John Bull

Its a long walk, so pretty strenuous uphill - few walk up but many use the donkeys (actually they're mules) . But going down is pretty easy, about 20 minutes. A few bars & shops near the top & at the bottom, glorious views all the way A picture paints a thousand words, plenty of YouTube videos by googling "Santorini Donkey Path" & clicking on videos. Here's one, but these folk lucked-in because it's almost deserted, it's usually much busier so check a few other videos JB 🙂

If the one you remember is Smiths for Airports - which was by far the most popular on these pages - sadly they are now history, a casualty of the pandemic. Probably the best for price, and I've only heard positives about the service is https://vikingcars.co.uk/ They're based in Southampton, so only suitable for journeys which involve Southampton or Portsmouth or places nearby like Winchester or the New Forest. Ditto https://paragontaxis.co.uk/ and https://gunwharf-executive-travel.co.uk/ Any private transfer service from central London will be much more expensive than from London Heathrow or London Gatwick - expect to pay somewhere near £200. That compares to the train from London Waterloo https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ at about £15 pp (but that price only with Advance tickets) or bus from London Victoria https://www.nationalexpress.com/en at about £10 pp (advance purchase strongly advised) JB 🙂

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic, https://www.londontoolkit.com/hotel-area/southampton-cruise-terminals-and-port-hotels/ The thumbnail map on this website (shown on @ziggyuk's post above) shows the locations of the hotels, cruise terminals, and rail & coach stations. All of the hotels on that map are within a £10 taxi ride of any cruise terminal, those between blue No 4 and blue no 15 on the map are most-convenient for city centre shops, the city's few historic sights, pubs, restaurants, etc. Most but not all of the city centre hotels are listed. You get what you pay for, but the only one I'd counsel against is the Mercure Dolphin, whose future is uncertain. Update - the Holiday Inn is now VOCO, another of HGI's brands - it's very popular with those cruising out of City Cruise Terminal (berth 101) because it's right by the port gate, and rooms at the rear overlook the ship. Assuming you won't have a car it's best to stick to a hotel within that map. Some threads about hotels.... https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3060351-hotels-in-southampton/page/2/#comment-69012047 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3070622-southampton-uk-must-sees/#comment-69018895 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3068261-hotel-in-southampton/#comment-68959023 JB 🙂

⚫Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect £100 JB 😉

Some cruise lines provide an in-cabin kettle and tea-makings. This includes P&O (UK), and Princess & a couple of other cruise lines when sailing out of UK ports. IIRC same applies (applied a few years ago) to Princess sailings out of Aus, probably also P&O (Aus). Those cruise lines know that we Brits & Colonials like our morning cuppa. Name your cruise line (or potential cruise lines) and ask on https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/564-australia-new-zealand-cruisers/ and https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/48-australia-amp-new-zealand/ Bringing your own kettle or coffee-maker is taboo, because the ship needs to know that they're safe and within the power limitations of the cabin wiring. If there's no other way, one of you will have to trot along to a drinks station and bring back your brew. Don't trust the urns of coffee at daft o'clock in the morning, they may have been stewing for 4 or 5 hours so instead use hot water and sachets - even if the only coffee sachets are decaff. JB 🙂

Yes, for Stonehenge it's important that you book admission thro them - tickets issued to coach tour operators (and the ho-ho from Salisbury) allow admission at any time. But for tickets purchased on-line you have to book a half-hour arrival window - if you arrive after that window or if you buy at the gate, and Stonehenge is fully-subscribed you may be denied access until there's a quiet period. That could totally screw-up your day JB 🙂

Have rented with https://www.cicar.com/EN on most Canary islands. Highly-rated Canary Islands operator with good modern clean cars, sensible fuel policy, cars at most cruise ports or transfers included at others. And no rip-offs. And, as @alserrod mentioned, maps and info CDs. I have no hesitation in recommending them JB 🙂

