The Sailing Route

You will embark at Royal Arsenal Pier, Woolwich. Your voyage will take you through the Thames Barrier, past 4 Olympic Venues and from the eastern hemisphere into the western hemisphere crossing 0 degrees. After passing the magnificent Old Naval College, HMS Ocean and recently re-opened Cutty Sark, your ship will return to Royal Arsenal. (In the evening the meridian is marked by a laser).

Special departure saturday 11 August

Booking tickets

• This can be done on-line (go to www.ticketweb.co.uk/sail) or by phone on 08444 771 000
• Payment is due at the time of booking. You will receive an e-ticket after the booking process. Please bring this with you to check-in for your trip.
• There is a booking fee of £1.00 per booking charged by Ticketweb.
• Adult price is £59. Children under 15 pay only £39. Concession for students and seniors at £49.
• Unfortunately no concessions on tickets for disabled can be done.
• Children are allowed, for very small children you won’t be able to take a push chair, because of the small entrances. Children less than 1 year old do not need a ticket.

   The package

• You can choose from five departures per day: morning, afternoon, late afternoon, evening and late night. Not all departures are available on every date.
• The duration of the cruise will be 2 hours.
• The following pastry and snacks will be served: Sweet table snacks (Brownies, Dutch caramel waffles, Dutch sugar preztels, assorted muffins) and Savory snacks (Old Amsterdam cheese snacks, Piccolini Pizza, Chicken Yakatori with spring unions, mini sausage rolls)
• Drinks are not included but there is a cash bar where you can buy wine, beer and soft drinks.

The itinerary

 To download a detailed itinerary, please click here (PDF).

The boarding area

The registration point is at the entrance of Royal Arsenal Pier, Woolwich. Passengers will embark at Royal Arsenal Pier, Woolwich. The postcode is London, SE18 6ST, click here for a map.

The Check-in Process

Please make sure you arrive in good time at Reception, you wouldn’t want to ‘miss the boat’. Please arrive 30 minutes before departure at the registration point, the Guard House near the Woolwich Arsenal Pier. This point closes 10 minutes before departure. Boarding will commence immediately after registration has closed.  The ship will leave on time and will not wait.

Ships

You will be aboard on one of our fleet of 14 Tall Ships. Which ship will be sailing, depends on how many tickets there will be sold. The capacity per ship varies between 24 and 130 persons. Check out our fleet here. Daily a few ships will sail for the public cruises. The other ships are exclusively reserved and will sail for corporate hospitality. Public cruises will depart approximately around the same time, the corporate cruises will depart one or two hours later.

We will advise you which ship you will board when you receive your boarding pass at the registration point in Woolwich, 30 minutes for departure. If you want to stick together as a group with friends or family, but you have booked tickets separate, we advise you When you register on the day of departure, to  register together with your friends and mention you would like to go on the same ship. Then we will make sure you will be on the same ship.

Sailing or motoring?

Ships will be mostly motoring up and down the river as per the Thames regulations, however, we do have permission to raise sails if appropriate. We will do this as much as possible dependent on how many vessels reside on the Thames, weather circumstances and tidal period.

Fireworks during Opening and Closing ceremony

We anticipate being able to see the fireworks of the opening and closing ceremony, on both 27^th July and 12^th August on the late night cruise. This is of course dependent on weather and conditions.

Both cruises will depart and will take about 3 hours. The ship will only return when the fireworks have ended.

Box office collection: email confirmation = e-ticket

When you booked your tickets, you will receive a confirmation email. This email is your e-ticket. Please print this email and bring it with you to the registration point on the day of departure.

When you register, you will be told which ship you to board and gathered in groups for embarkation. We anticipate 4 ships departing at a time, to reduce any queues or crowding.

Accessibility information

Tall Ships are on average 80-100 year old ships with less facilities for disabled. Our piers and  larger Tall Ships are however accessible for disabled. We have allocated the 29th of July (all cruises) as the best day for you to book. 

We have reserved the bigger ships to allow easier access for less abled persons, as these ships have deck doors and the smaller ships do not. We will endeavour to assist you shore side, there are ramps down to the pier, but we will likely need to lift you out of your chair to get you on to the ship as the deck doors are narrow.

There are no wheelchair accessible toilets aboard the ships, but there are wheelchair accessible toilets shore side at the Heritage Centre, if you ask a steward they will direct you to these.

