Semi-LIVE from Venus British Isles Explorer 4/19 with Churchill Pre-extension

[Peregrina651]

5 hours ago, formernuke said:

Lunch at an excellent local pub. Chicken pie and mash followed by a very large (and excellent) apple crisp. 

 

Do you remember the name of the pub?

[FetaCheese]

@formernuke

Thanks for taking your valuable vacation time to share your experiences and very fine photos.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[formernuke]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Do you remember the name of the pub?

“The Three Trees”

[formernuke]

Short trip to Saint Paul’s Cathedral this morning. Left the hotel about 8:10 and followed (approximately) the path of Churchill’s funeral procession to the church. Good tour given by our program director Don and then back to the hotel just before 11:00. Cathedral was beautiful and not very crowded so it went quickly. Free time until we go to the war rooms this

[Jim Avery]

War Rooms are a true highlight.  You might be thirsty after so up the steps, walk King Charles Street and through the arch, across the street to the Red Lion Pub.  You might be rubbing elbows with MPs or other famous drinkers.....🍺

[KBs mum]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

War Rooms are a true highlight.  You might be thirsty after so up the steps, walk King Charles Street and through the arch, across the street to the Red Lion Pub.  You might be rubbing elbows with MPs or other famous drinkers.....🍺

Only if the OP is particularly unlucky! We encountered a notable political pillock there.

The division bell repeater apparently no longer causes a mass exodus 😁

 

[Jim Avery]

Its still a good pint..🍺

[formernuke]

Just back from a great evening at the war rooms! Walked from the hotel about 6pm; just a 10-15 min walk.  Greeted with some Prosecco and then a short (25 min) private lecture.  Then Don and another guide gave our 2 groups of six a private tour. Then free time to explore the war rooms and the excellent Churchill museum (our group had the run of the place). Then  very nice 3 course dinner served in one of the rooms. Finally more time to explore on our own until leaving shortly after 10 pm. A truly once in a lifetime opportunity to have the place to ourselves!

[deec]

what an absolutely wonderful extension and your descriptions brought it alive!!!

Hoping our Gin, Gardens and Grand Homes extension is as wonderful.

[OneSixtyToOne]

The IWM main campus on Lambeth Road is also worth a visit. As a former museum president, I found its exhibits to be some of the most creative I’ve ever seen. 
 

Edited April 19 by OneSixtyToOne

[formernuke]

Final day with a leisurely start. Backs packed and left in room for pickup by 9:15. Breakfast and checkout. Meet for departure in bus at 10:30. Luggage transferred to bus next to be seen in our stateroom.  
 

Panoramic tour of some parts of London we haven’t already seen, including a short stop at the house that Churchill lived in during his final years where he died. Trip to airport slowed by very heavy traffic. Likely due roadworks and the London Marathon going on this weekend. Arrived at the ship about 1:30. Easy transfer and in our room then eating in the WC by 2:20.

 

So given that this is one of the most expensive pre-extensions, the obvious questions are was it worth it and would we do it again?  The answer is an emphatic YES! From a cost perspective I think it was a decent deal. We paid $2999 (I think it is more now). The hotel room is listed as well over $400/night. Add in transport from the airport and to the ship, to multiple locations outside the city, the costs of admissions/tours, the services of the excellent tour director/guide, and the three lunches and two dinners (each I would estimate at 25-30£ each, I think it is reasonable ( I don’t count the breakfasts as they come with the room). Could we have done this on our own for less? Probably most of it, but it wouldn’t have been the same. The custom tours and special access would have been difficult (or impossible in some cases) to arrange.  Coordinating the transport would have been possible, but complicated to keep track of everything. Transport was also very comfortable.
 

As stated earlier, having easy access to an exceptionally knowledgeable guide at all times was worth a lot. I would highly recommend Don Brown for any tour. 

The overall experience was very well coordinated, the facilities and food very good. 

Bottom line: we loved this extension and wouldn’t hesitate recommending it to anyone interested in this type of history. 

Edited April 19 by formernuke

[Peregrina651]

I forgot that you were boarding in Tilbury, not Greenwich.  

 

 

[Jim Avery]

A good guide can make all the difference,  They tell you stuff you would otherwise not learn from signs and labels, etc.

[formernuke]

An update on the first full day of the cruise proper:

Last night we did the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. Left about 7pm. Unique and very worthwhile excursion. Very much a different experience at night with no crowds. There were 3 groups inside, total of less than about 200 people (including our group of 31). Lots of interesting history. Only snafu was traffic coming back. Unplanned tunnel closure and some road work closures and an accident delayed us quite a bit, resulting in us not getting back to the ship until well after midnight. Made it a little tough for our 7:30 excursion!

 

Today we did the “iconic London” excursion (included), mostly as a free shuttle into the city.  That’s the major downside to Tillbury- connectivity to London is not near as good as Greenwich. We stayed with the tour until the last stop (Westminster Abbey) then took off on our own. I had booked a tour of the Houses of Parliament which was outstanding.

