gumshoe958

In the UK there is a long-running series of train strikes which do cause major disruption, but for cruisers there are always alternatives to get to/from Southampton, London or Heathrow so there’s no huge cause for concern. And the law requires unions to give at least two weeks’ notice of a strike so there’s always time to make new plans. There is a separate series of strikes by security personnel at Heathrow. These, up till now, haven’t caused any major problems for travellers as they’ve only affected Terminal 5 (British Airways) and the airport has just moved staff around to cover striking workers. However the next wave of strikes, starting on June 24 and spanning 31 days across the summer, will involve more staff and also affect Terminal 3 (American, Delta, Virgin) so it’s possible there may be more of an impact. How much, we just don’t know. But certainly one to be aware of if you’re due to fly out of Heathrow in June, July or August.

1. There may be a limit on the number of advance tickets they sell, and they will go up in price as time goes on, but you’ll always be able to buy a full price ticket and get on a train. They’re commuter trains and there are no reserved seats, even if you buy an advance ticket that ties you to a specific service. Many trains on that route start at Salisbury (others start further west) so you’d be unlucky not to get a seat but worst case scenario is you’d have to stand. You’ll definitely get on a train though.

Cheaper alternative - National Express coach from Southampton to Heathrow (every couple of hours), then British Airways or Air France to Paris CDG (frequent flights on proper jets), then train or cab to Marne la Vallee.

You can try but I suspect many local Uber drivers wouldn’t accept the job as it’s a long way and they‘d have to return to Southampton empty after dropping you off. So best to pre-book. West Quay is another popular Southampton-based firm, or there’s Blackberry at the Heathrow end. Prices seem to be in the £150-200 ballpark these days.

All true, but the issue with cruises is that many of those on board won’t have a British or Irish passport and the cruise line must be able to satisfy the authorities that everyone disembarking at each port is entitled to enter the relevant country. The alternative would be a passport/ID check for every passenger at every port which would be expensive and time-consuming, so it’s all done behind the scenes and the easiest way for the cruise line to comply is to require that everyone has a passport. In addition, there’s always the risk of an unscheduled diversion and if the ship had to call unexpectedly in France or Belgium there would be a big issue if not everyone had a passport.

Will you have checked luggage? If not, and if your passport entitles you to use the E-gates at the UK border, you could easily make plane to train in 20 minutes. If you will have checked luggage, obviously you’ll have to factor in more time to collect it. Whichever terminal you arrive at (T4 for KLM, T5 for BA) you need to catch the Heathrow Express or Elizabeth line train to Heathrow Central. Four times an hour from T4, six from T5. Journey time about 5 minutes. It is free but you need a ticket from the machines to operate the barriers to & from the platforms. It’s then about a 10 minute walk underground to T2 where United arrives. So I would allow 45-60 minutes in total, maybe a bit more if you have checked luggage.

Don’t panic! Cruise port to rail station in a cab is only about 5-10 minutes. Southampton Central isn’t that big - only 4 platforms linked by a footbridge with elevators so from ship to platform should take no longer than half an hour. Therefore a train at 9:30 should be just fine, given that most ships start disembarkation at around 7 and want the majority of passengers off by 9. Advance tickets are indeed non-refundable and can’t be used on a later train if you miss yours. The 9:30 is currently £14.50 for an advance single but will go up. Otherwise it’s £52 for an anytime single which can be used on any train.

£189 to South Kensington? Sorry, but you’ve been robbed. A normal cab should cost around £50-60.

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