John Bull

From Cadiz station - close to the port - about 30 minutes train to Jerez de la Frontere, the home of sherry as @marazul 's post. The wineries are now in modern factories on the outskirts, but many now use their original town centre bodegas for tours. Google for them, one we visited was https://www.sandeman.com/sherry-wine/visit/sherry-bodegas/ Near Sandeman's bodega is the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. Dressage performances probably won't fit cruise ship schedules, but you can take a tour of the stables, carriage museum etc. https://www.realescuela.org/en/main/ JB 🙂

You can use your card even for a coffee.🙂 Like others on this thread we keep some local jingle in our pockets for the rare occasion when card payment isn't possible. And we carry at least two cards in case of loss or a technical issue. If you don't already have a card which has no foreign transaction fees, you'll save quite a lot by getting one. Your fellow-Americans can suggest suitable cards. When using your card, check that merchants charge it in local currency. In most (possibly all) countries on your cruise that'll be Euros € Some will ask if you want to be charged in the currency of you card - DECLINE, keep the charge in local currency, Be very aware that more-and-more card readers are automatically set to convert to the card's currency before you're asked to swipe or PIN or sign. Check the price on the screen, if it's in USD insist that it is changed back to local currency. Your card issuer will convert charges to USD at a far better exchange rate than any merchant or their bank, and some outlets' exchange rates are exceptionally poor. So keep it in local currency. Your card being charged in local currency also enables you to confirm that what you're being charged is the same as the price board, menu, price sticker etc. Same applies to ATMs - always but always select the local currency option. Same applies to your on-board account if you're not on a USD ship. Always but always keep the charge in ship's currency. JB 🙂

I don't know if its even possible to pre-book. We went direct from the ship by retro mini-bus (like those in Yellowstone & Glacier N.P.s) to the bottom cablecar station, one-way ticket for just the first section of the cablecar route, turn left when you arrive & follow the road for five minutes. Very short queue for us. Buses back down from the bottom of the toboggan run are infrequent, so find others to make a total of four or five and negotiate (hard) with a taxi back to town (about €25) JB 🙂

Just to be sure - there are several Premier Inns in the centre of Southampton. Premier Inn West Quay is on Harbour Parade. It's just under a mile to Ocean Cruise Terminal (46 berth), so should be £6 to £7. Altho a short journey it's worth booking the day before, eg https://radiotaxisonline.co.uk/ Bon Voyage JB 🙂

There are no bus tours from Southampton to Stonehenge, nor to the best of my knowledge are there any Southampton-based Stonehenge guides. And a car + driver will cost an arm & a leg, as well as the need to pre-book for Stonehenge within a specified arrival window of 30 minutes or risk a delayed entry if the site is over-subscribed. But it's easy, flexible and economical by train then ho-ho bus ............. Half-hourly train from Southampton Central station to Salisbury, 35-minutes journey-time, round-trip tickets about £13 - buy at the station, no need to specify a time for return to Southampton. Stonehenge ho-ho from Salisbury station to Stonehenge, about 30 minutes e/w. Book your admission in a package with your ho-ho tickets - tickets issued by tour-bus operators including the ho-ho are good for entry at any time. There are audio-guides on-site If time & weather are on your side, after Stonehenge consider stopping off at Old Sarum hill-fort (the original site of Salisbury). From the same bus stop you can complete your return to Salisbury city centre on any of the frequent "Salisbury Reds" local buses (I think ho-ho tickets are still valid on local buses). Salisbury is a laid-back historic city, and be sure to check out magnificent Salisbury cathedral. When you've had your fill of Salisbury, 15-minute walk or ho-ho or local bus or taxi back to Salisbury station for a train back to Southampton. On sundays access to Salisbury cathedral has limitations. https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ https://www.thestonehengetour.info/ https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/ https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visit-us/ ............................ If you are spending pre or post-cruise time in London, you can combine your Stonehenge visit with your transfer from central London or Heathrow hotel-to-ship or ship-to-hotel on a coach dedicated to cruisers on most ships. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/shore-excursions-and-cruise-transfers.html International Friends, is a reputable & long-established coach tour operator and gets good reviews from Cruise Critic members. Because the London to Southampton direction is a short day due to ships' registration time, the Southampton to London direction is more comprehensive and better value. NB London to Southampton price includes Stonehenge admission, for Southampton to London add Stonehenge tickets (anytime entry, same as the ho-ho) Their direct transfers are good value for singletons, for three or more private transfer operators are better value. JB 🙂

