Mission Christmas: The Clausometer Catastrophe

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is accessible by a wide variety of routes whether you are arriving by car, boat or public transport.

Your booking time is the time you will begin your Mission Christmas experience, we recommend you arrive 20 minutes prior to your allocated time slot. This will allow time to park, process your tickets through our Front of House team and receive your welcome talk.

You are welcome to enjoy The Mess Deck restaurant and our Shop if you arrive earlier but please be aware that food and drink cannot be taken into the Mission Christmas experience.

Yes, parking is included in your ticket.

Where possible, we will endeavour to honour your booking on another tour on the same day, however, should all of the tours for that day be fully booked, unfortunately we are unable to increase capacity due to the fire evacuation regulations of the space being used.

We have a play area immediately outside the arrivals area and our shop and the Mess Deck restaurant will be open.

The rest of the Dockyard, including its galleries and historic ships, will not be open during the Mission Christmas experience.

To say thank you to our annual ticket holders, we are offering them 24-hour advance booking on tickets for our Mission Christmas experience.

Tickets for non-annual ticket holders will go on sale on Friday 15 September 2023.

Saturday 25^th & Sunday 26^th November

• Adult:  £14.00
• Child (Aged 3 and under): £4.25
• Child (Aged 4 – 15): £17.00

Saturday 2^nd – Sunday 10^th December

• Adult: £14.00
• Child (Aged 3 and under): £4.25
• Child (Aged 4 – 15):  £17.00

Saturday 16^th – Saturday 23^rd December

• Adult: £15.00
• Child (Aged 3 and under): £4.50
• Child (Aged 4 – 15): £18.00

Sunday 24^th December

• Adult: £16.00
• Child (Aged 3 and under):  £4.75
• Child (Aged 4 – 15): £19.00

There is not a family ticket for the experience. Please select the number of adult and child tickets you require.

Yes you do need a ticket. Mission Christmas is a separately ticketed event and not included in your annual ticket.

As a thank you, we will be releasing tickets to our annual ticket holders 24-hours earlier than the full public sale. You will receive an email on Thursday 14 September to give you first access to the dates and time slots.

Mission Christmas is a separately ticketed event and not included in your annual ticket.

As a thank you, we will be releasing tickets for our annual ticket holders early on Thursday 14 September.

Mission Christmas is a separately ticketed event and not included in your annual ticket. Annual ticket holders do not get a discount on Mission Christmas but you will receive access to priority booking for tickets.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham, including its ships, galleries and exhibitions, will not be open to the public during December.

Our front of house team will be happy to help you purchase an annual ticket on the day of your Mission Christmas visit.

Please be aware the Historic Dockyard does not reopen to visitors until February 2024.

Your ticket to Mission Christmas includes; a 45 minute guided Christmas story, including interactive activities; a private meet and greet with Father Christmas for your group; a present to take home for each child; and one professional photograph with Father Christmas of your group.

You will have the opportunity to purchase additional photographs and a special Mission Christmas storybook at the end of your experience should you wish.

Whilst the concept of Mission Christmas remains true to the original story, for 2023 it’s a brand new mission, story and immersive experience.

Yes the Mess Deck Restaurant and Shop are free to access without a ticket. They are open from 9.30am – 7pm on Mission Christmas operating dates only.

If you would like your baby to receive a gift from Father Christmas, they will need a ticket. There is a ticket especially for children who are aged 3 and under.

We want all the families who visit us to have the best time, cracking puzzles and meeting our wonderful team. Timed tours with a guide help us give you that experience. It also ensures that we are able to look after you, in an emergency.

While we will do our best to give you and your family a great experience on the day, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to rebook you onto another tour. We recommend leaving plenty of time to get to us, to make sure you are on time for your Mission Christmas experience.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable so please choose carefully when making your booking.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable so please choose carefully when making your booking.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable so please choose carefully when making your booking.

All tickets for Mission Christmas need to be booked online, in advance. Please check with your group to ensure you pre-book the whole group in advance of your visit.

Your Mission Christmas guided experience will last approximately 45 minutes, after which you will have a private meet and greet with Father Christmas. You can then enjoy our shop and Mess Desk Restaurant at your leisure. We recommend allowing around 2 hours for your visit. 

• Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable so please choose carefully when making your booking.
• If you are late for your allocated time or cannot make your tour for any reason, unfortunately we cannot offer a refund.
• We cannot change tour times and cannot provide refunds for tours missed
• In the event that we are required to cancel or close the experience for any reason beyond our control, we will offer you a full refund or the option to book into an alternative tour (subject to availability).

There are no discounts available for Mission Christmas.

No, you will not receive a paper ticket. When you make your booking you will be sent an email confirmation containing a unique booking reference. You will need to bring your booking reference on the day of your visit.

No, you do not need to print your booking confirmation. You just need to have your booking reference number to hand when you arrive at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.

Please email info@chdt.org.uk stating the name the booking has been made under, the email address used for the booking and the date of your booking. We can look up your booking and send you the reference number.

