Embarkation changed from Greenwich to Tilbury

[vacationprincess]

Our Venus embarkation port was changed from Greenwich to Tilbury. We had planned to visit the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market and the Queens House. Is it worth it to take the train from Tilbury to Greenwich? It doesn’t look like there is much to see or do in Tilbury.

[Peregrina651]

When do you land in London? Embarkation day or earlier? When does the ship depart Tilbury? Same day or next day? In other words, do you have enough time to accomplish the trip?

[JM0115]

Yep. There is nothing in Tilbury. 

[vacationprincess]

54 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

When do you land in London? Embarkation day or earlier? When does the ship depart Tilbury? Same day or next day? In other words, do you have enough time to accomplish the trip?

We land at LHR 8am embarkation day, will go directly to the ship and the ship overnights at Tilbury.  We will have the remainder of the day after we make the trip from LHR to Tilbury. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Greenwich is definitely worth a visit. The Royal Observatory should also be on your list of things to see. It houses the Harrison clocks, which were used to determine longitude. There is a daily tour included with admission that gives you the history of the clocks and the Longitude Prize.

 

I believe the Thames Clipper also runs service from Tilbury to Greenwich (may be seasonal) and that leaves you right at the Cutty Sark. The clipper is a great way to see London from the river. It’s worth taking the trip all the way to Parliament. You’ll pass many iconic sites and bridges.

[formernuke]

I may be wrong (local Londoner please correct me if so), but I do NOT think the Thames clipper goes as far as Tillbury. It would be great if it did. That's why there are significant threads about how to get from TIllbury to London (by car, train and tube).

[OneSixtyToOne]

18 minutes ago, formernuke said:

I may be wrong (local Londoner please correct me if so), but I do NOT think the Thames clipper goes as far as Tillbury. It would be great if it did. That's why there are significant threads about how to get from TIllbury to London (by car, train and tube).

You are right. I was looking at an old map. Looks like it doesn’t go there anymore. 

[DrKoob]

8 hours ago, vacationprincess said:

Our Venus embarkation port was changed from Greenwich to Tilbury. We had planned to visit the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market and the Queens House. Is it worth it to take the train from Tilbury to Greenwich? It doesn’t look like there is much to see or do in Tilbury.

Can I ask what sailing you are on? And where you found this out. We are on the June 14 departure and we have our own hotels reserved for two nights in Greenwich. Hoping ours is still there.

[vacationprincess]

9 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Greenwich is definitely worth a visit. The Royal Observatory should also be on your list of things to see. It houses the Harrison clocks, which were used to determine longitude. There is a daily tour included with admission that gives you the history of the clocks and the Longitude Prize.

 

I believe the Thames Clipper also runs service from Tilbury to Greenwich (may be seasonal) and that leaves you right at the Cutty Sark. The clipper is a great way to see London from the river. It’s worth taking the trip all the way to Parliament. You’ll pass many iconic sites and bridges.

Thank you so much!!! That is extremely helpful!!!

[Peregrina651]

10 hours ago, vacationprincess said:

We land at LHR 8am embarkation day, will go directly to the ship and the ship overnights at Tilbury.  We will have the remainder of the day after we make the trip from LHR to Tilbury. 

 

 

Figure 3 hours minimum from airplane to ship.

 

It is about an hour from Tilbury station to Cutty Sark Station in Greenwich, not including the 20 minute walk to the station and time to buy the train ticket. [Google Maps is good for quick estimates but the  Citymapper or Tfl apps will get you better directions for travel] . So, call it 1.5 hours to Greenwich. 

 

NOTE: there are multiple stops for Tilbury on your way home. The station you want is TILBURY TOWN.  If you miss it, get off at the next station and grab a cab to the ship.

 

At least you don't have a back on board time and can stay  until the sights close for the day.

 

Use timeanddate.com for sunset time, if traveling home in daylight is preferred.

 

 

 

 

[vacationprincess]

53 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

Figure 3 hours minimum from airplane to ship.

 

It is about an hour from Tilbury station to Cutty Sark Station in Greenwich, not including the 20 minute walk to the station and time to buy the train ticket. [Google Maps is good for quick estimates but the  Citymapper or Tfl apps will get you better directions for travel] . So, call it 1.5 hours to Greenwich. 

 

NOTE: there are multiple stops for Tilbury on your way home. The station you want is TILBURY TOWN.  If you miss it, get off at the next station and grab a cab to the ship.

 

At least you don't have a back on board time and can stay  until the sights close for the day.

 

Use timeanddate.com for sunset time, if traveling home in daylight is preferred.

 

 

 

 

I really appreciate all of the information you have shared!!! Thank you so much!! 

