h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And taking the eurostar is a pretty better solution, and faster too, than taking a ferry boat.
for taking the ferry boat, in France you must go to Boulogne sur Mer or Calais (2-3 hours from Paris). Then you land in Dover (2-3 hours from London).

So I think that eurostar is a pretty good solution regardless of its flaws.

Hey, I never said Eurostar was bad. I actually quite like it, but for my trips to Brussels it is slower and more expensive than a British Midland 737, regardless of the check-in times. I fly often enough that I am unlikely to have to buy a ticket to Brussels with my own money in the foreseeable future, so it's really a convenience thing anyway. And yes, Orly is dreadful, but CDG is tolerable - it depends where you're going. Reading to Versailles was quicker by air than by Eurostar last time I tried.