exlondoner

Yes, I think it comes down to this. If you can book in advance and commit to a specific time outside the morning rush hour, the trains are pretty good value, especially if you can travel on Mondays and Fridays, when far fewer people go to work. I would never think of going to London any other way. On the other hand, if you turn up to buy an open return starting in the morning rush hour, you may need to take out a mortgage to cover it. 😀

Yes, I think it depends very much on when the ship is ready for passengers. If they have started letting people on board, then the terminal gradually empties, and there is room for those who arrive early. But if there is a delay, then the terminal will be too crowded and they will make you wait outside. I think it may well have thinned out by 2 pm, but 12.30 is probably the busiest time.

I would have thought the opposite, particularly as you get closer to London, but not easy, if you have lots of luggage to heft around.

As I say, there are far fewer strikes, and there is reasonable notice. They did major upgrades to the problematical signalling a few years ago, and there is nothing much you can do about selfish and distraught people who throw themselves in front of trains. Every time we have used SWT this year it has proved completely reliable. I would certainly trust it rather than the M3. But, there is not much room for luggage, and the line ends up in Waterloo, nowhere near Kensington, unless you change. And, worst of all, they have abolished on train catering.

I think that is rather harsh. I would certainly trust South Western to get me reliably from Southampton (or, indeed Bournemouth) to Waterloo on a non strike day. As the RMT have settled, there are only occasional ASLEF strikes, which are notified well in advance. Otherwise, it is pretty trustworthy.

Do you have any insight in what the cause of the delay might be.? I assume it can’t be that serious as Cunard have accepted the ship. Many will recall they famously rejected QE2.

I fear those in the last category are those most likely to find jackets uncomfortable - and possibly too hot, as well.

Now that is a line I’ve never travelled on, and, though I should much like to do so, I don’t think I’d want to heft my luggage around Clapham Junction to achieve that.

What does?

Not a pleasant walk, but a taxi would be quite cheap to the station. On the other hand the train fare in the morning rush hour would be high, and Waterloo is not as convenient for Kensington as Victoria, so I think the coach wins.

I never found that when I regularly wore one for work, apart from the temperature issue, except in so far as it applies to any garment. But let’s not go there.

I always conform to the dress code, but clothes bore me, my own, anyway. I am more than happy to be eclipsed. 😀

Why? I ask again, temperature aside, what is wrong with jackets?

Its attenuated nature.

One thing that always mystifies me on threads like this. There are clearly a lot of men who just don’t like wearing jackets, irrespective of the temperature. Why is this? What is wrong with them?

That’s only the carpet. If you could look up and see more of the roof/ceiling, it is a glorious light white and gold. You would almost expect a few angels to pop through.

Can you do self disembark? In any event you would probably be OK. They are pretty keen to get you off the ship, but you never know, because she might arrive late, or, as has happened to us a couple of times, the air bridges might go wrong.

I’m all for not judging up to a point, if only because my eyesight is so bad. But…I would feel very judgemental about someone who turned up in dinner jacket, black tie, and…black shorts. There is a limit. I hope. 😀

I do not consider that part of my wifely duty. Where might it lead? I’ll be putting his slippers out ready next.

I’ve not found that with the QG. One or two people I haven’t warmed to, mainly a long time ago, but they’ve always been efficient, and mostly charming and kind.

They never bothered about ties at my place. They had probably exhausted themselves monitoring skirt lengths.

And honestly, how close do you have to be to identify types of bow tie? Closer than I’d want to get, I suspect.

When I was speaking to a lovely lady at Cunard today, I asked whether she was going to get to see the ship before us. She said she was hoping so, but originally she had been one of a coterie selected to stay overnight on board, so the crew could practice, but to her disappointment that had been cancelled, because they still had a lot to do. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the date of that. She did assure me everything was fine for the maiden.

And Andrea Doria, the one that sank, was beautiful.