Ouigo Essentiel vs Ouigo Plus on CDG to Lille

The Ouigo trains have very, very small overhead storage (think laptop case or your coat.) They also have under seat storage which is just big enough for a small backpack. During December and January the Ouigo trains had baggage inspectors who would go to every car and make sure all suitcases were appropriately reserved and/or stored. The Ouigo TGV is much stricter with it's baggage policy than the regular InOUI TGV's. Pay ahead for your luggage.

Perhaps you read the Man in Seat 61's mind, or vice versa. Here is news from his site for April (the links didn't carry over):

SNCF (French Railways) soft-launched a formal luggage policy for their TGVs in February, it will be enforced from September. It's fairly generous so unlikely to catch normal travellers out, but worth knowing about if you're transporting anything of an unusual size, shape or quantity. I have added details to the Train travel in France page and the Luggage on European Trains page.

SNCF unfortunately is now run by former airline managers. So they believe it is a good idea to make train travel as unpleasant as air travel, and OUIGO is an attempt to see how far they can get away with that (and at the same time poison the market for any potential competitors). So with OUIGO you have nonsense like check in times, and luggage restrictions foisted upon you.

I would actually avoid OUIGO on principle and take a normale TGV iNoui which is fortunately still a more or less normal train even though they make you queue up to board nowadays too. I really hope someone gets rid of the management at SNCF, or that some competitor finally manges to run them out of town.

What's happening on inOUI (regular TGV trains) has no bearing on what you are considering for your OUIgo train.

I would pay the extra $20 so you don't have to think about it again.

Luckily on July 14, you will be four days ahead of the July 18-26 of the RER C station at Pont de l'Alma for préparation for the Olympics opening ceremony. You will have to look closer to time on the 14th to see if Alma is closed for Bastille day itself. I will see if I can find old information from past years as an indicator (although to be honest I have no idea if they will be doing fireworks from the Eiffel Tower this year on Bastille day precisely because of all the Olympics sites near the Tower, so it may be a moot point).

Edit to add: according to press reporting, the fireworks will still happen (but the huge traditional concert at the foot of the Tower will NOT.) If we take last year as a normal year, Pont de l'Alma station did not close until 9 pm, so you should be fine. Be ready for surprises though , things could definitely change !!

Third edit: information about the Pont de l'Alma itself being closed as of July 8 is irrelevant for you. I had a brain fart and forgot the RER C runs along the side of the river that you want.Second édit: unfortunately this information from France info shows that Pont de l'Alma itself will close July 8.. Now I don't know if that means only for vehicles. It's unclear. But you may not be able to cross the bridge even on foot

https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/carte-paris-2024-visualisez-la-fermeture-progressive-des-ponts-du-centre-de-la-capitale-a-partir-du-1er-juillet_6407632.html