leagle

The QM2 is not a freighter, but you are right, they do take dogs on the Trans-Atlantic crossings. It may be worth checking with Cunard about the position on cruises up the African coast.

If you ask your question on the Trip Advisor London Forum you are likely to get a good range of answers:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g186338-i17-London_England.html

but please, as a courtesy, use a currency converter to put your budget in the local currency of pounds sterling.

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

As a London resident who travels all over greater London for work, I really would not recommend staying in Croydon for sight seeing in London.

While the fastest train to London Victoria is 16 minutes (not 6 minutes!) it is more like 30 minutes to get a First Capital Connect train further into the centre, the trains are very crowded at rush hour (although to be fair, so is the tube) the fares before 9.30 am would certainly add up over a few days and aren't exactly free after that and unless you were right by the East Croydon station, it could be a bit of a trek to get to the station.

With some research and advanced booking, it should be possible to find a more central hotel for the cost of a Croydon hotel plus the daily train fare.

There is a wide range of people who post on the London Forum and certainly some with disabilities of various sorts.

You are likely to find it a helpful place to ask questions about visiting London (although do take into account difference in the English and the American sense of humour)

There is another reason for not being able to get a US passport: not being a US citizen.

If you are a citizen of a country without diplomatic relations with the US, you won't be able to get a passport for your own country while you are resdent (even legally) in the US. There can be a number of years with a green card but no citizenship.

As long as we are speculating without reference to specific facts.......

However, IMHO, it is always a good idea to have a passport, if you can, because you never know what wonderful opportunites could arise at short notice or which emergencies which could require air travel.

Boden goes up to a UK 22 (US 20) and, although it is a UK company, it has websites in both the UK and the US.

www.boden.co.uk and www.bodenusa.com

Their clothes aren't particularly cheap, but the sales are good and so, usually, is the quality. They also have a generous return policy.

BTW, their children's clothes, IMO, are particularly good.

Bravissimo sells dresses up to a UK 18 (US 16) but as their tops and dresses are designed for busty women, someone who takes a larger size to accommodate their bust often take a much smaller size in Bravissimo.

They ship around the world and their website can prices in several currencies.

Mollymoo18,

Monsoon often has some really nice evening dresses which go up to a UK 18, but are often cut fairly generously.

http://www.monsoon.co.uk/Dresses/Evening-Dresses/icat/eveningdresses

They also have a line of dressy knitted shrugs with 3/4 sleeves in lots of colours, including silver and gold.

Monsoon branches are all over the country (including Lancaster) but some branches have more evening wear than others, so it is worth ringing to ask.

If you want to push the boat out, Base in Convent Garden (size UK 16 up) in London dresses lots of opera singers and has some really beautiful clothes for curvy women who love who they are (and for those who would like too).

I once saw a young woman come into Base in the "fat girl uniform" of a long baggy t-shirt and leggings who clearly was trying to hide herself.

The Base sales ladies encouraged her into a jacket and skirt that made her look fantastic. Her whole demeanour changed as she looked into the mirror and smiled at what she saw.

I once tried on a simple, loose lavender silk trouser and top outfit so beautifully cut that would be perfect for the mother of the bride only if the mother hated her daughter and wanted to look so fabulous no one looked at the bride. (I didn't buy it, but I wish I had for a drop dead party outfit)

http://www.base-fashions.co.uk/