Thames Rockets

Geoff & Nate were awesome! Had a blast, would definitely recommend if you're in London.

Our family of 8 took this ride with Geoff, who was the MOST fabulous and entertaining. The rise was exhilarating and the history that Geoff provided to us throughout, made it the perfect excursion. I would recommend this to anyone!!

So much fun! It's a real river tour of the Thames. Great to see the city from the river. And then, there's a part of the river without a speed limit, and they let the speedboat go fast. Got a lot of laughs from the teenager. :) Great operation.

Adrenaline pumping while jumping waves! Check out the Speed experience, it leaves from Saint Katharine's pier. We took the tour from the Eye and it doesn't go quite as fast. Luckily we got the same guide on the faster ride! He's great and tell him Raina and Blake say hi:)

This was a birthday present from my parents and it was an inspired choice - I'd seen these fast ribs speeding up and down the Thames over the years, but had never taken a trip myself.

So when I turned up on a gorgeous sunny afternoon on the last day in October, I had half an idea of what to expect. I've been on ribs before, but not on such a busy waterway as this. Just how fast could we go, with all the other vessels in their way?

After arriving and checking in, we were soon sorted into separate groups for the two 1pm sailings. We'd been issued with lightweight life belts, which fitted easily over our jackets in a waistcoat style.

Then we were beckoned on board into the 12 seater vessel. No seat belts was a slight surprise, but they really are not necessary. Nor are waterproofs - you might think you'll get splashes at speed, but it just doesn't happen.

The ebullient Nick gave us the pre-flight briefing and introduced us to Tony who'd be steering us on our way up and down the river. A steady pace at first until we'd be beyond Tower Bridge, then the throttles would be opened.

As we set off, we soon overtook the other cruise ships and it didn't take long before we reached Tower Bridge. Nick gave us a final briefing and let us know what to do if the pace was too much!

At first, the increased speed was impressive, but not thrilling. But more was definitely to come!

The pace suddenly went to another level, where it became slightly more necessary to grip onto the handles, particularly when tight turns were made from port to starboard!

Pulses raced, little shrieks of excitement were heard up and down the boat, accompanied by an entertainingly apt rock soundtrack blasting out from the speakers.

As we looked up and down the river close to Canary Wharf, the iconic buildings of central London suddenly seemed very far away, a trick of perspective and the bend of the river.

Soon, it was time to turn back and zip towards the jetty at the London Eye, but as we approached Tower Bridge, it was time for a hugely informative and entertaining travelogue to be delivered by Nick - his stories and historical titbits were excellent, particularly the bridge-jumping bus.

That was an unexpected bonus and I'd like to thank him for tolerating my occasional contributions too!

All in all, this was an excellent experience from beginning to end. It's impossible not to disembark from this without a mile wide grin on your face and a heightened pulse (in a good way!)

Top class entertainment and worth every penny.

Wow Eat Your Heart Out 007!

For fun, thrills with no spills (well the odd little splash here and there) and you feel the need for speed then this adventure MUST be on your bucket list of things to do.

In the evening from 8pm it truly was amazing as the sun is setting boarding right next to the London Eye, and after you don your safety jacket with a quick health & safety talk, your adventure starts.

James was our audio guide and he pointed out the landmarks with the history behind them and interesting facts (he was very funny with he's wit and banter and without him I don't think the trip would have been so good). The boat has to go slow past most of the famous landmarks
including Big Ben, HMS Belfast, The Shard and The Tower of London until you get past Tower Bridge due to speed restrictions and water laws, then once past Tower Bridge the boat roars into action with sharp turns left and right with music blasting out of the boats speakers and the first song played was the theme to Baywatch, it really felt you were rushing to save someone in the water and all that was missing was the eye popping sight of Pamela Anderson in that classic red swim suit, plus other water related and action themes were also played including the James Bond theme!. Seeing London from a different perspective and with London's night life kicking in this is a boat ride like no other.

I truly recommend this if you are a James Bond fan or speed freak, It certainly scared 'The Living Daylights' out of me in places, and there certainly was 'A View To A Kill' that being London lit up at night.

This has certainly got to be the best way in London to see the iconic famous landmarks, so forget the roads and don't sit in the London traffic, just speed on down to Thames Rockets for the thrill of a lifetime (as you Only Live Once, NOT Twice!).

Don't be worried that it doesn't have a lot of Yelp reviews - it has TONS of great reviews on TripAdvisor. Also, wouldn't recommend for elderly, super young kids, or anyone who doesn't like fast speed or bumps.

BUT - for everyone else, you gotta do it! London is such a beautiful city, and this is the best way to explore it's charm without having to walk everywhere.

Half the ride is a speedboat ride. They have a great soundtrack to get you hyped, and try to hit some waves to make it really exciting. The other half is a normal pace, but your tour guide shares some entertaining facts about the buildings, monuments, and sights of London.

Plus, you get great views of the London Eye and the Queen Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben - WHICH I discovered from this tour is really the name of the largest bell that rings inside the tower).

Thanks Dave + Ian for a great ride!

So glad we booked this tour. We had two kids 9 and 11 and I couldn't decide if we should do the family oriented tour or the standard/classic tour (can't remember the actual tour names). We opted for the standard and it was perfect. My kids, particularly my 9 year old laughed and smiled the entire time. The guides (one way Andy) are great. It's a fun way to take in the sights but most enjoyable was the speed! A must do!!

Really good fun! 25 mins of historical cruising down the thames, and another 20 past the police wharf where they just let the speed boat rip.

Things to keep in mind while you're booking:
1. Get motion sickness? I'd skip this one. I'd also question why you're looking into a speedboat cruise.

2. Weather makes a huge difference. We went on an uncommonly hot Sept day, and it was GLORIOUS. I couldn't say the same if it were cold and/or wet though, so plan accordingly.

Our guides were Little Mike, who was hilarious, and Nick was our captain. It's a bit shorter than I expected, but still totally worth it.

This thing is so fun!!!! We did the standard tour and it was perfect!!! The guide we had was simply amazing! He was funny, and very good at telling stories and information! He was very kind too!! Going from information about what we could see to a thrilling fast experience going side to side! The overall experience was amazing!! Thank you Thanes Rockets!