streganana

We are two couples in our 60's, who will be meeting up in Paris at the end of August. Just for background. my husband and I have only visited France on cruise port stops, but have been to Italy four times, where we have taken a ferry, train, and rental car. The other couple have little international travel experience. None of us speak French.

We will spend some time in Paris before taking the train to Bayeux, where we have booked a two day Normandy tour (this is my husband's "bucket list" item). We will pick up a rental car there and drive to the Mont Saint Michele area, where we will spend a few more days. All accommodations and the rental car have been booked way in advance due to the World Equestrian Games.

We leave MSM early on a Sunday and will drive to Roissy en France, planning a stop in Giverny en route. We have booked the Marriott in Roissey for Sunday night and plan to return the rental car at the airport the next morning. Our flights depart Monday from different terminals at 10:05am on United and 10:30am on Air France. I've studied the CDG map and also read threads with instructions for finding the Hertz rental return (is it on the lower level of the parking area marked "Pr" across from Terminal 1 on the CDG website map?), but I'm hoping someone can tell me how we will get to Terminal 1 and 2 after dropping off the car. I guess I really just need to know how we will get to a CDGVAL stop. I know there will probably be directional signs, but will feel better if I have some idea of where we are going.

Thank you in advance for any information/suggestions that you feel will be helpful in reducing our departure day stress.

Carla

Sarastro

It would make your lives a great deal simpler if you would cancel your hotel in Roissy and stay at one of the airport hotels, returning your rental the evening before your CDG departure. There are five hotels at CDG: Pullman, Sheraton, Ibis, Hilton and Novotel. It is very easy to reach the terminals from any of these hotels via the free rail shuttle CDGVAL. The Sheraton is in Terminal 2.

You will want to be in line at the check in desk 3 hours before scheduled departure: Terminal 1 for United and Terminal 2 for Air France; that´s 7am for United and you do not want to push that timeframe. I have spent, on more than one occasion, over one hour in line just to have my passport stamped when exiting. The check in line at United can be very lengthy and the service agonizingly slow. It could easily take one hour just to check in or drop your luggage.

Checking out of an hotel in Roissy and attempting to drop off a rental car can take more time than you think. The rental car drop offs are conveniently located in the terminals, either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. If you have people going out of different terminals, do all of the the night before and stay on the airport.

http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/f...cdg-roissy.htm

janisj

I 10000% agree w/ sarastro . . .

streganana

I really appreciate your replies; I am going to cancel the Marriott and book at one of the hotels located within CDG. I knew about these hotels, but was trying to save a little money. You made me realize that it's not worth the additional stress just to save a few dollars.

Also, I had told our traveling companions that we needed to be at the checkin counter three hours prior to departure, but they scoffed at that and said that two hours would be plenty of time. I will copy and send them your comments, Sarastro, and let them decide for themselves. My husband and I, however, will be at United checkin by 7am; I'd really hate to miss the only nonstop CDG-SFO flight of the day.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my post; I'm sure you've saved us from a lot of unnecessary stress on the final day of our trip!

nytraveler

CDG is notorious for long lines. Also - sometimes the staff do not turn up a full 3 hours before the flight departs - but other tourists - esp with groups do - so if you come later you can be on the end of a long line that has formed even before staff turn up.

CDG is the closest I have come to missing a flight (due to double security based on a recent incident) - but we had arrived just 3 hours in advance and at the end were jogging with carry-ons to get down an interminable corridor to our flight.

adrienne

Definitely be at the airport 3 hours before your flight. Let your friends do what they want to do but don't let them talk you into getting there any later.

StCirq

Ditto what Sarastro says. I have flown out of CDG on United at least 100 times and in some cases, 3 hours was barely enough time to make it onto the plane. Let your friends take a casual attitude about it if they choose, but YOU get there 3 hours ahead of time!

Christina

I always plan for 3 hours at CDG, also. Two hours could work, but what is the point of risking it? Is it really that important to have one more hour of sleep that day and run the risk of losing your entire flight home? Once I barely made it because the check-in lines at Air France were an absolute zoo. They seem to usually be that way, actually, they don't have concepts of signs or telling people what to do very well. Same for boarding. Once, they had an entire student group of maybe 30 kids in front of the line in front of everybody, which took forever.

YOu do know if you are late checking in, or later than many others, you will be bumped if they are oversold, also. I haven't flown United in a while from CDG so don't remember what they are like. And United has this nasty habit of arbitrarily changing your seat reservation number even when you've had it for weeks or months. They've done that to me a couple time.

streganana

I just wanted to check back in to say that we are now booked at the Novotel, so we will have easy access to the terminals on departure day. As an added plus, the Novotel's proximity to the train means that, after dropping off our rental car and checking in, we could take the RER into Paris for a pleasant meal on our last night in France.

No worries about checking in 3 hours prior to departure; all four of us will all be up bright and early, prepared to patiently stand in long, slow moving lines! You are all quite correct; we really have no other goal that day except to make our flight, so why take chances?

Many thanks to everyone for sharing your wisdom and experience.

janisj

Great. You will be much happier w/ these arrangements. (Twice I've almost missed flights to the States from CDG being there a full three hours in advance. )