Travelling on Eurotunnel

[TripleBee]

Or you get rid of "California" at the back and replace it by "Multivan", or "Caravelle".

 

[Martin keters]

Or you get rid of "California" at the back and replace it by "Multivan", or "Caravelle".

Nothing on the back of the Van to say if cali .... multi etc etc

 

[TripleBee]

Then just tell them it's a Multivan. With a lot of options.

 

[westfalia]

Then just tell them it's a Multivan. With a lot of options.

They don't normally go off what a badge says on the back door.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

We have yet to take the Chunnel with the van (a Beach), but we have used it quite often with a Disco 3 which is classed 'high car'.
I checked pricing as we plan a visit in October, and did three different options based on a return Calais-Folkstone, and UK resident:
1) car over 1.85m = £171
2) van, over 1.85m = £213
3) campervan = £213

So it appears that the pricing issue relates to 'high car' vs the others, rather than as a 'van' or 'camper'?
Am I missing something, as wouldn't one be hard pressed to call it anything other than a 'van' regardless of the interior if not an Ocean? As a 'minibus' it's the same price as van or camper...

So is a Beach with 5 or 7 seats technically a high car, a van, a campervan, or a minibus, or something else?

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Oh one thing to add, mine has Swiss number plates. Which are interchangeable with the Disco, so there is no single body-type they can attribute to the number, and then would they have vehicle lookup to DVLA equivalents for all Western Europe?

 

[Amarillo]

We have yet to take the Chunnel with the van (a Beach), but we have used it quite often with a Disco 3 which is classed 'high car'.
I checked pricing as we plan a visit in October, and did three different options based on a return Calais-Folkstone, and UK resident:
1) car over 1.85m = £171
2) van, over 1.85m = £213
3) campervan = £213

So it appears that the pricing issue relates to 'high car' vs the others, rather than as a 'van' or 'camper'?
Am I missing something, as wouldn't one be hard pressed to call it anything other than a 'van' regardless of the interior if not an Ocean? As a 'minibus' it's the same price as van or camper...

So is a Beach with 5 or 7 seats technically a high car, a van, a campervan, or a minibus, or something else?

A Beach is a high car for Eurotunnel as it doesn’t fit their description of a motor home.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

A Beach is a high car for Eurotunnel as it doesn’t fit their description of a motor home.

Really? Oh that is good news. Is it not a 'van' because it has seats in it then?

 

[TripleBee]

Is a van not something to transport goods?
Is a Multivan a passenger car, but higher than let's say, a Passat?
It is just a tad higher than a 7 seat Sharan.
Is a California just a modified Multivan?
For me it is my daily driver, and no van. So for me it is a passenger car of less than 2 meters high.

 

[Amarillo]

Is a California just a modified Multivan?

The Beach and Ocean models are treated differently. The Ocean fits ET’s definition of a motorhome.

Unfortunately ET’s computer thinks that all Californias are Oceans, so you will need to book a Beach online as a high car with the registration number unknown. They may query at check in, but just show them the absence of a kitchen and you’ll be fine.

 

[andyinluton]

So we now have one thread with Ocean owners moaning that they are being registered incorrectly as MPVs & wanting to be Motor Caravans & we have Beach owners that have been registered as Motor Caravans trying to persuade Eurotunnel that they are really MPVs

 

[Amarillo]

So we now have one thread with Ocean owners moaning that they are being registered incorrectly as MPVs & wanting to be Motor Caravans & we have Beach owners that have been registered as Motor Caravans trying to persuade Eurotunnel that they are really MPVs

The California Beach does not fit DVLA’s definition for a motor caravan conversion on several points. I’m not sure how VW have got away with registering it as having body type motor caravan.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

I now checked my Fahrzeugausweiss and it seems the Swiss also class the Beach as a car
19. Art.des Fahrzeugs : Personenwagen : Code 001
25. Karoserie : Limousine : Code 163
That's the same as my regular cars.

 

[MattBW]

A Beach is a high car for Eurotunnel as it doesn’t fit their description of a motor home.

Yes can confirm technically its a high car over 1.85 but the V5 saying motor caravan may get you stopped. I had a rather annoyed looking French chap wave me down on the way back clearly thinking I was a camper on a high car ticket. Once he saw the back seats and no kitchen inside, he waved me through with a smile.

This time I just booked as campervan as I didnt want the stress of not knowing if I was going to get grief even though it was about 20quid more each way.