My bad - I'd somehow figured you were sailing on sun. 22nd. Yes, that evening will just see the remnants of Boat Show participants, so no desperate need to pre-book dinner. But be aware that some independent restaurants close on sundays JB 🙂

Opposite the front of Premier Inn West Quay is a large futuristic building with "West Quay Showcase" writ large. Go up the steps on the right side of it to the walkway, It's a line of varied eating establishments with seating both inside and outside looking across at the city wall. Most offer breakfast. But they're all cloned national & international brands - fine for breakfast but not our scene for evening dining. Lots of options for evening dining all within a ten-minute walk, including The Duke of Wellington on Bugle Street. Attractive 15th C. pub, cosy, eat in the bar or the dining room, good home-made food, good value. The Dancing Man. On the corner of Bugle Street & the waterfront. Another historic building, a stone-built 14th C. wool house. Chequered history - it has been a POW prison during the Napoleonic wars, a boat-builder's workshop, an early flying machine workshop, a tram depot, and cruisers may remember it as the home of Southampton Maritime Museum. The interior converted to a pub / micro-brewery about 10 years ago. Drinking downstairs, dining upstairs. Innovative but quite limited menu, my favourite is the Beef Rag & bone George's Greek restaurant, on the corner of Castle Way & St Michael's Street. So very long-established it's become something of a Southampton institution. It's not much to look at, but it's good Greek food, keen prices & generous portions. Kuti's, housed in the old Royal Pier Pavilion om the waterfront opposite the Dancing Man is probably Southampton's most well-known Indian restaurant. Ennio's (Italian) and La Regata (Spanish) restaurants just along the waterfront are both excellent but rare treats for us - quite expensive. Of the other places already mentioned on this thread - the White Star Tavern (a salute to Titanic's owners, the White Star Line) is a little further, in Oxford Street. A Fullers pub (good food, a little more expensive than most pubs). There's a clutch of other bars & restaurants on Oxford Street - the Standing Order is a Wetherspoons pub. on High Street. Cheap & cheerful, a drinker's pub. Food is cheap and excellent value. A place to eat cheaply, but not a place to take a new date - Mike's fish-and-chips. on Queensway. Yes, the best chippie in the city but it's essentially a take-away with a few seats. BTW If you're in Southampton at lunchtime, a roast sunday pub lunch is part of the British culture. But beware of roast dinners on a sunday evening - you don't know how long they've been left to dry-out in a warming oven 😒 Will this be on 21st September for a 22nd September sailing on Sun Princess? Someone mentioned Southampton International Boat Show - it's on 13th to 22nd September, so it might make sense to pre-book dinner. For pretty-well any venue there's no commitment, not even a credit card number. Just a request that you phone to cancel if you can't make it. JB 🙂

That's you & me both, Susie.🙄 The fewer complications the better, and it's simplest if you do the same as doombrain JB. You will find most cafes & bars offer free wifi - it's mentioned on signs outside the establishment. You'll almost always need their password to get on-line - before ordering a drink or snack check that other customers are happily tapping away, mebbe even ask them if the wifi is a decent speed, cos some are so poor as to be unusable. If others are having wifi frustrations, walk on to another establishment. Ask the server for the password when you order. Unless the choice of provider is obvious, and it's a simple password or it's written down, ask the server to press the buttons on your tablet. Be aware that it's public wifi, accessible to anyone who knows the password, and its not unknown for another customer to be a scammer "listening-in". So don't open anything sensitive like your bank account or even browse your on-line purchases and certainly don't enter any personal passwords to access your private information - just use it to browse the 'net for for news, sports results etc. You can probably do other things without compromising your security but I'll leave it to those more techno-savvy to tell you just what. JB 🙂