[vacationprincess]

15 hours ago, DrKoob said:

Can I ask what sailing you are on? And where you found this out. We are on the June 14 departure and we have our own hotels reserved for two nights in Greenwich. Hoping ours is still there.

We are on the April 19 sailing. We just received an email about the port change a week ago. I had already planned our day in Greenwich so it was a bit of a surprise to find out only 2 weeks before sailing.

[DrKoob]

12 minutes ago, vacationprincess said:

We are on the April 19 sailing. We just received an email about the port change a week ago. I had already planned our day in Greenwich so it was a bit of a surprise to find out only 2 weeks before sailing.

I bet it would be. I would not be a happy camper. Ours is still showing Greenwich. We have non-refundable hotel reservations at a place in Greenwich. Hope ours stays the same. Have a great time.

[WanderingBrit]

22 hours ago, vacationprincess said:

We land at LHR 8am embarkation day, will go directly to the ship and the ship overnights at Tilbury.  We will have the remainder of the day after we make the trip from LHR to Tilbury. 

My guess is that if you land at 8am you won't be on the ship much before noon, given the time taken for immigration, baggage claim, and Viking gathering people together for the coach journey.

 

Since you'll have been in the same clothes for over 24 hours you may decide you want to freshen up and change before heading out, and maybe grab some food.

 

You will need to take a tender to shore, then walk ~10 minutes to Tilbury Town station where you'll catch a British Rail service to Limehouse - 7 stops, 36 minutes.

 

At Limehouse you'll walk to the Docklands Light Railway platform to take the DLR service to Cutty Sark, 8 stops, 14 minutes. It's now about a 16 minute walk from the DLR station to Cutty Sark and the heart of the Greenwich Action.

 

If you're very focused maybe you can make it to Greenwich by 2pm - but personally I feel that would take some good fortune with timings of trains and tender - and no wrong turns at stations. Remember you need to make the same journey in reverse, likely at rush hour.

 

Factor in a lack of sleep and jet lag from the flight, and personally I'd be hard pushed to have the stamina for it.

 

Greenwich is a great place to visit, and of critical historic significance to anyone about to set sail. If it were me I'd take a look at one of the private tour guide sites, and book a knowledgeable driver for half a day.

[formernuke]

1 hour ago, vacationprincess said:

We are on the April 19 sailing. We just received an email about the port change a week ago. I had already planned our day in Greenwich so it was a bit of a surprise to find out only 2 weeks before sailing.

 We are on the April19 Venus sailing and it has been scheduled for Tillbury since we booked it in 2022. 

[Island2Dweller]

Seabourne Venture will be on the Greenwich mooring at that time, which is why Viking won't be able to berth at Greenwich

(Info from Port of London cruise ship diary page)

 

[Mrs Miggins]

The DLR Cutty Sark station is a 2 minute walk to The Cutty Sark Experience and the Old Royal Naval College (The Painted Hall and the lovely Chapel )  It is also just across the road to Greenwich Market. The Maritime Museum and the Queens House are just across the main road.   A 10 minute uphill walk to the Observatory through lovely Greenwich Park.    I would always look at Google Maps street view to see the area properly.  However I would agree that if time is limited an Uber taxi might be the easiest option.  There is really nothing in Tilbury and I would be very upset about this change.  

[Island2Dweller]

Beware that getting from Greenwich to Tilbury by road requires use of either the Blackwall Tunnel or the Dartford Tunnel.  Both are notorious for dreadful queues.  An hour queue for the Dartford in the evening is not unusual.  DLR and c2c train will be quicker and more reliable.

[deec]

our cruise is May1 and as far as we know we are still Greenwich. 

[formernuke]

Again, I don’t think there has been any change. April 19th sailing has shown Tillbury since at least July 2022 when we booked. All other 24 bookings show Greenwhich. I don’t know what happened to the OP. Perhaps they used a TA that misinformed them?

[KevinandSally]

https://pla.co.uk/ship-movements
This is the web site of Port of London Authority that shows the calendar where all cruise ships dock. The date may be the arrival date and that could be the day before your embarkation. Hope this help put minds at rest.

[Mountain Traveler]

Here is a new suggestion - instead of traveling all the way to Tillbury and then back into London/Greenwich why not arrange a private transfer from the airport to Tillbury with a stop at the Royal Observatory?  The driver will wait with your luggage safely in his car while you visit the observatory. 

We did something similar a few years ago and it worked out very well.  The observatory is very much worth visiting and once you get to the ship you can board and relax.

 

I can send you the contact info for the person we used for the transfer if you'd like.

[Island2Dweller]

13 hours ago, Mountain Traveler said:

why not arrange a private transfer from the airport to Tillbury with a stop at the Royal Observatory? 

See my comment above about the possibility of dreadful queues at the tunnels.