Going to London. Really scared. No clue.

[london101asap]

Hi so we are staying near London Excel.

I'm so scared of getting the tube.

I see there is a cable car we can walk (25 min)

Once off the other end though the nearest bus stop to a 48 hop on bus (London Bridge) is a 3 hour walk.

How do we get to from the cable car to the bus?

Dh is used to travelling all over the world and the uk but not around London only the outskirts.

Tween daughters want you to see the sights. Do you get off at every sight then wait for another bus?

I'm so scared as we are relying on dh who has adhd and I have severe anxiety but our 12 and 13 year olds really want to go.

Any advice please?

The whole of London is too busy. You’re more likely to lose your husband or kids above ground rather than on the tube. More likely to be bombed above ground too. If you miss your stop just get off at the next one. No drama. You pay with a contactless card. Just tap in and out. It’s ridiculously easy

Too busy

that’s London and it’ll be much quieter in the day. Get off a stop early for big attractions and walk the last one ie don’t get off at Covent Garden; walk to Holborn instead

Might lose my husband or kids

my kids school takes 30 children on day trips regularly and not lost a single kid yet

Bomb threats (low but still)

erm. This is so very very very unlikely.

Might miss my stop

look about you 👀

I'm scared of being pushed near the track

stand by the wall

I don't know how to pay

contactless

I don't know how to pay

Well London buses don't accept cash any more, so you're going to have to learn how to pay. Either use a contactless card (one per person) or get Oyster cards which you'll have to load up with credit in advance.

Buses you tap once when entering (you don't tap again when getting off). Buses are flat fares - it doesn't matter the distance.

Tube, trains and DLR: tap when entering and tap when leaving so that the system can calculate the correct fare based on where you entered/exited.

Exactly this. If it's because you don't like crowds for example, you aren't going to be any more comfortable on a bus or trains (at certain points of the day). Plus, buses are much harder to navigate than the tube (making sure you're going in the right direction and that you're at the right stop, and they're even more complicated if there are roadworks/closures/one way traffic systems).

The cable car's OK. But once you get the other end of it at North Greenwich, you'll need to get on the tube. The buses from there are more local, so you'll likely need to change in order to get into central, and it'll take aaaaages. You'll waste so much of your precious trip trying to get around London by bus.

Too busy
All of London is busy- tube is no different

Might lose my husband or kids
Agree that if you lose each other you all get off at the next stop- go up if you don't have reception and call each other and figure out where to meet.

Bomb threats (low but still)
That could happen anywhere

Might miss my stop
Get off at next stop and walk or get the tube back one stop

I'm scared of being pushed near the track
Just stand back, this is so, massively unlikely to happen

I don't know how to pay
Use debit/ credit card. The workers are helpful so just ask when you get to first tube stop.

Avoid rush hour. Bomb threat is no higher than anywhere else. Make a plan in case you get separated. The person left on the platform gets the next tube to come along and the person who got on the tube gets off at the next station and waits on the platform for them. If you miss your stop, just get off and get the tube back one stop in the opposite direction. Stand away from the edge of the platform. You pay using Oyster or your ordinary contactless bank card.

OP, I mean this kindly but are you getting help with your anxiety? It sounds very restrictive and it's going to get harder and harder now that your dc are of an age where they are going to want to start doing stuff.

Use a bank card to tap on and tap off/out on bus or tube. Is there an Uberboat stop nearby?

If it's claustrophobia, I understand not using the tube, otherwise not quite sure what would qualify as a good reason not to.

If you must use buses and other forms of transport, www.tfl.gov.uk , the London Transport website is your friend. You can plan routes with the Journey Planner on the right of the page and choose which form of transport.

The cable car is quite fun but it's expensive and only gets you between two points on Docklands - there won't be all that many buses I think from Royal Dock but the tfl page of North Greenwich gives you bus info: https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/HUBNGW/north-greenwich

None of those buses go into central London, so if the tube really isn't possible, you'd honestly be best off going by Uber.

Just to quell your fear a little, you can’t get pushed on the track on most of the Elizabeth line or the jubilee line. It’s covered by plastic with door areas for getting on the train.

