Excursion From Tilbury to London?

[What was that?]

For our Jan-Feb 2021 Iberian Explorer B2B with In Search of the Northern Lights, one of our traveling party wants to know if Viking will likely offer a day tour of London from the dock in Tilbury. She knows she can go on her own, but would feel more confident on a Viking-arranged tour. Has anyone experienced this before?

[Peregrina651]

 

 

Viking does not always arrange tours on turnover day for B2Bs. It may depend on how many people are continuing on. Also, it may never appear on MVJ (because the tours are only for continuing passengers). You might not know until you arrive on board.  (This happened to us when in Rome a few years ago. We expected no tours on turnover day and had a plan to go it on our own; we did not find out about tours until we boarded on Leg 1 that there would be tours available for us. A pleasant surprise. )

 

If it will set your friend's mind at rest, we disembarked in Tilbury this past January. We walked to the train station in about 20 minutes but cabs are probably available on the dock (I didn't really pay attention; too busy figuring out where I needed to go). We bought our tickets in the station using our credit card and took the train to from Tilbury Town station to Fenchurch Street Station (end of the line) -- which is walking distance to Tower of London, if you want to keep things really simple and not stray far from the station. There are also links to a couple of different subway lines in the station making it easy to get to other parts of London.  Google is really good for planning how to get from place using public transit.

 

Using the Underground once in London was simple as pie. We charged it to our credit card -- tap to enter the station and then tap to leave. The system keeps track and then at the end of the day charges your credit card. There is a daily maximum. No need to waste time buying special cards at the cashier; just tap your own credit card and go.

 

 

 

 

[Redtravel]

Most Viking cruises do an overnight in the embarkation and disembarkation port.  They include a tour in each of those ports.  The turn around day there is no tour unless they get a lot of demand for an optional tour.  London is an easy city to see using the tube.  Getting around is quicker on the tube than driving. Traffic in London can be awful. Get a good map and guide book, plan your day, be flexible, and enjoy.  The first time we were in a London, we were on a cruise. Took a ship tour that took us to see the outsides of the famous highlights plus a ride on the Thames back to the ship.  It was a great intro. We have been back several times staying in different parts of the city.   Never get tired of finding interesting places to explore.  

[Peregrina651]

10 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Most Viking cruises do an overnight in the embarkation and disembarkation port.  They include a tour in each of those ports.  The turn around day there is no tour unless they get a lot of demand for an optional tour.  London is an easy city to see using the tube.  Getting around is quicker on the tube than driving. Traffic in London can be awful. Get a good map and guide book, plan your day, be flexible, and enjoy.  The first time we were in a London, we were on a cruise. Took a ship tour that took us to see the outsides of the famous highlights plus a ride on the Thames back to the ship.  It was a great intro. We have been back several times staying in different parts of the city.   Never get tired of finding interesting places to explore.  

 

I checked. Neither Iberian Explorer nor Northern Lights overnights in Tilbury, so turnover day will be the only chance for B2B pax to see London. Most likely -- but not guaranteed -- Viking will not be offering tours that day for the B2B  pax. And, most likely you will not be able to get information one way or the other in advance of sailing.

 

 

[What was that?]

Thanks for the feedback. I suppose I should have mentioned that our friend is even older than we are, and we are 75, so going on her own is not an attractive option.

So how about alternatives to a Viking excursion? Do local tour operators serve Tilbury? Do they use the train or tube, which might be more efficient (and dependable) than driving? How about a cab tour?

[Jim Avery]

29 minutes ago, What was that? said:

Thanks for the feedback. I suppose I should have mentioned that our friend is even older than we are, and we are 75, so going on her own is not an attractive option.

So how about alternatives to a Viking excursion? Do local tour operators serve Tilbury? Do they use the train or tube, which might be more efficient (and dependable) than driving? How about a cab tour?

I certainly get the age factor and not wanting to take public transit.  I have used the Tube many times in the past but more recently I have used car services and black cabs as the Tube involves a fair degree of mobility and moving fairly quickly.  I have a possible suggestion which might work for y'all.  Take a cab from Tilbury docks to Greenwich.  This is about 20 miles and should not be as horrible traffic as central London (depending on time, weather, etc.).  In Greenwich take the Thames Express boat up to Westminster.  This is an interesting ride and gets great views of the bridges and riverside history.  From the boat dock in Westminster Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey are all a very short walk. A bit further on on King Charles Street is the Churchill War Rooms.  We find it a very interesting stop.  This puts you at the edge of St. James Park and, depending on your walking endurance, it is a really pretty walk through the park to Buckingham Palace.  From the Palace a cab back to the Tower of London would rest your feet for a bit.  After the Tower you are very close to St. Katherines Dock area with the Dickens Inn for a rest and a pint or two.  From there it is easy to catch the boat back to Greenwich and a cab from there back to Tilbury.  Greenwich is one of our favorite spots as well with the Royal Naval College, Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, and several nice pubs.  Just a suggestion but modifications for less walking are easy.  We love London and hope y'all have a great time.  🍺

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, What was that? said:

Thanks for the feedback. I suppose I should have mentioned that our friend is even older than we are, and we are 75, so going on her own is not an attractive option.

So how about alternatives to a Viking excursion? Do local tour operators serve Tilbury? Do they use the train or tube, which might be more efficient (and dependable) than driving? How about a cab tour?

 

London cabs are rather expensive, through a friend we asked for a quote from Tower Hill to Tilbury and it was about 80 quid. We booked a limo from Addison Lee for just over 50 quid. So if considering a cab, I would first look at one of the limo services.

 

In addition to Jim's great suggestion, in addition to a cab/limo across the river to Greenwich, you could consider being dropped of at the Millwall Pedestrian Tunnel, which comes out at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. In addition to a spiral staircase, they have large lifts at each end, so no stairs.

 

While I wouldn't consider it at night, by day it was perfectly safe.

 

Definitely agree with a refreshment stop at the Dickens Inn and checking out all the points Jim mentioned in Greenwich. In Greenwich I frequent the Trafalgar Tavern on the waterfront for refreshments.😁

[haydn12]

We used Addison Lee a couple times when we were in London last year.  The price was quite reasonable.

 

Jim

[What was that?]

14 hours ago, haydn12 said:

We used Addison Lee a couple times when we were in London last year.  The price was quite reasonable.

 

Jim

I just checked Addison Lee, and it seems like a good deal. I will pass it on!

[Mountains.to.Sea]

My wife and I plus another couple have used Adam Sparks (licensedblacktaxi.com) on several occasions in London.  In February of this year, we used him twice, once for pickup from Heathrow, with a stop at Windsor castle before delivery to our apartment in London, and a few days later a pickup from our apartment, with a stop at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, before delivering us to our Viking ship in Tillbury.  Previously we used him for airport pickup and a taxi tour of London.  He can customize whatever you want and can provide suggestions as well. 

[Foggyzx9r]

@Mountains.to.Sea Very good suggestion. His rates for a three hour trip are pretty reasonable for up to six people.

The black cabs are also ideal for people with limited mobility, ease of access etc.

 

A custom tour might be a little more but having seen others at double the rate, well I would certainly get in touch.

 

Note they are taking bookings up to August this year.