Kip in a Ship FAQS

HMS Belfast is a historic site and requires careful stewardship to preserve it for future generations, so maintenance work and changes to exhibition spaces and facilities must be scheduled into our plans. In addition, external events mean organising our offer is an extremely complex task. The museum reviews its prices annually and any increases are implemented in January of each year. We release dates only once all these factors have been confirmed.

Once the dates have been released, you are able to purchase a booking up to midnight six weeks prior to the visit date.

The online calendar shows all available dates. If you cannot find the date you want, either we have not yet released the dates, the date is unavailable because of maintenance or another event, the date is already sold out, or it is too late to book (less than six weeks before the date). If the dates you are hoping for have not yet been released, please check the calendar regularly. We are not able to keep a register of enquiries or reserve dates.

All available dates are shown on the online calendar and can be reserved with a non-refundable deposit. We cannot guarantee that any date not shown on the calendar will be available and therefore we are not able to accept provisional bookings. We also are unable to take bookings via email or over the phone.

Each date can be secured by paying a £100 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit. You will need a credit or debit card to pay. 

The price depends on the package you choose. Please see our Homepage for the current child and adult prices for each package.

Kip in a Ship is only available to UK schools, youth, and cadet groups. Please email [email protected] if you are not sure. 

The Kip in a Ship offer we provide at present is only suitable for school, youth or cadet groups, and all supervising group leaders must be DBS checked. We are not able to accept bookings from families or individuals. The minimum group size is 20. 

We need the completed Excel booking form with all your confirmed booking details at least six weeks before your visit date. While we appreciate this can be difficult, we must send all the information to our Finance Department so we can invoice you in good time. We also need to organise catering, a Concierge and activity leaders for your evening activities.  

You can make amendments up to two weeks before your booking, at which point the final balance will be calculated and an invoice generated. After the invoice has been generated, we are not able remove any persons or additional items and you will be charged as per the original booking form submitted. 

We can however add additional guests to your booking, provided you do not exceed the maximum capacity and meet our required ratio of 1:10. This will be invoiced separately, and the extra guest will be charged our premium rate of an additional £20 above the ticket price.

If you want to change a name, please advise us as soon as possible. There is no charge for a name change, but we can only change like for like, e.g. a child for a child and an adult for an adult. Please be aware that we cannot change catering requirements at this stage. 

Any additional guests who arrive on the night may be refused entrance. If we can accommodate the extra guest and you do not exceed the maximum capacity and meet our required ratio of 1:10 they will be charged at the premium rate of an additional £20 above the ticket price. We will issue a separate invoice after your booking.

You must have at least one adult for every ten children. We are not able to accommodate more than six adults on board. Any extra adults with your party will need to stay in nearby accommodation, but can attend the dinner, the evening activity and/or breakfast, subject to approval and provided your numbers do not exceed the maximum capacity of 58 persons. There will be an additional charge for this, and the request can be made on your booking form. Please email us at [email protected] for more information and the current prices. 

All supervising group leaders must sleep in the adult cabins; we do not allow adults to share the children’s mess decks for Child Protection and safeguarding reasons.

Unfortunately, we are not able to class 16-18-year-olds as supervising adults on board HMS Belfast. All group leaders must be at least 19 and DBS checked.

Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information. 

You have sole use of the accommodation from 6pm to 9am the following morning; we do not book more than one group to stay on board. Some evenings there may be corporate functions taking place in other sections of the ship. However, we have policies in place to ensure all groups are kept separate. Please refer to our Risk Assessment and Risk Register for further information. 

Please see the ‘Access’ section of our Terms and Conditions.

We ask that groups bring a sleeping bag and pillowcase, as well as personal items such as toiletries. The accommodation is accessed by steep ladders, so please consider how much luggage you can manage. Suitcases are not permitted on board HMS Belfast.

Please visit our Visitor Information page for travel information. 

You are welcome to explore HMS Belfast at any time during normal opening hours before or after your stay. Once the ship has closed to the public, we often carry out conservation, maintenance, or exhibition work. Therefore, Kippers must stay with the Concierge at all times. 

Your Concierge stays on board in a cabin near to the accommodation to assist your group coming on board, escort you to your designated spaces, and disembarking. They are also on board to assist with safe evacuation in the case of an emergency alarm. In addition, there are two general ship security guards on board all night. There is a telephone in the group leader’s cabin where you can telephone your Concierge directly. They also have a dedicated mobile, the number for which can be provided. 

There are power points in the leaders’ cabins. Due to the limited power supply in the mess decks, we ask that only the group leaders use the power points in the adult cabins. 

Yes, there are two toilets and two showers for the children in each mess deck. There is also another toilet and shower for the adult cabin. Please bring your own soap, shampoo, and towels. 

We have a secure cupboard for groups to leave luggage. You can drop-off and pick up luggage at pre-set times, and subject to staff availability. Luggage can be dropped off after 10am and can be left the following day until 4:45pm.

We reserve the classroom at 9am specifically for Kip in a Ship groups. We only have one classroom, and this is used by other HMS Belfast departments the rest of the day. Please be advised, although we do our utmost to provide a session to every group, occasionally due to staffing resources or internal Imperial War Museums events, we may not be able to provide this complimentary session.

We do not offer general guided tours of the HMS Belfast as part of your Kip in a Ship booking. However, you are welcome to look around on a self-guided basis during normal visitor times. 

If you choose to book an evening activity, this includes a tour of the Captain’s Bridges and Flag Deck, after the ship has closed to the public. 

You can use our Risk Assessment and Risk Register documents to help write your own risk assessments.

You will be invoiced within two weeks of your visit date. Your invoice will list all the items you have specified on your booking confirmation form, including any lunches and gift bags, less your deposit. It will also show the VAT. You can pay by BACS, credit/debit card or cheque. Full details can be found on the invoice. 

The commercial event service is provided by the Imperial War Museum Trading Company, which is a separate legal entity and is not a public body. 

Please see our Terms and Conditions.