Please email info@chdt.org.uk stating the name the booking has been made under, the email address used for the booking and the date of your booking. We can look up your booking and send you the reference number.

Mission Christmas is a guided 45 minute experience through our museum galleries, usually called Command of the Oceans and Hearts of Oak. These areas will be transformed into an immersive Christmas experience.

Mission Christmas has been written for those who believe in the magic of Christmas. Our aim is for all ages to enjoy the experience, but it is most suitable for those aged between 4 – 10.

Whilst the concept of Mission Christmas remains true to the original story, for 2023 it’s a brand new mission, story and immersive experience.

Yes, you are welcome to take your own photographs throughout the experience but we ask that you avoid using a flash. We just ask that you are considerate of other family groups in your tour and try not to reveal too many secrets on social media so others can enjoy the surprises in the experience.

As part of your ticket price, you will receive a professional, printed photograph with Father Christmas. You will have the opportunity to purchase additional photographs and a special Mission Christmas storybook for £15 should you wish.

Children aged 1 and under are very welcome. If you would like them to receive a gift from Father Christmas, you will need to purchase them a ticket. There is a ticket especially for children who are aged 3 and under.

You will not be able to take a pushchair through the Mission Christmas Experience so please be prepared to carry babies.

You will need to walk or carry little ones through the experience. You will be able to leave buggies and pushchairs (at your own risk) within the designated buggy park.

We will be offering three dedicated experience times for those with additional needs on:

• Saturday 25^th November – 3pm
• Saturday 9^th December – 6.15pm
• Monday 18^th December – 6.15pm

These specially tailored tours give families an opportunity to meet Father Christmas in a calmer environment, with quieter music, lower lighting and smaller group sizes, to reduce overloading the senses and create an experience which is accessible for all.

Due to the nature of the historic building and to comply with our evacuation procedures we are only able to facilitate one wheelchair user per session (please call us on 01634 823800 before booking to check availability).

We do recognise hidden disabilities. Our staff recognise sunflower lanyards and these act as a discreet sign to indicate that an individual may need additional assistance or support.

The Mission Christmas experience is contained entirely in the Mast Houses, which are the buildings closest to the main Visitor Car Park.

The wider Dockyard will be having its winter rest and will reopen to the public in February 2024.

There will be no access to any of our ships during the Mission Christmas experience. During the closed period, our Ship keepers work hard to complete essential conservation work on our historic ships.

There is a very short walk from the one area of the Mast Houses to the Mess Deck Restaurant which will be outside, otherwise the experience is all inside. The secret sub station can be quite cold along with the weather, so we recommend you wrap up warm.

We anticipate that there will be a short wait while we assemble each tour group, but we hope that all tour experiences will begin on time. Your wait may depend on how early you arrive for your scheduled start time.

Your meet and greet with Father Christmas will be at the end of your 45 minute guided experience. There may be a short wait ahead of your meet and greet.

All children with a valid ticket will receive an age appropriate, wrapped present from Father Christmas.

No, there are no flashing lights. Some areas will have festive lights, which will be static.

Absolutely! We need as much festive cheer as possible to help make the secret sub station magical for Father Christmas.

Yes, you will have a private meet and greet with Father Christmas for you and your group.

Absolutely, our Mess Deck Restaurant will be open with a range of festive treats and light meals.

Yes, the Mess Deck will be serving a range of festive treats and light meals, as well as indulgent hot chocolates.

Please be aware that you will not be able to take food or drink into the Mission Christmas experience.

Yes, our shop will be open and will be stocking a range of Christmas gifts for all ages. The shop will be open from 9.30am – 7pm during Mission Christmas opening days.

Our shop will have a range of Christmas products and gifts as well as our wider Historic Dockyard products, including Call the Midwife merchandise and our popular handmade rope gifts by Master Ropemakers.  

There are several toilets in the Mess Deck restaurant, including an accessible facility and baby changing facilities.

We can make our Changing Places toilet available to our Mission Christmas visitors, but please be aware that this the opposite end of the Dockyard to the experience and might be best accessed by car. Please feel free to call us before your visit for more information.

One area of the tour is upstairs, a lift is available for any visitors who are unable to use stairs. There are areas of uneven ground throughout the tour experience.

We recommend leaving pushchairs at home if you can, but if bringing one is crucial to your family’s enjoyment of the experience, there will be a designated buggy park. You will not be able to take your pushchair through the Mission Christmas experience.

Yes, however there is a lift available to help visitors who need it. There are also areas of uneven ground throughout the tour experience.

Although Mission Christmas takes place inside, the Mast Houses are quite old and can become quite chilly in weather. We recommend wrapping up warm for the experience. Our Mess Deck Restaurant is heated.

No, we do not have a cloakroom available for visitors.

No, there will not be a Christmas post-box on site, but Father Christmas would be more than happy to accept your letter personally.

As the Mission Christmas experience takes place inside a museum gallery, it’s not appropriate for your four-legged friends to join in, unless they are an assistance dog.