gumshoe958

It’s next door to MI5 😉

It’s a small, high end ship whose passengers will, presumably, have mostly booked private or ship’s tours. So I’m not surprised.

Yes, Loch Ness is big and it’s a destination where an organised or private tour really would work out best. Assuming your cruise calls at Inverness, the port is actually in Invergordon from where it’s about an hour into Inverness by bus or train. Once in Inverness you’d then need to change on to another bus, the (roughly) hourly #919 which travels all the way down the western shore of Loch Ness and takes about an hour to reach Fort Augustus at the bottom. So you’d need to allow at least 3 hours each way from the ship at Invergordon and you’d have to plan your schedule very carefully around the bus times to make sure you’re back in time. On balance, not recommended unless the ship’s in port until very late.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Elizabeth line is not the tube despite its name suggesting otherwise. At Heathrow it uses the same stations as the HEX and follows the same route into London before it dives underground just outside Paddington. It’s a bit slower than the HEX as it makes more stops en route, but has the advantage of continuing across London and providing direct journeys to many more areas. It now runs 6 times an hour to/from T2/3 and, being brand new, it’s fully accessible for those with restricted mobility or heavy luggage. So it really is a game-changer and, at some point, will probably render the HEX redundant. But coming back to the OP, if comfort and convenience are key public transport is probably not ideal as all the rail/tube options involve a fair amount of walking and manoeuvring luggage on to and off lifts, escalators and trains. So in her case a cab all the way may be more suitable.

Many, many options including: * Limo service * Taxi (or black cab, as they’re known in London) * Uber * Tube (step-free all the way, Westminster station is a half mile walk from the hotel)

It’s perfectly possible to do it in less than an hour if your passport works at the automatic border gates (US passports generally do). The big unknown is always baggage delivery. If you allow 2 hours you should be fine. But you might consider paying £5 for the Change & Go add-on that allows you to use any coach 12 hours either side of the one you booked, as long as there’s space. Or - use the tube which runs every 5-10 minutes from all terminals so no need to worry about missing it. Piccadilly line to Barons Court, then a simple cross-platform interchange to the District line to Victoria with elevators at both ends if required.

And on Oasis class ships the production shows are often scheduled three times on a 7 night cruise, and the ice and Aqua shows maybe four or more times.

Fair enough. You can either jump in a taxi (known in London as a black cab) right outside the terminal, or pre-book a car & driver to meet you in arrivals. https://www.limo.co.uk and https://www.blackberrycars.com have been recommended here before, but there are many others. Or there’s Uber, although it may be a bit of a walk, including elevators, to their pick-up point in one of the car parks.

Yes, very possible. Although that would be like saying “hey UK, come and look at our amazing new toy. You can’t play with it though! Ha ha! But don’t worry, we’re sending you one of our really tired old toys to play with instead! You’re welcome!”

No steps at the Heathrow end - there are elevators and escalators. Unfortunately you would have to use stairs at Gloucester Road. An alternative would be to get off at the station before, Earl’s Court, which does have elevators. It’s then a half mile/10 minute walk to your hotel at street level, on good sidewalks. If you’re not confident using the tube, you could just jump in a cab - there’ll be plenty outside the terminal at Heathrow. That would probably cost around £50-60. Or you could catch the Heathrow Express or Elizabeth line train to Paddington - with elevators at both ends - and get a cab from there. So lots of options.

Of course he never actually promised any revenue sailings out of Southampton. She could just stop off for a few hours en route from Turku - long enough to show her off to trade/media/influencers - before she heads straight to Miami.

I agree. But they’ll spin it as the return of an old friend, by popular demand. She did have plenty of fans in the UK among the traditionalists. And they’re less price sensitive.

He said that over a year ago. Asia & Australia were still closed. The US market still hadn’t fully bounced back. A lot has changed since, not least a new CEO with his own strategy. Sadly, treat it like a politician’s election pledge. Well-meaning but ultimately hollow.

Very easy: from the arrivals hall at Heathrow Terminal 2, follow signs for the Underground. Catch the Piccadilly line (every 5 minutes) direct to Gloucester Road (40 minute journey). The hotel is right next to the station. If you have a contactless debit or credit card or Apple/Google Pay on your phone you don’t need to buy a ticket, just tap in and tap out at the barriers.

Not if your card is enabled for contactless payments, no. You just tap it on the reader at the entrance to the platform, and again at the barrier at the exit at Centraal. If your card isn’t enabled for contactless, you’ll need to buy a ticket from the machines or ticket office.

Yes. Click on the “Which debit card can I use?” FAQ.

Yes you can if it’s a Visa or Mastercard. Details here: https://www.ns.nl/en/customer-service/payment/ovpay.html

No need to prebook. It’s only a 5 minute journey. There’ll be cabs outside the terminal - though there may be a line. Alternatively use Uber. You will be given a time to disembark and it’ll probably be before 9.30am, if not earlier, so you could have quite a wait. There are shops quite near the coach station if you need to kill time. Or you may be allowed to catch an earlier coach if there’s room.

I fear you might be right. An advance single from Southampton to Waterloo (Merseyside) at 10:15 or 11:15 on June 21st is £68.80. So @sacsarahsk please check your ticket as it may be to the wrong Waterloo and not valid to the right one. Waterloo (Merseyside) is a suburb of Liverpool, more than 200 miles away from London Waterloo!

£69??? Could you double check exactly what train ticket you’ve bought? The most expensive possible fare from Southampton to London Waterloo (apart from 1st class) is £52. And if you buy an advance ticket as recommended by @John Bull for June 21st, I’m seeing £19.30 for the 9am train and £17.70 for the 9:30am. I’m concerned you’ve bought a ticket to the wrong destination.

You’ll be fine. Heathrow can get very busy but mornings and lunchtimes are worst. It tends to quieten down in the afternoons.

Ok, didn’t know about Fred. Virtuosa was only there because at the time cruises were restricted to UK ports due to Covid. MSC haven’t been back since …

No drinks or snacks. Just a bit more room (although still no dedicated luggage space). For $12 it’s probably worth it as long as you keep your expectations low!

Absolutely no chance I’m afraid. Even the UK-based lines like P&O, Saga and Fred.Olsen - with much smaller ships - don’t home port in Liverpool. If there was a market, presumably someone would have cornered it.

Half a mile. Really easy!