TOWER BRIDGE EMBARKATION QUESTIONS !

[rojaan19]

We are on the Wind  Tower Bridge to Tower Bridge British Isles cruise in May.    How easy is the embarkation ?    I know the ship is tied up to the HMS Belfast,  but is there a dock or do you tender to the pier ?   And which pier ?   I have googled mapped the Tower Bridge/HMS Belfast  and there are a couple of piers there - either side of the Thames !

 

Thanks 

[jpalbny]

It's really easy. No worries!

 

Take a taxi to the Tower Millennium Pier, located on Lower Thames Street (GPS coordinates: 51.508326, -0.079112). It's on the North bank of the Thames.

 

The SS reps will be there to meet you. From there, you will tender to the ship, which will be tied to the Belfast on the Southwark side.

 

Or just stay at the Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Place. You can walk to the pier from there.

 

It would be easier if you could go to the Southwark side and walk over the Belfast to the ship, without the need for a tender. But you can't get to the ship from that side.

Edited March 10, 2019 by jpalbny

[rojaan19]

Thanks JP  !!  xx   For a minute I thought I  had booked our hotel on the wrong side !   I had checked the SS My Silversea page about our cruise but there was nothing about embarkation.  

So we are staying even closer than the Four Seasons !!  We are in an apartment hotel right at the pier - and when I  google mapped it with your coordinates for the Tower Millennium Pier   - It is  150 feet  !!!!     yippee !

 

Also found this while googling -   live web cam  from the Tower Bridge Hotel.

https://www.guoman.com/en/london/the-tower.html#

[Silver Spectre]

8 hours ago, jpalbny said:

It's really easy. No worries!

 

Take a taxi to the Tower Millennium Pier, located on Lower Thames Street (GPS coordinates: 51.508326, -0.079112). It's on the North bank of the Thames.

 

It would be easier if you could go to the Southwark side and walk over the Belfast to the ship, without the need for a tender. But you can't get to the ship from that side.

Excellent directions JP. The reason you cannot use the south side is that HMS Belfast is a public museum. You do however get to walk along her deck for a short section before embarking the Wind.

[jollyjones]

7 hours ago, rojaan19 said:

Thanks JP  !!  xx   For a minute I thought I  had booked our hotel on the wrong side !   I had checked the SS My Silversea page about our cruise but there was nothing about embarkation.  

So we are staying even closer than the Four Seasons !!  We are in an apartment hotel right at the pier - and when I  google mapped it with your coordinates for the Tower Millennium Pier   - It is  150 feet  !!!!     yippee !

 

Also found this while googling -   live web cam  from the Tower Bridge Hotel.

https://www.guoman.com/en/london/the-tower.html#

I'm a little surprised - I wasn't aware that there is an apartment hotel at the pier - in fact, I don't think there is.

If you mean the Tower Hotel, it's just an ordinary hotel (at least it was last time I stayed there which was an awful long while ago) and it's at St Katherine's Dock, not the Tower Pier - next door to each other but not the same pier.

However, they've done a good job of developing St Katherine's Dock and it's a pleasant enough walk along the river to Tower Pier.

Of course, you can stay any where in London, there's plenty of buses and the tube to Tower Hill. I shall be in Islington before my June Wind cruise and will just get the bus.

[UKCruiseJeff]

https://www.chevalresidences.com/cheval-three-quays/

[jollyjones]

OK, there is an apartment hotel, good to know. 

It looks quite nice, twice what I’m paying, but still quite nice. 

[jpalbny]

15 hours ago, rojaan19 said:

Thanks JP  !!  xx   For a minute I thought I  had booked our hotel on the wrong side !   I had checked the SS My Silversea page about our cruise but there was nothing about embarkation.  

So we are staying even closer than the Four Seasons !!  We are in an apartment hotel right at the pier - and when I  google mapped it with your coordinates for the Tower Millennium Pier   - It is  150 feet  !!!!     yippee !

 

That's as convenient as Table Bay Hotel when embarking/disembarking at the V&A Pier in Cape Town. The one and only time that a hotel porter could carry our bags to the ship for us. Great find - have a wonderful trip!

