Red Letter Days: Bateaux Thames Lunch Cruise REVIEW
18:30
I’ve been fortunate to redeem a number of experience day vouchers recently, so to follow on from my last experience review (HERE), I wanted to talk about my London Lunch Cruise. The voucher was bought through Red Letter Days as part of a combined voucher, complete with a View of the Shard (of which we visited earlier on in the year). This particular lunch cruise is hosted by Bateaux Cruises who run river cruises in both London and Windsor - I personally opted for the London Cruise.
I had a number of hiccups actually booking this cruise. Firstly the Red Letter Days website wouldn't let me use my online voucher code as I had already redeemed half of it back in March when visiting The Shard. Fortunately, the Red Letter Days customer service were incredibly helpful and they sent me another code. I then opted to book the cruise over the phone so that I could discuss available dates, although there is also an option to book the cruise online. A word of warning if you are planning to phone Bateaux Cruises; expect to wait for ages to actually get through to speak to somebody. There were 3 occasions where I had to phone their customer service helpline and I spent a minimum of 35 minutes each time on hold to get no apology when they finally answered. Nevertheless, I was able to book the cruise just over a month in advance for the middle of August, half hoping the glorious summer weather would last. True to British weather, this was not the case but since the cruise operates in all weather conditions, the fact that the day was slightly breezy and overcast didn't spoil our experience too much.
The Symphony boat was in for repair when we were due to do the cruise so, instead, we boarded The Harmony Boat from the glass pontoon at Embankment Pier before heading up the river. We were seated in the smaller room to the left of the boat where there was probably seating for 40 people, we didn't feel cramped and the reception and waiting staff were friendly, polite and attentive.
The lunch cruise from Red Letter Days is sold as a 90-minute lunch cruise, complete with a sightseeing commentary and a three-course meal. However, do not be fooled, you are paying for 2 courses (main and dessert) and for tea, coffee and tap water. Should you want a starter or an alternative drink, you will have to fork out the added expense which, for a small Gin & Tonic would be £7/8 and starters started at £3, which when you have already paid £36 each, is annoying.
The food options change seasonally, however, our two courses consisted of Roasted Breast of English Chicken with Aged Parmesan risotto, wild mushrooms, watercress puree and pan jus, and our dessert was Pistachio and Apricot Torte with Apricot coulis, crème anglaise and mint poache. The main course was delicious, and the dessert was nice, however, I'd have much preferred a chocolate based dessert as the torte wasn't particularly up my street. The portion sizes were fairly small but neatly presented. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but not worth the price tag of £36 for two courses when I've had nicer meals elsewhere.
In terms of sightseeing, the cruise allowed us to see the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, The Shard, Tower Bridge, Tate Modern, The London Eye and the Tower of London, to name just a few. Not having a window seat meant most of the landmarks were missed as we couldn't see much out of the window from where we were sat, in the middle of the room and away from the window. The commentary over the sound system was at a tolerable volume, however, it was unclear to us as it appeared to be running 5 minutes ahead of the view. Nevertheless, the commentary was informative and interesting. If we'd some guidance given on timings for food, we'd have been able to spend more time on the rooftop space, however, we’d gone outside in a rush between courses knowing we were short on time, and, annoyingly, the audio wasn't played on the boat terrace so we had to observe the views on-deck without commentary.
I do not want this post to come across as ungrateful as I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, however, I wanted to offer constructive feedback, should you be intending to purchase this cruise for a friend or family member, or to treat yourselves.
Have you tried a London Lunch Cruise?
You can buy a voucher for a Bateaux London Thames Lunch Cruise HERE
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