Yes, Monaco was our choice. Cheap & easy by train or by bus. JB 🙂

Yes, it's certainly the simplest. If you're just a twosome, try to find sharers via your RollCall, or on the ship. or on the quayside. I understand there's now a bus transfer service from the quay to & back from Honfleur. Don't know the detail - perhaps others can chime in or you can ask that nice Mr Google. https://beelehavre.com/en/how-to-visit-discover-and-travel-easily-between-le-havre-honfleur/ Some folk have figured the local fare-stage bus service (Bus Verts), but you need to get to the bus station (somewhere near the train station), the service is infrequent and the website & timetable are complex JB 🙂

Good information on that website. But since the OP mentions "large luggage pieces" they need to note the luggage limitations, they are now more restrictive than in the past - just one case per passenger plus hand-luggage, altho you can add more cases at £10 each. Don't worry too much about the weight of each case - drivers load & unload luggage and the 20kg limit isn't strict like it is on aircraft, it's to indemnify the operator against claims for injury to drivers. But Nat Express drivers aren't wimps, luggage isn't weighed unless very clearly over that limit & certainly no problem if within the 23kg limit set by many airlines. The coaches go to Southampton coach station which even with luggage is walkable to a couple of cruise terminals. As per @blloyd78's link there's a taxi rank at the coach station but rarely taxis sat on it, instead they tend to swing by. Coaches don't have elastic sides & extra coaches aren't laid-on to cater for extra demand so you're very strongly advised to pre-book. https://www.nationalexpress.com/en Most cruise lines offer coach transfers on sailing day, from Heathrow & Gatwick airports, & from central London - usually the same London Victoria coach station as National Express. Like pretty-well all cruise transfers they're over-priced, but with excess luggage or heavy pieces they're worth considering because there are no limits. And they take you to your cruise terminal The two public transport options from central London are by that Nat Express coach service from Victoria coach station or by train. By train you need to schlepp your luggage but it's much easier than in the USA - train carriages are either at platform level or just one easy step up. Frequent fast (90 minutes) direct trains from London Waterloo station, or from Victoria train station much slower (2 1/2 hours) half-hourly trains which involve one simple same-platform change at either Barnham or Havant.. NB avoid Victoria trains which involve a change at Clapham Junction 😧 because that change is awkward with luggage and it's a much more expensive route. From Waterloo is the better service, but Victoria may suit if your London lodgings are there. Southampton Central train station is quite close to the coach station, again walkable even with luggage to Horizon or City cruise terminals and taxis always on the rank. No requirement to pre-book trains, but Advance tickets are very much cheaper at about a third of the cost. The only significant downside of Advance tickets is that they're unchangeable / un-refundable and are only good for the train time that you book. Advance tickets are available from about 12 weeks out, Advance fares are fluid, they rise as the travel date approaches. https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ If you want to combine your travel to port with a visit to either Windsor or Stonehenge consider https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/shore-excursions-and-cruise-transfers.html International Friends is a long-established & very reputable coach operator, who added cruise tour-transfers some years ago and gets very good reviews on Cruise Critic. This is a door-to-door (central London or Heathrow hotel to cruise terminal) service available to most ships on sailing day. I think there are no limitations on cruisers' luggage - same as cruiseline-sponsored transfers they limit the number of passengers per 48-seater coach to about 30 to allow for extra luggage. Drivers load & unload. (For singletons their direct van transfers are better value than a private transfer). A private transfer from central London would be in the order of £180 to £200 for a sedan. JB 🙂

