Slovakia Bike Tour Reviews page 3
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- ★★★★★ Sean Thomson
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
BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac
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!
- ★★★★★ Tammy Noteboom
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
- ★★★★★ Mario Ceccanese
Cycling adventure
Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
Navigation tools given(Garmin + maps) were very unreliable, especially entering and leaving cities - have had tours where line by line navigation instructions were provided as well as appropriate scale maps. Our group of 6 had 3 Garmins which were rarely in agreement - we then tried to follow whatever route on which 2 Garmins agreed. Czech Republic off road trails were very rough for the bikes provided - mountain bikes would have been more appropriate or better routes. We realize that due to unforeseen circumstances due to flooding on the Danube that route changes were necessary, but new routes were poorly described, and Garmins were now of no use- we resorted to Google Maps for navigation which occasionally placed us on roads which were too busy. Safety should be a prime concern, but navigation issues made this trip much more difficult and risky than originally described.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ Amy Lynch
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.
- ★★★★★ David Klaeser
Danube River Tour
Vienna to Budapest 5-nights (Active)
Initial communications with BikeTours was challenging due to not knowing there was an 8 hour time zone difference. The hotel in Bratislava was located several km from the bike trail and it was difficult to navigate through town to get there plus staff were not friendly. Directions to this hotel in the app would have been helpful. The hotels in Gyor, Estergom and Budapest were easier to get to and had excellent service. The trip app was easy to use and provided lots of good information. The bikes were ok. A water bottle holder and phone holder on handlebars would make navigation safer and easier.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- 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, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Hungary, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ 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.
- 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
BikeTours.com staff reply from jan
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!.
- ★★★★★ 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
- ★★★★★ Elizabeth Hinz
Great adventure!
Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
Given the conditions of Danube flood and its aftermath, this was a bigger adventure than expected in problem solving logistics. People along the way were welcoming and helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ Brenda Brown Wright
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 . - ★★★★★ Diana Ortiz
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!
- ★★★★★ Karen Canon
Continuing our Danube Journey
Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
The route took us through four countries and four capital cities. We planned in several rest days which were well needed as the first part of the trio through Czech Republic and Austria were challenging! The route along the Danube would have been fantastic but unfortunately Storm Boris flooded the whole region, making biking the path impassable. The tour company did a good job of keeping us informed of route conditions (we were on a self-guided tour) and helping to arrange alternate transportation when biking was impossible due to heavy rain and flooding.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
- ★★★★★ 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.
- 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
BikeTours.com staff reply from jan
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.
- ★★★★★ Kristin Reese
First 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.
- ★★★★★ Boris Erlank
Despite terrible weather and floods, we had a good time
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Given the effects of climate change, I think the local operators, will have to work on contingency plans for a good customer experience when the weather is bad. We sat in Passau for 4 of the 7 days and then managed to sail as far as Linz. No Vienna, no Bratislava, no Budapest.
We managed to have two days of cycling which were great. The cruise director, Juergen, went out of his way to come up with alternatives on the fly. The food was excellent, the staff friendly, and the accommodations very good. But, mainly due to weather, this was a far cry from the dream holiday we had hoped for.
- ★★★★★ MM
Flood Trip
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
We were bussed from Passau to Vienna to meet the boat, which never left port for the week due to flooding. All week we were told their was a possibility of leaving port, so there were days we had to stay around the boat to wait for details, which hampered our daily plans. It would have been better to just tell us up front we would be there all week, so our plans for the day could be made.
The cruise director did everything he could to make the trip memorable, which is was, with the constraints he had.
Breakfast's were fabulous, lunches provided were good! Dinners were a little lacking, but adequate. Drinks were fine, but more options for daily drink tickets would have been appreciated. The Vivienne was beautiful! - ★★★★★ Kristin Ackerman
Different but still great
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Unfortunately, our riverboat cruise was unable to move due to flooding on the river. The staff did the best they could with making sure we had food, drinks, and entertainment. I would definitely check out this company again and hopefully the plans go as is. At least we were stuck in Vienna so I cannot complain about that.
- ★★★★★ Henry Ronald Samuels
Bike with HS Buddies all 83
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Food was great on the ship as was the room. Rain first several days ruined a lot of the trip
