Reviews

We recently completed a tour from Amsterdam to Bruges on the Magnifique IV. While most aspects of this tour met our expectations, some were disappointing. The ship itself was excellent and the majority of the crew was friendly and professional. The rental bikes were functional but showing the wear and tear of a long rental season. They were also obviously designed to be sturdy and maintenance free rather than easy to ride. (Even on the very flat terrain I was seldom able to use the top 4 gears out of the 7). Our lead tour guide, Frans, was excellent, but his assistant Corrine really needs more training. She at times seemed to be lost even with paper maps and Ride with GPS. By her own admission, she had no clue of how to change a flat, or any mechanical aspect of the bikes. Because she seemed to be under stress, she did not handle some interactions with the tour participants very well. While our ship was being captained by Walter, the shipowner, the interface between the ship operation and the tour was quite seamless, but when Walter left and was replaced by Captain Chris, it seemed like all coordination between the two went awry. While the food on board was generally excellent, it was quite evident that some things were “running out” and not being replenished toward the end of the week, because this was the last tour of the season. I would also have liked more variety in the offerings for our packed lunches (like peanut butter) and better packaging (stretch wrap or baggies) for the routine ham and cheese sandwiches. I would like to compliment their logistical flexibility in being able to pick us up on the side of the river when we we late arriving due to a train system malfunction. We were very thankful for that. Also, the way the two ship hostesses kept everything spotless on board while also serving food and drinks, was as good as any cruise we have ever been on. They (Laura and Joline) worked tirelessly and were always very pleasant and professional. Overall, I would travel with this company again, but maybe a little earlier in the season.

excellent guides good knowledge of bicycle repair

I was over whelmed, with the whole experience, food excellent Guide,s were surpurb , friendly helpfully, and careing, went out off their way to make sure you were enjoying the experience. The barge was fantastic bedroom were great ,

The Captain and crew were absolutely wonderful. The bike tour itself was not quite a picturesque as we expected. There were times when cycling in and around vehicular traffic was uncomfortable. The ship is fabulously maintained, clean and beautiful.

Fabulous way to experience Belgium and The Netherlands. Touring these countries lead by Boat and Bikes fun and knowledgable guides made this a truly memorable trip. The boat was like a 5 star hotel with great rooms, excellent staff and delicious food!

The ship is great, the food is good, one guide was good the other was not. The trip was overall worth doing – perhaps just not the last rip of the season when the wheels fell off a little bit e.g.tension between the guides, using up last bits of food e.g. no deliveries of good bread for the last 2 days, confusion about communication between the guides and the new captain.

Outstanding Captain and staff. Exceptional experience. 5 star restaurant. Great bar at reasonable prices. Very comfortable rooms with ensuite, cleaned daily to high standard. Fantastic guides on wonderful choice of bike routes. E-bikes made it easy. Far exceeded expectations and terrific value for money.

Very well operated barge & tour. Great guides for biking and excellent meals on board Magnifique IV. Crew worked very well together and often multi-tasked. We were impressed with spaciousness of suite as compared to river and sea cruises. Great value!!

Good boat – having an internal informal area with bar was important. Great crew who were interested in you and did their best to make the trip good for everyone.

From the warm greetings we received when we first came on board to the final hour of our trip, the crew on Magnicient IV were great. The accommodations, service, cleanliness, food and beverages were exceptional. I suggest that the woman bike guide needs additional training, she is not a good communicator. Her English is not up to the standard with the other members of the team. Very friendly and kind, but her knowledge is lacking.