Altho' Victoria Peak might look quite close to the Mid-Levels Escalator system, it is waaaay higher, and there's no direct road or paths, it's a steep & mazy 45 minute walk to the top of the mid-levels escalator in Robinson Road, or a winding 3.5 mile route by road to either Robinson Road (at the top) or Central Market (at the bottom). You would do better to treat The Peak & the mid-levels as two separate destinations, but if you want to combine them travel between the lower ends of both, the lower tram terminus in Garden Road and the mid-levels at Central Market - it's a pretty level and simple walk of 3/4 of a mile. less than 20 minutes. I'm pretty certain it's also a bus route, but if you use a bus or taxi in the direction of .Central Market to Garden Road it will be further due to the one-way system. The mid-levels are a system of escalators & travelators, yes there are signs. The antique / art / rare book etc shops on Hollywood are on your right as you travel up - they're quite widely disbursed along the road. SOHO is on Staunton, which is after Hollywood. https://maps.app.goo.gl/WBKypySVvZWsqkCW9 This shows the walk from the top Peak Tram terminus to the top of the Mid-Levels. Click on the car symbol to see the route by road https://maps.app.goo.gl/j52u2i3NsSfabo9V6 This shows the walk from the bottom Peak Tram terminus to the bottom (Central Market) of the Mid-Levels, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygZQ3M3rHfA You've probably come across videos like this JB 🙂

We've done the same as @VMax1700 several times. There's plenty of parking within a 5 minute walk of the border. But to the 90+ minutes each-way drive-time add the time taken to collect & return the car, time taken to park & cross the border & return, plus a healthy 60 minutes wiggle-time for delays heading back to the ship, you'll lose mebbe six hours of you day. So depending on your ship's disembarkation time & back-on-board time, I guess you'll have only a couple of hours in Gib. Taxi tours of the upper Rock (90 - 120 minutes) will be available at the border, but either it'll be expensive to have a taxi for yourselves (just two of you?) or it'll be pot-luck how long it takes to share (total four in a taxi, 6 - 8 in a van). You'll probably want the taxi to drop you back at the border, altho if you're ahead of the clock you could get dropped at Casemates Square (northern end of Main Street) for a beer or snack, or a quick look at the town then take a bus or taxi from there to the border. If you port in Cadiz the routine would be the same, travel time would be 2 x 20 minutes quicker, but IMHO because of ships' time in port it's not really worthwhile from either. There are stacks of day-trips by coach (bus) which pick up from resort towns (and mebbe Malaga) all along the Costa Del Sol, but they probably leave too early & they certainly return way too late for usual ships' times in Malaga. A car+driver would trim the time taken in Malaga but it would be expensive, and because time taken to cross the border by car can be a nightmare you'd still need a taxi or van in Gib. JB 🙂

As @VMax1700's post. Except that "water taxi" sounds expensive - it isn't 🙂 It's more of a "water bus". BTW. keep an eye out fort Petros in the harbour area. If that means nothing to you, google "Petros, Mykonos" JB 🙂

Wasn't clear to me Hence my comment "If overniting in Southampton, a train which arrives by about 7pm, in time to check-in & get an evening meal, or even later if you have dinner in London, would give you more time in London" JB 🙂

"We need to get to the Waterloo Station to catch the train to Southampton for our cruise departing on Tuesday, October 8th" No problem if travelling down on 7th, but OP is unclear whether they're travelling down on 7th or 8th JB 🙂

I'll leave the routing St Pancras to Waterloo to those who know London better than I. But is it they or I who have misunderstood which day ? You say that you arrive on Eurostar at lunchtime on Monday 7th, and travel to Southampton on Tues 8th, Right? So you'll be overniting in London or Southampton on the monday night. Right ? If oveniting in London why do you need directions between St P. and Waterloo ? If overniting in Southampton, a train which arrives by about 7pm, in time to check-in & get an evening meal, or even later if you have dinner in London, would give you more time in London The 1.35pm train arrives Southampton Central at ten minutes to three, the 2.05pm arrives at 3,22pm, the 2.35 arrives at ten minutes to four. The only ship sailing on 8th October is the Caribbean Princess - she sails from Ocean Cruise Terminal (berth 46), a ten minute taxi ride or a 30 minute walk from the station. I don't know the sailing time, but the usual is 5pm to 5.30pm. Latest registration time at the terminal is around 90 minutes before sailing, so could be 3.30pm, or even earlier. If you miss your sailing, it's a long swim to your first port-of-call 😏 Do check in your paperwork the latest registration time - the 2.35pm train would likely be extremely risky, possibly also the 2.05. And in case of missing your booked train or any delays, it's always better to book for the second-to-latest possible train. (book the train soonest - the Advance ticket fare costs a fraction of the walk-up tickets, altho that fare is fluid & rises significantly as the date closes in - and they're only valid for the train time that you've booked) JB 🙂

