Fine except last year i found nothing cheap for my date on the US $ site and actually got a much cheaper ticket thru BETS - seems the RailEurope site i was looking at said unavailable even though i booked it thru BETS and Linda there says not unusual for some reason - maybe RailEurope wanting to book higher fares? I don't know why but it happens.

Well, BETS is cheapest I've found, though Ashford is only 6 dollars or so cheaper than Waterloo(I didn't talk to Linda).

They are the friendliest travel agents I have ever dealt with and they know their stuff. Why aren't all service businesses run like BETS! They are great.

P.S. - I haven't decided, but I do have a lot of time yet.

Giselle,
Doesn't make any sense to go all the way into London, schlep all the way from Victoria to Waterloo station, only to retrace your steps back to Ashford at some ungodly hour of the morning. Check the timetable from Ashford, it's an easy drive from Crawley and I doubt that the parking is too expensive.

By the way, people who say that a day trip from London results in 6 hours in Paris are exaggerating for some reason (for what reason, I cannot speculate).

If one rides the first train out and the last train back, the time in Paris is almost eleven hours.

Train 9078 arrives at Gare du Nord at 9h23 (except Saturdays), and 9061 returns at 20h43 (except Fridays).

I wonder if at Ashford you have to check in at least 30 mins early to guarantee getting on like you do at Waterloo - I know it says on generic ticket stock you do but when i got off at Ashford a few years back it was like a ghost station - avoiding the zoo at Waterloo would be reason enough to go to Ashford, especially with a car.