Bob++

A lot depends on your time of arrival at Heathrow. If you arrive early enough in the day to get to Southampton for the night, then that's your best option. It takes a couple of hours on the bus, plus (say) an hour to get through immigration and customs (although that may be quicker with no checked luggage) so any arrival before 4 pm would qualify. Holiday Inn or Premier Inn at Southampton have both been popular overnights for cruisers and both are walkable from the bus station and to the ship. If your flight land in the evening, you will be stuck at Heathrow, so I suggest using a search to find the most suitable. You can then take the coach to Southampton in the morning.

We went on the Dartmouth Steam Railway a couple of years ago. An enjoyable day out. The line was originally intended to go to Dartmouth on the other side of the river Dart, but they never got around to building a bridge, so it terminates at Kingswear and you have to take a ferry to cross to Dartmouth. They did build a station though, so Dartmouth Station is unique in never having had any connection to a railway. It now houses a cafe and gift shop.

Our chair folds up so I laminate a label with Name, Flight No, Details of battery (Voltage and Amp hrs) and weight. We take the vulnerable controller off and carry that into the cabin.

Just to add that the Mary Rose is inside the Royal Dockyard which has amazing exhibitions of British maritime history. Not least, Nelson's flagship HMS Victory. Given all that, it really needs at least a whole day to make a visit worthwhile.

For a good pint, off the beaten track, try Bowes on Fleet Street, a 2-minute walk from Temple Bar.

I agree with most of the above. But if you go into a pub, you should (as always) avoid politics and religion as a topic of conversation.

The http://www.gibraltartaxiassociation.com/tours have this pretty sewn up. There is no competition for taxis, but they are regulated. If you are fit enough and want something different you can try https://ebike-gibraltar.com/ Some people walk into town and take the cable car up to the top, but the queues can be quite long, and of course, you won't have a guide. Also, check out the tourist information https://www.visitgibraltar.gi/

Go to https://www.thetrainline.com/ and look for the train that suits you best. You should do it now as prices and availability may change. If you see a note on the side that says "Specified train only. No refunds." that means what it says. If you miss the train, you will have to buy another ticket. If it says " you can travel on any eligible train." then if you miss that one, you can just wait 30 minutes or so for the next one. They do this to guide the likes of you off the more popular services. You should also choose a train with "0" changes. You will also see that the cost varies a lot, depending on the time of day. Anything between £42.30 to £6.00. On the cheaper trains, you may find paying extra for First Class is worthwhile.

We too used Mobility at Sea. Nice chair, good service, Reasonable price. What more could you ask for? On that cruise were not in an accessible cabin, but they were able to provide a folding chair that solved the problem.

You could consider flying direct from Southampton Airport to Paris Orly. I see that Eastern Airways has one at around 10:30 which would be doable if you booked a taxi from the port. You need to do a test booking to find out what the cost would be as, like all low-cost airlines, there are extra charges for luggage.

I checked the National Express site for 2 Sept 2023. The only suitable coach from Victoria coach Station to Portsmouth is at 11:00, arriving at 12:55. £24 for 2 passengers. No changes. In case you are doubtful about coach travel, you are likely to find several other people on board heading for the same cruise. Coaches are modern and fitted with aeroplane styles seats with seatbelts. Your luggage will be stowed by the driver in lockers under the coach. On a two-hour drive, it's unlikely that there will be a 'comfort break' but there is a toilet on board for emergencies.

There is a direct train every 30 minutes between Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour station (do not get off at the first station, Portsmouth & Southsea). There is an hourly service from Victoria as well, but it means changing trains at Havant. https://www.thetrainline.com/ A third (and the cheapest) option is a coach from Victoria Coach Station direct to Portsmouth Cruise Port. Book in advance and it can cost as little as £4.00. https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/destinations/portsmouth/london-to-portsmouth

I always include gratuities as part of the cruise cost. I can't be doing with envelopes of cash at the end.

As JB says, the more upmarket restaurants will often add a service charge. If you choose to eat in a pub, where typically, you order and pay at the bar and the food is delivered to your table, no tip is expected. Taxi drivers are pretty resigned to the fact that most people pay by card and don't add a tip. However, if the driver helps with luggage, or does anything apart from taking you from A to B, then a tip may be appropriate. In general, we assume that staff are paid adequately for their work, and tips are a reward for going over and above the minimum.

English school summer holidays run between the middle of July to the beginning of September. Scottish schools close from the end of June to Mid August. I am not sure that the cost of cruises varies a lot unless you are looking at Disney. What is affected is the sightseeing attractions, where queues can be longer and noise levels higher. As far as the weather is concerned, it's a lottery. It's all gone to hell lately and all you can be sure of is that it will be warmer between May and September than in the winter.

If you do decide to hire a car, Enterprise Car & Van Hire - Southampton Central Docks are the best bet. Not a cheap option though. With insurance and fuel costs, it could well be over £200 for the day.

My wife does not have cancer, but she has several medical problems. We tried a few insurance companies for our upcoming trip to Gibraltar and a cruise in the Autumn and ended up with Allclear. I would endorse the point about phoning. It can be tricky to choose the correct answers online, but the salespeople will guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

Out of curiosity, I checked Uber for an estimate and they quoted £33 to £37 for LHR to Windsor Castle.

Good decision. Now you have to work to keep the luggage down as you will have to schlep it on and off yourself. A word of warning about taxis at Gare du Nord: there are a lot of "pirates" in Paris and it's easy, after a long journey, to be taken in. When you arrive on Eurostar, you should follow the TAXI signs to the official licenced taxi rank on the right (west) side of the station as you enter the concourse. Try to get an idea of the expected fare and reject any taxi that wants much more.

The OP specifically asked if $250 was reasonable. A quick search came up with £200 plus, so - yes. Of course public transport is cheaper.

It's pretty level on the pavement sidewalk). With luggage, I would double the time.

Okay until you read the small print: You have to pay upfront for the full three years £25k is for a shared *aquarium class cabin with no window Medical cover is probably going to be minimal *Aquarium class is any deck below sea level.

AFAIK the port does not provide wheelchairs. There will be some on the ship, but that would require someone to bring it down for you and would have to be arranged in advance. My wife uses her own chair and assistance is generally excellent. We also jumped the queue when boarding.

Currently, typical prices for a private taxi transfer between London and Southampton are between £200-£300 depending on the number of passengers, how much luggage you are carrying and of course your transfer location in London. Train or coach is the cheaper option.

The only sensible alternative I can see would be to rent a car and drive yourself. You would not want to drive in London though, with ridiculous traffic, congestion charges and parking problems.