That was @susiesan, my tartan friend - not your Sassenach neighbour 😏 I've gotta admit that, unlike others, I found Cavtat pretty uninteresting But the same ferry calls at Mlini before turning round at Cavtat, so @susiesan will have enough time to visit both, and give each of them marks out of ten 🙂 JB 🙂

Plenty of ferries leave from the ferry piers in the walled city. You'll be tendered to one of those piers 🙂 We stayed a couple of nights in Mlini, a very pleasant & relaxing hamlet, but quite small - just a few bars & restaurants. We used the ferry to spend a day in Dubrovnik. JB 🙂

Driving along it on a saturday gives you all the time in the world to figure it out 😀 But a taxi driver will bypass the jam by taking Harbour Parade 🙂 JB 🙂

A walk along West Quay Road isn't my idea of "a sense of adventure" 😉 Or "an accomplishment". And what need is there for "commitment"? But each to their own JB 🙂

As others have posted, it's not one to walk with luggage. About 30 minutes, over a mile, alongside a busy but boring main road. A simple route, all on sidewalks, level ground, pedestrian lights to help you cross the road, so it's safe but no fun even in decent weather. JB 🙂

A rider to @gumshoe958 's post ......... For that weekend, some Waterloo-bound trains depart from Southampton Airport/Parkway but others depart from Eastleigh station, a couple of miles further on. Those which depart from the Airport/Parkway include a stop at Eastleigh. So to be sure to catch the first available train I suggest you take your taxi to Eastleigh station rather than to the Airport/Parkway. It will add £5 or less to the taxi fare. All posts on this thread which refer to rail-replacement bus service, taxi to the Airport / Parkway etc are for the weekend of 5th & 6th October only, when there are no trains on part of the route due to track up-grading. For other dates, board at Southampton Central station for direct trains to London Waterloo JB 🙂

If you're sailing into Portsmouth, there's a Nat Express bus stop at the cruise/ferry terminal. But as @gumshoe958 's post, it's a very limited service - tied to cross-channel ferry timetables. So you'll need a taxi about 2 miles to the bus stop at The Hard https://www.nationalexpress.com/en . There is also a train + bus option. What date is this for, and what time is your flight ? JB 🙂

Plastic is by far the best way to pay anywhere in Europe, for all the usual reasons in your home country plus no costs of conversion to a foreign currency and no large amounts of left-over currency. But a few things to be wary of .......... - As @edinburgher's post take at least two Visa or M/C cards in case of a technical problem. (Amex & D/C are not widely accepted in most of Europe) - ask if they accept cards before ordering, getting into a cab, or whatever - Be sure to be charged in local currency. Decline any offer to convert to USD "for your convenience"🙄 because merchants' exchange rates will be far poorer than your card company's, and can be a rip-off. Unfortunately more and more card readers are set to automatically convert to the currency of the card, so be sure to check the screen before swiping or signing or putting in your PIN. If it's in USD, ask (require) them to change it to local currency. This also allows you to see that what you're being charged is the same as their price board, menu, price sticker. etc. Same applies to drawing cash from ATMs. Try to use banks' ATMs rather than those in shops etc, and always but always choose the local currency option. Same also if your ship isn't a USD ship. Always but always settle your on-board account in ship's currency. Some credit cards don't charge a fee or commission to convert to its own currency. If your cards don't give you "no currency conversion charges" get one which does. Your fellow-Americans can suggest some. But it's always useful to have some local jingle for machines or stalls or the few shops or restaurants that don't accept plastic. Perhaps about $20 - $30 per couple per day. That's the sort of money you can easily spend on your way back to the ship - if you use it to buy baklava (mmmmmm) but don't like it, you can send it to me 😉 USD or Euros are accepted in some places but stall-holders in places like the Grand Bazaar are adept mental mathematicians and exchange rates will be awful. Great city, one of our favourites JB 🙂