gumshoe958

Cabs can take you right into the centre of Bruges, yes, so they’ll be the fastest option. Having never taken one I couldn’t tell you how many there are. I have never seen a long line of them waiting at the terminal - or for that matter any waiting - but then I’ve never looked for them so maybe they’ve been there and I just haven’t noticed them. Sorry. As for whether a cab would take you to Zeebrugge-Strand station, again I couldn’t tell you. My guess would be yes, and it would probably cost about €10 or less, but the driver wouldn’t be over the moon about it when they’re expecting a nice €62 fare into Bruges. If you don’t want to walk to the train station you can catch the coastal tram which stops at ‘Kerk’, about a 5 minute walk from the cruise terminal. It’s only two stops to the ‘Strandwijk’ stop, then another 5 minute walk to Zeebrugge-Strand station. OR stay on the tram 4 more stops to Blankenberge and catch a train from there.

Until Sunday 27th August the trains run from Zeebrugge-Strand 7 days a week. From Monday 28th they run from Zeebrugge-Dorp on weekdays and Zeebrugge-Strand at weekends. Adventurous because people happy to walk for half an hour to get a train are a rare commodity on CC! I thought I was the only one who did that! Don’t forget to factor into your timings the unavoidable shuttle bus ride between the ship and the cruise terminal. It takes less than 5 minutes but if you just miss one you may have to wait for the next one to fill up. Ship to train should take 45-50 mins but I’d allow a bit more to be safe.

Interesting to see whether IJmuiden takes over as the main port for Amsterdam. It’s nowhere near as convenient, with poor transport links, but ultimately it’s Amsterdam that most tourists want to see, not Rotterdam.

Yes, or the previous stop Blackfriars which is a bit closer to your hotel. The Thameslink trains run up to 8 times an hour (final destination is usually Brighton, Horsham or Three Bridges). At Gatwick the rail station is directly linked to the South Terminal - no more than a 5 minute walk to check in. If your flight leaves from North Terminal there’s a free automated transit that departs from next to the station.

It’s available to bid for in case the current occupants cancel at the last minute. They probably won’t but in the unlikely event that they do, RoyalUp means there’s a queue of people willing to pay $$$$ to take their place.

All good advice. The whole journey can also be done by rail, by catching any train from Charing Cross to London Bridge (all trains go there), then transferring to the frequent direct service down to Gatwick. Charing Cross is less than a 5 minute walk from your hotel, and the total journey time is between 45 and 60 minutes.

I should point out that Zeebrugge-Strand station is only served 7 days a week during the summer holidays. The rest of the year, it’s only served at weekends and during the week trains run to & from Zeebrugge-Dorp station instead, which is slightly closer to the cruise terminal (a 20-25 minute walk).

That is indeed an option for the more adventurous. Trains leave Zeebrugge-Strand at roughly 5 past each hour and return from Bruges at about 35 past, taking 17 minutes.

This. A rethink is required. It’s the same distance as Cape Liberty to Atlantic City or Hartford CT. At rush hour.

There’ll be plenty of taxis, and it’s only a 5-10 minute drive to the coach station, depending on which terminal you arrive at. Disembarkation at Southampton is normally very quick. Very occasionally the UK Border Force does spot checks which slows things down, but that’s unlikely to be an issue for cruises that start and end at Southampton.

Train strikes are always a possibility, yes. But they’re not that frequent and you’d be unlucky to encounter one. And there’s always at least two weeks’ notice, giving you time to find a Plan B. So I wouldn’t overthink it if that’s your preferred option. Finding a taxi won’t be a problem, there might just be a bit of a wait. National Express is ok but very, very slow. The cruise line shuttle and tour are massively overpriced. You’re basically paying an extra £100 per person to take you the last mile in Dover and guarantee you’ll make the ship. If there’s more than one of you you might as well get a cab, it’ll probably work out cheaper. So all things considered I’d go for the train. And come back here for advice if there’s a strike - there are always options.

