ChristopherTracy

I don't remember Southampton having luggage storage - I have the same problem as I want oboo ka cheap train and in the end booked an 11am knowing that I'm probably going to get there and wait for an hour and it isn't a big station with good facilities, its a bit crappy tbh. I wouldn't be going into London with kids that age from Gatwick - I might go to Brighton on the train though that's a good plan. Forget Windsor, its nowhere near.

Absolutely not - they are lovely, but wearing any trainers that could actually be used for sport with jeans or shorts is a US giveaway.

$30 a class? Goodness me!

It's the wrong trainers, sorry sneakers.😅We take our passports btw as in some European countries it is a legal requirement to have photo id on you.

For my trip in May (Northern Europe) I have just bid £130pp on a sideways interior to oceanview room. Just FYI. I actually normally prefer oceanview to balcony as I'm a bit weird before you all come at me.

To me it depends on the line and the ship. On the newer P&O ships the OV are a sweet spot for us as a family of 3 as they have more usable space than the balcony cabins plus they are lower in the ship. For my next cruise on Sky I have one of those sideways inside cabins as the cost was so low that it was a fantastic deal - Northern Europe in May I'm not that likely to need a balcony anyway. I think I will miss the window though (planning to use the bridge cam).

I would consider this but I often have to go to the States for only a few days work trip so it doesnt seem as bad. I would certainly make sure my insurance would cover a flight delay though! Or make sure there was another flight out of Orlando afterwards. That Gatwick flight is familytastic btw - you'll need good headphones.

Afternoon tea? Morning, noon and night tea. I require two cups just to get out of bed.

I was hoping this would have a description of how you did it rather like the Would I Lie to You episode with Bob Mortimer!

Absolutely. Though for those of us who work in cities like London we totally miss the global choice when we are on ships that are have very Western-heavy menus. At least P&O for all of its faults has The Quays casual dining where you can always get some ramen or a katsu curry etc etc

TBF I called the call centre a couple of weeks ago, it literally rang three times and they picked up and sorted my query (prebooking the wifi at the old rates). Competence doesn't correlate with where you are in the world. I don't have any issue with offshore call centres. I would rather have a human in the Phillippines than an AI chatbot!

We booked with the same company as @elaine5to the glacier and back and it was very good. The highlight was the walk itself and doable even for unfit people (me) and a slightly mardy 14 year old girl.

Ah sorry @Traderboy I assumed you meant accessible as in right there from the ship without needing a shuttle bus. If you mean how are these ports for those with accessibility issues then yes, troll cars in Olden. Stavanger old town is hilly and cobbled but the walkway along the harbour is flat and accessible into the new town and main harbour area.

Hi - we did a similar sailing last year so can let you know about Stavanger and Olden. Stavanger is very walkable, you are moored right next to the old town and can easily walk into the new town, see the cathedral etc etc. Other options there are boat trips (locally or all the way to Pulpit rock) and these are all accessible very near the ship - no prebooking required on my cruise. Olden - we prebooked (locally) a coach trip to and from the Briksdal glacier and then walked up ourselves without using the troll cars. It was a fantastic excursion and much cheaper than the P&O excursion that did exactly the same. There isn't much to walk to in Olden - you have to bus out to places, other people were getting on small land trains for trips or going up to the cable car. Again right off the ship was a local agent selling all of the excursions independently. The did a lovely sailaway for us as well. We were supposed to stop in Haugesund where I had booked a local excursion to a goat farm/homestead but we missed that port in the end. I got a full refund from the local operator. Our other port was Hellesylt where we did a RIB trip out to into the Geiranger Fjord. This was both spectacular and exciting and I think you can do them from Stavanger as well.

I suppose that's why its useful to have both a UK and a non-UK lens. Coaches are the cheapest most studenty form of transport here so lot's of people try to avoid them where necessary. Plus people from the UK are very used to dragging their own luggage on and off trains etc. I have a vested interest as I will get travel sick just looking at a coach!