pari-blue van question
 

hi. i am using blue van for the first time. the other shuttles we have used in the past require you to call first and then they come get you. the instructions for blue van aren't quite as clear-it asks you to say what time you will arrive and then they will be there-i don't know how to figure out delays, customs etc. there is a phone # there but i'd like to do this in the most ecomonic fashion. thansks. we leave fri and i am getting pre trip jitters!!

I have been trying to figure out the same thing. How much time to allow for customs (no baggage) in Paris.

If you give them your flight number and ETA, they call to check for delays in arrival and add in time for passport control and Customs . They have a very good idea of how much time it takes and plan accordingly.

thanks, but do i need to call them first? or do we just wait? i know alot of people on this forum recommended them. also, i have been charged for this already-it appeared on my most recent stateement-is this normal? the last one we used made us pay when they picked us up.

We used them in Feb. It was all pre-paid and the drivers wouldn't take a tip.

We ended up waiting for about a half an hour extra at the airport after our appointe dpick-up time. We didn't have a cell phone, and I finally tried to use that free number they gave us. What a joke. I couldn't find the right kind of phone booth with the right kind of service to use that number. Then I went up to the information desk to ask for assistance. They sent me to some other phones. Still no luck. Went back to the info desk to ask if they would call this free number for me. They wouldn't. Went back to my husband, who was waiting with the luggage, to give him an update. By this time the driver was there and had found my husband. Much smoother on the return trip even though I was also a tad apprehensive. We were waiting on the street in front of our apartment, and the van appeared at the exact scheduled time.

I guess it is up to you, but you could always give them the full information so they have it and can make their own decisions on how they want to operate. Tell them the exact flight number and company, the scheduled arrival time, and then tell them you wish to meet them at x time, accordingly. That way, they can check for delayed flights, if they wish.

YOu can't figure out delays, but I would add on about 45-60 minutes to the scheduled arrival time for the meeting time with the van (for immigration and baggage pickup).

Customs has never taken me any time at all, I never even noticed it existed at CDG, if it does. It is baggage pickup and immigration that takes time.