Notifying them in advance just means they can confirm a seat on your new departure if it’s not already sold out. If you don’t notify them in advance it’s up to the driver whether to let you on, which will come down to whether there’s space. If it’s full, it’s full but if it’s not they’ll let you on. I would always buy in advance - (a) because it’s cheaper and (b) because you’re guaranteed a seat if everything goes to plan, which it does in the vast majority of cases. So I would stick with your plan and book the 2000 departure. If you’re lucky you might even make the 1730. And I’m sure you’re aware but Terminals 2/3, 4 and 5 have their own separate stops so make sure you check which terminal your flight arrives at and book the right one.

Avonmouth station is on the other side of the river from the port, and there’s no crossing.

Well that’s a new one on me - I never even knew cruises called there! The port is in a very industrial area - there is literally nothing nearby. So you’ll either need a taxi or you’ll have to rely on whatever shuttle option the cruise line lays on (and I’m pretty certain they’ll lay on something even if they don’t tell you about it until you’re on board). The port website has more details and a cab company number if you want to pre-book: https://www.bristolport.co.uk/cruise/finding-bristol-cruise-terminal

There’s no return fare as such on Oyster/Contactless - that £13.20 is actually just two £6.60 one-way journeys. But it still works out slightly cheaper than buying a paper return ticket.

Euston to Watford Junction (off-peak) fares: Adult one-way paper ticket - £12.20 Adult return paper ticket - £13.80 Adult one-way Oyster/contactless - £6.60 Adult return Oyster/contactless - £13.20 Child one-way paper ticket - £6.10 Child return paper ticket - £6.90

It’s about 1.5 miles from hotel to terminal, so about a 30 minute walk. And not a particularly nice one through the docks. So a cab may be preferable. There are plenty of places to eat within easy walking distance of your hotel but one that’s been recommended recently is https://dancingmanbrewery.co.uk which is a 5 minute walk away.

A taxi is your best option with luggage. True, they’d much rather have an £80 fare into central London but I think Bath Road is close enough for them to be allowed to jump the normal queue to return to the rank at the airport. So you’ll be fine. There are thousands of hotel rooms on Bath Road and people have to get there somehow so the cab drivers are perfectly used to it, even if they don’t particularly like it. And yes, avoid the Hoppa if possible!

Sadly not in Southampton though. Portsmouth and Bournemouth are the nearest.

Banks and post offices will only accept them if you have an account with them. Technically, if you just want to exchange them you have to take them to the Bank of England in London. The obvious workaround would be to ask a British friend to exchange them for you, then they can pay them into their bank account.

@chpal Tilbury is, frankly, grim. As is everything near it. Unless you’re into oil terminals. There’s a large (by British standards) shopping mall called Lakeside not far away which is only a couple of stops (7 minutes) away on the train - the station is called Chafford Hundred and trains run every 30 minutes, continuing on to London. Or, as already mentioned, in the other direction by train there’s Southend - a traditional English seaside resort and very popular with Londoners on a sunny day. But I’d be minded to catch the ferry over to Gravesend which departs from right next to the cruise terminal and is actually easier to get to than Tilbury itself. The ferry runs about every 30 minutes, only takes 5-10 minutes and costs £5.50 for a round trip. It doesn’t run on Sundays though. Gravesend itself is also grim but you can hop on a train a couple of stops to the ancient and attractive city of Rochester for its cathedral: https://www.rochestercathedral.org and its castle: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/rochester-castle/ - then either walk or get the train one more stop to neighbouring Chatham for its Historic Dockyard: https://thedockyard.co.uk. That would be a nice day.

If there’s a cruise ship in town, you can bet there’ll be taxis lined up outside the station. You may have to wait a few minutes if demand temporarily exceeds supply, but it shouldn’t be long.

Yes, you can walk.

It’s Royal’s punishment for moaning about Anthem.

Use the app to look at the current sailing, that’ll give you an idea of times and shows.