Bike and Boat Tour Reviews page 2
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★★★★★ JEC65
A different biking experience
Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
Thirteen days of easy to moderate biking. The crew were friendly and helpful. The food was excellent! Lots of extra sightseeing excursions to choose from. Very old boat with very small cabins was the only drawback but price was reasonable.Generally the routes were on quiet roads on all types of surfaces.
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★★★★★ Ginny50
Neckar & Rhine Rivers by Bike and Boat
This was an enjoyable bike/boat tour. The crew and staff were very nice. The riding days were usually short and manageable. The rainy weather was an issue which made for slippery riding on cobblestones. Due to the rains the Neckar River was closed and our ship was diverted. The company handled the diversion to the best of their ability and these detoured riding days were okay. We ended up in the town of Speyer, which was our favorite stop of the entire tour. One major complaint was the rooms on the ship were very small. They did state that in the promotional information, but we were not expecting that tiny. Everyone complained about the tiny rooms. We just laughed and dealt with it but it did make for close quarters. If you travel in May bring rain gear!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May/June 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ PAULINE MOENCH
TRIP OF DREAMS THAT FELL FAR SHORT
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Not much to say here since our boat never left the dock. Our host, Lesley, was a peach and completely competent. If not for him, we would have left on day two. My biggest disappointment was only having bus tours to Budapest and Bratislava. I would have appreciated a little creativity added in to take us to a couple more places. The tour people were awful with their communication, telling us for three days in a row that we might leave when we knew we were going nowhere. The crew was great, the food was not the greatest, but no complaints. I have a special diet that they were over the top accommodating of. You drastically need to improve your beverage packages—not enough provided for the $$$ we paid up front. 498 euros for the two of us when we wound up spending most of our day off the boat was out of line. If we had been cycling every day, I would not have purchased a package, considering you did not include what are everyday cocktails in the USA, like Manhattans.
For the rooms, rather than having that dopey pull-out at the end of the bed, leave that area under the bed open for luggage storage. Also, get rid of the carpet. Beds were very comfortable. We would have liked to have left our sliding door open a bit. Some kind of stop at the base so they can be open six or eight inches would have been appreciated. I’m sure the daily bike routes would have been great if we had been able to utilize them.
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★★★★★ James Hutcherson
Flood of decades
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Can’t change the weather. Boat crew and food was excellent. Everyone tried their best to make the trip as good as they could. Kudos to all involved. Bikes were excellent and well maintained.
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★★★★★ Jan 2018
Beautiful bike tour through Austria !
Danube Discovery: Bike and Boat through Enchanting Capitals
Our room on the ship had a broken thermostat so we were freezing most of the time...the food was good but we wanted more green veggie salads..the tour guide was very hard to understand, but the bike baths were smooth and mostly flat, so the biking through little villages was unforgettable!!!
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★★★★★ John Cooley
Great trip---but could have been better
Coastal Islands of Southern Dalmatia
This was a great trip, however the lead guide was difficult to get along with ---the second guide was new and fantastic. The lead guide was overly strict and a bit condescending. We did not bike one of the days because he decided since there was rain we would not cycle. That was VERY disappointing. I was on a boat bike trip in Belgium and Netherlands and we biked rain or shine. The time we started biking was a bit late too-----it did not leave much time for for activities after biking.
The saving grace for the trip was the staff was fantastic on the Yolo.
One additional note is that this should be E-bike only....there is no way for a regular bike to keep up with ebikes on the terrain on this trip. One of the passengers insisted on riding a regular bike and on two separate days had to switch bikes with the guide in the rear so he could make it. He should have been told to switch to an ebike by the guides.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Linda Cooper
Made the most of being stuck at the dock.
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
An act of nature meant that the boat never left the dock. The company made a point to provide activities and bike routes for 7 days in Vienna. Bike Tours was non existent when it came to communicating the changing conditions before the tour started.
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★★★★★ Linda Ewing
Provence Bike Trip into the Countryside
Provence by Bike and Boat
Really enjoyed the bike trip through the Provence countryside which visited several picturesque towns along the way. Our guide Alex was wonderful; she had done her homework so was able to provide us the history of what we were seeing. Plus Alex was great fun and made sure everyone was safe and comfortable while riding. Barge on-board staff was also super responsive and friendly. All the local staff was excellent!
My only criticism of the trip is the business model used by the barge company. The 'Caprice' boat itself is 'past its prime' --- old, really cramped room accommodations. We were unlucky and assigned what appeared to be the smallest double twin room that didn't even have space for the tiniest sink in the bathroom (it was installed next to my bed's pillow). In fact, all the rooms were smaller than on other barge boats I've been on. Also, the dining area was so tight you couldn't get out of your chair without your neighbor also moving. Bottomline, the company owners are squeezing too many people on the boat so they get more revenue.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 15 - 22, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ timothy mcfarren
Cruise not my thing
Danube Discovery: Bike and Boat through Enchanting Capitals
Too much time on boat, not enough time exploring on land. Would have liked more time to be able to see the sights.
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★★★★★ Mary Gallagher
Great biking - barge was ok
Provence by Bike and Boat
Biking in Provence was outstanding- but the cabin we stayed in (Cabin 1) was not satisfactory. Crew we’re great and tour leader was knowledgeable and experienced. Unfortunate about our accommodations.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Mary Gallagher
Disappointing Accommodations
Provence by Bike and Boat
Recently returned from Provence bike and barge and very disappointed with cabin accommodations. Bathroom sink located in main cabin from which we heard gurgling and draining from other cabins. Also heard loud banging from floor probably due to mechanical issues due to location of cabin - farthest on the bow. Overall not suitable for guests. Crew, guide and food were great- but cabin (#1) was not acceptable.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Kelly Kimbler
Fun with friends
Holland’s Super Tulip Tour
The weather was not great so we had to roll with it. For it being a super tulip tour I thought we see more tulip farms and maybe visit one to see the inner workings of how tulips are produced and sold.
