Tilbury

[Gwendy]

We are looking at a Marco Polo cruise which leaves from Tilbury. We will be flying into Heathrow from Australia. Questions. Is it easy (cheaper) to go direct to Tilbury and stay there or would it be easier to go to Victoria, stay there and take the cruise line coach on embarkation day. Either way we expect to stat 2 nights prior to cruise. Is there anything to see I Tilbury apart from the fort. We have both been to London before, but of course you can never have enough time in London. We travel "on the cheap" but comfortably, just do not do 5 star hotels, pretty much independent travellers. Thanks in advance

[Morgans]

We have also cruised on Marco Polo and sailed from Tilbury. We travelled by train from Fenchurch Street and then picked up the port shuttle bus from outside Tilbury Town station. Coming back we had to wait ages for the shuttle to the railway station and then discovered there was no lift so had to negotiate stairs with heavy luggage .(to be fair I believe there is now a lift at the station)

If we were cruising from there again we would probably use the connection from Victoria and back as it would be so much easier. There is nothing in Tilbury and wouldn't advise staying in a hotel as the port is not in the most salubrious of areas. Enjoy your time in London and then join the cruise connection shuttle from Victoria - it will be much easier than making the journey under your own steam.

We enjoyed Marco Polo - a small, friendly ship. The food was excellent and everyone very friendly. Nice sitting on deck enjoying the sea and the sunshine.It is able to get to ports that the big ships can't because of size. However don't expect Royal Caribbean or Cunard. Prices excellent.

[Globaliser]

Is it easy (cheaper) to go direct to Tilbury and stay there or would it be easier to go to Victoria, stay there and take the cruise line coach on embarkation day.

As Morgans says, there is nothing worth seeing in Tilbury, which is effectively a grungy industrial suburb of London. So I strongly endorse the idea of staying in London.

 

As an alternative to Victoria, if you're prepared to go to Tilbury Town by train (which is likely to be rather cheaper than the cruise line's transfer) you could stay near the Tower of London/Tower Hill as that is where Fenchurch Street station is. Another alternative is to pick anywhere on the Jubilee Line because you can take that to West Ham station and change there for the train to Tilbury Town. (This would also work if you're staying somewhere on the District or Hammersmith and City Lines.) And at worst, if the shuttle bus doesn't appear, Tilbury Town to the cruise terminal is something like 20-30 minutes walk.

 

But obviously, much of this is rather harder work than taking the cruise line transfer, and so its appeal may depend on whether you want to find the most economical possible route.

[houtbay]

We are looking at a Marco Polo cruise which leaves from Tilbury. We will be flying into Heathrow from Australia. Questions. Is it easy (cheaper) to go direct to Tilbury and stay there or would it be easier to go to Victoria, stay there and take the cruise line coach on embarkation day. Either way we expect to stat 2 nights prior to cruise. Is there anything to see I Tilbury apart from the fort. We have both been to London before, but of course you can never have enough time in London. We travel "on the cheap" but comfortably, just do not do 5 star hotels, pretty much independent travellers. Thanks in advance

 

We have two cruises booked on Marco Polo in September and after checking out all the options decided to stay close to Victoria coach station and use the ship transfer. There are some reasonable accommodation options close to the coach station. When do you plan to cruise....

[moviefan2010]

Watch the movie Fish Tank since that will convince not to stay anywhere near Tilbury.

 

 

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