gumshoe958

Of course he never actually promised any revenue sailings out of Southampton. She could just stop off for a few hours en route from Turku - long enough to show her off to trade/media/influencers - before she heads straight to Miami.

I agree. But they’ll spin it as the return of an old friend, by popular demand. She did have plenty of fans in the UK among the traditionalists. And they’re less price sensitive.

He said that over a year ago. Asia & Australia were still closed. The US market still hadn’t fully bounced back. A lot has changed since, not least a new CEO with his own strategy. Sadly, treat it like a politician’s election pledge. Well-meaning but ultimately hollow.

Very easy: from the arrivals hall at Heathrow Terminal 2, follow signs for the Underground. Catch the Piccadilly line (every 5 minutes) direct to Gloucester Road (40 minute journey). The hotel is right next to the station. If you have a contactless debit or credit card or Apple/Google Pay on your phone you don’t need to buy a ticket, just tap in and tap out at the barriers.

Not if your card is enabled for contactless payments, no. You just tap it on the reader at the entrance to the platform, and again at the barrier at the exit at Centraal. If your card isn’t enabled for contactless, you’ll need to buy a ticket from the machines or ticket office.

Yes. Click on the “Which debit card can I use?” FAQ.

Yes you can if it’s a Visa or Mastercard. Details here: https://www.ns.nl/en/customer-service/payment/ovpay.html

No need to prebook. It’s only a 5 minute journey. There’ll be cabs outside the terminal - though there may be a line. Alternatively use Uber. You will be given a time to disembark and it’ll probably be before 9.30am, if not earlier, so you could have quite a wait. There are shops quite near the coach station if you need to kill time. Or you may be allowed to catch an earlier coach if there’s room.

I fear you might be right. An advance single from Southampton to Waterloo (Merseyside) at 10:15 or 11:15 on June 21st is £68.80. So @sacsarahsk please check your ticket as it may be to the wrong Waterloo and not valid to the right one. Waterloo (Merseyside) is a suburb of Liverpool, more than 200 miles away from London Waterloo!

£69??? Could you double check exactly what train ticket you’ve bought? The most expensive possible fare from Southampton to London Waterloo (apart from 1st class) is £52. And if you buy an advance ticket as recommended by @John Bull for June 21st, I’m seeing £19.30 for the 9am train and £17.70 for the 9:30am. I’m concerned you’ve bought a ticket to the wrong destination.

You’ll be fine. Heathrow can get very busy but mornings and lunchtimes are worst. It tends to quieten down in the afternoons.

Ok, didn’t know about Fred. Virtuosa was only there because at the time cruises were restricted to UK ports due to Covid. MSC haven’t been back since …

No drinks or snacks. Just a bit more room (although still no dedicated luggage space). For $12 it’s probably worth it as long as you keep your expectations low!

Absolutely no chance I’m afraid. Even the UK-based lines like P&O, Saga and Fred.Olsen - with much smaller ships - don’t home port in Liverpool. If there was a market, presumably someone would have cornered it.

Half a mile. Really easy!

It’s easily walkable, even with luggage, in about 10 minutes. Use the back exit from the station, where the ferries leave from, turn right and you’re there. Failing that there’s the tram #26, every few minutes.

If your carry-on fits through a standard airport scanner, you should be absolutely fine.

Easiest would be to jump in a cab outside the cruise terminal, or get an Uber. It’s about a 20 minute journey. Right now Uber is quoting £12, though obviously it may be more at peak cruise arrival time. Unless it’s essential that you’re on the road by 9am I wouldn’t worry about carrying off your luggage. The rental car company isn’t going to mind if you’re a bit late. And most ships want everyone off by not long after 9 anyway.

Go on the app, select the current Oasis sailing and you can see who’s playing when this week. Hopefully won’t change much before the 9th.

That would have been before the new MDR menus and reported cuts in the WJ though.

There is only one hotel actually at Terminal 2, the Hilton Garden Inn. That’s a short walk from the terminal and the tube/rail stations. All the other airport hotels (there are dozens) are off airport and involve a cab or bus ride. Also note that Heathrow does not allow hotels to operate their own shuttles, so you have to either use a city bus or the ‘Hoppa’ shuttle which is not free, often crowded and serves several hotels on each route.

I just can’t see it. Surely they’ll want to see how the first one goes before committing to another. Is there really enough demand for another so soon?

That feels more likely than a world cruise. They haven’t fully sold out Serenade yet, and she has less than half the capacity of Allure. And the ports visited would be restricted by her size.

All aboard time is normally 30 minutes before departure, so I would expect the last tender to leave at 6pm or shortly thereafter. You’ll be told the exact time when you’re on board.

Where does the cruise start? If it’s a closed loop, or it starts elsewhere in the European Union, there should be no passport control and it should be very quick. If you’re embarking outside the EU (eg on a TA) there will be passport control and there may be a line.