Edited March 10, 2019 by jpalbny

[rojaan19]

8 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

https://www.chevalresidences.com/cheval-three-quays/

 

Yes,  that is the place we are staying.    We like to stay in apartment hotels as well  as  hotels during a big trip,  and this one is  7 weeks.  

[UKCruiseJeff]

4 minutes ago, rojaan19 said:

 

Yes,  that is the place we are staying.    We like to stay in apartment hotels as well  as  hotels during a big trip,  and this one is  7 weeks.  

 

You shold be happy there.  Hopefuly you have a full river view.  It’s extremely well located for a decent curry in Brick Lane and to get you to most of London from Tower Hill underground.  You can also get the river bus both up and down river for quite a chunk of your sight seeing.  I was born and lived in London for most of my years so if you want any pointers I and others will help. Enjoy London.

 

https://tfl.gov.uk/river/status/#line-lul-rb1

[rojaan19]

Thanks for that Jeff !   I think  we will do a cruise up and down the river.  May 2020 we are staying for a week in an  apartment so we can  do the Chelsea Flower Show, so I  am saving all these tips for then too.

[Stumblefoot]

On 3/10/2019 at 3:55 PM, rojaan19 said:

...and this one is  7 weeks.  

 

Amy and I have so much to learn from you two!

[UKCruiseJeff]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

 

Amy and I have so much to learn from you two!

 

 

In my teens I had a summer job on the boats between the Tower and Westminster.  I was giving the tourist commentary over the microphone having under-studied "the master" for a few days. There was no salary or hourly rate so it was all "tips".  Part of the spiel was to say just as the boat docked "Ladies and gentleman, I hoped you enjoyed today's commentary.  The commentary was provided by us without charge and we also paid for the microphone and PA for free and for your enjoyment. So if you wish to show your appreciation as you leave the boat my colleague will be waiting with a bucket.  There's is of course no obligation ........" etc. It was fun and supplemented my meagre income.

 

I remember a lot of the spiel even today and reckon I could still do that tour.  "On the port side, the left hand side is the Institute of Electrical Engineers and outside is the only green telephone box in London......"  and "On the right hand side you will see a small white painted house which is where Sir Christopher Wren lived whilst he built St Pauls.  He could see the building progress from his drawings on his desk at the first floor window ....." 

 

Over the subsequent years I discovered that virtually all of the "facts" I learned were largely urban myths .... for example there was no evidence that Wren lived actually there ..... and had simply been handed down with imbellishment over the years by word of mouth of each of the people that did the commentary.  It wouldn't suprise me if they were saying the same thing even now.   Enjoy London .......

[les37b]

On 3/10/2019 at 3:42 AM, jpalbny said:

It would be easier if you could go to the Southwark side and walk over the Belfast to the ship, without the need for a tender. But you can't get to the ship from that side.

 

I can remember getting the boarding info for the Cloud and ringing SS to challenge the info they'd sent for the boarding location as it definitely was "on the wrong side" and given my office location view I knew exactly where the Cloud would berth (and the info had no mention of a tender in the letter just that it was Tower Pier.)

 

But logistically, there is no way you could have passengers board through the Belfast from the normal entrance. Plus of course no place to screen and passport control passengers. Obvious, once you jigsaw together the pieces..... 

 

The piccie below taken from Tower Bridge shows the tender and the Belfast canopy entrance and passage - my office was the nearest visible in the photo. Alas we moved last September to another building further along the river - without the glorious view but close enough to wave the ships in and out. Lucky for me with a promotion coming up! 

 

[brimary]

18 hours ago, les37b said:

 

I can remember getting the boarding info for the Cloud and ringing SS to challenge the info they'd sent for the boarding location as it definitely was "on the wrong side" and given my office location view I knew exactly where the Cloud would berth (and the info had no mention of a tender in the letter just that it was Tower Pier.)

 

But logistically, there is no way you could have passengers board through the Belfast from the normal entrance. Plus of course no place to screen and passport control passengers. Obvious, once you jigsaw together the pieces..... 

