Time difference

cathy,

You'll arrive in Paris the day after you depart Seattle, so it will indeed be a brand new day. Arriving at the hotel at 11:00 sounds like a reasonable estimate.

Hotels usually have listed check-in times, but that won't be a worry at all. You could find two scenarios when you arrive.....

1. Your room wasn't occupied the night before, so it's ready for immediate check-in.
2. The room was occupied and it hasn't been serviced yet, so there will be a short wait. I've found that the desk clerk will often call the cleaning staff and have that room put at the "front of the list" to be cleaned first. In any case that's absolutely not a problem as the hotel will store your luggage and you can either go for a coffee (they may even have coffee in the lobby), lunch (ask the staff for a nearby restaurant recommendation) or do a brief walkabout in the neighborhood to explore and get your bearings.

I'm sure you'll be so thrilled to BE in Paris that you won't feel sleepy until a bit later in the afternoon.

Bon Voyage!

I was going to reply, but I see that Ken, as usual, has covered everything you need.

Just one point to emphasize; 8:35 AM is your scheduled arrival time. This means the time that the plane gets to its arrival gate. Your plane may be early, on time, or late. It takes 10-15 minutes to empty a big plane, then you have to walk from the gate to get to immigration (sometimes a long walk), then wait to get through immigration (depending on how many other flights landed when yours did, this can be quick or lengthy). If you have checked bags, you then pick these up (and again, the wait for these can vary tremendously). Only then can you get your shuttle to the hotel. Your actual arrival time at the hotel will be anywhere from 10:30 AM (if all goes well) to ... much later (if it does not).

So, I'd tell the hotel that your plane arrives from Seattle at 8:35 AM, and that you plan to be at the hotel by 11 AM. They will use this information to try, as Ken says, to put you in a room that can be ready when you arrive. If the room is not ready, you drop your bags and come back later. I like to have my guidebook and map handy, so I can grab these out of my bags before they stow them, enabling better initial sightseeing.

Re-reading your post, I see you put PM instead of AM. If you really did tell them 11 PM, it's important to send them a corrected message, or your room DEFINITELY won't be ready when you arrive.

EDIT: I guess Ken didn't cover everything [g]

I leave seattle at 1:29pm (Thurs)....(afternoon) 7-24
arrive deGaulle 8:35am (Fri). 7-25

and got you guys on everything else. (the comments sent to me here)
and I am sooo on the fence as to whether to check in my RS backpack/roller or not (I realize its really not that big of a deal). I think maybe the less I have to track with me on the plane the better I'll be.. I'll already have my shoulder bag on me and my undercover passport holder (under clothes) RS sends us. Would kind of like to be hands free (its my martial arts background talking here.... for quick maneuvring :) ) One time I was on a plane... people were unloading their luggage from the overhead bins... yep a guy pulled his out too fast and totally slammed his luggage (from gravity) into the side of a guys face. Boom! S*** happens when your on a plane sometimes, hence my reason for wanting my arms and hands free. (learned quick instincts here.. three rotations from being black belt). :)

Thank you Harold, Ken and Dave!!!! You guys are WONDERFUL!! thanks you AND Merci! :))))

@Harold,

No, I didn't miss that. Whoever specified 11:00 pm (23:00) was WRONG! The key information is that the flight departs at 22:29 (Paris time) and arrives at 08:35, which is reasonable as it's about a ten hour flight from the west coast. Therefore cathy should be at her hotel by 11:00 (barring any unexpected delays). I always use 24-hour time as it tends to avoid confusion.

Ken: I know YOU caught it. I meant that I wasn't sure if Cathy had told her hotel 11 PM or 11 AM.

Oh gotcha. Yeh that confused me as well when I first received back the answer.
Will revisit the email I sent Londres Eiffel.
Could have sworn I told the hotel I'd be LANDING at 8:35AM AM AM AM ;) hahaha

@Harold,

Ah, that explains it. I misunderstood your post.

@Cathy,

Get used to using 24-hour time in Europe. It makes things so much simpler and with trains, that's the only system they use. If converting all the time, mistakes are more likely to occur. I use 24-hour time whether travelling or at home. That's all I used for over 42 years at work, so I never even think in terms of "am / pm". Make sure your Shuttle has the correct pickup time noted or you could be in for a LONG wait at the airport!!!

Hi Cathy, when you arrive at your hotel at 11 a.m., there's a good chance that your room will be ready. If not, ask them to hold your luggage (the Londres Eiffel deals with RS tours all the time and they will be prepared for this). Take a walk around the neighborhood (it's a 2 min walk to the ET) or get something to eat. Your room will certainly be ready by that time. Have a great trip!

Thank you RS team.
I can't wait to see a list of who's going.
Part of this, feels like a blind trip so far, as I've had no connection with anybody else in the group (and won't for a good 2 weeks) to get stoked about the trip with.

Bon voyage!

"I am sooo on the fence as to whether to check in my RS
backpack/roller or not (I realize its really not that big of a deal).
I think maybe the less I have to track with me on the plane the better
I'll be..

You know, most of the time this works out just fine. But at the risk of re-opening an endless debate, ask yourself which is your worse worry. Having to track the bag on the plane with you? Or showing up in Paris while your bag is somewhere else?

Cathy,

As others have stated the hotel will keep your luggage until your room is ready, so have a cafe creme and hit the ground running. We do this when we travel and it helps avoid jet lag if you can stay up until bedtime in you new location. As for the luggage issue, we always carry on. It is a drag if your luggage gets lost or arrives late.
You will love Paris!

I think Cathy is already back by now?

Yes.. I have been back now for almost a month.