gumshoe958

Jersey’s far better 😉

Yes, London is increasingly becoming cashless these days. You can’t use cash at all on buses and if you use it at ticket machines on the tube you’ll pay two or three times more than you would if you “tap in” and “tap out” with a contactless card or with Apple/Google Pay on your phone. As mentioned above, in restaurants the service charge is often added on automatically and the whole bill can be paid by card. Additional tips are NOT required or expected unless the bill clearly states “service not included”. You might want to tip cab drivers but if you use Uber, again that’s all cashless on the app.

For a cab you might be better off going one more stop to Connolly, which is much busier.

The DART runs every 15 minutes on a Saturday. I would suggest getting off at Tara Street station, then it’s a 5 minute walk over the river to Abbey Street where you can catch the Luas (tram) to Heuston which is a 10-15 minute walk to the Guinness Storehouse. Alternatively it’s a 30-40 minute walk from Tara Street station, past Trinity College and Dublin Castle.

No, Southampton to Heathrow Terminal 5 and Central (for T2/3) is direct every couple of hours. Only T4 requires a change but that’s just a short train ride within the airport.

Same with European sailings where the price is typically $1 more than in the US (but still covered by the C&A vouchers).

Yes, at Zeebrugge you’re always bussed from the ship to the terminal. It’s a very short journey and the buses run frequently but if you just miss one there’ll be a short wait.

No.

It’s very easy to do on your own by train. Just get to the nearest main station to the port (Blankenberge) by taxi, tram or cruise line shuttle bus, then there’s an hourly direct train to Ghent which takes about 45 minutes.

There is a taxi rank next to the coach station but it’s not very busy so you may have to wait for a cab to turn up. That journey is barely half a mile so you may find it quicker to walk (10-12 minutes). Also note the hotel is a standard Holiday Inn, not an Express.

Should be doable - the Megabus stop is only a 10 minute cab ride from the terminals and most ships tend to start disembarkation around 7. Note that Megabus is a ‘low cost’ operation and doesn’t use the National Express coach station in Southampton but a different stop in the city centre instead. And I think you’ll have to change coaches in Birmingham with a 70 minute layover, so time to stretch your legs and grab a quick lunch.

The driver will load your luggage into the coach. According to Heathrow porters are available for £30 to help you get your luggage through customs and out to the bus station. https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/airport-services/porters

I haven’t been to Stornoway but I’ve been to Kirkwall on Anthem of the Seas and it was definitely not tendered.

You don’t have to buy tickets in advance but it’ll be cheaper if you do, and you’ll be guaranteed to get on the coach if it’s full. But there are ticket machines at all the Heathrow stops, or you can buy a mobile ticket online once you’ve landed. As for flexibility, apparently you can pay £5 extra for a ‘Change & Go’ add-on which allows the following: Board any available coach 12 hours before or after your original departure time Amend your ticket to a new departure date - free of charge Refund on your ticket up to 24 hours before departure So if your flight is delayed, then there's no need to panic; you can just hop on the next available coach. Simply add the 'Change & Go' option to your ticket in the Add Extras section of the booking process. (source: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/airports/heathrow)

I haven’t, no. But they’re the only rental company with a location right at the port. Otherwise your only option really is a cab to the airport as buses would take at least an hour each way and involve changing in the city centre (even though it’s about half a mile as the crow flies!).

Despite being right behind the runway, I’m not aware of any direct bus from the port to the airport. It would be easiest to get a cab. Alternatively, SIXT car rental apparently have a location right at the port. If you’re planning to stay within Belfast city I wouldn’t bother with a car. There’s a HOHO bus that’ll take you round all the main points of interest. And while the city centre is perfectly safe and walkable, bearing in mind Belfast’s troubled recent history it’s quite easy to unwittingly drive into nearby areas that it probably wouldn’t be advisable to visit alone. A car might be useful if you plan to explore outside the city though, like the Giants Causeway.

It’s only a 10 minute cab ride to the station, so you should be fine any time after 9am - maybe even earlier if you disembark quickly. The train takes about 1 hour 20 mins and they normally run every half hour. Note if you book a cheaper “Advance Single” ticket, you must travel on the specific train you booked (although you won’t have a specific seat reserved on it). The more expensive “Anytime Single” is much more flexible and allows you to travel on any train that day.

Initially, certainly. But Royal knows full well it’ll soon be forgotten and the whiners will quickly move on and find something else to moan about. And of course the first-timers won’t miss what they never had.

Yes, in the mall Bill’s does a nice breakfast. There are also restaurants inside the John Lewis and M&S department stores, or there’s a McDonald’s, Krispy Kreme and Costa Coffee for something quicker.

As @fruitmachine said, the 94b bus runs from opposite the port entrance to Queens Road, just around the corner from the Titanic Experience. The first direct bus leaves at around 10.40am; there are others before that (route 94) but they miss out the Titanic stop so it’s a slightly further walk from the nearest stop (but still only about 10 minutes). Note - the 94 and 94b only run on weekdays, there’s no service on Saturdays or Sundays so if you’re there at the weekend a taxi or tour is really your only option. From Titanic to the city centre you can either walk (20-30 mins) or get the G2 Glider bus from Queens Road (the stop opposite the one the 94b drops off at). And from the city back to the ship the 94/94b run hourly from Wellington Square until 5pm. Journey time is around 20 mins. Again, no service at weekends though.

Yes, it’s an easy walk from Amsterdam cruise terminal to Centraal station, otherwise you can catch tram #26 from near the terminal which will take you to the station in about 5 minutes. Or there are cabs. Amsterdam to Wiesbaden can be done with just one change of train, at Frankfurt Airport. There is one on a Sunday from Amsterdam Centraal at 9:07am which takes just over 5 hours. That should be easily doable as long as you’re off the ship by around 8:30.

VS use Terminal 3. You will need to walk to the central bus station. There’s an underground walkway, with travelators (if they’re working), direct from the arrivals hall and elevators up to the bus station. Just follow the signs.

Arrivals level, from bus stops 13-15 just outside the terminal.

That’s the standard adult comedy show, on most nights in the comedy club. Reservations are essential because the venue’s so small. There's normally also a separate, family comedy show in the main theatre on one night. Reservations for that aren’t normally required.

A 10.30 flight is cutting it fine IMHO, assuming it’s transatlantic. It’s doable, but you’re leaving very little contingency time. Ideally you’ll need to be at the airport by 8.30 and should allow half an hour to get there, so you’d need to be off Symphony by 8 at the latest. Which is easy if you’re self-disembarking, less so if you’re not. I guess you could ask at guest services for a priority disembarkation slot and hope your luggage is taken off promptly. Note that because Symphony is so big she’ll actually take up two terminals and luggage will be delivered to both so you need to make sure you go to the right one (it’ll depend on the number on your tag). There’s plenty of walking involved so if you need assistance you should book it. Whichever terminal you arrive at, taxis are readily available right outside. There may be a short queue but it’s very efficient so you shouldn’t be waiting long. Shows can now be booked online in advance, in your cruise planner. I think I read reservations open on the 1st of the preceding month - so July.