach to Rome.
I doubt very much that I will ever return as am now fast approaching my sevrntyth birthday and am mostly confined to a wheelchair. Propelled by my daughter
EuroDisbey never had my custom and whether or not it or I am the poorer for this lack, I cannot say but I guess my daughter and I not being there makes room for two travellers to enjoy it instead, lol. .
Being old and lame is no fun but at least I get to enjoy and leArb via videos like this.
Thanyou.
another brexit benefitTM!
stay in are corntree and support are economgy and are nhs. its why we got are brexit did. lot's of nice thing's to do around st pancreas and are northern city's.
Why go to Disney land Paris when you can have the same parades at every royalty celebration in London ?
I just feel like I’m too old for a kids land.
We know why they axed this, Eurostar does not want to pay out for the installation of the new EU entry and exit system in two stations close proximity to each other
Another Brexit benefit for no one???
Ahh yes... another Remoaner looking silly, trying to claim a wholly unrelated development (which you'd know if you read the explanation) is the fault of democracy at work. Next!
Brexit.
Nothing to do with the voice of the people - which you'd know if you read the explanations. But hey, Remoaners have never let facts or reality get in their way... keep doing you!
Correction: COVID
Boarding a train 90min in advance?? I'd feel like paying an idiot tax, sorry.
I hate eurodisney with a passion. But i think that withdrawal of this service is a shame. Now instead of 1 train direct to Disney, it means changing at gare du nord Station in Paris. Bad enough without kids, but with kids its an absolute nightmare . Eurostar have made a big mistake here.
no they didnt
@@bus3s If people take TGV over Thalys (which I recommend), they'll miss out on quite a few people...
@Northern Transport Adventures yes they did. I hate Disney with a passion, but
It is less stressful doing 1 train instead of 2 or 3
If you're coming from the UK I'd suggest changing at Lille instead. Much less of a hassle than facing the RER with luggage (and children) instead. Same goes for destinations south of Paris, Lille connects to quite a few destinations and is much less of a hassle. Belgians and Dutch people have the luxury of direct TGV connections from Brussels south...