We then had to make our way back to Tillbury. Took the tube from Westminster to Tower Hill then a quick transfer over to the c2c rail line to Tillbury Port. We then hoofed it the last mile or so to the ship (yes I know we could have picked up a cab, but chose not to). For those considering this as an option to get to the ship for embarkation, it is certainly possible, but might be a little awkward with luggage. There is a decent sidewalk from the rail station to the port, however you have to go up a couple of flights of stairs to cross over the tracks. Would be no problem with the lift, unless it wasn’t working ( like today).

[formernuke]

Sorry photos are jumbled; having trouble with uploading now that we’re underway.

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, formernuke said:

I had booked a tour of the Houses of Parliament which was outstanding.

We took the tour a few years ago and it was indeed outstanding. The docent was excellent.

When we were leaving the House of Lords, DW tripped on a weird angled half step at the bottom of the seating area and fell. A year later I was watching the Brexit debate on live TV during which I saw someone trip and almost fall on the very same step. It brought back memories. 

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, formernuke said:

Today we did the “iconic London” excursion (included), mostly as a free shuttle into the city.

 

Friendly reminder, Mars is docked inTilbury, while most of the other BIE sailings are scheduled for Greenwich.  It is a different set of shore excursions if you are docked in Greenwich. And, the choice is different yet again if you are scheduled for an early afternoon sail-away (because departure time in Greenwich is dependent on the tides. See your Viking invoice for the departure time for your sail date).

 

The included tour in Greenwich is "Royal Greenwich by Foot."  My May 9  sailing departs at 2pm on Day 2. We have two other shorex on offer in Greenwich: "World of Shakespeare" and "Tower of London." Everything else is too long for the time slot.

[deec]

we are very excited to do the evening Ceremony of the Keys.  I was hoping Viking would take us by River but I guess not!  Maybe we will do the River cruise on our own after the Greenwich Walking tour.  Our documents have a 6:30 departure noted. I am assuming by now they would know what the tide charts will show.

Will be sail by the Thames River Barrier?  does anyone remember about how long after departure we might see it....don't want to be at dinner and not paying attention or in Living room bar with no windows!

[allyg]

Thanks so much for your info. We are on the May 1 BIE and really beginning to get excited. How is your weather? At this point, our forecast appears to be around 50 high and 44 low with about 30% chance of showers in London.

[formernuke]

Brilliant sail in past the white cliffs of Dover! 
We did the Leeds Castle and Canterbury Cathedral excursion. About a 40 min drive to Leeds. Castle is nice (not spectacular in our opinion) due to the number of major revisions that have happened over the years. Interesting history of course. The grounds are beautiful and it would be a great place to bring young kids as they’ve gone out of their way to provide a number of family friendly activities. 

After that, about a 30 min drive to Canterbury. Nice lunch at the cathedral reception center. Then a couple of hours to go through the cathedral and the town as desired. Cathedral is gorgeous! Well worth a visit. 
 

For those interested, the port provides a shuttle to Church Street in Dover and to Dover castle. We didn’t take it, but apparently runs about every 30-40 min in a loop. 

[deec]

Getting excited!

[formernuke]

1 hour ago, allyg said:

Thanks so much for your info. We are on the May 1 BIE and really beginning to get excited. How is your weather? At this point, our forecast appears to be around 50 high and 44 low with about 30% chance of showers in London.

We’ve had pretty decent luck with the weather. It’s been cool (low 50s mostly), with winds from moderate to heavy. Mostly avoided any significant precipitation, at least when we’ve been out and about. Some heavy rain while in the bus that miraculously cleared when we got off. A few sprinkles here and there for a few minutes. 
 

I would recommend a warm inner layer with a rain resistant outer layer. Consider carrying a small umbrella just in case. 

[SantaFe1]

2 hours ago, deec said:

Our documents have a 6:30 departure noted. I am assuming by now they would know what the tide charts will show.

Interesting.  We leave 8 days later, and the documents say departure from Greenwich at 2 pm.  Quite different tides I guess.  I’m getting excited too.  Just got packed for luggage forward pick up this week.

[Island2Dweller]

16 hours ago, deec said:

Will be sail by the Thames River Barrier

Yes, you sail through the barrier.  It's only a few miles from Greenwich (in local government terms, it's within the borough of Greenwich).  Once you're underway I'd expect you to pass the barrier in about 15/20 minutes.  Although the tide tables are published years in advance, the actual high tide on the day can vary by an hour either way (depending on strength and direction of wind).  The Thames pilot will order the departure at the highest point of the tide, so you may be a little either side of the published time of 1830.

About a mile after that you sail past the end of the runway for London City airport so remember to duck as the planes come into land....

[OneSixtyToOne]

3 hours ago, Island2Dweller said:

About a mile after that you sail past the end of the runway for London City airport so remember to duck as the planes come into land....

Sounds like San Diego 😮