City Cruises
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A Cautionary Tale from a £5,000…
A Cautionary Tale from a £5,000 Corporate Party Gone Sideways I hired City Centre Cruises for a private corporate party on one of their boats. While we weren’t sure how many of the 50 available spots we’d fill (this was an informal “invite-on-the-day” event), we paid in full for all 50 places — including the upgraded buffet and welcome drinks — at a staggering £80 per head. That’s £4,000 upfront for a 3-hour cruise, plus an additional £1,000+ in free bar spend. Let me say upfront: I don’t mind spending money when the experience reflects it — but this absolutely did not. The Planning We visited the boat the day before the event. Tired, old, and worn down — not exactly what you expect when you’re investing over five grand — but we’d come too far to back out. We made it very clear we’d update the final guest count by 3pm on the day of the event (the cruise was at 6.30pm), and this was agreed in person and later confirmed by email. In the end, only around 20 guests attended, and we gave the team plenty of notice so they could scale back on catering. They acknowledged and thanked us for the update. The Event The two young women running the bar were the highlight — professional, friendly, and efficient. I personally tipped them £80 at the end of the night. Unfortunately, they were let down by everything else. The DJ appeared to resent being there, barely said a word and certainly didn’t crack a smile, though I’ll admit the guests did enjoy the karaoke and music despite the vibes. Oddly enough, things took a turn for the downright bizarre — a guest informed me there was a man getting a massage near the ladies’ toilets during the event. Topless. This isn’t a joke. Not sure if he worked there or not, but the fact that this happened at all during a private corporate booking is, frankly, appalling. The Buffet To be fair, the food itself was very good — hot, fresh, and tasty. But it was clear the catering was scaled for around 20 guests, not 50. Which was fine — we had informed them. What isn’t fine is what followed after. After the Event I reached out to the company, respectfully requesting a conversation about a partial refund — we’d paid for 50 guests, they catered for around 20 (as we requested), and we simply asked to be treated fairly. We were met with silence. No response. No acknowledgment. Just a complete stonewall. Final Thoughts It’s a shame, because I originally booked City Centre Cruises based on their glowing reviews. But underneath the surface, it seems the moment they’ve got your money, any sense of customer care disappears. I’m not sure what’s more disappointing — the dismissive silence post-event, or the fact that someone thought it was acceptable to enjoy a topless massage mid-charter while guests were walking past. For next year, we’ve already found another operator — one with genuine customer service, transparent planning advice, and a bit of pride in their offering. They were visibly shocked when I told them what we paid for this experience. With a bit of customer focus and professionalism, City Centre Cruises could run something great. Instead, they’ve chosen the path of profit over service, and silence over accountability. Buyer beware.