London Eye offers a combo ticket with a Thames River cruise, for not a lot more than just the London Eye. Has anyone done this cruise? Is it a worthwhile way to spend an hour (we'll have been walking non-stop for two weeks leading up to London, so sitting a bit sounds nice)?

The boat is the SILVER BONITO which is one of the best sightseeing boats in London with a big open deck and a big saloon, so it's a good deal if the price is reasonable, but compare it with the price for a trip on the wheel and any other one-hour sightseeing cruise (about £6, or £4 if you have a travelcard). The cruise goes down to Tower Bridge and back so is the same as other cruises from Waterloo, Westminster or Embankment Piers. Consider the fact that if it's raining or foggy, you'll get a poor view from the wheel and from the boat - whether it's worthwhile depends on the price you're offered.

If you want details of the boat, see www.woodsrivercruises.co.uk.

Thanks, Geoff. The combo offered at London Eye website adds 9 GBP for an adult and 5 GBP for my young teen. So perhaps it's worthwhile, and you're right that if I reserve in advance I'm gambling on London weather -- pretty much always a fool's bet.

...but the other firms charge about £6 for a one-hour boat trip, and if you have a travelcard, that's reduced to £4. So, it might be better value to just book the Eye, and then pay for a boat trip if the weather's right.

You really do not need to book in advance for the Eye any longer. We were on it last month and two other times in the last two years and just walked up and bought tickets. You might stand in line for a few mnutes but it moves quickly as each "pod" holds about 30 people (we never even had close to that amount on our rides, usually about 15 people).

I'd wait till I got there and saw what the weather was like, why book in advance and run the risk of a rainy day..likewise for the boat ride.

Lori, thanks. I may end up doing just that. I would think, however, that there will be a big difference between April-May and late June-early July in terms of tourist hordes.

I was at the Eye (4th or 5th time, I love it!) on Sat 24th May - a bank holiday weekend and a gloriously sunny day. I met up with friends in the midday rush yet our group of 6 were able to buy tickets for immediate use right there and then.

You're correct that London may be generally busier in June and July, though if you're intending to visit it on a weekday, I'd be surprised if you find that you can't buy tickets on the day. The advantage of doing this is that you will know whether or not our notoriously fickle weather is going to play the game. The disadvantage is that, although I believe you'll get tickets, you might not get them for the exact time slot you prefer and will need to spend 20 mins extra queuing to buy them.

Good luck!
Kavey

Thanks all--this really helped me decide not to buy the tickets in advance--didn't think about the weather situation. We will be in London June 8-16.

We were just in London last week, and breezed onto the Eye with virtually no wait. I'd agree that it would be better to just purchase the ferry tickets seperately. The booth for the ferry is right next to the Eye.