Ambience Day 1 - Embarkation on Ambassador Cruise’s Ambience

“I found the open road, no telling where I’ll go

Someday I’ll find my way back home, when it’s too cold to carry on...

I’ve walked a thousand miles, in my own two shoes...

And I’ll find my way back home, when it’s too cold to carry on...”

Connor Brodes, I Just Need the Moon

Purfleet to Tilbury Town

Today we boarded Ambassador Cruises’ Ambience for a 16-night and 17 days on their Northern Lights voyage to Norway. This was our first journey with Ambassador Cruises, and we had no idea what to expect, but we were filled with excitement at the prospect of a new adventure.

Eager to be underway, we were both awake and up by 6 AM. Despite the noisy hustle and bustle taking place all night outside of our hotel, we had enjoyed a restful sleep. Once out of bed, we had a couple of cups of coffee, long warm showers and took the opportunity to finish packing our suitcases. After which we headed to the hotel restaurant for a leisurely breakfast of fruit and yogurt for Sean, and porridge with berries for me.

Though we had woken up early and were ready, much of this morning for us was about burning time – balancing the process of checking out of the hotel, travelling to Tilbury and arriving at our set embarkation time. As such, throughout the morning, Sean edited photographs, and I uploaded images of unknown bird species from our last two days of exploring some of London’s green spaces to iNaturalist.

C2C Train to Tilbury Town

By 11 AM, we were ready to get going, and so we set out making our way to Purfleet train station, where we purchased our tickets and waited for the C2C train to take us to Tilbury Town, only a few stops away.

Many of the people who we met when we boarded in Purfleet had come on board at West Ham Station and were carrying piles of luggage that bore Ambassador Cruise tags, and as the excitement grew, conversations started up between the varied travellers. As we began to meet our fellow passengers, we couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning of a two-week friendship or if we would ever see these people again.

When the Five Boroughs Bike Tour unexpectedly shut down the streets of New York City on the day we boarded Queen Mary 2 for an eastbound transatlantic crossing, we shared a complex and arduous subway journey of several hours with two fellow ship passengers, only to rarely see them again. I suppose only time would tell.

After a 15-minute ride on the C2C train, we disembarked in Tilbury Town in a rush of excitement and among other passengers. Apparently, there was a free shuttle that would take passengers to the Tilbury Cruise Terminal, where Ambience was waiting, but road works were creating some confusion as to where the pick-up point was.

Given that we were still almost 2 hours early for our designated embarkation time, we decided to walk. As such, we soon found ourselves in the midst of a small group of other intrepid walkers, which was somewhat comforting, as the 20-minute walk wasn't overly aesthetic or intuitive.

Luckily, there was a sidewalk the whole way, and clear markings for the cruise terminal. Nevertheless, we found ourselves walking on the edge of a narrow, winding road that was carrying a constant stream of trucks, buses, and other vehicles to and from the port. In addition, as we pulled the tiny and resisting wheels of our suitcases over the uneven and gravel-strewn walkway, we soon found ourselves missing our hiking backpacks, which could have been transported over the flat ground much more easily.

Tilbury Cruise Terminal

Finally, we rounded a noise barrier and got our first glimpse of Ambience sitting alongside the Tilbury Cruise Terminal. It felt like the adventure had finally begun, and although we had intended to simply ask if we could drop off our luggage early and then explore the surrounding fort and pub, we somehow found ourselves getting swept into the Tilbury Cruise Terminal by the friendly and welcoming staff and our fellow passengers.

The large Victorian brick and ironwork heritage building had a much different and more historic feel than the Southampton Cruise docks, which we've visited several times while travelling on Queen Mary 2. Inside Tilbury Terminal, it was actually quite grand, with a lofty, curved white ceiling, tall brick columns, and large stained glass windows.

