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  • How to Book a Thames River Cruise

    In a previous article about Thames River cruises, we gave a basic overview of cruises on this famous English river. We explained what a Thames River cruise is (a short trip that doesn’t go very far along the river) and why many people might be inclined to take one (to see some of the famous sights of London and to quickly move between them). One thing we were sure to emphasize is that a Thames River cruise is not like a regular cruise (i.e., a vacation cruise on the ocean), largely because they are so short – they last a few hours at most. For this reason, they aren’t like a lot of river cruises (e.g., Nile River cruises) either. You might think this makes booking a Thames River cruise different from booking a regular type of cruise, and you would be right in thinking this. Since many people have only booked regular cruises, we figured we should explain how to book a Thames River cruise.

    Booking a Thames River cruise is actually fairly different than booking a regular cruise, but there is a little overlap. Most notably (and obviously), both types of cruises can be booked online, like just about everything else nowadays. Like a regular cruise, you can go to the website of a company that offers Thames River cruises and book directly with them. The website of City Cruises, evidently the main provider of Thames River cruises that take place in London, is easy to navigate and use, and if you are interested in eating dinner on one of the boats that cruises up and down the Thames, you can do so online at the website of Bateaux London, to name a couple of possibilities. However, there are not nearly as many companies that offer Thames River cruises as there are companies that offer regular cruises, so you won’t have to sift through many different possibilities when booking online. (You also might not be inclined to compare tons of different companies, even if they did exist, anyway, as a Thames River cruise, lasting only a few hours at most, is nowhere near the financial commitment as a regular cruise vacation.)

    In truth, though, there is a good chance you won’t even book (online or otherwise) your Thames River cruise at all. Rather, you might just buy a ticket to board the ship at one of the several ports along the river. A Thames River cruise will only occupy a morning (or a comparable segment of time) in London, so it is often better to simply wait to buy the tickets until you know you have some free time. Also, if you are on a trip to London and want to see lots of the sights, you might consider buying a pass that allows you entry into many of the attractions of the city. The London Pass, for example, is a popular option to consider if you have at least a full day in the city and want to cram lots into it, and this pass includes a free ticket to board one of the ships that cruise up and down the Thames. Clearly, booking a Thames River cruise can be quite a bit different from booking a regular cruise, as you generally don’t buy a ticket to board a cruise ship that will be sailing the ocean for a week moments before it leaves.

    There really isn’t much to booking a Thames River cruise. If you want to handle it ahead of time, you can certainly buy a ticket online without any trouble, but it is often just as easy to buy a ticket at one of the ports along the Thames River in London. Either way will allow you to see much of London in a comfortable, relaxing way.

  • Thames River Cruises

    Thames River cruises are distinct from both regular cruises and river cruises, making them cruise experiences unto themselves. Of course, they take place on the Thames River, which is the longest river in England, although it is primarily famous because it flows right through central London. (And it is in London where you will be taking a Thames River cruise.) Below is all you need to know about Thames River cruises and why a cruise down the Thames is unlike any other cruise you’ve likely taken.

    Explaining an experience is often best done by reference to similar, but distinct, experiences, and this is certainly true of Thames River cruises. So, to begin, we should make it clear that a cruise on the Thames is similar to a regular (i.e., ocean) cruise only in that they both involve boats and water. Cruises on the ocean are almost always multiple-day affairs that involve extensive travel. As such, people do many things on the cruise ship itself (like eat, drink, and sleep), and they often see lands that are far from the port of departure. A Thames River cruise is completely different. They tend to be very quick, lasting no more than a few hours (and sometimes only 20 or so minutes), and they also only cover a small area, namely, London (or even a small part of central London). Thames River cruises are short, focused trips – they are by no means vacations in themselves, despite them being called “cruises.”

    Thames River cruises are so short, in fact, that they aren’t even like many other types of river cruises. We’ve recently written about, for instance, Nile River cruises and Yangtze River cruises, and both of these types of river cruises can be fairly extensive. They often last many days, and much of their respective rivers are charted over the course of the cruise. Again, this is not true of Thames River cruises because a lot of them (the ones people are interested in taking, generally) only focus on London. And so, once more, Thames River cruises are really their own type of thing. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that cruises on the Thames are better or worse than any other type of cruise you might be inclined to take – they’re just different, and we don’t want the “cruise” part of “Thames River cruise” to throw you off.

    All that said, Thames River cruises are quite fun, and they are an excellent way to see many of London’s famous sites in a leisurely way. To see the Palace of Westminster (where Big Ben is located), the London Eye, the London Bridge, and the Tower of London will take a decent amount of time and some serious walking (or praiseworthy Tube navigation). On a Thames River cruise, you get excellent views of all of these sites (and many more) in a matter of minutes. Since there are several ports along the river where boats stop, Thames River cruises are also excellent for simple transportation. Finally, it is worth mentioning that some boats on the Thames are equipped with restaurants and bars, so it is possible to eat and drink while you simultaneously take in the sites.

    Thames River cruises are not regular cruises in any way, but they are none the worse because of it. Taking a cruise on the Thames is definitely one of the most efficient ways to see London (and you can even do it while you’re eating a meal or having a drink), and they are helpful for simple transportation too. If you are interested in taking a Thames River cruise, stay tuned, as our very next article is about how to book a Thames River cruise.

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