Eurostar Christmas booking

[bigplan415]

Hi, does anybody have experience of booking direct with Eurostar in the Christmas period? I have already made my DLP hotel booking for 19-22 Dec, and I thought my dates for train booking would be released by Eurostar next week. As I'm keen to book on release for the best fares I was checking release dates/times on Eurostar website today and asked about it on live chat - they told me that Eurostar won't release tickets for 15th Dec - 2nd Jan until July, even though tickets up until 13th Dec are available to book already. Does that sound correct and in line with the way they usually release peak Christmas dates?

[llynnnn]

Hi

I can't offer any words of reassurance but I was hoping to book for 1st Jan (probably indirect) in a few weeks when I believed they would be on sale... I've been holding off on booking DLP in case they don't run the eurostar on new years day (even though I have been told they will...) but don't want to leave it until july and miss the free dining offer, I feel like I'm pushing my luck with that one already as its been on for ages already!

[bigplan415]

Originally Posted by llynnnn

Hi

I can't offer any words of reassurance but I was hoping to book for 1st Jan (probably indirect) in a few weeks when I believed they would be on sale... I've been holding off on booking DLP in case they don't run the eurostar on new years day (even though I have been told they will...) but don't want to leave it until july and miss the free dining offer, I feel like I'm pushing my luck with that one already as its been on for ages already!

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Thanks for your reply. I do keep checking and although my dates are now showing in bold instead of faded on Eurostar calendar they’re not bookable yet. I think for indirect the dates are always released only about 3 months in advance though, so you may have to wait even longer than me! I already booked the hotel package direct with DLP back in January as like you I worried the offer would end/sell out/go up in price, and really wanted an end of year treat to look forward to, so I took a risk on booking Eurostar separately later. The price I got is still available now so I needn’t have rushed, however I suspect that if Eurostar isn’t released until July the price I got won’t be available at that point. I suppose most people don’t book DLP really far ahead, I just took the same approach as I have done to our peak time Florida trips where the early booking prices I got were never available later on!

[Gill H]

Phone Eurostar - sometimes you can book dates over the phone before they are released online.

By the time they are released online the cheapest fares are often sold out already.

I think cheapest these days is £35 each way but you really have to be quick to get those.

Sometimes there are deals for £29 each way for the Gare du Nord train. These are for unpopular times though.

[bigplan415]

Thanks Gill, I think I'll give them a call then.

[Beaker7929]

They tend to release Christmas/New Year in one go, rather than week by week like they do for the rest of the year which is very frustrating!

If you can't book over the phone try to get an idea from Eurostar as to the date they are released as if you are online as soon as they go on sale (I think it is around 8am) you can get in there and get the cheap seats