The Tilbury Cruise Terminal is located on the River Thames at a point where it narrows to around 730 m wide. It was originally built as a freight dock on the north bank of the Thames River in the late 1800s. However, by 1930, it transitioned to a passenger terminal, quickly becoming a key embarkation point for travellers. It was used by P&O from 1916 onward and operated as a passenger terminal until the 1960s. For many people, Tilbury was the point of emigration to Australia and was the site where displaced people from the Baltic region arrived to the UK after World War II as well as being the port of entry for many immigrants from the West Indies.

In the mid-20th century, the terminal gained international prominence as a departure hub for emigrants heading to Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, with the famous RMS Queen Mary often docked here, alongside other iconic ocean liners. The terminal saw a decline in the following decades as air travel grew, but it experienced a resurgence in the 1990s as the cruise industry expanded.

In 1995, the passenger landing aspect of the port was reopened as the London Cruise Terminal and the building was both restored and refurbished. Today, Tilbury Cruise Terminal is the main port for the Ambassador Cruise Line.

Embarkation onto Ambience

Once our luggage had been checked in by the porters, the embarkation process that followed was fast, efficient, and friendly. Indeed, it only took us about 15 minutes from the time we walked in the door to the moment we were directed to the ship.

The terminal was beautiful, and the staff were efficient - and so, if we had to offer a critique, it was that the process was almost too efficient as the terminal, with its stained glass windows and brick walls, is a place that we would have welcomed spending time in.

Regardless, we soon found ourselves crossing the covered docks, walking up the gangway and entering into Ambience.  Our point of embarkation on board was the Center Court on Deck 5 over 2 hours before our room would be ready for us. 

Once on board, the staff kindly invited us to head up to the Borough Market for lunch while we waited, but we were in the mood for exploration rather than food. Not knowing the layout of the ship at all, and not fancying a ride in the busy lifts, we headed up the nearest staircase, soon finding ourselves on Deck 7, which offered access to the promenade outside.

Loading Ambience

We stood at the railing looking down at the cruise ship terminal below, and watching the huge piles of colourful luggage being unloaded from a stream of carts onto a conveyor belt leading to the belly of the ship. At the other end of the wooden pier, pallets of groceries were still being loaded, while piles of laundry were being taken away. It felt like the ship was sitting calmly in the middle of swam of activity, and it kept us entertained for quite some time.

I have always enjoyed watching the resupply and boarding procedures of trains and ocean vessels.

Eventually, we walked through to the other side of the ship, looking across the water to the town of Gravesend, which, until recently, was connected by ferry to the north shore of the Thames.

Tilbury Fort and World's End Pub

Slowly, we made our way up to the top of the ship, which we discovered was home to the Lido buffet, a large space with a swimming pool and purple paddling pool, and an elevated jogging track overlooking the rest of the top deck. From that lofty perch, we had a bird's-eye view of the star-shaped stone walls, moats, and grassy hillocks of the Tilbury Fort.

Apparently, this aged military site has a fascinating history that stretches back over 400 years. Originally constructed in 1539 by Henry VIII and later reinforced. The fort was built to defend London from potential naval attacks, particularly in response to the threat posed by the Spanish Armada. Its strategic position on the Thames made it a critical part of England's coastal defence system. Over the centuries, the fort was expanded and modified, playing a role in various conflicts, including the Napoleonic Wars and both World Wars. Today, Tilbury Fort is a well-preserved National Trust site, which has a herd of horses roaming its grounds and a stream of joggers and walkers circling its trails.

Beside the Tilbury Fort, we could see the white walls and dark roof of the World's End Pub, a Tilbury watering hole that dates back to the 17th century. After Tilbury Fort was rebuilt in the 17th century, the landing point for the Tilbury-Gravesend Ferry moved to World's End, making it a popular spot with locals. In the 1840's, a busy agricultural market was established by its landlord, and during the First World War it did a roaring trade due to the establishment of the Belgian Remount Depot beside it. One day, we will have to come back and visit here.

