Today's email includes:

"Jazz Cruises is creating a series of special excursions for the full day in Victoria and the nearly two full days in San Francisco.

Sightseeing and music in Victoria. Wine journeys in Sonoma and Napa, including our chartering of the Napa Valley Wine Train. Special matinee shows at SFJAZZ Center, one of “jazz’s” most revered venues, and restaurant tours conducted by Michael Bauer, former food critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, are also available.

Jazz Cruises is pricing the excursions “at cost”, with our participation included as our “gift” to you."

Not sure what this means for the Ron Carter gig, but maybe it's just that you'll have to pay for the shuttle!

9 hours ago, dstein said:

Others have noted that US-based pax can successfully complete a purchase via the LNER website.  I don't know whether the National Rail site above is "US-friendly" or not, but you do have at LEAST one known-good option via LNER.

The National Rail website doesn't itself sell tickets. It will give you the information you need, but when you start to buy a ticket it redirects you to the website of one of the Train Operating Companies. I think that it usually sends you to the most logical TOC (usually, the TOC that's operating the service that you're thinking of), but you can choose - or, of course, you can always just go directly to whichever TOC's website you want to use.

For those interested in why there's a website that's devoted to giving you information but doesn't sell tickets, this is because the National Rail website is run by what used to be called the Association of Train Operating Companies (now called the Rail Delivery Group), so it's essentially a cooperative venture run by the TOCs.

1 hour ago, SkippersCruisersMN said:

Has anyone stayed at the Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo?

I think I know someone who has: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2948868-london-hotels/?do=findComment&comment=65810337

48 minutes ago, John Bull said:

From central  London to Southampton Central station.

Kensington to Waterloo station. Your hotel is about 1/4 of a mile from Gloucester Road tube station. Take either a Circle Line (yellow)  or District Line (green) tube train to Westminster tube station & either change to a Jubilee (silver) line tube train, or hail a taxi or walk 1/2 mile over Westminster Bridge to Waterloo . Needs a Londoner to advise which is easiest with luggage.

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

Or say the hell with the tube, and pre-book a private-hire taxi or (more expensive) hail a black cab from your hotel to Waterloo, 4 miles.

Again, needs a Londoner to suggest an approximate fare.

If using the Tube, I'd suggest walking the other way from the hotel, and using Earls Court station, which is also on the District Line and is almost exactly the same distance from that Marriott. This is because at Earls Court there's step-free access from street level to platform level, which is handy for luggage. I'm pretty sure that Gloucester Road station only has stairs, equivalent to about two storeys of a domestic house.

If you've managed that, then changing at Westminster to the Jubilee Line and taking that for one stop to Waterloo is the best option. Step-free exit from the Tube to street level and then again up to National Rail concourse and platform level.

Personally, though, I'd be tempted by the option of a cab or a minicab. A cab (ie a licensed, metered taxi) would probably be something like £20-25? But that's really more of a guess than an estimate.

55 minutes ago, John Bull said:

From Southampton Central station to Gatwick.

There's no longer a direct train.

Doesn't this cease after 1 June 2024 as well? Isn't it simply part of the London Victoria to Southampton Central direct train service that's being discontinued after that date? In other words, it's still running at present.

1 hour ago, Homeport5 said:

When you say train from Waterloo....is that "Southern"?

Trains from London Waterloo to Southampton Central are operated by South Western Railway.

Southern Railway operates trains from London Victoria to Southampton Central, but direct trains on this route will no longer operate after Saturday 1 June 2024. They are, in any event, much slower than SWR trains from Waterloo.

To give you better directions, you might want to say where in the "Kensington area" you are planning to start from. "Kensington" covers a pretty sizeable chunk of London.

On 3/27/2024 at 1:11 PM, Globaliser said:

I think that this escalator may well go directly up to ticket hall level.

I have now checked this, and I had confused my escalators. The mystery escalator that you can't quite see in the video is actually a down escalator to the southbound Northern Line platform. To go up to the ticket hall, you actually have to keep walking away from the camera, follow the passageway around to the right, and then take an up escalator. However, at the top of that escalator there are then four steps to reach ticket hall level.

There is step-free exit from the northbound Northern Line platform via two escalators, including the last escalator shown in the video, so I think that this must be the route that I had been thinking of.

The ticket hall is definitely step-free to Villiers Street.

3 minutes ago, John Bull said:

Remember, clocks go forward one hour at 2am on Sunday.

This applies not only to the UK, but also across everywhere in the EU and EEA that does daylight saving time.

It's also (international) schedule change weekend for airlines, as we move from the northern winter 2023/24 scheduling season to northern summer 2024.