To be fair I have missed my stop a few times daydreaming on the tube but the next station is often very very close to walk so it doesn't really matter unless you're out quite far in which case I think either googlemaps or citimapper apps can alert you when it's time to get off.

www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/find-your-pier/royal-wharf-pier looks like nearest stop

Where do I get the Oyster cards please

oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do

If you’re near the excel hop on the DLR (docklands light railway). it’s like a little toy train and goes above ground (apart from when it needs to cross the Thames) . You can then connect with the bus network from DLR stations. Job done. The tube from North Greenwich would be much quicker but the DLR will open up getting into central(ish) London via Bank and Tower gateway stations.

you could also get the Thames clipper boat from North Greenwich right into London - have a look at that route

The tube isn’t partially busy except at rush hour. It’s easier to take the tube than buses. There is no way you can get lost on the tube. It’s very well signposted. If you do go the wrong way or miss your stop, then you get off and take another tube back the way you came. You won’t be charged.

Just give your kids the tube map and have them navigate you round. My 10 year old was doing it on our recent trip to London. That’s how easy it is

Addressing your concerns:

Too busy - not between 10-4
Might lose my husband or kids - Have a plan for if you get separated either on a train or in a station. BTW I have used the tube very frequently with kids for their lifetimes , they're in their teens now, and we have never once got separated on the underground system.
Bomb threats (low but still) - Might as well worry about lightening every time you go out
Might miss my stop - You just go back a stop, you don't have to do anything
I'm scared of being pushed near the track - stand against the wall until the tube is in the station, you have plenty of time to board
I don't know how to pay - just with a card, you might need to get tickets for the kids

I live locally to excel and HATE the cable car by the way and would not go on it again if you paid me. So I’m not going to chastise you for not getting the tube.

You can order them on the TfL website. But you don’t need them unless you don’t have a bank card

Too busy - so might anywhere in London be, including buses and streets

Might lose my husband or kids - arrange a meeting point for if that happens, such as the platform at the station you are getting of at, for any journey

Bomb threats (low but still) - no greater or lesser than any city anywhere
Might miss my stop - unlikely but if you do, just get off at the next stop and walk back, or get the next train back

I'm scared of being pushed near the track - stand a long way away from it then

I don't know how to pay - do you have a contactless bank card? Just touch in and out. If not, buy an oyster card from a newsagent and load it up at a ticket machine and use that. One for each traveller. or else go to a ticket machine each day and buy a one day ticket for all the zones you are going to use.

@london101asap paying from transport in London is really easy.
You all need a contactless card each (debit card). You can't share a card.
Buses you "beep" on the yellow circle by the driver when you get on.
You don't beep when you get off.
Trains - this covers Overground trains and the other franchises like Southeastern/Thameslink etc - you beep on the yellow circle at the gate as you go in at your starting station and you beep back out through the gates when you leave your final station
DLR is the same but the yellow circle readers aren't usually gates but just a stand by the exit. Beep before you get on as you enter the station, beep when you leave the station at the end of the journey.
Tube - the same. Beep in at the gates, Beep out at the end.
All your journeys get added up and you get charged at the end of the day. There is a 24 hour price cap which means you won't spend more than about a tenner regardless of how many journeys you do.
The only issue is if your children don't have a contactless debit card. Do they have their own?

You don't really need an Oyster card any more. You can tap your debit card on the reader at the gate when you go into the tube, and tap it when you go out again, and the correct fare will get magically deducted from your bank account.

(Although I lived in London for 10 years in the 90s, I had no idea about contactless fares until last year 😳)

Until you try it you’ll never know but:

Most stops are not busy outside rush hour. Avoid travelling before 10am and between 4pm and 7pm and it won’t be busy.
One adult per child and no one will get lost. Each adult should know where you’re going / which stop to get off.
The low risk of a bomb threat is everywhere. The tube is no higher risk than anywhere else.
No reason to miss a stop but if it happens you just go back a stop.
Platforms are wide. Stay by the wall until the train is in the platform.
You put a credit/debit card on the barrier to pay.

Reasons:
Too busy
Don't go on it from 8-9 am and from 4.30-6.30 pm
Some lines are busier than others

Might lose my husband or kids
You won't get lost. The signposting is excellent. Even when it's busy people are polite and dont push between families. Most of it has phone signal.
Just tell the DCs to stay with you or dont move if they lose sight of you. It's very safe even if you do get lost. CCTV everywhere. Staff about who are helpful
Bomb threats (low but still) all of London is a b@mb threat, the tube is monitored more than other places you'd visit
Might miss my stop
There are very clear announcements of the stops coming up. There are running signs in each carriage telling you what the next stop is. You can see the signs of what stop it is when you stop. You can ask other passengers- people are used to tourists and helpful.
If you do miss your stop/ go the wrong way you just get off and go back. It's no big deal.
I'm scared of being pushed near the track
Just stand back against the wall
On the new purple Elizabeth line there's a barrier all along the track so you can't fall

I don't know how to pay you just dink your debit card on the machine in and out. It's a fiat fare and maxes out each day.