As the disabled bays near the museum cannot be pre-booked we have suspended parking and full access to the Warren Lane carpark – blue badge holders can email us so we know how many cars to expect. You can park on P1 and buy your exit parking token at the registration point.

We will endeavour to assist you as much as possible but we do ask that you bear in mind that due to the nature of these 100 year old ships, stair cases are steep and gangways are narrow, so you may not be able to explore as much of it.

Ticket fee for these tickets is £59. 

How is the seating arranged?

The number of tickets available depends on the capacity on the interior saloon of the ships. So when the weather is bad, every person may shelter inside or underneath the awnings on the outside decks. The outside area on the ship is free accessible and wil not be allocated by us.

How do I reach Royal Arsenal by public transport?

The following websites can give you the latest information to help you plan your journey:

• Get ahead of the games http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/london-public-transport.html
• Transport for London Journey Planner http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk

River

Travelling by river might be a good option for you and will deliver you directly to the Sail Royal Greenwich Reception area next to Royal Arsenal Woolwich Pier.  Thames Clipper are running additional services during ‘games time’ – which anyone can use as long as they pre-book by calling Thames Clipper on 0207 001 2224. Please check the website for exact schedule:  http://www.thamesclippers.com/images/pdf/olympic-timetable.pdf  Please note that they do not run extra service everyday.

 

Docklands Light Railway (DLR) 

Woolwich Arsenal Station is the nearest DLR stop. The Woolwich Arsenal extension serves all stations on the London City Airport, Canning Town and Stratford International route.

Train 

The nearest main line station is Woolwich Arsenal on the Southeastern railway network. Trains from Central London depart from Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Waterloo East and London Bridge. It is a five minute walk from the station to the Sail Royal Greenwich Reception area.

Tube

Jubilee Line to North Greenwich, then a short bus ride to Woolwich (161, 422, 472) to stops A & B.

Bus

Bus routes 472, 161, 96, 180 stop in Plumstead Road outside the Royal Arsenal. Bus routes 53, 54, 422, 380 stop in Woolwich Town Centre.

Parking

We strongly recommend that you travel to Royal Arsenal by public transport. If you want to travel by car, public pay and display parks close to Royal Arsenal are:

• Calder Street SE18 6QW Space for 445 cars plus including 17 disabled bays. Notice: Not open 24 hours. Check website for details and opening times http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/directory/19/directory_car_parks/category/50
• Monk Street SE18 6JT. Open 24 hours.
• Powis Street SE18 6JL. Open 24 hours.

There are 3 disabled parking spaces directly outside Registration Point. These belong to the Firepower Museum. Call 020 8855 7755 to check availability.

Safety

• All ships are fully inspected by the British food and health inspection.
• Each captain has been fully trained on the Thames river and hold a PEC licence.
• Each ship has its own full insurance, including for all the passengers.
• These ships are build for sailing on the open sea and so completely safe for sailing on the Thames. All ships meet international safety requirements set by MCA
• The Thames is a very calm river. Sea sickness is not likely as long as you don’t suffer from it.
• The event Sail Royal Greenwich has been licensed by Greenwich Council.

 

What should I wear during the trip?

You will be more comfortable onboard with flat shoes. High heeled shoes are not advised. There will be more breeze on board than on land, so do bring a light jacket or outer layer. Sun cream and a hat on hot days is recommended.

 

What is there to do if I arrive early and the registration point is not open yet?

The registration point opens 30 minutes before departure. If you arrive earlier, you can visit the Firepower Museum (Royal Artillery Museum) or the Greenwich Heritage Centre (free entrance). These attractions are on the same site as our Reception.

 

What happens in bad weather?

If it rains, passengers may shelter in the interior saloons or underneath the awnings on the outside decks.

In certain circumstances, for example fog or storms, the event will not take place. However, this is very unlikely at this time of year on the Thames. Find details on terms & conditions on www.ticketweb.co.uk/sail.

 

What do I have to do when I am late or unable to attend?

All ships must leave on time, due to the Thames tides. If you are late and miss your trip, or are unable to attend, your ticket will be void. Please note that tickets are not transferable to another trip and are non-refundable.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist gegen Spambots geschützt! JavaScript muss aktiviert werden, damit sie angezeigt werden kann.