Room Assignment

Around 2 PM, as we stood on the top deck watching the waterway, a ship-wide announcement informed us that all rooms were ready for guests.  As such, we headed back down to Deck 5 to explore the cabin we would call home for the next 2 weeks. We had been assigned room 5150, an Ocean view cabin that we had been given as we had reserved this voyage as part of a promotion offering Ocean view rooms for the price of an Inside room. Needless to say, we were delighted with what we found.

Stepping into our room, we discovered that it was more spacious than any we have enjoyed on other vessels. It had lots of storage space and a large washroom. Our beds have been left separate – at our request – to allow us easy access to the window.

On the desk was a bottle of champagne to welcome us.

Overall, everything was great - the room was clean, functional and perfect for the time that we would be on board.

Our only quibble was the fact that the room was very warm and the thermostat did nothing to drop the temperature, meaning that even as we travelled to the Arctic, we would “enjoy” 35 degrees in our room day and night.

As we had investigated the room and freshened up, our luggage was dropped off, and so we took a few minutes to unpack and change clothes. During this period, we also met our room steward, Maha, who welcomed us and offered to answer any questions we might have or help out if we needed anything. His warm welcome immediately impressed us as we settled in.

Departure from Tilbury

Afterwards, as so often happens with us, much of our first day aboard the new ship was taken up wandering aimlessly, figuring out the layout of the ship, and trying out new places. Undoubtedly, however, a highlight is the moment of sail away. While there didn't seem to be a formal event, we joined an enthusiastic group of passengers on the top deck to watch as Ambience silently moved away from the dock and slowly turned in the Thames River to progress eastward through the estuary and into the North Sea.

As we made our way, the motion of the ship changed, the vibration of the engines strengthened, and the current of the river led us out to sea.

The sun had just finished setting, painting the fluffy clouds a suite of soft pinks and yellows, and as the lights of the ship blinked on, the evening took on quite a romantic look. We stood at the rails, watching the stream of heavily laden cargo ships, oil tankers, and smaller vessels chug past, and a flock of Black-headed and European Gulls circling overhead.

As the light faded, we could see the forest of cranes, container ships, and loading docks beside us that hinted at the true extent of the Tilbury Port. Across the river, we could see the lights of Gravesend, the town dominated by a complex of beautiful meringue-shaped domes belonging to the Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara Sikh temple.

Once the sun had sunk below the horizon, it began to get colder, but we stayed a while longer, watching the lights on shore slip past. Ambience passed a huge loading dock where metal containers with familiar names like Hapag and Maersk were being systematically loaded onto huge ships. We picked out the red and green lights of the channel markers and watched as the lights on shore receded as the river widened. With the wind in our faces and the gentle rock of the water below us it felt like adventure.

Dinner and Theatre 

We stayed up on deck so long that when we finally headed inside, we realized that the first dinner sitting was already well underway. Not wanting the awkwardness of showing up late to our shared dinner table on the first night, we returned to the Borough Market buffet. It was surprisingly crowded, but I nonetheless managed to find a plate of pasta, while Sean selected a mixed salad. The bustle and chaos of the buffet on the first night of a new voyage is always a little much for us, so we soon headed outside again, ready to wander a bit more.

Over the course of the evening, we stepped into the Palladium Theatre to listen to the Elton John tribute, stopped by the Purple Turtle Pub for a round of music trivia that left us feeling rather inadequate, and finally ended up in the Observatory.

This large domed lounge on Deck 14 was right at the front of the ship, and featured almost 180˚ of floor-to-ceiling windows. Plush velvet armchairs were arranged around the edges, facing outwards so that their occupants could enjoy the view during daylight hours, or snuggle into a private alcove at night. We settled in to listen to the live music, enjoy a glass of wine, and watch the occasional lights in the darkness outside.

First Night on Ambience

Today has been a long and exciting day. As Ambience leaves the Thames riverway and settles into open water, we look ahead to our first full day at sea tomorrow as the vessel makes the transition into the gentle rhythm of ocean travel.

See you on deck!

Nautical Term for the Day: Get Underway - Originally “under weigh,” referring to raising the anchor’s weight. The modern spelling shifted, but the meaning- to begin a journey-remains.