One of my favorite things about traveling is the feeling of waking up in a new place. That feeling of excitement when you find yourself completely unsure about what to expect. Because I love this feeling so much, I’ve recently decided that every day for my birthday, I wanted to go someplace new. Since we were Ecuador bound in a couple of days, we decided to head to London for my birthday where we were to explore and gallivant for a couple of days before our big trip.
For my birthday, Tom planned a big day of sightseeing as we stopped in small food stalls and markets along the way. To top the day off, we decided to go for a cruise on the River Thames with London Rib Voyages and take in the incredible views and sights of historic London.
Editor’s Note: Check out our Where to Stay in London to see our personal recommendations on hostels and hotels.
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London RIB Voyages Review: The Boat Experience
Not knowing what to expect, we headed towards the pier right below The London Eye. We were cheerfully greeted and were immediately handed thick waterproof jackets and lifejackets. Being that it was right smack in the middle of Winter, I was thankful for the jackets-even more so when we were speeding down the River Thames at 35kph!
We opted to go on the 80 minute Thames Barrier Explorer’s Voyage tour which took us all over the historic sights of London. Although we are not fan of organized tours, we loved seeing London from the river. Our guide was pleasant, funny, and informative giving us fun bits of information and facts as we passed each landmark. As we opted to do the tour around sunset, we had a unique view of all of London’s sights both during daylight and at night. Definitely worth adding this experience in your London Itinerary.
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To be perfectly honest, one of the things that made the trip for us was the playlist that the boat was playing! It was a nice mashup between popular songs which everyone knew. Imagine speeding down the River Thames at 35kph while singing Queen and Bon Jovi at the top of your lungs.
Yes, we felt like we were winning in life! It just so happened that there were two other celebrants on board so as we stopped by the London Bridge, we all sang a happy birthday tune for each other! It was definitely a great experience and a great alternative way to see London’s sights.
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The London Sights
During our 80-minute river cruise (by the way, cruising down the river is a giant understatement as we were literally zooming across), we saw everything from the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, all the way to the Greenwich Line and the O2 Arena. It was spectacular! Our tour guide kept us thoroughly entertained, throughout the trip, but also gave us lots of time to just enjoy our surroundings.
During some parts, the boat zooms, turns, and weaves left and right, causing the boat to swerve all over the river. It was pretty fun! Although we read the tour and knew what we were getting from it, we were still pleasantly surprised at how much fun we were having.
The Cost of the London RIB Voyages Experience
To get an updated pricelist, best to check London RIB voyages website. Roughly though, the cost for an 80-minute trip was:
Adult £49.95
Child (< 14 years) £31.50
Private Charter £555
Voted as the #1 activity to do in London on Tripadvisor, we can honestly say that the experience was well worth it. We had heaps of fun and consider it to be one of the best ways to see London! If you read some of the London RIB Voyages reviews you will see others feel the same way.
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What to Bring for a London RIB Adventure?
If you’re planning to do it during winter like us, bring WARM clothes! Gloves and a cover for your face would come in handy as well. Our fingers were kinda numb by the end of it but we couldn’t stop ourselves taking photos! The company provides jackets to stop you from getting wet (and freezing). A waterproof camera would also come in handy but we didn’t really get soaked so a regular one would do the job!
Please note that despite receiving complimentary services from London Rib Voyages, all opinions are ours and remain completely unbiased.
For more information on London Rib and their services, check out their website below
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