International Friends, mentioned by @markeb is a long-established & reputable coach tour operator. They are well-reviewed on Cruise Critic and their most-popular door-to-door cruise tour-transfer is via Salisbury, Stonehenge & Windsor. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/shore-excursions-and-cruise-transfers.html#tour-tab2 A private tour-transfer would be expensive, mainly because of waiting time at the stops and the empty one-way journey. You won't get a knowledgeable guide for a private tour-transfer, and in any case independent guides aren't permitted at places like Windsor Castle (but it has audio-guides). But you could check with private transfer operators. Try https://vikingcars.co.uk/ https://gunwharf-executive-travel.co.uk/ JB 🙂

Several threads on Southampton hotels & places of interest on the first page of this forum. And google "visit Southampton UK" See the thumbnail map at the foot of https://www.londontoolkit.com/hotel-area/southampton-cruise-terminals-and-port-hotels/ Stick to accommodation within that map, ideally close to the city shopping area or old town. One or two smaller hotels in that area aren't on that map, and Holiday Inn has become a Voco hotel - another IHG brand. For a one-night stay without a car, avoid the two Holiday Inn Expresses (Southampton West and M27 Jct 7) and the two Hiltons (Doubletree at Chilworth and Rose Bowl at West End). All are on the city outskirts with limited local facilities. JB 🙂

Yes, if there's engineering work on that part of the line, the rail replacement buses will pick up at Southampton Central. Probably taking you to meet the train at Eastleigh, or possibly a little closer at Southampton Parkway/Airport. On a sunday there are marginally fewer trains, but no commuters or business travellers. JB 🙂

The Star is an 18th/19th Century coaching inn. I take the same view as yourself, lodgings that are part of the local scene rather than bland cloned chain hotels. We've stayed in a log cabin in Colorado, Art Deco hotel on Miami South Beach, Ottoman house in Istanbul, rondavel and a French colonial house in South Africa, an original motel on Route 66, hunting lodge & safari tent in Tanzania, etc etc. Such choices have their drawbacks and, as you say, the Star gets pretty meh reviews. The Pig in the Wall (built into the city wall) and Ennio's (converted from a waterfront warehouse) are better but pricey. I 've not been in the Star, but it has an attractive & historic frontage. Location might be a little noisy in the evening, but very convenient for pubs, restaurants, shops, etc and only a short taxi hop to any cruise terminal. It's one of the few old-town buildings that survived the WW2 blitz. For instance it's just a few yards from Holyrood Church, which was destroyed in the bombing and the ruin is now a monument to sailors of the Merchant Navy, unsung heroes of the Atlantic convoys. Enough old-town sights in walking distance, but you need to be aware that much of "old town" was rebuilt post-war so those sights sit uncomfortably cheek-by-jowl with post-war buildings. Links in my post on https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3070512-enough-time-in-southampton-port/#comment-69011983 JB 🙂

Travel to London on a turnaround day would give you very little time, and if you have to re-register on the ship & attend the safety briefing rather than just return 30 mins before sailing it'd be impossible. Even travel to somewhere more local like Stonehenge or Portsmouth isn't worthwhile. The only place that would work is to take the train to the cathedral city of Winchester - frequent trains, journey time under 20 mins, return fare under £10. But altho it's not a tourist city, Southampton has more than enough to interest a visitor for a day................ https://tudorhouseandgarden.com/ It's in the same street as https://www.dukeofwellingtonsouthampton.co.uk/ mentioned by @shippmates or, at the bottom of that street https://dancingmanbrewery.co.uk/wool-house-history/ . Both are historic pubs which serve food. Mebbe then walk the city wall up to the Bargate (the walled city's main entrance) and shopping centre. Or if you're interested in aircraft https://www.solentsky.org/ is an excellent volunteer-run aircraft museum which majors on aircraft built or operated in Southampton, including the iconic Spitfire and flying boats & seaplane. All of the above are an easy walk from Cunard's usual berth at Ocean Cruise Terminal (berth 46), but Cunard's other berth (QE Terminal, berth 38/39) is deep in the docks and needs a short taxi hop. https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/ https://seacitymuseum.co.uk/ majors on the Titanic story. Very few artefacts, but excellent dioramas. It's at the top end of the city centre, about a 20 minute walk up the main street (Above Bar St) from old town. Other sights on this website https://www.visitsouthampton.co.uk/ JB 🙂

