CPBS: Party Boats for Private Hire on London's River Thames

Capital Pleasure Boats' Function Guidelines have been created in order to help ensure the smooth running of your party. Please read these in conjunction with the Terms and Conditions. You may also find our FAQ page helpful.

Set up/ clear away

• We endeavour to allow up to 2 hours set up time at Temple pier before a function for organisers to set up and decorate, however this can not be guaranteed. Any clients requiring extra set up time are requested to book additional hours. Any additional time booked will be charged at the normal hourly rate.

• Passengers permitted on board during the set up time are restricted to people actually helping to set up. Any other passengers may be asked to disembark until the boat is ready for boarding.

• Clients using a pier other than Temple pier are welcome to remain on board and travel with the vessel to their chosen embarkation pier.

Embarkation

• The vessel will endeavour ready for boarding 15 minutes before the requested embarkation time and passengers will not be permitted on board before this time, regardless of the weather conditions. Organisers are requested to pass this information to their party to ensure they arrive at the correct time.

• The vessel will leave the pier at the requested time and anyone not on board will be left behind. CPBS will not be responsible for late passengers missing the function. 

Reception drinks

• Reception dinks from our reception drinks list and wine or champagne by the glass will be served in real glasses and set out on a table for passengers to help themselves when boarding. There is no additional charge for bar staff for this.

• Any other drinks from our bar tariff chosen as reception drinks will be set out in plastic glasses.

• Some clients wish to save money by purchasing wine or champagne by the bottle. In this case we provide the bottle and plastic glasses and the client is responsible for pouring and serving, as you would do if you bought a bottle from the bar.

• Clients requiring glass for either of the two possibilities above (usually based on one drink per-person) will be billed for one extra bar staff. 

Corkage

• Clients are not permitted to bring their own beverages aboard except wine and champagne by prior arrangement only.

• Corkage will be charged on any wine and champagne bought on board at the current rates.

• Corkage charges covers storage, chilling, pouring and serving wine, sparkling wine or champagne in real glasses.

• Corkage is not permitted at weekend functions (Friday evening –Sunday)

Glasses

• All drinks from the bar are served in plastic glasses regardless of type or quantity of drink purchased. Soft drinks, spirits and mixers, half pints of lager and wine are served in plastic tumblers, pints of lager are served in plastic pint glasses and champagne is served in plastic flutes. If a client requests real glass we require two additional bar staff to collect, wash and dry glasses, and these are billed to the client.

• Real glasses are not available on the Sundance.

Bar staff

• If extra bar staff are required these are charged for the duration of the function plus 1 set-up hour and 1 clear-up hour, a total of 2 extra hours.
   

Bar

• On functions where more than 10% of guests will not be drinking alcohol, the office should be notified in advance of the booking as a surcharge will apply. Please see our Under 18's Policy if applicable.

• On board Golden Jubilee and Sundance, one of the bars may remain shut or closed during the function if numbers and/or demand is low.  Clients wishing to have both bars open for the entire function should liaise with the office at least one week before their function as a charge for extra bar staff may apply.

 Catering

• There is no requirement to have catering on board our vessels.

• Clients using CPBS caterers must order food for everyone on board.

• Should clients wish to use their own caterers then a surcharge will apply.  The surcharge will apply to everyone on board regardless of whether or not they eat anything.  The surcharge does not cover any beverages.

• Under no circumstances does the own catering surcharge include ‘own beverages’.  CPBS does not allow any drinks (soft or alcoholic) to be brought onboard.

• On vessels equipped with a galley the surcharge covers use of galley, hob, microwave and some fridge space. It also covers waste disposal. For vessels without a galley the surcharge covers waste disposal.

• Surcharge does not include use of any cooking utensils (pots, pans, wooden spoons etc), crockery, cutlery or linen.

• If using the galley for own catering clients are responsible for clearing and tidying this area at the end of the function.

           Tables and chairs

• Our tables are trestle tables which seat a maximum of 6 people, 3 per side.  We have 10 of these tables which can be used on either Golden Jubilee or Sundance (Please note that when a buffet has been ordered, three of these tables are used to set out the food.)

• In addition to any fixed seating, we have 68 blue buffet chairs for use on Golden Jubilee or Sundance.

• Each booth on the Golden Star seats 6 people and 70 passengers can be seated at one time.

• Tables will be covered in paper banquet roll. Clients using CPBS caterers can request linen for an additional charge.

• Clients requiring additional trestle tables or buffet chairs, round tables or gilt chairs can hire these in at cost

Entertainment

• Clients wishing to provide their own entertainment on board may do so for a surcharge.

• If our equipment is used then a £250 damage deposit is taken (in addition to the hire charge), which is refunded at the end of the function as long as there is no damage to the equipment.

• Noise limiters are fitted on our vessels in order to comply with current noise regulations and these are under the Captains control at all times.

Laying along side a pier

• We are able to spend part of a function alongside a pier. This must be booked through the office at the time of confirming your function.

• The time spent along side must be before 2300 hrs and is subject to availability and relevant pier charges.

Payment

• All invoices are payable in full 14 days before the function.

• Any additional charges incurred during the function must be settled at the end of the function by card or cash. Cheques are not accepted at this time.

• In the event of any accounts not being settled by the end of the function CPBS will invoice for the amount outstanding plus a 10% plus VAT administration charge.

• Any payments made on a credit card will incur a 3% plus VAT surcharge. There is no charge for debit cards.

General

• We regret the following are not permitted on board under any circumstances:

• Party poppers, silly string, confetti or table confetti or similar.

• Dry ice, smoke or bubble machines.

• Lit candles, sparklers, fireworks or similar. 

• Lost property found on the boats will be stored on board for 48 hours before being destroyed. Please therefore contact the office asap after a function to arrange to collect any items you may have lost.  

Disembarkation

• The boat will endeavour to arrive at the chosen disembarkation pier 15 minutes before the end of the function which is when the bars will close. Passengers will then have 15 minutes to finish their drinks and disembark. All passengers must be disembarked by the end of the function.

• Passengers delaying the end of the function will incur additional hourly charges at the appropriate rate and these will be billed to the organiser. 

 please also see our Terms and Conditions page

Above all we want you to have fun and enjoy your boat trip on the river Thames.

If you have any special requests or comments please let us know and we will do our best to help.

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