PhilbeachTraveller

As Globaliser says, it's the weekends that are the worst. This should only be weekends until about mid September, once the school holidays are over. You should be fine getting a taxi, it's not far, but just give yourself some time if you are doing this at a weekend as the side roads may well be busy.

I live near Dover and have done this trip loads of time. We always take the tube from LHR to London Kings Cross St Pancras and then get the 'fast' train to Dover. That's the quickest way in my opinion. The tube can get quite busy but as you are at the beginning stop, there's lots of room and it'll get filled up as you approach city centre. But at least you'll have a seat! 

I agree with John Bull about staying overnight in Dover. There are some nice places to visit around there!

So far no more strikes have been annouced but even on strike days you may be lucky as there will be a few trains running. The main thing about London to Dover is there are always engineering works going on at weekends so they replace part of the way with a bus. On the 31st July it looks like it'll be ok; there are some engineering works but not on the Dover train line.

22 hours ago, Clairescurtains said:

Thanks, I didn't even think of google.

An appointment would be great however knowing when I will be available might be difficult being at the mercy of the b2b process.

Sorry, but none of them are open on a Sunday.

On 5/3/2022 at 3:58 PM, mtarledge said:

What time should we leave Aldgate/Whitechapel hotel via private transport to get to Dover Cruise Terminal on time? Is Sunday morning traffic lighter or about the same? There are 6 of us ages 64+ so schlepping luggage to train station would be problematic.

It's settled down a bit now so not such a problem getting to Dover. Sunday is usually not so busy but you just never know! It takes about 90 minutes to drive from East London (where you are staying) but I'd give 2 hours just in case. Checking in at the Dover cruise terminal is pretty easy (I did it a couple of years ago, before lockdown) so you should do fine!

Relyon Cruise Parking is cheaper, I believe. It's not at the terminal but there is free transport to it.

21 hours ago, amypintx said:

@PhilbeachTraveller
We’ll be in Dover on July 9th before our cruise on the 10th. I would love to do a boat tour to the cliffs but think the speed boat might be too much for my 75 year old mom. Do you know anything about this company or maybe another one who does regular bay tours that you’d recommend? 
https://sites.google.com/site/doverwhiteclifftours/day-tours/boat-bus-tours

Never actually done these tours, but this looks good (and not very expensive). The best place to look for things to do and see in Dover is with the White Cliffs Organisation: https://www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk/explore/dover

Hope you enjoy your visit.

You could also take the 'Sea Safari' tour either to the White Cliffs (1.5 hours) or the Seal Safari (2 hours). There is also Samphire Ho, very close to the cruise terminal, which is a lovely place to wander round and they have a little cafe. 

Just a warning about getting to Dover at the moment. The M20 is closed at the moment going down to Dover from London because of the lorries lining up to get to the port. The M2 has been asked to be used by people travelling to Dover so now it's absolutely blocked up with traffic. We just got back from a cruise from Southampton and it took ages to drive back to Folkestone. Not sure when they are going to do something about this road stuff, so just give yourself a lot of extra time to get there if you travel by coach or private taxi. Really would suggest you use the train!

Dover is really trying hard to entertain tourists these days, so do check on their website for things that might be happening when you are here. Dover Castle is fantastic and you can spend a lot of time there. Also the White Cliffs are great if you like walking. Canterbury is not far (there is a train going there) as well.

Have a great time (we were on Sky Princess).

I'm going on Princess from Southampton at the end of this month. Princess will test us at the terminal before we board. That's all we have to do. We may have to test on the ship for some ports, but they will let us know. 

Thanks! Just booked it (with the discount code). Great price and so near the terminal!

Just booked a cruise to the Canaries with Sky Princess, departing on the 28th March from Southampton. Can anyone recommend the best parking deals there? 

Thanks

Just another thing - because your travelling on a Sunday, check on Southeastern (or National Rail) sites to see if there is any work being done on the rail line that day (always happens at a weekend in Kent). If so, there may be bud replacements so it would take a bit longer. 

Taxis from Dover station are easy, but might be best to book one the day you are travelling just to ensure you have a 'pick up'! As you say, it's not very far to go so won't take long in the taxi.

Hi there, I'm back! John Bull's advice is very good and I would certainly agree with his plans. Stay in Dover, it's not so bad! The castle is fantastic and, yes, you'll need quite a bit of time to see it. You'll need to get a taxi to the White Cliffs but it isn't that far. Or, you can go to Samphire Ho, which is not that far from the cruise terminal. You can see the Cliffs from there and it's a lovely place to visit and  have a nice walk if the weather is good. Another great place is Western Heights, which are 18th/19thC fortifications and now a nature reserve with fantastic views of the castle and Dover harbour. 

