gumshoe958

Many people do it, but with two large cases it won’t necessarily be easy. Some tube stations have lifts but many still don’t and involve at least some stairs. There isn’t any dedicated luggage space on the trains and all the stations have ticket barriers to negotiate (though there’s always at least one wide gate). The DLR is easier - lifts everywhere and very few ticket barriers. LCY is really easy - the station is right outside the terminal which itself is small and very quick to navigate through. If you tell us where in London you’re staying we can help plot a suitable route for you.

Same station, yes. And for a third straightforward rail option, there are hourly (sometimes half hourly) trains between Bruges and Knokke which, like Blankenberge, is on the coastal tram line which runs through Zeebrugge, but in the other direction.

I guess it means it’s full on the night of the 29th.

It is that line, yes - but the overtime ban doesn’t seem to be having a major impact on it. The 9:35 (which is faster) and 9:53 to Southampton are both scheduled to run.

Canary Wharf is off the tourist trail but yes, it’s perfectly safe - indeed arguably very safe as security there is tight due to it being home to several high profile global banks and financial institutions. It was built in the 1980s and 90s as part of a massive regeneration of London’s old docklands and is now a busy financial centre that continues to grow. So by day it’s very busy with office workers. It’s pretty quiet at night although there are plenty of expensive riverside apartments, and there’s a wide selection of restaurants and bars catering for their wealthy residents. It’s well connected to central London with the new Elizabeth line train and the Jubilee line tube both running very frequently until late at night. Both take about 15-20 minutes. There are also regular Thames Clipper riverboat services, as well as the driverless Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which, while slow and not especially handy for central London, offers spectacular views and is worth a ride just for the fun of it.

Yes, easily.

Yes, the joy of Amsterdam (for now at least) is that the cruise terminal is easily walkable from Centraal Station and the city centre.

Dutch sources in other threads suggest this is years down the line, and the existing terminal would be replaced by a new one further away from the city centre. So it’s unlikely to have much of an impact on future deployments.

Agreed. But I would point you to the millions of Brits who happily fly to the same resort in Spain or the Canaries or the Algarve and stay in the same hotel year after year after year. Not my cup of tea but it obviously works for them. And Cunard seems to do ok with the same ships sailing out of Southampton for years on end. For every person who craves a new ship or new destinations, there’s one (or very likely more) who wants the same holiday year in, year out. That’s just human nature.

Various sources suggest it’s very unlikely that anything will change in Amsterdam in the near future, and cruises currently booked to call there will still do so. Eventually there’ll be a new terminal further away from the city centre, but it’ll take many years to build. So I would be fine with a 12.00 flight from AMS. If you’re off the ship by 8-ish you’ll be at the airport well before 9 and - touch wood - we haven’t heard a repeat of any of the horror stories from last year with regard to queues.

Cabs can take you right into the centre of Bruges, yes, so they’ll be the fastest option. Having never taken one I couldn’t tell you how many there are. I have never seen a long line of them waiting at the terminal - or for that matter any waiting - but then I’ve never looked for them so maybe they’ve been there and I just haven’t noticed them. Sorry. As for whether a cab would take you to Zeebrugge-Strand station, again I couldn’t tell you. My guess would be yes, and it would probably cost about €10 or less, but the driver wouldn’t be over the moon about it when they’re expecting a nice €62 fare into Bruges. If you don’t want to walk to the train station you can catch the coastal tram which stops at ‘Kerk’, about a 5 minute walk from the cruise terminal. It’s only two stops to the ‘Strandwijk’ stop, then another 5 minute walk to Zeebrugge-Strand station. OR stay on the tram 4 more stops to Blankenberge and catch a train from there.

Until Sunday 27th August the trains run from Zeebrugge-Strand 7 days a week. From Monday 28th they run from Zeebrugge-Dorp on weekdays and Zeebrugge-Strand at weekends. Adventurous because people happy to walk for half an hour to get a train are a rare commodity on CC! I thought I was the only one who did that! Don’t forget to factor into your timings the unavoidable shuttle bus ride between the ship and the cruise terminal. It takes less than 5 minutes but if you just miss one you may have to wait for the next one to fill up. Ship to train should take 45-50 mins but I’d allow a bit more to be safe.

