2019 Silversea ship visits to Tower Bridge - lift times

[les37b]

Silversea as usual has been efficient and logged their 2019 schedule with the port authority of London for their requirements for the lifting of Tower Bridge to allow into the pool and dock next to HMS Belfast. Please find below the details, which hopefully ties in with the published times. (I know there has been suspicion from some that "better" arrival and departure times have been advertised and changed last minute. I would like to think "booking" these times shows the actual planned requirements!

 

 

Day	Date	TB Lift           time	Ship	Direction	Time at Dartford Xing
Wed	15-May-19	12:15	Silver Wind	Up river	10:15
Fri	17-May-19	00:45	Silver Wind	Down river	02:45
Wed	29-May-19	11:15	Silver Wind	Up river	09:15
Thu	30-May-19	23:15	Silver Wind	Down river	01:15 (Fri)
Mon	03-Jun-19	03:15	Silver Cloud	Up river	01:15
Wed	05-Jun-19	03:45	Silver Cloud	Down river	05:45
Sun	09-Jun-19	07:45	Silver Wind	Up river	05:15
Mon	10-Jun-19	07:15	Silver Wind	Down river	09:15
Fri	21-Jun-19	18:00	Silver Wind	Up river	16:00
Sun	23-Jun-19	05:45	Silver Wind	Down river	07:45
Fri	19-Jul-19	16:45	Silver Wind	Up river	14:45
Sun	21-Jul-19	04:45	Silver Wind	Down river	06:45
Sat	10-Aug-19	23:15	Silver Wind	Up river	21:15
Sun	11-Aug-19	23:15	Silver Wind	Down river	01:15 (Mon)
Fri	23-Aug-19	07:45	Silver Wind	Up river	05:45
Sun	25-Aug-19	19:15	Silver Wind	Down river	21:15

 

I've also shown the estimated time the ships will be at the QE2 bridge at Dartford Crossing...... a favourite spot of mine to film from........ Which passengers on some may be able to wave as the passing is filmed from the air. (Weather, times and legal flying status permitting! God only knows what the outcome will be after the fiasco at Gatwick before Xmas - which I have serious suspicions about the alleged events!)

 

For those local enough or passengers on the cruises for a pre or post activity..... I also recommend a freebie visit to the Walkie Talkie (Sky Garden) for a great view of London and of course the Cloud or Wind below - plus a spectacular vantage point to see them sailing the Thames.

 

https://skygarden.london/booking  Bookings open each Monday for the following complete week......... All completely free and IMHO gives a a much better view of the passing through Tower Bridge and the immediate area, than you would get from the paid view from the shard.

 

Looking forward to Lunch onboard as usual on three of those visits.

 

London seems to be well visited in 2019 - with the Spirit making 4 visits to Greenwich or Tilbury.

 

 

 

 

[jpalbny]

Still a favorite, even after three times through. Thanks for the details, Les!

 

I looked at your video from our September arrival. I think you just caught me as I was going inside. Had I waited another minute, I probably would have seen your drone, and would have been able to wave to you.

[les37b]

13 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Still a favorite, even after three times through. Thanks for the details, Les!

 

I looked at your video from our September arrival. I think you just caught me as I was going inside. Had I waited another minute, I probably would have seen your drone, and would have been able to wave to you.

 

I've done downstream (on the Cloud) and have upstream to come on the Wind's final cruise prior to Refit to icebreaker expedition next year. Fingers crossed they change their minds!

 

Speaking about just missing...... I think I may have seen you when we arrived for lunch the following day. I wasn't 100% sure at the time, but convinced now it probably was. Were you standing by where the luggage is collected chatting to a SS rep for a bit just after you'd disembarked? (It would probably have been just after 1015am - and I dare say, why I was convinced at the time it couldn't have been you as it was a bit late!)

 

We've unfortunately relocated office - so no more staring out the window at the ships berthed outside. I will miss that - but near enough still to take a stroll down to them. Gutted as the one I'm on arrives at 8.45am...... I would have loved to have given the Royal wave to my office colleagues. (No doubt I'd have got a different one back! lol)

[Tothesunset]

Well now, I see that they will be opening TB for us at 12.15 on 15 May. So we should get up the Thames in daylight hours. Splendid. 

[les37b]

19 minutes ago, Tothesunset said:

Well now, I see that they will be opening TB for us at 12.15 on 15 May. So we should get up the Thames in daylight hours. Splendid. 