Yes, Nat Express changed that Gatwick to Southampton route some time ago. I used to advise that travel to Southampton was best by train, except sundays when I advised Nat Express was the better option because on sundays the direct rail route didn't operate & by train involved an awkward three-train route. And Southern Rail changed their London Victoria - Gatwick - Southampton route to terminate in Portsmouth instead of Southampton. So Gatwick to Southampton now involves a simple same-platform change at little Ford or Barnham or Havant (which of those stations I believe depends which direction). Not ideal and adds a few minutes to journey time, but it's an easy change and that route also operates on a sunday. So now I recommend by train 7 days a week. (But just to complicate matters, the journey can also be done via a change at Clapham Junction - that's quicker but the change at Clapham Junction is challenging with luggage and the fare is around £50 compared to about £20 via the south coast route) Don't ya just love railway timetables & fares 🙄 JB 🙂

That's definitely not over-thinking 🤔 JB 🙂

Credit cards, boarding cards, and even bills aren't a problem as long as you have a secure pocket. Easiest to leave phones on the ship. If you're on a beach busy with cruisers you can ask a neighbour to keep any other stuff by them. Choose folk with the same ship's towels as your own. They might later ask you to do the same for them JB 🙂

Queues for the cablecar depend very much on the time of day. Those day-trip coaches that I mentioned mainly arrive after 9.30/10am - and that's usually when the queue starts to lengthen considerably. So it depends on when your ship is scheduled and how quickly you can get to the lower cablecar station (about 35 minute walk or 10 mins by taxi but some taxis won't take you, preferring to wait for a more-lucrative trip). As below, from the upper station it's pretty easy to include the Apes Feeding Station, the Skywalk and St Michael's Cave (if there's a strong wind the cablecar service is suspended - awful pun intended 😉) If you bale out of Blands'' coach at St Michael's Cave it's a reasonably easy (by Gib. standards) 15 minute walk the same way as the vans up to the the Skywalk and Apes Feeding Station. Then you can choose to walk down - about 45 minutes, starting with steep direct steps down from the Apes Feeding Station - or carry on another 5- 10 mins to the Top of the Rock (almost 360 deg views) & take the cablecar down or back to the Feeding Station to walk back down. This gives you poor value out of Blands' fare, but a much better experience, and more flexibility, than sticking with Blands down to the Apes Den. (btw to speed-up its operation, the cablecar mid-station near the Apes Den is closed in the season) Or take the easier, more complete and probably not wildly more expensive, option of an Upper Rock van tour from the cruise terminal. Those are your main options, the choice is yours. JB 🙂