Interesting to see whether IJmuiden takes over as the main port for Amsterdam. It’s nowhere near as convenient, with poor transport links, but ultimately it’s Amsterdam that most tourists want to see, not Rotterdam.

Yes, or the previous stop Blackfriars which is a bit closer to your hotel. The Thameslink trains run up to 8 times an hour (final destination is usually Brighton, Horsham or Three Bridges). At Gatwick the rail station is directly linked to the South Terminal - no more than a 5 minute walk to check in. If your flight leaves from North Terminal there’s a free automated transit that departs from next to the station.

It’s available to bid for in case the current occupants cancel at the last minute. They probably won’t but in the unlikely event that they do, RoyalUp means there’s a queue of people willing to pay $$$$ to take their place.

All good advice. The whole journey can also be done by rail, by catching any train from Charing Cross to London Bridge (all trains go there), then transferring to the frequent direct service down to Gatwick. Charing Cross is less than a 5 minute walk from your hotel, and the total journey time is between 45 and 60 minutes.

I should point out that Zeebrugge-Strand station is only served 7 days a week during the summer holidays. The rest of the year, it’s only served at weekends and during the week trains run to & from Zeebrugge-Dorp station instead, which is slightly closer to the cruise terminal (a 20-25 minute walk).

That is indeed an option for the more adventurous. Trains leave Zeebrugge-Strand at roughly 5 past each hour and return from Bruges at about 35 past, taking 17 minutes.

This. A rethink is required. It’s the same distance as Cape Liberty to Atlantic City or Hartford CT. At rush hour.

There’ll be plenty of taxis, and it’s only a 5-10 minute drive to the coach station, depending on which terminal you arrive at. Disembarkation at Southampton is normally very quick. Very occasionally the UK Border Force does spot checks which slows things down, but that’s unlikely to be an issue for cruises that start and end at Southampton.

Train strikes are always a possibility, yes. But they’re not that frequent and you’d be unlucky to encounter one. And there’s always at least two weeks’ notice, giving you time to find a Plan B. So I wouldn’t overthink it if that’s your preferred option. Finding a taxi won’t be a problem, there might just be a bit of a wait. National Express is ok but very, very slow. The cruise line shuttle and tour are massively overpriced. You’re basically paying an extra £100 per person to take you the last mile in Dover and guarantee you’ll make the ship. If there’s more than one of you you might as well get a cab, it’ll probably work out cheaper. So all things considered I’d go for the train. And come back here for advice if there’s a strike - there are always options.

Notifying them in advance just means they can confirm a seat on your new departure if it’s not already sold out. If you don’t notify them in advance it’s up to the driver whether to let you on, which will come down to whether there’s space. If it’s full, it’s full but if it’s not they’ll let you on. I would always buy in advance - (a) because it’s cheaper and (b) because you’re guaranteed a seat if everything goes to plan, which it does in the vast majority of cases. So I would stick with your plan and book the 2000 departure. If you’re lucky you might even make the 1730. And I’m sure you’re aware but Terminals 2/3, 4 and 5 have their own separate stops so make sure you check which terminal your flight arrives at and book the right one.

Avonmouth station is on the other side of the river from the port, and there’s no crossing.

Well that’s a new one on me - I never even knew cruises called there! The port is in a very industrial area - there is literally nothing nearby. So you’ll either need a taxi or you’ll have to rely on whatever shuttle option the cruise line lays on (and I’m pretty certain they’ll lay on something even if they don’t tell you about it until you’re on board). The port website has more details and a cab company number if you want to pre-book: https://www.bristolport.co.uk/cruise/finding-bristol-cruise-terminal

There’s no return fare as such on Oyster/Contactless - that £13.20 is actually just two £6.60 one-way journeys. But it still works out slightly cheaper than buying a paper return ticket.