 

.... and the most likely date I could well take a stroll down to give a wave back. I will so miss my grandstand seat. We moved at the end of August last year.... so couldn’t even wave to the office when I was on for lunch in last September. 

[Tothesunset]

We've booked into the grill for the evening of 15th. That should be quite a cool place to dine with TB in the background. 

Edited January 2, 2019 by Tothesunset

[les37b]

3 minutes ago, Tothesunset said:

We've booked into the grill for the evening of 15th. That should be quite a cool place to dine with TB in the background. 

 

A terrace seat in la Terrazza would be cooler especially if there are any further planned raises that evening.

[Tothesunset]

55 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

A terrace seat in la Terrazza would be cooler especially if there are any further planned raises that evening.

Oooh yes. Good advice. In fact booking changed so if it rains/snows/blows a gale I shall get Mrs TTS to blame you! 

[jpalbny]

4 hours ago, les37b said:

Speaking about just missing...... I think I may have seen you when we arrived for lunch the following day. I wasn't 100% sure at the time, but convinced now it probably was. Were you standing by where the luggage is collected chatting to a SS rep for a bit just after you'd disembarked? (It would probably have been just after 1015am - and I dare say, why I was convinced at the time it couldn't have been you as it was a bit late!)

 

Very likely us. We disembarked at 8:30ish, and walked to our hotel. After finding an ATM, we hung out at the pier area until our tour to the RGS left, which was around 11. So we would have been there, wandering around and checking in with the staff now and then. In fact, that's exactly where Beaujolais found us. Sorry to have missed you twice!

 

Disappointed to hear about your move. Oh well... Your office view is still probably better than mine.

[brimary]

We start our three back to back cruises on 15 th May so we may well meet up.Six round trips to and from Tower Bridge to look forward to all at differing times which will be interesting.les37b....many thanks for the useful info,most helpful.It is our favourite start and finish point for cruises in theWorld with the added bonus of  NO AIRPORTS involved!

[les37b]

33 minutes ago, Tothesunset said:

Oooh yes. Good advice. In fact booking changed so if it rains/snows/blows a gale I shall get Mrs TTS to blame you! 

 

Oh heck! lol Ibet I won’t get the brownie points if it’s good! 

 

Thinking about it, we had Cheese and Biccies on the terrace from that very spot and view on the visit mentioned above. It really is quite enjoyable.

[Tothesunset]

3 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

Oh heck! lol Ibet I won’t get the brownie points if it’s good! 

Not a chance. 

[threeforthree]

How long does the opening last?  What happens to the traffic that uses the bridge?

[jpalbny]

From photo timestamps last September, when we sailed into Tower Bridge. Bridge starts rising up 8:41PM. We cross under at 8:48. Closed by 8:51.

 

Added: in 2014 when we departed from Tower Bridge, bridge up 6:46PM, through by 6:49, closed by 6:54. Very efficient.

 

Traffic waits. Lots of pedestrians go to the middle of the bridge to take pictures. They seem very close as you sail through. 

Edited January 2, 2019 by jpalbny
added more

[les37b]

 

Deleted... duplicate posted instead of edit!

 

Edited January 2, 2019 by les37b

[les37b]

8 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, les37b said:

Traffic waits. Lots of pedestrians go to the middle of the bridge to take pictures. They seem very close as you sail through. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Very close..... and lots of smiling faces..... (Though some of the drivers held up might be a bit grumpy at being caught by the lights!)

 

This clip is from 18 months ago of the cloud and gives a good idea how close. The footage going under the bridge is with a go pro, so wide angle. But after, the photos added give a better idea of how close. Ive been under (and over) Tower Bridge many times, but its just so cool to watch or better still be on board when it happens.

 

Enjoy

 

Silver Cloud going under Tower Bridge in June 2017

 

 

 

Excuse the edit mess...... 

Edited January 2, 2019 by les37b

[rojaan19]

We are on the May 16  Tower Bridge - British Isles Cruise on the Wind.  It departs at midnight on the 17th -  how long does it take to sail down the Thames ?  

[les37b]

Just now, rojaan19 said:

We are on the May 16  Tower Bridge - British Isles Cruise on the Wind.  It departs at midnight on the 17th -  how long does it take to sail down the Thames ?  

