Thames Dinner Cruises Compared 2026: Showboat, Jazz & More

Booking choice: The London Showboat, from $109 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

Every Thames dinner cruise passes the same lit-up landmarks. What changes is what you eat, what you hear, how long you are on the water and where you board.

Below, the London Showboat against the Thames Jazz Dinner Cruise, Tea on the Thames' dinner cruise and City Cruises' evening wine and canapés cruise, with live ratings and from-prices.

The quick answer

For a celebratory night with a singer and dancing, the London Showboat. For music lovers, the jazz dinner cruise, though its food gets more criticism. For a start beside Tower Bridge, Tea on the Thames. For the cheapest evening on the river, the wine and canapés cruise, then dinner on land.

How do the Thames dinner cruises compare?

The Showboat is the most reviewed and the liveliest; the evening cruise is the cheapest because it has no dinner.

Cruise	Food and drink	Music	Pier, time	Rating	From
London Showboat	Fizz, 3 courses, tea or coffee	Singer, then dancing	Westminster, 7:30pm, 3 h	4.1 (2,022)	$109
Jazz dinner cruise	Fizz, 3 courses	Live jazz quintet	Westminster, 8:00pm, 3 h	3.8 (151)	$147
Tea on the Thames dinner	2 courses, drinks extra	Live music	Butler's Wharf, 2.5 h	5.0 (30)	$74
Evening wine and canapés	Fizz and canapés, no dinner	Singer reported by guests	Tower Millennium, 6:30pm, 2 h	3.9 (620)	$43

Leaning towards the party? The Showboat has dinner, a singer and a dance floor.

Check dates for the London Showboat

London Showboat: best for a celebration

Three hours from Westminster to the Thames Barrier, tide permitting, with welcome fizz, a 3-course dinner, a live singer and a dance floor.

It is the most reviewed of the four by far, and the views, the singer and the top deck after dessert get the praise; the food is mixed. The VIP upgrade adds champagne and front seating. See what happens on board and tickets and prices.

A chicken main, salad and chocolate dessert on a table by a window over the Thames at dusk — The Showboat serves three courses at your table.

Thames Jazz Dinner Cruise: best for music lovers

The same pier and river with a live jazz quintet, a welcome glass of sparkling wine and a 3-course dinner, starting at 8:00pm.

Reviews love the band and are hard on the food: guests mention a duck main that some enjoyed and others found dry, and complaints about having no choice unless diets were ordered ahead. Tables are fixed and close together, so book early for a window. The minimum drinking age is 18, and one guest liked that it felt like a kid-free evening.

Prefer a saxophone to a pop singer? The jazz cruise has a live quintet all evening.

★ 3.8 151 reviews · 3 hours · from $147

Explore the jazz dinner cruise

Tea on the Thames: best for flexible cancellation

A 2.5-hour dinner cruise with a two-course meal and live music, from Butler's Wharf Pier beside Tower Bridge, for adults only.

It has a perfect 5.0 from only 30 reviews so far, and the reviews we read are mostly for its afternoon tea, where guests praise a lively guide. Drinks are sold on board, diets need 72 hours' notice (no kosher), and it cancels free up to 24 hours before, more generous than City Cruises' 3 days. Butler's Wharf Pier is a 7-minute walk from London Bridge station.

Tea on the Thames: Dinner or Afternoon Tea

Want to board beside Tower Bridge? Tea on the Thames cancels free up to 24 hours before.

★ 5.0 30 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $74

Explore Tea on the Thames

Evening cruise with wine and canapés: best on a budget

Two hours from Tower Millennium Pier, 6:30pm to 8:30pm, with a glass of sparkling wine or a soft drink and passed canapés, but no dinner.

Guests report a live singer and a full dance floor on some nights, and love the sunset turning into city lights. The canapés will not fill you up, and there is no narration. Pair it with dinner on land afterwards and it is the best-value evening on the river.

A tray of canapés with smoked salmon and tomato on a boat deck, guests with drinks blurred behind — The evening cruise serves canapés, not dinner.

Which cruise has the best food?

None of them is a destination restaurant: food reviews are mixed on every dinner cruise, though the Showboat fares better than the jazz cruise.

Several Showboat guests say the food was good or better than they expected; on the jazz cruise, criticism of the main course is the most common complaint. If dinner matters most to you, several reviewers suggest eating first and taking a cruise without dinner.

Which cruise has commentary?

None of the City Cruises evening cruises has a guide; Tea on the Thames guests praise a live guide on its afternoon tea cruises.

If you want the landmarks explained, take a daytime cruise: the lunch and afternoon tea cruises have live or recorded commentary. See lunch vs afternoon tea cruise.

Music over a guide? The Showboat is about the lights, the singer and the dance floor.

Check dates for the London Showboat

Which should you book?

Match the cruise to the night you want: party, jazz, a Tower Bridge start, or a cheap drink on the water.

Birthday or anniversary: the London Showboat, with the VIP upgrade for the front seats.
Jazz fans: the Thames Jazz Dinner Cruise.
Want flexible cancellation: Tea on the Thames, free up to 24 hours before.
Tight budget or fussy eaters: the evening wine and canapés cruise, then dinner on land.
Under-13s in the group: none of these; take a daytime lunch or tea cruise.

Made up your mind? Check dates before the window tables go.

Check dates for the London Showboat

Frequently asked questions

Which Thames dinner cruise is best?

For most couples and celebrations, the London Showboat: it is the most reviewed and the best rated of the City Cruises evening options. Jazz fans should take the jazz cruise.

Are drinks included on Thames dinner cruises?

Only a welcome glass on the Showboat, the jazz cruise and the evening cruise. Tea on the Thames sells all drinks on board.

Can children go on a Thames dinner cruise?

The Showboat is for ages 13 and over and Tea on the Thames' dinner is adults only. For families, a daytime lunch or afternoon tea cruise is the better choice.

Which dinner cruise goes under Tower Bridge?

The Showboat sails under Tower Bridge on its way to the Thames Barrier, tide permitting. Tea on the Thames starts right beside it.

Ready to book

Choose your cruise

Free cancellation on every option except the Clipper Lounge tea: 3 days before on City Cruises, 24 hours on the others. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the date.