Bob++

The legal points have been covered, but I thought that this may be a cautionary tale to remind us to pack important stuff in a carryon rather than in checked baggage.

If it was me, I would walk out of St Pancras and grab a taxi. Fare should be around £20 so a lot more than the tube, but a lot less hassle and worry. The taxi should take less than 30 minutes even at that time of day.

Given the restrictions the cruise lines impose on what alcohol you can take on board, it's hardly worth the trouble of looking for duty-free. Any supermarket will sell you a reasonable bottle of wine. My local Tesco has a range from all the world's wine producers, priced between £6.00 and £30.00.

You may have more success booking indirectly through booking.com. Note that in general, hotel rooms and beds are smaller than you would expect in the USA. Bed sizes in Premier Inns are as follows: . Single (90x190cm -36 x 75 inches) · Double (135x190cm - 53 x 75 inches) · King size (150x200cm 60 x 79 inches) · Super king (180x200cm 71 x 79 inches).·

Globaliser is right (as usual) but I think that the "idea" of travelling on a high-speed train is an attraction for many Americans where trains are mostly just for commuting and Paris may well be a 'bucket list' thing. As has been mentioned, many cruisers do something similar, on a much less comfortable train, from Le Havre. Some English friends of ours have done it and although it is a fond memory, they have no wish to repeat the experience. They caught a very early train which meant no traffic problems in London, and slept for a lot of the journey both ways. They did not go up the Tour Eiffel as their interests were more for markets and museums. They had pre-booked tickets for the Louvre and had (an overpriced) lunch on a tourist bateau sailing up and down the Seine.

I would take the East coast route too - better views and shorter time. Start checking times and prices about 90 days out. Download the company app and see what's on offer. You don't need a ticket, you get a QR code to show the train manager. If you can find the time, it might pay to have a look at Kings Cross before you get there laden down with luggage. There are trolleys available but no porters so you will have to handle it yourself. This is the best video of the station I could find. It gives you a good feel for how big and busy it is.

For me it would depend on how "wonderful" the guide was. 10% of the tour cost for the group would be the absolute maximum, all the way down to no tip at all if the guide was less than great.

In London, the best free facilities are to be found in department stores. They tend to not make them easy to find though, so you may need to ask for directions.

All trains and busses between LHR and Dover require a change in London. If you look at a map you will see why. The only alternative would be a private-hire car which will be expensive. An overnight stay in London would make good sense, especially if you would have time to do some sightseeing.