JimandStan Posted August 2, 2010 #26 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Why does O call it London Dover? It is nowhere near London Early incarnations of Oceanias' Baltic itinerary did begin or end in London proper, but after a few sailings, Dover was substituted. There were problems with congestion in the Thames, and I don't think that Oceania was ever really happy with the docking facility that they were assigned to in London at that time. Happily, commencing with the 2011 season, Oceania will again be sailing into London, docking at the new (and rather swank) Greenwich Ship Tier: http://www.corycruise.co.uk/london-ship-moorings.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted August 2, 2010 #27 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I have often had congestion in the Thames.......maybe the pollution. I wonder if our 2011 cruise on Marina due to depart Dover will be changed to Greenwich. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted August 2, 2010 #28 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Early incarnations of Oceanias' Baltic itinerary did begin or end in London proper, but after a few sailings, Dover was substituted. There were problems with congestion in the Thames, and I don't think that Oceania was ever really happy with the docking facility that they were assigned to in London at that time. Happily, commencing with the 2011 season, Oceania will again be sailing into London, docking at the new (and rather swank) Greenwich Ship Tier: http://www.corycruise.co.uk/london-ship-moorings.html Hmmmmm.... HOWEVER, I believe our August 2011 Marina cruise will still dock at Dover... >>From the O website: Embarkation Port: London (Dover) Aug 10 London (Dover), United Kingdom 6:00 p.m. << Then, perusing that link, I noted this restriction for the Greenwich dock: >>Greenwich Ship Tier Moorings (GST) Max vessel size 220 m LOA<< Considering the Marina is supposed to be 782 feet in length...which converts to about 238 meters, it no doubt exceeds the capability of that Greenwich dock... So, Dover for us it is... I guess I'll be searching for those recommended liquor stores to purchase a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels before we embark!! ;) ;) Seriously, since our cruise begins August 10--a Wednesday--and I never want to fly in the day of a cruise...or even just the day before with as long a trip as we have and the 8 hour time zone differential, we will probably look to fly in Saturday or Sunday, August 6/7... Since we've been to London quite a bit and since last month, pre-cruise, we spent 9 nights in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset (plus post cruise time in London), we were thinking of just heading straight to Dover... So, is there enough to see and do in and around Dover to spend 3 or 4 nights there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted August 2, 2010 #29 Share Posted August 2, 2010 3 or 4 hours is as much as you will want to spend there. Now Canterbury on the other hand is worth a visit for 1 or 2 nights. Ancient City and Leeds Castle is very close too. And what's 10 meters between friends. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted August 2, 2010 #30 Share Posted August 2, 2010 3 or 4 hours is as much as you will want to spend there. Now Canterbury on the other hand is worth a visit for 1 or 2 nights. Ancient City and Leeds Castle is very close too. Brian, Figuring we likely get there sometime on Sunday, spending Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights somewhere, getting on the Marina on Wednesday, does it make any sense to just stay in Dover and spend one of the two open full days catching a train back up to Canterbury and spending that day there? Or is it better to stay in Canterbury and deal with all the logistics of getting from there to the ship on Wednesday morning? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted August 2, 2010 #31 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Steve, Why not rent a car a do a leisurely tour of that region. I am copying some of the things we visited driving around UK (in that region): London to Canterbury via Chartwell House, Hever Castle, Penshurst Place, Ightham Mote, Knole. to Brighton via Dover (cliffs & castle), Leeds castle, Sissinghurst Castle Garden & Bodiam Castle. Obviously our routing was a little different, but there are MANY things to see & do in that region in addition to Canterbury. Just a suggestion.:) Also would make "schlepping" around with the luggage a lot easier than a train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted August 2, 2010 #32 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Steve In my opinion you would have to be pretty daft to spend any time in Dover other than waving it goodbye as the Ship leaves. You will at least then see The White Cliffs of...... It is simply a gateway town in and out of England. Canterbury is way better a city to be based and probably only 25 miles from Dover. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredFL Posted August 2, 2010 #33 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Steve, In spite of the fact we mildly disagree on liquor arrangements let me offer my 2 cents after departing several times from Dover. As other have said 3-4 hours is more than enough. The castle is interesting but more to the British than us. There used to be a HOHO bus that went once around the town and that was plenty. Presume it still runs. Dover is a one street town! Canterbury is a much better choice. We stayed there twice before cruises and enjoyed it very much. Great town, sights and shopping. There were also day tours from the tourist office to places like Leeds Castle. We had no trouble getting a taxi to Dover port from our B&B. I don't remember the cost but it was not significant. I would strongly vote for Canterbury with a Taxi to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted August 2, 2010 #34 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Anybody have any recommendations for a transfer company that also does touring? We will not make it to Heathrow in time to catch a flight back to Miami on the day the cruise disembarks in Dover, so we plan on spending the night at a hotel by the airport. We would like to make a day out of the trip back, going to Canterbury,etc. Our driving skills on the other side of the road are not to be trusted, so we want to hire somebody. A few names come up when we google the search, but wondered if anybody had some recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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