20260330 Viking Vela Northern Lights and British Isles - Day 15/32

Viking Vela In Search of the Northern Lights and British Isles Explorer Cruise Day 15/32 – Tilbury, England, United Kingdom - Turnaround Day

We awoke, alongside and docked in Tilbury, England, part of the Port of London Authority. This is the last day of the In Search of the Northern Lights cruise and the first day of the British Isles Explorer cruise.

Our view for the next two days

Let's talk about that for a minute because there is always confusion. This is England, right? Or, is it more properly the United Kingdom? Or, is it the British Isles? What bout Great Britain?

I'll let Google AI explain it for me:

The United Kingdom (UK): A sovereign state (a political union) comprising England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain: The largest island in the archipelago, consisting of three nations: England, Scotland, and Wales. It is a geographical term, though it is often used as a shorthand for the UK, it does not include Northern Ireland.

The British Isles: A geographical term for the group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe. This includes Great Britain, the entire island of Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland), the Isle of Man, and thousands of smaller surrounding islands. 

Differences Summary

Northern Ireland is in the UK, but not in Great Britain.

The Republic of Ireland is in the British Isles, but is an independent country, not in the UK.

Great Britain is a landmass; the UK is a country; the British Isles is a geographical region. 

Got it?

On this cruise, we will stop in England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and finally return to Bergen, Norway, where our entire journey began.

Everyone had to vacate their staterooms by 8:00 so the crew could turn the cabins for the next guests. Us? We didn't get out of bed until 8:15. It's good to be an in-transit guest. We had a leisurely breakfast in the World Café before leaving the ship to go through immigration. Before the trip, we were required to obtain an electronic travel authorization (ETA), the U.K. form of a visa, to enter the United Kingdom. We both did that, paying $22.75 each for the privilege. When we went to immigration, the agent glanced at our passports and handed them back. No scanning, no lookup, no verifying the ETA, nothing. Well, that seemed worth it. (read: sarcasm)

After coming back to the room briefly, we decided to take a walk to Tilbury Fort. It was closed to visitors, but it was something to do.

A proper U.K. flag with the Vela in the background

We are docked on the Thames, directly across from Gravesend

The Thames? Wait, isn't that a river? Doesn't a river have water? That means Arlona will want to touch it! Well, that was the plan. On the way to the fort, we found a way down to the shore. There was sand leading up to the water, or so she thought...

Yes, that is her second shoe stuck in the muck - she had already lost the first one in the boggy grass and was carrying it

She was already committed, so muddy socks and all, in she went

The aftermath

They say that responsible travelers take only memories and leave only footprints - mission accomplished

This seemed appropriate

We passed the World's End Bar, the oldest bar in Tilbury. In fact, the bar was here before the town. 

It's been here since the 1700s

We visited on a Monday - it's closed on Monday and Tuesday

We continued on to the fort.

The beginning of the fortification walls

Water Gate

Tilbury Fort is considered the finest surviving example of late-17th-century military engineering in Britain. 

It was originally built in 1539, and then redesigned and expanded in the 1670s

With the sky turning from blue to overcast, and the upped 40sF temps and 15MPH biting winds, not to mention Arlona's muddy feet, we decided to make the short walk back to the Vela. Back in the room, her muddy shoes, socks, pants, gloves, hat, and jacket were peeled off, and a load of laundry was in order. Since we had some other dirty clothes, we decided to take advantage of the fact that nobody was on the ship and do two loads.

Between washing and drying, we grabbed lunch in the World Café. New guests were slowly arriving. We continued to take advantage of the low guest population and went to the gym for a quick workout. After a quick shower, we were feeling fed, pumped, and squeaky clean.

Embarkation day usually doesn't come with many activities, and today was no exception. Ship tours and spa tours were the only things happening this afternoon. Tonight's only activities are a couple of documentaries. So it's a slow day on the Vela, letting the new guests get acclimated to their home for the next 13 days. The pier was a flurry of activity, with trash being unloaded and supplies and passenger luggage being loaded.

We stopped by the officer's board to see all the changes for this cruise.

We have a new Staff Chief Engineer, Cruise Director, and Travel Consultant - we have sailed with Kate, the Cruise Director, on Viking Star in 2022, and Victor, the Travel Consultant, on Viking Yi Dun in China in 2025

We went a little early to the Explorers Bar for a cocktail. 

Sun rays shining down on the Thames

We really like the Explorers Bar because it is typically a great place to meet people and have interesting conversations. Usually. On the last cruise, and this cruise, at least the first night, people are simply not social. Nobody wants to sit and chat at the bar. Couples will sit and turn their backs and just talk between the two of them. It's weird and different from other cruises we've been on. I don't know what to attribute that to.

Dinner tonight was at Chef's Table for the second night in a row. Tonight's menu was Asian Panorama.

It was another nice meal in Chef's Table. We returned to the room to watch the recorded port talk for Tilbury to verify our plans for tomorrow. We are taking Viking's included tour, Iconic London, tomorrow at 8:00 am. It is a three-hour panoramic bus tour through London, bookended with one-hour bus rides from and to the port in Tilbury.