Bike And Boat Tour Reviews page 26
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★★★★★ Kristin Reese 11 months agoFirst time to Europe
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Only reason this wasn’t a 5 star rating is because of the crazy flooding. Despite the challenges Leslie and crew did an AMAZING job coming up with fun things for the group to do. The crew was super helpful, and polite. I truly felt spoiled. Thank you for making my first boat tour and first time in Europe a great experience.
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★★★★★ PAULINE MOENCH 11 months ago
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.
- What was the date of your tour?
- SEPT 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from jan October 1, 2024
The epic storm that hit during your trip effected 100s of our guests. The people on the ground were left in a very very difficult situation and we apologize for any inconvenience this caused. Unfortunately we cannot control the weather. Thanks for your business and we hope you travel with us again.
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★★★★★ CAROLYN DAVIES 11 months agoCycling Mosel
· · Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
Enjoyable riding. With an e-bike there was plenty of time to see some local sites along the way. Didn’t find the Guibo app to work well, preferred analog maps! More directions/addresses to local monuments would have been helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2924
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Diana Ortiz 11 months ago
First Bike trip to Europe
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
What a great way to visit 4 countries! Leslie was amazing making sure everyone was taken care of and making necessary changes to make our trip memorable! The crew was friendly and accommodating as well. Rooms were clean and beds made early!
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★★★★★ Brenda Brown Wright 11 months ago
Biking across the Danube
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
It was a great experience, Leslie and Barbara plus the guides did an outstanding job. We were
Lucky to be able to explore some
Of the area, during flooding. Or near flooding .- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 22
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1st one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Mary Schmidt 11 months ago
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 11 months ago
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.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- just this one
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from jan October 7, 2024
The storm that hit your area during your trip effected 1000s of travelers and overwhelmed our local partners and ground crews. Our apologies but we cannot control mother nature. Thanks for your business and we hope you'll give us another chance!.
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★★★★★ ALEX BERESNIEWICZ 11 months agoGreat trip
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
Beautiful countryside with little climbing made for a totally enjoyable trip. Our guide, Alex, was absolutely amazing, our care on board the boat was flawless, and the meals at dinner were all excellent. Five stars!!
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Ron Walker 11 months ago
Highly Recommended Itinerary
· · Provence by Bike and Boat
This was a great trip and I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 only because I wasn't crazy about our boat, the Caprice. The dining area is just way too cramped when the boat is fully booked. From what I saw of the L'Estello, which does the same route, it might be a better choice. Otherwise, it was great. We did a ride out of Amsterdam earlier this year, and riding around Provence is about 100x more interesting than riding Friesland. I'd highly recommend that area to everyone. Specific to the local operator, the e-bikes were excellent, loved our guide, food was terrific and the team was very focused on providing a great experience for the guests.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- 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?
- France
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★★★★★ Amy Lynch 11 months ago
It was very nice but flooding kept us from boating on the Danube.
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Vienna Austria was amazing. It’s a beautiful and friendly city. We saw many of the sights and enjoyed it so much.
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★★★★★ Tammy Noteboom 11 months ago
Best trip ever!
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
I loved everything about our bike and boat tour down the Danube. The e-bikes were high quality and well-maintained and the ship and the pampering they gave us after our days biking was fabulous. Everything on board was perfect. We loved our waiter, Ayup, and our cruise director, Leslie. And the biking—it was so incredible. The entire trip exceeded our wildest expectations. We are already planning our next one!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September/October 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- First one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ J Matthew Schley 10 months agoBeautiful fun
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
Really good deal ship was very nice ,great group of people. Saw many beautiful sites. Some tough weather in October.
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★★★★★ Robert Rosselli 10 months agoFun, relaxing and well supported.
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique IV (and reverse)
It was a good way to see parts of Belgium and The Netherlands. The bike were quality; the Ride GPS was a great assist; the accommodations were clean and ambl; the food was tremendous; and the guides and boat staff were knowledgeable, helpful and fun.
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★★★★★ Sean Thomson 10 months ago
Amazing trip, wonderful memories
· · Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Overall the trip was excellent. We enjoyed the rides, the beautiful countryside, City tours and company of our fellow passengers. The boat and rooms were clean, the service was great and the food was delicious. The bikes worked great and the seats were very comfortable.
Communication could have been better. For example on the first day the boat couldn't make it into Passau so we showed up at the dock to busses with no notification. There were major floods about 10 days before our cruise and it would have been nice to get a general acknowledgement of the situation prior to the trip.
We felt fairly rushed on the bikes especially on the first day through the Danube Bend and from Vác to Esztergom. Even another hour could have made the trip more relaxed. The later route still had lots of mud and took a lot longer than expected.
The trip was comfortable and well organized. We plan to do another trip in the future.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 16, 2024
Hi Sean - thank you for your thoughtful feedback! We appreciate your suggestions regarding communication and pacing, and we’ll work on improving those aspects for future trips. Thank you for sharing, and we hope to welcome you aboard again!
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★★★★★ frank vaughan 10 months agoMore of a boat trip than a bike trip
· · Danube Discovery: Bike and Boat through Enchanting Capitals
We have been on 4 boat and bike tours. This was not a favorite. The boat company charges additional fees for anything- $15 daily fee for internet, $3.50 for a bottle of water, and $5+ for alcohol. They cover a long distance on the boat, so you do not have much time to ride the bike. When you do, it is a stringent timeline- off the ship at 9 am and meet the boat at 2:30 or you will miss the boat. It does not give you much time to look around. They have strictly enforced assigned seating at breakfast and dinner so it minimizes the chances of meeting other people. The guide was not very nice and did not ride the trails. They were covered in places with 4-6 inches of mud from the recent flooding and many were unrideable. Then the guide got mad when we returned to the boat covered in mud. The extra tours they sell were expensive and ok, but the guide on the Vienna tour left 2 of our group behind so they had to find their way back. The maps provided were ok, but somewhat confusing, and the briefing by the guide was rushed and not helpful. It's a German boat with German food and lots of retired Germans. There is nothing wrong with that, but many of them did not go on the rides described but just used the trip as a cheap river trip with some side rides.
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★★★★★ Toby Kerr 10 months agoFair trip
· · Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
All was great except confusing cycling directions from our tour director, Jurgen.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 24
- How many tours have you completed?
- None
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Roxanne Green 10 months ago
Countries visited were amazing!
· · Danube Experience Bike and Boat Passau-Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Iron Gates-Passau
The itinerary was perfect for exploring so many wonderful villages and towns in six countries along the Danube. The food was delicious and served beautifully by the waitstaff. Two major complaints - Bike service - my bike was handed to me on day 1 with totally flat tires, a fender rubbing on the front tire and gears that were stuck and screeching. The Captain (his crew) ran the boat onto a sandbar and we spent many hours sitting there watching other ships cross into the Iron Gates while we waited for a tugboat from Romania to pull us free. By the time we pushed off the sand, the weather had gotten bad and we didn’t get to travel to the Iron Gates. The explanation was “we can’t go to Iron Gates. Not our fault - blame the weather”. Though we had a wonderful experience on prior adventures in Denmark and Italy in 2017, I don’t know if I’d do another Biketours.com trip when bikes and boat captain were so poor with this one. But I gave it 4 stars because the Chefs, Wait Staff, Concierges, Bar Staff, Cleaning crew and overall ambience of the Swiss Crown was wonderful!