Southampton is a very reliable port - it's well-sheltered by the Isle of Wight, it has a "double tide", and being a turnaround port it's the most important for reliability - so if the itinerary is delayed by mechanical or weather issues the captain will miss the penultimate port in order to arrive on time. https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/ (ignore references to 5.30am, 6 am etc, that's when the ship is scheduled to arrive at its berth) I can't be sure of every ship, but in Southampton passengers disembark from most cruise ships at around 7am (unassisted) and regular disembarkation (collect your bags at the cruise terminal) is in tranches from 7.30. If you're allocated a late disembarkation slot you can go to Guest Relations to ask for an earlier slot (and coloured luggage tags to suit), citing your onward travel arrangements --------------------------------------- Travel to London by train is massively cheaper, and quicker and more reliable than by road, especially on a weekday morning. But most big maintenance jobs are carried out on a sunday, sometimes a saturday as well, and this would add to your journey time. This is routine work and plenty of notice is given https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/status-and-disruptions/?operatorCode=SW But since road traffic into London is light on a saturday or sunday morning you might want to consider that option if the journey is affected by scheduled track maintenance I've never heard of "London International CIV tickets". Whilst there may be compensation for a late train, the fare will surely be a lot higher than the cheapest which will be from approx £15 But split-ticketing (buying separate tickets for parts of a train journey, even when remaining on the same train for the entire journey as is the case for SOU to WAT) is only worth investigating for long train journeys, and definitely doesn't work for the 90 minute journey from Southampton to London Waterloo - in fact it does the opposite, because on that route cheap "Advance" tickets aren't available for travel between intermediate stations. So for train travel to London, buy Advance tickets from about £15 rather than the walk-up fare of about £50. Advance tickets are available from about 12 weeks out, but only valid for the train time that you book. Try a dummy on https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ for about 10 weeks from now to see the different fares & frequencies. I'd suggest a train at 8.30am to 9.30am With luggage I'd choose to take a London cab for the 3 to 4 miles from the rank at Waterloo to St Pancras International station, but I'll defer to any Londoner who suggests otherwise. I don't know my stuff on Eurostar, but I know that - like international ferries - you need to register at the station well before your train time. I hope this helps more than it confuses JB 🙂

The Blands coaches' base is at the mid-town coach park - the bulk of their trade is with day--trippers coming from the Spanish Costa Del Sol resorts by touring coaches.. It's a five minute walk from Casemates Square. Their tour isn't the same as the Upper Rock van tour. It sticks to roads accessible for its mid-size coaches (about 26 passengers). So its goes to Europa Point, which the Upper Rock vans don't. This is the southernmost point and not very high. The van tours instead go to the Pillars of Hercules monument, partway up the Rock. Not an impressive monument, but elevated views across the Straits to Morocco. Mid-size coaches and vans all then go up the Rock to St Michael's Cave (elevated westerly views from here) But from the Cave the vans continue up to the Apes Feeding Station on the ridge (views east & west), but mid-size coaches aren't permitted beyond the Cave so they turn back to visit the Apes Den, halfway up the western side of the Rock near the cablecar middle station. There'll be plenty of apes (actually tail-less monkeys if I want to be pedantic) at both places, but the Apes Den is at a much lower elevation, with only westerly views. The van tours then include the Great Siege Tunnel & Galleries (with perpendicular northerly views over the airport & border). Not included in Blands tour - again their mid-size coaches are too big. I can't comment on value-for-money because I don't know the current price of the van tours. But IMHO the van tours are significantly better than Blands' coach tours. Give it some thought JB 🙂

Some tipping is quite commonplace in the UK, but at half the US level or less, and entirely voluntary. But no, tipping porters at the cruise terminal isn't the norm. So don't 😉 JB 🙂

Like most places in Gib., they'll accept either. Probably Euros at a slightly poorer rate, but as a cruiser you're unlikely to need GBP anywhere else so Euros are simpler. Or they accept cards. For the standard Upper Rock tour it's simplest to wing-it by getting off the ship near the front of the herd - the van will fill & you'll be away in double-quick time. The tour includes a photo-stop at the Pillars of Hercules monument (southerly views), then stops to go into St Michael's Cave (or stay outside for western views), I think at the fairly new Skywalk (almost 360 deg views ), the Apes Feeding Station, (westerly & (up a few steps) easterly views), and the Great Siege tunnel & galleries (northerly views). Driver can take you back to the ship, but folk generally bale out in town at Casemates Square to explore the duty-free shops & minor sights of Main Street, grab a bite or a beer (pubs in Main Street tend to offer better fare than cafes in Casemates Square). Then it's a 20 / 25 minute walk or taxi back to the ship If you want to customise a tour you'd have to pre-book a van (6 to 8 people). Various operators. JB 🙂