 

Leaving London, you depart in reverse. My recollection was that we had travelled far more than we actually had. The ship stops near to Rotherhythe Tunnel where it does a 180 and eventually probably an hour after you left your mooring, you are no under your own steam downstream past Canary Wharf and Greenwich. 2 Hours after setting off, you will reach the Dartford Bridge which is part of the outer motorway round (M25) which circles London, (though the bridge and tunnels are NOT part of the M25). After this, the views get less interesting and most is bland and boring. I'd estimate it will be around 4 hours from leaving Tower Bridge to leaving the estuary and in the North Sea.

 

I did actually film our sailing in real time (as opposed to timelapse), but never got round to editing and uploading. I will do some day!

 

In the meantime....

 

This was Silver Cloud arriving 2 days before my sailing.... If you stop the clip at about 30 seconds, that is about the place that you will spin round on the way downstream.

 

And this was Silver Cloud departing.... annoyingly it started to rain, so I cut filming until a little latter. 

 

Silver Cloud expedition arriving last May

 

Silver Wind upstream at Dartford Crossing (Which JP was on as mentioned above)

 

 

[tsavorite]

In total, depending on where you are heading and where you count the end of the Thames, I would say 4-6 hours....

 

You will start moving from HMS Belfast about 25-30 minutes before the lift time, as the tugs need to get positioned, and they need to find the moment to stop,the traffic.

 

it is about 20-30 minutes from the bridge to the point in Rotherhithe where you do the turn to face forwards. That is a great experience, and the pubs in Wapping will all be open to watch you. 

 

Yiu ou will get to Greenwich and the Meridian an hour after the bridge. It is well illuminated even in the small hours  of the morning.

 

at about 1.5 hours from the Bridge, you will squeeze through the Thames Barrier.  It is worth staying up for that, but then I suspect it will be time for bed.

 

 

 

[rojaan19]

Thanks  les37b   and  tsavorite    !!   Very helpful  info.  We are really looking forward to this cruise     

[jpalbny]

4 hours ago, les37b said:

Silver Wind upstream at Dartford Crossing (Which JP was on as mentioned above)

 

Yes, I am nearly sure that's us out front around 1:30, watching for you. Chris makes a move back in and I reluctantly follow her. We are back inside at 1:50. I can't blow up the video but I bet if you grab a still from it and blow it up you'll see us.

 

It really is close as you go under the bridge. Ron and Ann, hope you enjoy it! This was from our last voyage (the one Les filmed). The next morning, we went to the bridge and stood exactly where these people were standing, only to find out that SS had delayed their sailaway another half hour. We didn't have time to wait. So we missed it. 

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by jpalbny

[jollyjones]

Thanks for this info, at least I now have some months to accustom myself to the disappointment that my TB lift time in June is 5.45AM.

Even tho' I'll try and be up - I think it might be my last time under TB with the future Cloudification of the Wind - I don't  function well at that time.

Maybe it'll be a nice dawn. Last time I sailed in to TB (i.e. going west-ish), it was at sunset time and what should have been glorious was actually grey sky and pouring rain. England ...

[les37b]

It's my way of thinking on it too. I'll not be doing it again on the Wind or Cloud because I know the cost will nigh double. So I just hope the August 2020 return has good weather..... And arriving at 8.45am, its going in the right direction for some great footage if the weather is good.

 

My other venture didnt fare well and it started raining nearly as soon as we went under the bridge and I had to run and scoop up my cameras! Luckily it did stop on the flip round so did manage to film from there onwards. (You can see how bad it was on the youtube clip posted above.) And this pic below tells its own story!

 

 

Think this is the turnaround point..... It brightened up after the Thames barrier.

 

 

[RachelG]

very disappointed that we will be doing this in the middle of the night apparently

[les37b]

On 1/3/2019 at 6:56 PM, RachelG said:

very disappointed that we will be doing this in the middle of the night apparently

 

They have always (IFAICS) shown the arrival and departure times in the itinerary. Have they changed it? (It wouldnt be the first time!) Or had you not seen it shown? I have to admit, there were several factors we took into account when choosing, but arriving at 2am would likely to have been a deal breaker. For me, (being a Londoner) it will be something to savoir, so I'm possibly very biased. I am pretty surprised at the number they have arriving and departing in anti social times. I appreciate tides come into the equation, but personally I'd like to see them make it they highlight it is for each voyage.