Ceremony of the Keys/. Viking

[deec]

I had not done my research in a timely manner and tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys are sold out for the 5 days in June that we will be in London before a Viking Ocean cruise.  Viking does offer an excursion that will include the ceremony but it is quite $$$.  Had anyone taken this and is it worth the money ( I know the question is subjective).  Does the tour also include the crown jewels....the description leads me to think NO...

Thanks for the help

[Cotswold Eagle]

The Ceremony of the Keys takes place after public opening hours - you are escorted in and out solely for the Ceremony, so no chance to see any of the exhibits. 

 

I am surprised there is a tour that includes the Ceremony as I understood tickets were only available for personal applicants. 

 

[kctwinmommy]

4 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

The Ceremony of the Keys takes place after public opening hours - you are escorted in and out solely for the Ceremony, so no chance to see any of the exhibits. 

 

I am surprised there is a tour that includes the Ceremony as I understood tickets were only available for personal applicants. 

 

 

I agree! I was just looking to see, and found out it's booked up a year in advance already. Since we're going to be there in June I thought I'd look. But no luck! 😥 And I know it said you needed to give your name, and have the ID to match. Plus they even say...

It is illegal to sell or purchase tickets for Ceremony of the Keys via third parties and Historic Royal Palaces reserve the right to refuse permission, if a valid form of ID is not presented on the evening

[Cotswold Eagle]

I checked and Viking do indeed offer a ‘Privileged Access’ tour which states it includes an after hours Yeoman Warder tour of the grounds and viewing the Ceremony of the Keys. That would seem to be in clear contravention of the stated policy for the Ceremony. I intend to write to Royal Historic Palaces to ask why, as the Ceremony is in much demand. 

[Bob++]

45 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

I checked and Viking do indeed offer a ‘Privileged Access’ tour which states it includes an after hours Yeoman Warder tour of the grounds and viewing the Ceremony of the Keys. That would seem to be in clear contravention of the stated policy for the Ceremony. I intend to write to Royal Historic Palaces to ask why, as the Ceremony is in much demand. 

They also say this:

Groups are strictly prohibited and any booking made by a group (even if under different names) will be cancelled. Tickets are non-transferable and changes are not allowed on the names on a booking under any circumstances.

[Bob++]

Hmmm...

 

Quote

Evening tour and Ceremony of the Keys

The Ceremony of the Keys, in which the Tower of London’s main gates are secured for the evening, has been performed every night without fail for more than 700 years.

Standing amid the Tower’s mighty battlements in the cool night air, you can’t help but feel a sense of wonder as you witness an ancient ritual that has remained more or less unchanged since the days of Edward III.

Now, you and a select group of guests can enjoy your own exclusive tour of the Tower, culminating in the ancient Ceremony of the Keys.

• Price: £700 + VAT
• Time: 20:30 - 22:00
• The price includes up to twenty guests. Additional guests can be included for £35 + VAT per person, up to a maximum of fifty guests in total

https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/hire-a-venue/private-tours/#gs.if62t6

 

This explains why viking charge so much.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Bob++

[Cotswold Eagle]

Ah, I see - groups are prohibited unless they pay for it! Even so, I don't think this should extend to tour operators who sell on. 

 

I know that as an independent charity RHP have to raise incredible amounts of funds, but I do think this is a real shame, particularly when the main Ceremony of the Keys page is so disingenuous. 

Edited November 26, 2019 by Cotswold Eagle

[dogs4fun]

22 hours ago, deec said:

I had not done my research in a timely manner and tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys are sold out for the 5 days in June that we will be in London before a Viking Ocean cruise.  Viking does offer an excursion that will include the ceremony but it is quite $$$.  Had anyone taken this and is it worth the money ( I know the question is subjective).  Does the tour also include the crown jewels....the description leads me to think NO...

