Hello to all Fodorites,
A long-time lurker and seldom poster but one who so appreciates the knowledge shared.
Here's the situation: family and friend are arriving different days and times for October Paris stay (YEA!) via CDG.
I have worked out the "where to meet family at Terminal 1" but not for DF (dear friend) arriving few days later AF at 2E. No, no cell, no laptop.
Any thoughts or options ahead are greatly appreciated.

Kathy N

Are you going back into Paris? If so, I would not even try to meet them at CDG. I'd give them clear instruction how to get to their hotel or apartment and meet then there.

Hi KCN84, like janisj stated it would probably be easier to just meet where you're staying. If you're taking the RER back in to CDG to meet your friend, maybe you could just meet at the rail station in the airport.

Hope you can figure some place specific, recently a friend and I met in Paris at CDG, our flights were on different airlines and about an hour apart, we thought our plans to meet were fool-proof but......didn't actually meet up for 3 hours or so late. She didn't have a cell phone and I kept getting calls on my cell from the shuttle company, however all ended well and we finally did make a connection and had a wonderful week in Paris.

Enjoy your visit,
Susan

Thank you both for your replies.
My current thoughts: after meeting up with DF (yes Susan, I have done the dreaded walking, going round 'n round, it's awful!) we'll return to Paris via RER. So meeting at RER could work.
I will leave DF with alternate arrival instructions in case we both get lost.
As an aside, CDG's Terminal 2E airport diagram for arrival level(0)shows a coffee/food logo, wondered if it's outside customs (or not.)
Obviously DF/I will learn what works in short order.
Two weeks to go!!

Kathy N.

You have no guarantee either of your flights will land at the scheduled terminal or anywhere near on time.

Take the advice to meet where you are staying.

Hi Kathy-customs is before you get out into the lobby of 2E. There is a information desk at 2E right near the little Petit Casino (like a 7-11 store)where you could meet. But I agree it would be easier to have your friend come to Paris-otherwise you have to go back out right? Also, it might be easier to meet her at the RER rail station in Paris where she goes to near you rahter than the one at the airport since they are usually easier to meet up at.

It is often easy to decide to meet at the car rental counters. They are all clumped together at 2E.

kerouac, what a great idea, wish I'd have known that but it's a good reference for next time.

But why? You want to travel out to CDG to meet your friends and then turn around and travel back into Paris w/ them. That seems a lot of needless to-ing and fro-ing to me. And I would not meet them at the RER in Paris either.

Lots of things could happen - they could be late, or even something like what happened my last time in Paris.

I told my friend (a first timer) how easy it would be for us to jump on the RER since we were staying near St Michel. We get in the queue for RER tix and all the agents leave their windows at once -- no announcement, just walked away. The line just stayed where they were, growing longer by the minute. I knew something was up. I found a staff member and he told me that had been a security alert on one of the tracks and the RER system was being shut down in precaution.

I grabbed my friend and dashed out to the taxi rank before alllll those folks discovered there would be no trains.

Just meet them at their hotel . . . .

I agree with janisj for the practical reasons mentioned. But if you prefer to meet DF at 2E there is a cafe in the open foyer area just outside customs. My preference is the lobby bar of the CDG Sheraton.

If somebody asked me to drag my luggage around CDG to meet them at a car rental counter or even a bar after I just got off a transatlantic flight, I'd say no.

It is much harder to locate a specific spot in CDG than it is an address in Paris. If your friend needs her hand held and is afraid to use public transportation to meet you where you are staying, arrange for a car pick-up to deliver her and her luggage to your Paris doorstep.

Thank you one and all...excellent options.
Spaarne, I had forgotten the Sheraton lobby.
For future reference (mostly for myself), I have bookmarked the parisbytrain.com site with it's pictorial of CDG terminals.

Au revoir!

A really good place to meet is at the Illy cafe, where you can enjoy coffee while waiting. It's really easy to find (and it's on all the maps/diagrams you can download from www.easycdg.com).

When my brother and I landed in Paris recently, we just met outside passport control. We had cell phones. But, he landed first, then picked up his bag, then came back to passport control. We could see one another through the glass.

djkbooks: I've been to the Illy - and yes - it is easy to find. But you and your brother arrived on the same day. The OP's situation is different - they will be in Paris for several days before their friends arrive. Maybe I'm missing something -- but the extra time and expense of going out to CDG just doesn't seem to make sense. I'd meet them at their hotel. easier for everyone. If there is a schedule change or a missed connection or any other snag, they won't have any way to contact each other (note the no cell/laptop comment).

At least if the friends are delayed, they can call the hotel and leave a message.