On 3/21/2024 at 9:41 PM, dstein said:

Video around 18:20 DEFINITELY shows walker standing on Northern's SB platform #4 - i.e. exactly where we'd end up if we decide to take Elizabeth Line from LHR and change to Northern at Tottenham Court, exiting at Embankment instead of Charing Cross.  The walker exits the platform directly onto an escalator going up.  At the top, walks straight off the escalator (with a slight jog to the left) and follows signage toward Northern NB platform 3/Bakerloo platform 5+6 (probably ignoring nearby "Way out" signage).  When this walk dead ends (with District/Circle's WB platform 1 on the left and EB platform 2 and "Way out" sign pointing right), walker turns right, goes up 3 steps, and THEN follows "Way out" signs up escalator to exit gates and finally walks out to Villiers Street.  So this video shows you can get off a SB train and get directly to street level via escalator with just 3 small steps up along the way. 

I think it may be simpler than that. The up escalator from platform level ends at 19:05. The camera turns to the left at 19:30 to show a lit "Way Out" sign. A person in a yellow hat walks towards that sign, preceded by someone in a pink top who walks from right to left. You can just see the beginning of another escalator that these people appear to be heading towards. I think that this escalator may well go directly up to ticket hall level. If so, then there are no steps between the Northern Line southbound platform and ticket hall level. If you then exit through the gate line and turn left to walk north up Villiers Street, I think that there are no steps on exiting the station. And helpfully, Villiers Street is being re-paved at the moment so that everything is level.

I wish I'd seen this thread before I went through Embankment Tube earlier today, because I could have confirmed all of this directly rather than going from memory.

3 hours ago, sweep2907 said:

Tube passes from London certainly won't get you to Hampton Court as tube and train mainline services are totally different.

Sorry, this is certainly wrong.

Hampton Court station is in TfL Zone 6. So a TfL Zones 1-6 Travelcard will get you there. An Oyster will get you there, at a TfL fare. And contactless will get you there, at a TfL fare.

21 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

The train from London to Hampton Court Palace is easy peasy and included in the fare of your Tube pass.

For the avoidance of doubt, the station is called "Hampton Court".

13 minutes ago, med02 said:

Per Southwest policies it is because we have our return flights scheduled with another airline that they are unable to provide us with a confirmation number to access online.

This sounds odd to me, too. If your return flights are with another airline, I would expect that Southwest will probably never even know about that part of your trip. So far as Southwest is concerned, you'll be in the same position as if you were only flying one way on Southwest. If another airline is flying you home from the cruise, Southwest probably has no need and perhaps no right to know anything about it.

If you want to follow this up, my suggestion would be to call Southwest next and find out whether they will talk to you. After all, they should be able to locate your reservation using your name and flight details. If they will talk to you, then they may be happy to provide you with the booking reference. As your flight is so close, I would expect that NCL has not only made the reservation with the airline but also by now issued your air tickets.

On 3/10/2024 at 9:17 PM, Canuker said:

The first closure will be from 9pm Friday March 15 to 6am Monday March 18.

This weekend's work went well, and the road re-opened about eight hours ahead of schedule, at about 10 pm on Sunday: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-68593967

National Highways is quoted as saying that the date of the next closure would be announced "very soon to give people as much notice as possible".

4 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

Ya but for elderly folks it could be very challenging.

Of course. Public transport (whether by air, rail or road) is always going to be more challenging to those who aren't as physically able. That's one of the reasons that train operating companies are required to provide assistance for anyone who needs it. More details are available here: www.nationalrail.co.uk/help-and-assistance/passenger-assist.

But to be frank, if a passenger's limitations mean that all of this is too difficult, then the answer will probably be to take private transport instead.

1 hour ago, shay1 said:

We don't like the idea of putting our luggage in a rack outside of the sitting area on the train where we can't see it.

You won't. You just keep the luggage with you. You have more supervision over it than you would on the coach, where it will be out of sight.

5 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

7 hours ago, travelbuds said:

Curious which line has more luggage storage space.

For luggage storage definitely the HEX. There is none on the Elizabeth line.

Not that you need luggage storage space on the Elizabeth Line. The trains have plenty of space and you just keep your luggage with you. Just like you'd keep your pram or pushchair with you, should you happen to be taking one.

I really don't understand the apparent CC obsession with luggage storage space on all of these commuter trains. In fact, one of the disadvantages of the luggage racks on the HEX is that they create a scrum and a bottleneck when the train arrives, as everyone queues up to manoeuvre their big heavy bags out of awkwardly-placed and awkwardly-shaped racks near the doors (see this photo and this photo for an idea). In contrast, on the Elizabeth Line you just stand up and walk off the train with your bags in hand.

11 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

Why aren’t the London to Amsterdam trains also cancelled during the station remodel project?  Or are they, and I’ve just misread the info?

The most relevant work at Amsterdam Centraal is on the terminal that houses immigration, customs and security clearance for Amsterdam to London traffic. Without those facilities there, there can't be any direct Amsterdam to London traffic.

