London Cable Car: Soaring above the River Thames Round Trip

Great Experience

Great experience. Done at twilight so beautiful sunset helped make the experience even better.

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A fun experience

We used this as a fun way to hope over to the O2 for dinner, as we were staying close to the Excel. Our family of four pitched up and got straight on without pre-booking, and we waited on a few minutes before we got into our car. We shared our pod with another couple on the way over, but were allowed one to ourselves on the way back from the O2 (which probably explains the significant queue upon return). Not cheap for such a short ride, but of course you are paying for the views/ experience. We were lucky in that the weather was mostly clear, although gusty winds did a cause a couple of moments of consternation on the way across, given some very apparent swaying. Overall, a really cool experience and we’re very glad that we did it.

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Family trip

The view was amazing and the ride from boarding to leaving was smooth.

Response from the operator: Hi, thank you for leaving a review and glad to hear that you had a smooth journey with us. We hope to welcome you again soon. Thanks, FM

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Bad security at closing

I stayed at the nearby Crowne Plaza Docklands for Laver Cup, which was at the O2 and the easiest way to get there is by cable car. I was actually excited for this trip daily, and my hotel even comped me a round trip ticket. It’s a scenic and efficient way to travel between O2 and the Royal Victoria Docklands area. My significant downgrade in rating comes from one notable frightening and negative experience with a security guard called Monsouri (sp?) I was leaving Friday night’s Laver Cup match and once I realized the cable car closed at 10PM, did my best to hustle over there. I got there probably a minute after the formal closing time. I had a round trip ticket so truly only needed to be let upstairs, as there were people still waiting to take the cable back across. This guard snapped at me even after I showed him my round trip ticket, physically blocked me as if I was a criminal and told employees that if anyone tried to help me “THEY WILL BE SACKED.” I was told to “get on the train like everybody else.” A young woman employee tried to soften the situation and explained why, at that point, they wouldn’t be able to allow me up and they were sorry about that. I can appreciate that there are rules and that I was technically “late” and missed the opportunity to take the last run for the evening. It was my first time there and a lesson to simply plan better and leave myself more time. No problem. What I didn’t appreciate was an aggressive & rude security guard using the tiny bit of power that he had to intimidate me as well as the cable car employees into silence. I think that people who work in public-facing jobs were there are tourists have a particular responsibility to use strong judgment, problem-solving skills and consideration. I was not afforded that by this security guard. In this scenario, a decision could have been made to allow a solo woman traveler with a paid round-trip ticket to dash upstairs to catch the last few cars that were still running so as to avoid a tube ride that would leave her in a secluded area alone late at night, rather than being dropped off by cable car in a well-lit area near the hotel. It was also a Friday night with a special event at the O2 that they knew would run past 10PM. it seemed odd that the cable cars would close so early anyway. One straggler right at closing on this particular night would not have upset the apple cart. But I could have been on fire and this guard wouldn’t have thrown water on me. That’s how small I felt after that encounter. As I was walking away, another male cable car employee who was leaving work apologized to me and said if it hadn’t been for that guard stepping in the way he did, they probably would have let me go up, as I had a valid round trip pass and they didn’t have to “open the till” or do anything special for me—and because the cars were still running with people waiting to go back when this all first started. He even set me about toward the correct train, which I appreciated. And just as I thought—it let me off in a secluded area but fortunately I made it to the hotel safely. I had tickets for Laver Cup the entire weekend and took the cable car back to O2 the next day. I felt this merited escalation and I spoke with the manager Ozzy about it. I’m grateful I did. He confirmed that the security guard had no authority to say that anyone who helped me “would be sacked” and that perhaps in this case better judgment could have been used or at least explained in a more reasonable way. For my trouble he gave me complimentary passes for the rest of the weekend. Ozzy, if you’re reading this thank you for your kindness, hospitality and respect. You restored my faith and made me feel better about riding the cable car again. And to that security guard and the company that employs people like him: Do better. Do not take your misery out on tourists and abuse your power with people who theoretically rely on you for protection. Kindness costs you nothing; the opposite ultimately costs you a lot.

Response from the operator: Hi, thank you for your review and I'm sorry to hear about your experience with us. Your feedback will be passed to the wider team for further improvements. I'm glad to hear that Ozzie was able to speak to you and you were able to pass your comments directly. Thanks, FM

via Tripadvisor

Great London Cable Car Experience

A very enjoyable experience and well worth the money. The manager at the Greenwich Peninsula end was very helpful ensuring I had the right tickets for myself and granddaughter. Great value and great enjoyment. Thanks.

Response from the operator: Hi. It is so good to hear you had an enjoyable trip. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Hope to see you again soon. JL

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