Viking Precruise Extension London

[rbslos18]

We are tentatively scheduled to do a Viking Precruise Extension in London in February. The cost is $999 per person for two nights, hotel (Conrad St. James), two breakfasts and transfers. Is London a complicated city to do the transfers including travel to the port (Tillbury)? 

[WanderingBrit]

Complicated? No - there are cabs, Uber, private car services.

 

It's around 28 miles and would probably take close to 90 minutes depending on traffic.

 

2 nights for 2 adults at that hotel is around $600, so you're paying close to $1,400 for the two of you to cover transfers and whatever excursions they provide during your extension.

[formernuke]

If you are on a pre extension they will transfer you to the ship 

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, rbslos18 said:

We are tentatively scheduled to do a Viking Precruise Extension in London in February. The cost is $999 per person for two nights, hotel (Conrad St. James), two breakfasts and transfers. Is London a complicated city to do the transfers including travel to the port (Tillbury)? 

 

Viking pre-cruise extensions includes transportation from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship. For your free day, London is one of the easiest cities in the world to do tourism in. If you have not arranged anything yet, I highly recommend London Walks. They offer many interesting tours to sites you might want to see. We've taken many. I highly recommend their Westminster Abbey, British Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum tours. Different tours are available on different days so check out their website. 

[rbslos18]

Thanks!

Any suggestions for hotels near the V&A Museum?

[OneSixtyToOne]

Just now, rbslos18 said:

Thanks!

Any suggestions for hotels near the V&A Museum?

We just stayed at the Rembrandt, which is literally across the street from the V&A and the rest of the museums. It’s also a block from the South Kensington tube stop which has 3 tube lines, including the Piccadilly Line, which goes right to Heathrow. We always stay there because of the easy access to everything. 

[KBs mum]

There was a thread about public transport from Heathrow to the City, then to Tilbury, sorry can't recall many details of it, the gist was trains work OK, but airport transfer type car services are easier with luggage if not on a tight budget

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

Is London a complicated city to do the transfers including travel to the port (Tillbury)? 

 

London is an easy place to do on your own if you are comfortable with making your own arrangements from start to finish.  Otherwise, the cost of the extension makes it a viable option and Viking handles all the logistics from airport to ship. 

 

However, two nights gives you only one full day to tour London. The first day will be eaten into by getting to the hotel, waiting for your room to be available and, in my case, a good nap to make up for not sleeping well on the flight.  Day three typically will be spent getting to the ship; you will be on the road well before noon.  In other words, you may want to consider doing it on your own just to add a night or two. (And yes, you can still book your air through Viking; it will cost an extra $100pp for what they call a deviation).

 

If you are traveling light enough that you can manage your own bags, Tilbury can be done by public transportation. Google gives step-by-step directions.  Get a cab from the Tilbury station to the ship.  We have done it from Tilbury to London and would do it again.  

 

If you don't want to use public transit, there are plenty of hire options -- of which flagging a cab is the most expensive.  

 

 

4 minutes ago, rbslos18 said:

Thanks!

Any suggestions for hotels near the V&A Museum?

 

A few years ago, we found a place near the Earls Court tube station, on the Picadilly line.  I was hoping for a Marriott/Bonvoy hotel for the points but the reviews were all terrible.  Somewhere the light bulb went on and I started looking for a cheaper hotel with positive reviews with an eye to booking a more expensive room in that hotel.  The plan worked: best room in a lesser hotel.  There are a number of them in the area we wanted to stay in.  We booked a hotel on Nevern Square and hope to be back in the same room in May.  BTW, we took the tube a couple of stops to the V&A -- and had the best meal of our stay in their Cafe.  

[KBs mum]

When looking at hotels look for one near what you want to see or on the best tube line. Look on the TFL website for which have lifts if needed. For tube travel have a plan B in case the drivers go on strike at an inconvenient time.

Safety wise if you can look after yourselves in DC you will be fine in London 

[OneSixtyToOne]

2 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

Thanks!

Any suggestions for hotels near the V&A Museum?

 

Our view from our room at the Rembrandt of the V&A

 

 

[Island2Dweller]

Getting to Tilbury under your own steam from central London is cheap.  Use contactless payment (bank card / phone / smart watch) rather than a paper ticket (as you should for all public transport in London) and the journey is under £10 per adult to Grays station.  Trains are so frequent you don't need to worry about the timetable.  Grays station is about a mile or so from the cruise port, and has a taxi office outside for the short ride to the terminal.  (Counterintuitively, the station at Tilbury is not your best option, it's not close enough to the cruise terminal to walk and there won't be any taxi waiting - which is why I suggest use the prior stop of Grays)

That's the good news.  The less good news is that it is not a particularly seamless journey.  You'll need to transfer from the underground to the railway network (the best station to do that depends on which part of central London you stay in - central London is vast).

I'd be completely comfortable doing this but I am very familiar with the transport system in London.  If you are not used to navigating public transport in a big city it might seem daunting.

If you choose a road transfer, be aware that traffic in London can move slowly, and the A13 (the main road from London to Tilbury) is at walking pace for miles from about 3pm, so don't set off late

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, Island2Dweller said:

If you choose a road transfer, be aware that traffic in London can move slowly, and the A13 (the main road from London to Tilbury) is at walking pace for miles from about 3pm, so don't set off late

 

On that note, what time does the morning rush taper off (note I did not say "end")? What is a good time to set off to Tilbury by car?

[kctwinmommy]

We did 3 days after our cruise a few years ago in London. It's really easy to get around, and we did a LOT of walking. We went all over the place, and loved it! I can't recommend hotels, because we stayed at the Victory Service Club, which is for military personnel. Although I totally recommend it if you qualify. It's not right in the heart of the city, but it was a great place to stay. Here's what we did in those 3 days. I'm not sure what the London Pass offers now, but it was totally worth it.

 

As far as if yours is worth it, that's up to you. I asked the same about our Greek extension. Ours was $999 each, but it's for 4 days! So that covers 3 nights of hotels, 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 excursions out of Athens. So it seemed worth it to us, even though we could save a few bucks just doing it on our own. Plus, being our first Viking cruise, we're looking forward to have a Viking rep available from the moment we get there.

 

This is my report from 6 years ago...

 

 

[geffric]

we just did the BIE starting in Tilbury and stayed in London for 5 days before our cruise. we stayed near Victoria Station and it was very convenient. Booked a car through Twelve Transfers from the hotel to Tilbury and the Viking Venus. It was not too expensive although I can't find what I paid.. https://www.twelvetransfers.com/bookings/

[wine-wine-wine]

We love the Hotel Indigo Kensington. Easy access to the tube and many lovely sights. https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/gb/en/london/lonlk/hoteldetail
 

Every room is unique and luxurious.