A day in Canterbury is really worth it as well. Plenty to see and do (the Cathedral, of course) and places to shop and eat. The train is quick or you can get a bus there. 

There are loads of other nice places to go to in the area but I'm sure you'll keep busy on the two days. 

Done Heathrow to Folkestone (which is the stop before Dover) loads of times. Takes us only about 2 hours on public transport. Piccadilly tube from Heathrow to St Pancras then train from St Pancras to Dover. Of course, if you have loads of luggage, might not be very practical. 😀

Definitely recommend Dover Castle - loads to see there and fantastic views. Dover also has boat tours in the summer if that's when you're there and you could also get a taxi to the White Cliffs. Nice cafe there and great shop as well as lovely walks.

We've always stayed at the Thistle when leaving from T5. Easy to get to T5 from there either on the Pod or there is a free bus that stops outside about every 20 minutes or so. 

Have a look at Eccleston Square Hotel. It' a boutique hotel and I think it's adults only. It's not far from Victoria Station, which would also be handy.

On 12/25/2020 at 7:33 PM, TYTY said:

I booked with Fab Travel and still waiting for my refund, also FYI Saga Travel has gone out of business.  

Huh? Saga is just up the road from me and still operating (although from home at this time!). Closed over Christmas until 2nd January. Unless it is some other business that uses that name. 

Loads of places to stay and visit! I live in Folkestone, so that's a good place to stay but check to see about car rentals as not sure if there is one here (I know there is one in Ashford). In the summer there will be a lot of things going on in the area. If you don't want Folkestone, then I can recommend Deal or St Margaret's, which are both near Dover. Of course, there is Canterbury, which is usually quite busy but a beautiful city and Hythe, which is just down the road from Folkestone.  Oh, and Sandwich, a little further from Dover, but not that much.

Loads of nature/woods/sea things to visit in this area of Kent. Here is a place to look:

https://www.kentdowns.org.uk/visit/50-places-to-visit/

Gatwick is closer to Dover but there's no direct trains/coaches there, unless your cruise company is offering one. Best to hire a taxi. Can recommend Air Link Cars http://airlinkcars.com/ or Premier Taxis https://www.premiertaxisfolkestone.co.uk/, both local(ish) to Dover. 

There is a Hilton at Gatwick which is right at the South Terminal but easy to transfer to the North Terminal. Have also stayed at the Sofitel at the North Terminal which was really lovely (amazing breakfast!). 

14 hours ago, memfris said:

Are there any hotels where you can park your car for the duration of the cruise?

Try the Holiday Extras website, they have a search for hotel + port parking. Could only find one in Dover that offers this, but HE also can give you quotes for port parking. Kent based company - I use them often for airport/hotel bookings. 

Oh, do come down and stay in Dover. In August, there (hopefully) be a lot of things happening to see/do/take part in. Dover Castle is well worth visiting and there a private tours of the area you can hire if you want (includng boat tours). As John Bull says, it's a lot cheaper than London as well. 

Seeems like a huge downturn of ships to and from Dover lately (we can see them in the channel from our house) but there are still a few. The ferries are still running but only for freight (still a lot of European lorries on the roads - at least when I go out to get the shopping and have to travel on the A20) and for European residents only, not for any other sort of travel. The tunnel is also open, but again, only for freight and residents. My friend has a house in France but was stuck over here for a month, managed to get her paperwork stating France was her main residence and was able to get the tunnel back last week. Apparently, after that day the prices rocketed for non-freight travellers, of which I believe there are very few.  

The Dover cruise port has a few ships 'resting' there for now. Our local cruise company (Saga) is staying positive that there will be cruises in the future, mainly booking for next year at the moment.

Take a taxi to the town centre as I don't think there's any other way to get there from the cruise terminal. 

Personally, I'd take the train to Victoria Station. It's a nice trip (the train goes under the white cliffs between Dover and Folkestone) and there's usually plenty of room (depending on what time you travel and how many cruisers decide to get the same train). Been a long time since I've done the coach trip, but it'll go along main roads and the only one that'll have nice views will be the A20 for about 8 miles. Once you get to Folkestone, you'll be on the M20 and other main motorways so not so interesting.