Ash - Sorry you find a 6-7hr coach journey(used to be 5.5hrs in the 70/80!?!?) or delay ridden East Coast Main line(my son is in Uni in London, I could go on for hours!!) and then a hour plus tube ride, never mind dragging your cases onto the tube! As apposed to connecting out of NCL!?!?
AMS - Is much better for bags connecting than they ever were in the 90's and I find just walking between gates in one building great. Plus KLM have always treated me very well.
DXB - If you heading East has got to be the way to go, I suppose I have to say that but I get talking to many pax's sitting next to me on 35 or 36 and have never heard a bad story! For me home to home as it were UAE are the biz.
LHR - Well my son waited over an hour for bags in T3 the other day!
Security well can be interesting the world over, its a low(ish) paid job in some countries so one persons interpretation of the rules can vary!! I find NCL very good. Try the USA these days!!!!!