London Eye Afternoon Tea Cruise Review

London Eye Afternoon Tea Cruise is a one hour circular route river cruise, from next to the London Eye, with a simple but tasty afternoon tea included.

For more afternoon tea reviews see:
Best Afternoon Tea in London.

Pros

• Good value for money
• Tasty food
• Tour commentary included
• Easily accommodates large groups
• Great for families (under fours go free)
• Good to combine with a trip on the London Eye before or after

Cons

• Slow service so had to eat in a rush
• Not a leisurely, gossipy experience

The Silver Barracuda has two levels. Downstairs has fixed tables and is more like a family restaurant, although the large round table at the front would be fun with a group.

Upstairs is leather sofas and animal print walls and the funky music adds to the setting. I chose to sit upstairs as I was with one friend.

There is a well-stocked bar and table service is available when you board and throughout. I was thirsty but wanted to wait for my tea so didn't order any drinks.

Even though there were only a few groups on the boat I still had to go and ask for our tea after about 10-15 minutes and waited another 10 minutes before anything was brought to us. That's not great when it's a pre-packed cold lunchbox and we only had an hour on-board. And then we waited longer for a cup of tea too...

This isn't afternoon tea in the traditional sense but it does include the essential elements: sandwich, scone and strawberry jam, and cake, plus strawberries and single cream.

It is all wrapped in cellophane and comes in a cardboard lunchbox but thankfully tea is served with a cup and saucer. The food is by Benugo but the tea is by Tea Forte. I was a little disappointed as I love Benugo tea but my friend was thrilled as she loves Tea Forte luxury tea bags.

Luckily for me (but not for my friend) there was only one Earl Grey tea bag left but when I was offered a second cup (5 minutes before arrival) I had to have English Breakfast. So no teapot, just a single cup of tea with a fancy tea bag. Sugar was offered but no milk. Hopefully stock levels will improve as the cruise gains popularity.

The food, although pre-packaged, was fresh and tasty. There were no options as all sandwiches were vegetarian but the filling was delicious. As a china cup and saucer was available, it would have been nice to have a plate instead of having to eat off the sandwich wrapper.

Don't plan to chat all the way as there's a live tour commentary. The guide knows loads of great trivia so sit back and enjoy. My friend found this commentary a huge bonus and it really enhanced our tea and cruise.

Afternoon tea is a lot of food so it's a great late lunch option and fun to combine with a trip on the London Eye. And as it can get very busy along the South Bank, especially at the weekend, this cruise could be an escape from the hustle and bustle for an hour.

Service is polite but too slow. (Just give us the lunchbox when we board! And serve tea before the commentary starts.) If this improves, and I'm sure it will, then I would recommend the London Eye Afternoon Tea Cruise to all.