gumshoe958

Correct, once both schemes are up and running. Just like a British citizen who wants to visit the US and Canada needs both an ESTA and an eTA.

You mean contactless (tap in, tap out)? In The Netherlands, yes. In the UK, only in the London area.

First, have you confirmed with your rental car provider that one-way rentals from NL to UK are allowed? SIXT will do it, but I just checked some random dates and they want nearly $400 a day.

Absolutely fine.

The HGI is accessed from the arrivals level at T2 (Level 1 I think). From the arrivals hall you walk straight ahead, through the car park. It’s signed, all undercover and takes about 5 mins. If your excursion drops you off at departures just take the elevator down to arrivals. And yes, it is landside so you clear security after check in and bag drop for your flight.

Ok, $300 is more or less the minimum for central Amsterdam at the moment. You could have a look at Hotel Fita or the Catalonia Vondel to see if they suit. Or try the NH City Centre Amsterdam (NH is a big mid-range European chain). Also Banks Mansion is popular on CC although I suspect it’ll be well over $300. I wouldn’t expect any hotel to offer an airport shuttle. You’ll need a cab or a private shuttle if you don’t want to use the train.

What’s your budget for the hotel?

I would stick with the HGI. It’s attached to T2 but there are underground pedestrian tunnels, with moving walkways, linking T2 with T3 so it’s an easy walk that’ll take about 10 minutes. There is the Aerotel in T3 itself, which would be even more convenient, but note the rooms are very small with no windows, in case that’s an issue for you. The Sofitel at T5 is very nice but you would need to use a cab or public transport as T5 is nowhere near T3. If you choose an off-airport hotel, alternatives to the Hoppa are cabs, Ubers or frequent public city buses. Finally, check out https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/shore-excursions-and-cruise-transfers.html#tour-tab2 They are consistently recommended here. They’ll pick you (and your luggage) up from the cruise terminal at Southampton and drop you off at your hotel at Heathrow, with sightseeing stops en route (various options eg Salisbury, Stonehenge & Windsor, Bath & Windsor or the Cotswolds & Downton Abbey filming locations).

As things stand, I would expect a normal half-hourly service to run, and no I would not seek other transportation.

Ole Smoky moonshine.

West Quay Cars (based in Southampton) are consistently recommended on here, and promote Stonehenge stopovers as an option on their website. https://westquaycars.com/southampton-cruise-port-transfers/ Or at the London end Blackberry Cars are also frequently recommended, although they’re likely to be more expensive. https://www.blackberrycars.com

Yes, you’ll have time. Cobh isn’t a big place and everything’s easily walkable from the ship.

You could try Deal, a very attractive little seaside town with a castle that’s open to the public. Closer to Dover than Sandwich, on the same train line.

Yes, noon should be fine. You’d be unlucky if it took more than an hour to get landside. For added security, National Express do offer a £5 ‘Change & Go’ upgrade during the booking process, which allows you to swap to any coach 12 hours either side of the one you booked, as long as there’s space.

Heathrow Express sells advance tickets at a variety of different prices starting at £5.50, but the cheapest fares are strictly limited and once they sell out the price goes up to the next level (£7.50), then the next and so on. So it looks like you missed out on the cheapest tickets. But the easiest route from Heathrow to your hotel would actually be the Piccadilly line tube, which runs direct to Earl’s Court every 5-10 minutes. Your hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the station. The fare is £3.40 at peak times Mon-Fri, or £2.10 at all other times if you use a contactless payment card, Apple/Google Pay or an Oyster card. A paper ticket is £6.70.

The law requires a minimum of two weeks’ notice. So yes, there could be more to come.

Schengen has nothing to do with whether you can use self-service check-in kiosks at AMS. Nor does your nationality. It’s purely down to whether your airline has them or not. Some do, some don’t.

If you can go this year, Celebrity Edge is doing Rome-Dubai-Singapore leaving on Oct 30th. (And onwards to Sydney if you fancy a real adventure!)

The CLIA is in desperate damage limitation mode. General consensus seems to be that the existing city centre cruise terminal WILL close, but not for many years and even then ships will continue to visit Amsterdam, docking at either an existing or new terminal further out of town.

The price can go up or down, and most of us only think it’s worth it if it’s no more than two or three dollars more than the Voom price as apart from the internet the benefits are limited.

Indeed, but looking at a couple of random dates next July it’s $295 a night.

I’ve never been but The Stage Door is right next door - they do basic pub food (pies, burgers, fish & chips) and get decent reviews on Tripadvisor. http://www.thestagedoor.co.uk

You’ll be lucky to find anything in central Amsterdam for under $300 these days, let alone $200. You should think about looking further out of town - eg down near the RAI convention centre or the Amsterdam ArenA where rates are lower. They’re both on the train and the metro so very accessible, if not exactly in the centre of the action.

The Doubletree near Centraal Station is popular with cruisers due its proximity to both the station and the port. But, as with most Amsterdam hotels, prices have doubled this year and it’s no longer a cheap option. But there’s another Doubletree at NDSM Wharf, across the river, which is often much cheaper and is easily accessible via frequent free ferry from behind the station. Also check out the ibis Amsterdam Centre, right next to Centraal Station. They’re a reliable no-frills budget chain.

You would be fine with 11:00, or noon to be absolutely sure. For a short-haul intra-EU flight you can happily check in 90 minutes before departure.