FAQs

Faqs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the booking process for Private Charter?

If you would like to make a reservation please speak to the Bookings Team during office hours where a provisional booking will be made (subject to availability). In order to secure your booking a deposit payment is required together with completion of our reservation form. Unfortunately, we cannot confirm your booking until both the deposit and reservation form are received. Final details together with your final balance are then due 14 days prior to your departure.

Do I need to print my tickets for a scheduled service?

Passengers are required to present their tickets upon boarding the vessel. Tickets can be printed or shown on a mobile device. All tickets have a unique reference number and can be cross referenced for validation.

Do you operate in London?

Unfortunately, we do not operate in London. We are located on the upper reaches of the river Thames in Caversham, Reading RG1 8BD.

Am I able to provide my own catering for a private charter?

Unfortunately, we do not allow you to provide your own catering onboard our vessels.

Are you able to cater for food allergies?

Yes, we are able to cater for food allergies on both our private charters and ticketed events with food. Unfortunately, menus are unable to be adapted due to personal preference. On rare occasions, it may be necessary to substitute items on the menu. Please note that our chefs are unable to guarantee the absence of allergens in their products.

Can I pay with cash or card onboard?

We operate a card-only payment system onboard our vessels.

Which vessel do you operate on your scheduled cruises?

We do not always operate the same vessel for our scheduled cruises. The vessel schedule is subject to availability. If an accessible vessel is required we would always recommend checking prior to booking as this particular vessel may not always be available due to private charter.

Where can I park for the Goring Circular Cruise?

Parking for the Goring Circular Cruise can be found at the Wheel Orchard Car Park, Goring RG8 9HB. Parking charges apply. This is a South Oxfordshire District Council Car Park

Do you offer refunds on ticket sale events and scheduled cruises?

Online tickets can only be used for the stated trip and are not valid on other cruises.  Tickets are not transferable and there are no refunds for unused tickets. Please refer to our terms and conditions.

When is your office open?

Our office is open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. If you have an urgent enquiry relating to a sailing out of office hours, then please call the office on 0118 948 1088 and select the option for Duty Manager. All non urgent enquiries will be responded to during office hours.

Where can I park?

Parking is available at the Thameside Promenade Car Park RG1 8BD. This is a Reading Borough Council Car Park and operates a pay and display system. An extra help is to follow what3words for our pier: clap.star.judges. During busy periods Thameside Promenade Car Park can be busy so please allow extra time for parking.

Where do I board the boat?

Boarding takes place at our Caversham Pier which is located directly at the back of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Caversham, Reading. Sat Nav postcode RG1 8BD. Access by road is from Richfield Avenue and then into Thameside Promenade.

What age is your Senior ticket?

Our Senior tickets are for 65 years and over.

What age is your Child ticket?

Our Child tickets for our scheduled cruises are for children aged 14 years and under from our Caversham Pier.

Children under 4 years of age travel for free.

Our Child tickets for our dining cruises are for children 10 years and under.

Can I bring my dog onboard

Firstly, it goes without saying all guide dogs and service dogs are welcome onboard. Secondly, well-behaved, well-controlled pet dogs are allowed onboard our Scheduled Cruises without food and Private Charter subject to the Thames Rivercruise Team's discretion. What does this mean? In basic terms, happy, friendly and quiet dogs are welcome onboard but, just in case your version of happy, friendly and quiet is a man-eating dog the size of a horse with bad manners we do reserve the right to refuse entry.

For private charter, permission is to be sought from both the organiser of the event and the Thames Rivercruise Team. Please be aware that we are unable to make provisions to stop during a sailing.

What Covid-19 precautions have you taken?

It is important for us that we make your time on the river as enjoyable and relaxing as we can. We want every one to feel comfortable and safe, for this reason we would ask you to consider the following information. We have been inspected by Reading Borough Council and also proudly display the Good to Go logo.

We will continue to make sure all our vessels are very well ventilated with lots of fresh air.

Our crew will continue with extra cleaning and hygiene routines onboard each vessel between sailings.

We strongly advise you to book your tickets in advance, to avoid disappointment. We are unable to guarantee travel on the day.

All payments should be made by card. We do not carry cash on our vessels or at the pier.

Please do not travel if you feel unwell.

The wearing of a face mask will be a matter of personal choice.

Our crew are unable to enforce social distancing so please be considerate to fellow passengers and staff.

Should I worry about safety?

Our boats are inspected by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and carry modern safety equipment onboard. Each vessel is licensed to carry more passengers than our own imposed limits and we carry excess life-saving equipment for these maximum numbers. Our highly trained skippers and crews will run through a safety briefing as we leave your boarding point.

Are you boats wheelchair accessible?

easy-levelThe Caversham Lady offers level easy access with accessible toilets. Other vessels are older and/or multi-decked so do not accommodate wheelchairs easily. We encourage you to speak to our team about specific requirements as we aim to try as hard as possible to make access possible for all. Unfortunately motorised wheelchairs are not able to board our vessels.

Can I bring a childs buggy onboard?

At the current time, we are able to offer at your own risk storage on Caversham Pier but not onboard as we need all available space for social distancing. The buggies are stored on the pier behind a locked gate.

Can I eat my own food or drink on a river trip?

On our Scheduled Cruises you cannot bring your own food onboard and consume it. We do have snacks (crisps & biscuits) on some of these sailings.

On our Private Charter we have a range of menus that must be pre ordered at the time of securing your booking and only this food can be consumed.

Is there central heating in Winter?

Vessels operating in the colder months, Caversham Lady, Caversham Princess and Princess Marina all have full heating onboard

Do all vessels have toiltets and changing facilities?

All our vessels have toilets. The Caversham Lady has wheelchair-accessible toilets. Changing facilities are limited due to space onboard.

Do you have food and drink onboard?

All our vessels have a fully stocked bar onboard serving hot and cold drinks. We do carry snacks (crisps & biscuits) on some sailings.

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