In the other direction, those steps are done in London before boarding, so at Amsterdam passengers simply alight from the train and exit the station. This is why direct services can still operate in that direction, although there will be fewer than normal during the planned 6-month period.

Of course, the trains themselves still have to go back to London. So in the Amsterdam to London direction, the trains will operate conventionally to Brussels. Then they become cross-border services from Brussels to London, carrying passengers who have cleared immigration, customs and security at Brussels.

16 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

From Paddington (and elsewhere in town), I'm on the HEX every time 😀

Presumably that's coz your trip from your eyrie takes you to Paddington? 😉

As for the rest, it's horses for courses - much depends on where you're travelling to/from, and on your own view about the balance of factors.

For example, if you live next to Custom House station, you'd be mad not to take the Elizabeth Line.

Ditto if you need Tottenham Court Road: HEX + Bakerloo Line + Central Line is not an appealing route, especially with luggage, especially in the summer, and especially given the chronic shortage of Central Line trains at present.

To/from Paddington itself:

• If you need Heathrow Central, there's 6 tph on the Elizabeth Line but only 4 tph on the HEX.
• If you need Heathrow Terminal 4, there's 4 tph on the Elizabeth Line but you're out of luck for HEX: you have to change trains at Heathrow Central.
• Unless you plan in advance, the HEX is more than double the walk-up fare on the Elizabeth Line (£25.00 vs £12.20).

And so on.

11 hours ago, red4u2 said:

i can do some stairs okay.. but flights of stairs with luggage is a bit much.

9 hours ago, gnome12 said:

However, if travelling National Express the large luggage goes under the coach, and is put there by the driver, so that the passenger doesn't have to carry it up the steps.

For completeness, most National Express coaches can also take wheelchairs to/from most stops. And on both trains and coaches, assistance is available with luggage. So neither mode of transport is impossible for someone who sometimes walks with a cane.

The main point is that in the UK you can simply walk from the platform onto the train without there being any significant step or change in level. So someone who sometimes walks with a cane need not worry about a flight of stairs to board a UK train: they don't exist here (other than in exceptional cases).

10 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

Even if the direct service is not running, you could still take a  regular fast train from Amsterdam to, say, Rotterdam and then transfer to the Eurostar service from there.

No, during that period there will be no direct trains from Rotterdam to London either.

From either Amsterdam or Rotterdam, you will need to take a train to Brussels. These will include Eurostar trains. When you get to Brussels, you will have to change trains (taking all your luggage with you) in order to clear immigration, customs and security, before boarding another train from Brussels to London. As discussed in another thread, the itineraries offered by the Eurostar website don't leave a lot of time for those steps at Brussels, so that change could be quite stressful.

Here's the previous thread on this topic: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2976257-amsterdam-to-london-post-cruise-eurostar-won’t-be-running

You may want to note that direct trains from Amsterdam to London are being suspended for about 6 months from mid-June 2024, and the number of direct trains from London to Amsterdam reduced from four daily to three for that period. The current plan appears to be to restore direct services in both directions from 8 December 2024, which is the date of a new timetable, but as everything depends on the progress of the relevant phase of the reconstruction works at Amsterdam Centraal station, I wouldn't want to bet on that date not slipping.

As always, it's worth reading seat61.com.

1 hour ago, Island2Dweller said:

If you just want a view across London, the viewing deck on a new building in the City (financial district) is much higher.  And free.  Search Horizon22 if that appeals

It's one of the two best views in London. 😉 (That will be understood by aficionados of City of London architecture.)

In an earlier post, I included a picture of a typical train door, showing a small portable ramp facilitating the boarding of a wheelchair user.

Indeed, on the Tube there are actually now many stations at which a wheelchair user can board and alight directly from the platform, with no ramp needed.

8 hours ago, Andros said:

Advance ticket 30 pounds, walk-up 42 pounds, Fast track 50 pounds.

Seeing these prices (which are correct) startled me, so I went to have a look at the website. I saw that you can get a timed fast track ticket online for £45, and the £50 ticket has the flexibility of being untimed. Having done the London Eye more than once, and therefore knowing what it looks like to go once around a big wheel, it now seems to me to be pretty poor value at these prices.

4 hours ago, red4u2 said:

... and I walk with a cane at times, so a train with stairs wouldn't be good for us.

1 hour ago, sddsddean said:

If you are worried about getting on and off trains, don't forget our stations have raised platforms, so you are more or less are on the same level as the doors.

This does bear repetition: As a generalisation, UK trains don't have steps, but UK coaches do.

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

What day-of-the-week ? 

(preferably actual date in case it's a UK holiday weekend)

I think that kflietst may be disembarking on Tuesday 24 September 2024.