For mid-summer a Baltic cruise would be ideal in your time-scale - Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, perhaps Norway or a little corner of Germany, and Amsterdam & Belgium if sailing from the UK. But not all of those places in 7 - 9 days.. Ireland won't fit into a Baltic cruise, atho you could fly out or back via Dublin (I do love spending other people's money😊) For sailings from England, Dover is a little closer than Southampton altho both would likely cost you an extra sea-day. Closer to the Baltic there are a few sailings from English & Scottish North Sea ports, but you'd have to dig deep into the Interweb cos they're marketed to Brits. But best Baltic value would be sailing out of Copenhagen or Stockholm, mebbe Amsterdam. mebbe others The Baltic is one of those areas where by cruise ship is the best way to visit. By other means you'd spend all your time in the air or on roads or in ferries as well a checking in & out of hotels. Back to the Med. Either - Western. Mainly Spain, France & the west coast of Italy but some include Gibraltar, Morocco, Tunisia or Malta. - or Eastern. The Aegean - Venice, Slovenia, Croatia, mebbe Montenegro and/or Albania - Greece, Turkey, Egypt & Israel in due course) . But again, not all of those. But - if you can spend longer - you might want to consider a road-trip instead of a cruise. Car rental & driving are pretty easy - tho' Turkey is more problematic by road. JB 🙂

Those ships aren't the problem, and never have been. In smaller ports or islands it's the 4,000 to 6,000 pax ships that over-run the place. Understandably the leviathans offer lower prices than boutique ships. And the days of good-value small old ships have pretty-well gone, so altho' not ideal for us we're guilty of sailing mega-ships a few times. Cruise ships bring a far far lower spend than those who vacation in a place. No trade for hotels apart from some cruisers spending a few days at a turnaround port, rarely any food other than a daytime snack, very very rarely any evening trade. But a lot of over-tourism complaints have nothing to do with cruising - they are the result of the rise of AirB&B and similar organisations, which have sent property and rental prices rocketing beyond the income of locals. That's what grieves the inhabitants of places like Barcelona and the Canaries That has added to the "second home" trend over the past few decades, something which affects the area where we live. In much of the world, including the USA & Europe there have been various moves by local authorities to combat mega-ships, short-term rentals and second homes, but they've lagged behind the trends. C'est la vie JB 🙂

I suspect - nay, I HOPE - that your post was tongue in cheek No, you’re way out on the reasons why we travel . It’s to see the world and its people.And that means road trips, rail trips and city breaks as well as cruises. And getting lost from time to time is all part of the experience. I used to back-pack, carry my holiday home in a rucksack along with a primes stove, a pan and a kettle - quite the reverse of the reasons that you mention, But my bones have aged and become perhaps a little too well-upholstered so those days are behind me. There are folk who totally relax on vacation, laze on the beach or by the pool of an all-inclusive hotel. I guess they might fit your description, but why not. Each to their own JB 😃

Operator is https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/london-heathrow-to-southampton-via-windsor-castle.html Good long-established & reputable coach operator. If you see something similar advertised elsewhere it's a pound to a penny that it's the same tour via an agency JB 🙂

This is a continuation of long-term works on the line near Southampton - long-term because they try to avoid screwing up travel for commuters & businesses on weekdays, so work is concentrated on sundays and occasional saturdays. Cheap Advance tickets are available from about 12 weeks out, so they're now available for both 13th & 14th September. And the line appears to be fully open as usual on the saturday. But on the sunday rail-replacement buses for the last 7 miles, between Eastleigh and Southampton Central This is a well-practiced routine, so it should be slick - but it does mean switching to a bus at Eastleigh. With luggage that's normally no fun. but because the track beyond is closed beyond Esatleigh they'll probably switch the train to the London-bound track - that's the platform right by the buses. Yes, it involves a bit of faffing and an extra 20 to 30 minutes to your journey time, but not horrendous and still quicker than Nat. Express buses. Even for that day, let the location of your London hotel dictate whether to take the train or the bus. JB 🙂