 

The piccie below taken from Tower Bridge shows the tender and the Belfast canopy entrance and passage - my office was the nearest visible in the photo. Alas we moved last September to another building further along the river - without the glorious view but close enough to wave the ships in and out. Lucky for me with a promotion coming up! 

 

R

[brimary]

We were told years ago that the only reason for boarding the ships on what appears to be the wrong side of the Thames is that the Port of London Authority insists on it and as would be expected charges Silversea a fortune for each ferry crossing over all the two days the ships are usually docked alongside HMS Belfast.We are looking forward to our four back to backs from Tower Bridge this summer as it is our favourite sail away in the World alongside Sydney Harbour.

Edited March 15, 2019 by brimary
Side was misspelt

[UKCruiseJeff]

On 3/15/2019 at 4:27 PM, brimary said:

We were told years ago that the only reason for boarding the ships on what appears to be the wrong side of the Thames is that the Port of London Authority insists on it and as would be expected charges Silversea a fortune for each ferry crossing over all the two days the ships are usually docked alongside HMS Belfast.We are looking forward to our four back to backs from Tower Bridge this summer as it is our favourite sail away in the World alongside Sydney Harbour.

 

Hi, I'm afraid that the explanation you were given is incorrect.

 

The most compelling reasons are firstly that The Tower is one of the most important UK visitor attractions and to stick a ship in front of it blocking the Thames vista is hardly likely to be approved and would cause the most incredible row. 

 

Secondly the depth of water isn't equal on both sides of the river.  There is a beach on the Tower side where in the days before cheap transport Londoners would in fact use the beach on sunny days.  The Tower pier would need to be extended to the center of the river before you'd have the sort of depth needed for a ship.  Those are are the more likely reasons.   You might enjoy this article and these piccies.

 

https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/tower-beach-remembering-londons-riviera/

 

Belfast is a museum that has opening and closing times and also doesn't allow luggage actually onto the boat - it's in it's Ts and Cs - so it isn't a viable route onto cruise ships. 

Edited March 16, 2019 by UKCruiseJeff

[les37b]

Silver Cloud in front of Tower Pier and in nearly a central position on the Thames where its obviously at its deepest - important for a river with one of the largest tidal ranges in the world.

 

 

 

The artificial beach mentioned above which was closed in 1971 and constructed with materials stacked up from 1500 barge loads and now only open to the public on one day per year. Luckily for them for this years opening on the 19 July 2015, Silver Cloud was in front of them. Photo taken from the tender boat taking us to the adjacent Belfast boarding point after passing through Customs and passport control located on Tower Pier.

 

 

A better view of the beach from Tower Bridge with wide angled lens taken at low tide. At high tide it will be under 20' of water and the only time its safe for the Ships to sail and the reason they have to berth near the centre of the Thames. The Belfast simply makes a very cheap and easy way to access. The only other realistic method if the pool of London (and iconic sail under Tower Bridge) could happen and without special pier construction, would be some sort of floating barge. I'm glad they've chosen to use HMS Belfast. With the Belfast opposite Tower Pier obviously this could not be extended out unless the Belfast was moved as the river would be made far to narrow.

 

 

Here you can see just how close to the centre of the Thames that the ship berths and also the smaller beach opposite the man made one. You can also see the Belfast entrance canopy below.

 

 

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

Very, very cool Les!

[brimary]

I will inform the Captain and Chief Engineer on the Silver Wind that the information given was incorrect if what UKCJ intimated is true!!

[drron29]

So we are now in our London apartment.We settled on a Tower view room rather than a river view.The view is stunning.

 

You only see a little of the Belfast from our room.Le Boreal is next to her.

..

 

But we are close to the embarkation point.

.

[Stumblefoot]

Wow!  Close to embarkation you are!

[les37b]

13 minutes ago, drron29 said:

So we are now in our London apartment.We settled on a Tower view room rather than a river view.The view is stunning.

 

 

 

 

That is actually a superb vantage point and much much better than where I'll be standing to film and photograph the arrival.

 

Will you be watching, or out sight seeing?

 

 

[jpalbny]

That's awesome! Go out on the bridge for sail away, or sail in. We tried last time, but they moved it a half hour later and we couldn't wait. Would have been so great!

[rojaan19]

we should be watching !!