Photo by http://www.CGPGrey.com
The British has lot most of their “empire” over the decades. Now they’re attempting to be the cruise-ship empire of Europe and they’re doing it one terminal at a time: Southampton, Dover, Harwich and now the London suburb of Greenwich (above).
Travel Weekly’s UK edition reports that the mayor of London has to sign off on the latest project and it’ll be a go. The Greenwich council has already approved the new cruise terminal on the Thames, a terminal that will be able to support ships of 1,500 passengers or less.
The people celebrating the news should be all the luxury brands — specifically Crystal, Seabourn, Regent and Silversea. Also lines like Oceania, Azamara Club Cruises and Holland America, which all have several ships under 1,500 passengers.
The developers would like to have at least some of the facilities ready in time for the Olympics in London next summer — hmm, that seems like a push
The plans for Enderby Wharf in Greenwich will also provide a terminal for the Thames Clipper, offering commuter riverboat service. If you were to drive from the new cruise terminal to, say, Buckingham Palace it would take close 75 minutes. However, I think that with clipper service and public transportation, the trip should be shorter.
Also located on the site will be a 251-room hotel and 770 new homes. James Blakey, planning director at West Properties, says Greenwich was chosen from 11 possible sites across London.
A Transport for London cable car link across the River Thames is also planned, linking the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Victoria Dock in Newham.
“It takes a special place to play host to projects of this level and they will draw millions more visitors into an area which is already a World Heritage site and home to the world’s most popular entertainment venue, The O2,” says Blakey.
It looks like a win for passengers like us. Now let’s hope the cruise lines co-operate with some two-night stays.
All for now.
