Thejuggler

We did Trollstigen trip, but we only know what the view was like because of a photo in the visitor centre due to low cloud! Never saw the top of Trollveggen. Closure is not unheard of and if you look at the route you can see where it has been damaged previously and new stretches of road laid. However if both Trollstigen and Trollveggen are missed the trip probably isn't worth it.

Spent a few days there last year. When you leave ship there is a small Ocean Race Museum and exhibition which is worth a look around if open. There's also one of the yachts which took part which is also open occasionally for visits. As above a walk along the promenade, a lift up to the castle for views. The lift only takes you to the lower ramparts, its walking and a climb to the very top. You can the walk down from the castle. The walk starts on the castle access road, but a footpath then leads you down the back of the castle to the main centre, very close to the main market which is well worth a visit if you are there Tuesday thru Saturday. The fish market doesn't open on Mondays, which is the main highlight. From there you can wander through the old town back to the port, having a few tapas on the way!

The price of individual drinks on US cruise ships is kept very high to encourage passengers to buy drinks packages. £95 a day for premium is still high (with my current 30% off deal taking it to £66 it is still more than I would pay) but not when a cocktail is priced at say £20 plus tip.

Akureyri has a free local circular route bus service. It will get you to the gardens. https://www.visitakureyri.is/en/plan-your-visit/transport/free-city-bus

If its a same day transfer take the crusie transfer. Multiple legs of public transport if you aren't used to the system with luggage after a long flight isn't my idea of fun.

Not sure its worth being disgusted, more disappointed. Cots will be available on board. Milton fluid and tablets are still a thing (thats what we used when we took our baby daughter on trips). Food will be available. There is also the option of taking your own. As for check in, turn up at the later time.

Not good for Maleth to wash laundry in public. As I suspected it appears they don't have the money to pay the compensation, or deliberately delaying in the hope people get bored trying to claim, Contract dusputes between them and Carnival are of no concern to passengers and could take years to resolve,

Re luggage distribution and using passenger lifts. Its a new ship, these issues could be connected. Faulty service lift means passenger lift is the only option.

Somewhere like Skye will probably end up with restrictions. The island can barely cope with the visitors arriving by car, adding a few extra thousand arriving by ship doesn't improve things.

Cruise ships work on the basis of total revenue per passenger. A couple will pay twice as much in gratuities, buy more in bars, spend more on excursions, shops, casino etc etc. Singletons spend far less. I have a friend who travels solo 5-6 cruises a year. Her only on board spends are the OBC. It also explains why in general larger ships are better value than smaller ones operated by the same cruise company. More on board revenue opportunities from 4,000 passengers over 2,000.

M1 for its whole length from Leeds to London has very long stretches of roadworks, mile after miles of traffic going nowhere near the 50mph limit due to reduced number of lanes. Starts north of Sheffield almost as far as East Midlands, then again near Milton Keynes, then finally around Luton. 6 hours to do 180 miles last Friday.

If you are going to call P&O do it on the basis of a general query. Something along the lines of: You are considering booking a cruise but as a couple of passengers are elderly you need clarfication on what happens if someone on the booking dies before date of travel and what if the person who dies is lead passenger. What if the booking is done through an agent, do the same policies apply? If you mention your booking through an agent they will ask you to contact them as P&O don't know the agent Ts and Cs and policies.

Sorry for your sudden loss. Whilst you are requesting what appears to a simple solution, it is complicated by the fact the person passing is the lead passenger. They are the individual that holds the contract, as they have passed they can no longer be party to that contract and novation to another person probably isn't an option, The other complication is any refund or insurance payout forms part of the deceased estate ( regardless of who actually paid). Due to these issues I'd change tack and go through the agent's process for cancelling the booking. You then claim on insurance for any money paid.

Southampton only handled about 750,000 passenger last year, a large drop from the 2m plus pre covid thanks to the failure of a major airline, flybe. Whilst you may want to avoid London airports you will need to transit a major hub to then fly to Southampton. Dublin would be my choice as its not huge and transfers are easy.

I should have added I stay in Premierinns a lot and the free wi fi is generally more than acceptable. When it is not available or drops out on a regular basis they aren't even offering what is promised,

I stayed in a Premierinn just outside London on Friday night. The basic wifi was hopeless and I couldn't tether as we were surrounded by buildings so no signal! I was on the tube a lot yesterday and the majority of passengers used smartphone to pay fare. I recommend Joolz Guides youtube channel for anyone visiting London. Well produced videos covering all sorts of stuff. He also now has a book with some self guided walks.

Tower and Westminster Abbey are in different areas of London and some distance apart,so wherever you stay you will need transport between the two. Hubs are a more basic option with smaller rooms and fewer facilities, great for maybe a night, but not somewhere to spend much time. The Tower is in the City of London, which is a city within a city and has lots of history alongside modern architecture. Whilst not as busy in the evening as the west end there's enough going on. I'd recommend the Skygarden, a rooftop bar with great views (free, but you need to book). A restaurant booking is your 'beat the line' pass. The food in the brasserie is v good.

In a day its a lot to fit in, but a private tour is available which covers Cawdor, Castle Urquhart and a Loch cruise. Invergordon Tours are the operator.

Number 99 bus from the port bus stop will take you to Tilbury Town railway station. https://bustimes.org/services/99-tilbury-ferry-to-tilbury-ferry

Elizabeth Line service to Tottenham Court Road (far quicker than the traditional tube), then a black taxi to your hotel. Its not far to Holborn, but with luggage its not worth changing tube lines to Central Line at Tottenham Court Road. Its only a short distance to Holborn so a taxi won't be much, Holborn is an old station and isn't step free so you would need to carry luggage up stairs to the exit tube and you will still probably have a walk to the hotel.

We are all different but for me the number one is sleep. I am however someone who can fall asleep almost as soon as the wheels leave the ground and wake up many hours later! Noise cancelling headphones are also a must have. I never use inflight entertainment, preferring my own phone with downloads. Podcasts or audio book work for me as they send me to sleep. If that isn't possible for you then battle through, get to the hotel, have a couple of hours sleep, shower, refresh, walk and food with a few drinks. Early to bed first night.

If the priority is seeing Norway the Viking trip would be my choice.

Since they built the bridge Skye is longer an island and it is suffering greatly as a result. I was there last year in August, but limited our visit to a trip to Raasay which was bliss. July is a busy month for visitors and adding a few thousand cruise passengers just adds to demand for services. In all honesty 5 hours ashore isn't a great amount of time (is this correct as sites are suggesting 9 hours in port). It will be a tender port so that takes time. Portree doesn't offer much, you can see it in a couple of hours, but it is central so you can get to most visitor attractions in about half an hour. There are public buses and a trip on the 57A or 57C from Portree on a 2 hour circular trip of the north via Uig could be considered. If private tours are full you may need to take a ship tour.

Premierinn are firmly in fluid pricing land. If demand is high prices are high. I'm staying in one just outside London on Friday, its the night before a cup final at Wembley. I booked about three weeks ago, It was £70 a room. Two days later when the finalists were known and people started booking tickets the same rooms were £180 a night. It is now sold out.

London hotels are very price senstive to date, major events and location, but there are plenty to choose from. A google map search shows there are upwards of 50 hotels within walking distance of British Museum. This includes chains such as Mercure, Thistle, Premierinn. Most hotels provide breakfast, it is an extra charge at Premierinn, but London has so many places to eat its not a problem.