Thanks for the help

Although I find many things to see and do in London & find the city and surrounding area absolutely fascinating, the Ceremony of the Keys was not among the things we would regard as a high point. I realize that this is a 700 year old tradition, but, I honestly fail to understand what all the fuss is about as there is little to actually see. We much prefer to spend an evening in the West End attending one of the many fine performances offered. There are tons of things to enjoy in the evening ...The Shard offers great night views and, bonus, one of our favorite restaurants (Aqua Shard - book well in advance if interested), the London Eye offers great night views if you are there before the longest days of summer - Sky Garden also offers spectacular views, we enjoy nights at the Tate Modern (open until 10:00 pm Fridays & Saturdays) , British Museum (open until 8:30 pm Fridays) & National Gallery (open until 9:00 pm Fridays) , Jack the Ripper tour (creepy but had a good time - if you want super creepy, try the London Dungeon), Thames evening cruise, pubs (check-out Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese where Sam Johnson & Charles Dickens frequented). a stroll along the South Bank is quite lovely in the evening.

The Tower of London is a different kettle of fish - fascinating! The Crown Jewels are a sight to behold & we have visited on several of our London treks. 

Oh - so much to do, so little time!

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by dogs4fun

[deec]

Dogs4fun thanks for all the great suggestions to fill our evenings!

[dogs4fun]

9 minutes ago, deec said:

Dogs4fun thanks for all the great suggestions to fill our evenings!

You are most welcome. I would add that if you are history buffs, check-out the Churchill War Rooms - fascinating!

We  also love Hampton Court (we are history buffs and have a particular interest in Henry VIII) - short train ride from London. Our last trip to London was a 9 day visit and still so much that we have not yet seen. Enjoy!

Edited November 26, 2019 by dogs4fun

[kctwinmommy]

6 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Ah, I see - groups are prohibited unless they pay for it! Even so, I don't think this should extend to tour operators who sell on. 

 

I know that as an independent charity RHP have to raise incredible amounts of funds, but I do think this is a real shame, particularly when the main Ceremony of the Keys page is so disingenuous. 

 

I agree! It's such a shame! I was hoping we could get tickets, not realizing they book up over a year in advance now. We just decided to come back over after I was able to purchase tickets to the Cubs game in London in June! But alas, no Keys tour tickets are left. There aren't even any through the end of October, which is the latest they have open right now!

[Cotswold Eagle]

On 11/26/2019 at 3:00 PM, dogs4fun said:

I realize that this is a 700 year old tradition, but, I honestly fail to understand what all the fuss is about as there is little to actually see. We much prefer to spend an evening in the West End attending one of the many fine performances offered

 

Fair enough, if you are looking for ‘something to see’. But this, coming from a history buff, is precisely why it should never have been turned into a tourist attraction in the first place. 

[dogs4fun]

On 11/28/2019 at 11:05 PM, Cotswold Eagle said:

 

Fair enough, if you are looking for ‘something to see’. But this, coming from a history buff, is precisely why it should never have been turned into a tourist attraction in the first place. 

To be clear ... I think it is great that the ceremony is free and that most find it enjoyable and feel privileged to attend. No disrespect meant as I was posting my opinion only and offering suggestions to the OP for other London nighttime activities as the Keys Ceremony was sold out a year in advance.  (BTW, am I correct that there are after hour tours of the Tower available on Sundays?)

 

We are history buffs and not necessarily tradition buffs (although I realize that there is a fair amount of overlap between these two and we do enjoy pomp when impressively displayed).

We love visiting the 1000 year Tower of London as it is simply bursting with history – it’s a mini London village with residents (Beefeaters), home to the crown jewels and even sports a pub. We have enjoyed the Yeoman Warder tours and even rented an audio guide on our last visit.

 

Honestly, although many find the ceremony a highlight, we did not feel overly impressed while attending this London ritual (although we have enjoyed the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace - much more impressive display of pomp). The ceremony was simple and short (the actual ceremony took less than 10 minutes although our entire time from entrance to exit was about 30 minutes) beginning with entry to the tower and an explanation of the event by a Yeoman and then the brief ceremony itself (the locking of the doors and passing of the keys replete with a short dialogue between the sentry and the Chief Warder).  A disappointing note during our tour (about 50 in the entire group) was that there was chatter emanating from the group for almost the entire time – we did not expect this and found it rude and inconsiderate of those in the group that wished to enjoy a solemn experience.

 

Although it is understandable that tourists are not allowed to visit, we would have loved the opportunity to visit the Yeoman Warders private pub (aptly named The Keys) - we would have found it quite interesting (especially all of the items on display within the pub).