Our guide was trying hard but with a group the size of ours I’m sure that was difficult. I think it was her first time doing the super tulip tour. We missed both the flower market and the cheese market from them being closed on the days we were there. I think the cost of admission into keukenhof should have been included instead of us each having to buy ours individually online the night before. The flower parade was a nice bonus since we didn’t get to see the flower parade.
The food was good. The accommodations were basic but clean.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Kelly Kimbler
Fun with friends
Holland’s Super Tulip Tour
The weather was not great so we had to roll with it. For it being a super tulip tour I thought we see more tulip farms and maybe visit one to see the inner workings of how tulips are produced and sold.
Our guide was trying hard but with a group the size of ours I’m sure that was difficult. I think it was her first time doing the super tulip tour. We missed both the flower market and the cheese market from them being closed on the days we were there. I think the cost of admission into keukenhof should have been included instead of us each having to buy ours individually online the night before. The flower parade was a nice bonus since we didn’t get to see the flower parade.
The food was good. The accommodations were basic but clean.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ EDWH
Fun, but a few qualifications
National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
We had a great time but the parks were not quite as interesting or attractive as we had hoped. And some of the bike rides (the 3rd day in particular) difficult hills with nothing at all to see. Description said a ride around Vraner Lake and we never even saw it. That was coupled with the hottest week in the summer as temps were near or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Guides showed little flexibility in schedules or changes to accommodate the heat.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 29, 2017
- How many tours have you completed?
- 25 or 30
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson
Thank you for your feedback, and I'm very sorry you did not enjoy the tour. It's one of our more popular tours, and we've generally received great feedback. I did it a number of years ago and loved it. That said, guides change from year to year (or even more often), and other changes (positive or negative) can come into play.
As luck would have it, one of our staff members will be checking out the tour in a couple weeks, and he will pay special attention to the issues you rose.
Again, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback!
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★★★★★ Mary Schmidt
Unable to review as the Vivienne never left port in Vienna - Please contact me. I would have loved to have been able to review.
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Dear Team at BikeTours.com,
I hope you all are doing well. I am writing regarding my recent river cruise, Danube Delights aboard the Vivienne on September 15, which unfortunately was impacted by flooding, causing the cancellation of several key ports of call and remained docked in Vienna for 7 nights. While I understand that weather conditions are beyond anyone’s control, missing out on many destinations left me disappointed, as I had been looking forward to the full experience. My husband and I had been planning this for over a year and celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary.
Our cruise director did his best to keep the passengers entertained and informed but was getting very mixed messages from someone. It started the first day in Passau with the hired transportation did not have a concrete deportation location. It was 2:30pm before we were even contacted to tell us to go to the bus station and we would be transported to Vienna. After boarding the Vivienne we were told that we would be docked in Vienna for a couple of days and for those interested we could take the bus to Budapest and Bratislava on the next two days. It was a very long bus ride but a nice trip to both.
Starting on Wednesday, day 3, we were then told we MAY leave every evening, so we needed to be back on boat at 5 or maybe a different time and were not able to take any extended excursions due to the possibility of debarking. Thursday we were led to believe we may leave later in the night. Then Friday, we were instructed to be back on the boat at 11:00 am because we might leave. It was determined after we came back that we were not going to be able to leave. We would have loved to have taken the train to visit another location Wednesday - Friday. The last day, Saturday, was the worst, we had to sit on the boat because there would be announcements at 9:00 am, then stay on because we might leave at 11:00am, then wait again until after 1:00pm and then there was a decision to let us off. It was obvious the boat wasn’t going anywhere due to the 24 hours it would have taken to cruise back to Passau and there was another cruise scheduled. Also, we were extremely far back in the line of boats that would have moved before us.
Given these unforeseen circumstances, I am inquiring about a future cruise credit (FCC) toward another cruise or a refund. We were so excited to do our first River cruise as a way to travel and have the ability to bicycle and I would love the opportunity to schedule another boat/bike cruise and fully experience the journey.
I appreciate your understanding and consideration of this request, and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Mary Schmidt- What was the date of your tour?
- September 15, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- This would have been our first but can't count due to not leaving port.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Joann Schmidt
Not what I was expecting
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Our river/bike cruise turned into a floating hotel in Vienna. Our boat never left the dock all week because of historical flooding on the Danube. The boat and cruise personnel were all fine but just wish we could of actually seen something of the countries we were hoping to see on the river. Not sure if I would ever sign up for one of these again.
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★★★★★ Stephen Friedman
Nice trip with some areas for improvement
Sail & Bike to Picturesque Villages and Nature Reserves
The itinerary and sights were beautiful. The Elizabeth is a beautiful ship. The engagement of the captain and integration of the tour group left something to be desired.
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Banershan
Trip with my daughters
Bordeaux by Bike and Boat: Castets-en-Dorthe to Libourne (and reverse)
The trip was fine as the area of Bordeaux is so picturesque, but the rating of the trip was easy to moderate which was not true as we encountered hills every day. Some of the hills were quite difficult. They should re rate it as totally moderate.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 6-13
- How many tours have you completed?
- 11
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Sharon Johnson
Sail and bike to picturesque villages and nature reserved
Sail & Bike to Picturesque Villages and Nature Reserves
Great experience on a tall ship sailing vessel. Food was average. Crew was very good but English translations on biking details was lacking.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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