Reviews
Michael Glatfelter
Had a good tour with Boat and Bike. Allowing guest to use bikes while “in port” would have made the trip fantastic.
Cyn from Rodeo
Lots of false advertising. Bike rides were not leisurely or relaxed, unless you are an experienced mountain biker (even at the easy level), boat was old and had 4 smoke stacks so it was impossible to avoid diesel fumes many times, one could not get on and off boat/barge at leisure, barge deck was very small with little or no shade. Crew was nice, but were not well informed about areas travelled other than tourist sites. Overall very disappointing, and not at all as advertised.
We are sorry that your expectations did not match what you experienced during the tour. We have taken a critical look at our own communication. We always try to give the best possible impression of the ship and the tour. We do this in several ways: -Before departure we send extensive boarding information about the trip. -On the website there are more than 20 photos of the ship, with that we hope to give the right impression. -On the website we have the FAQ (frequently asked questions). One of the questions is 'Do I need to be fit to be able to do the cycling tour' Well yes... It makes your holiday a lot more pleasurable. Daily cycling tours of around 40-60 kilometers, which means approx. 5 hours on the saddle each day riding at an average speed of 12 kilometers or 9 miles an hour. This demands a certain basic level of fitness. -In addition, we assume that when you book a cycling vacation you have mastered the basic skills of cycling. Should the daily cycling trips be disappointing, it is always possible to stay on board and sail along. We understood from the crew that you did this for several days. That is also a fine solution. During the sailing the ship passes several bridges and locks, the large parasol is therefore folded away, which is why you could not sit on deck in the shade. During the lock procedure, the ship uses a bow thruster, so it is unavoidable that you will notice diesel fumes. Once the ship docks in port, the gangway is laid down. You might have expected that it would be easy to get on and off the ship while underway, but unfortunately this is not possible due to the sailing schedule. Because there were several people in the group who could cycle a maximum of 20 kilometers, the crew often adjusted the program so that the other guests could follow the entire route. We regret that you are so disappointed. Should you reconsider coming again, we will be happy to provide you with more (even more) detailed information beforehand. Perhaps the premium ships will better suit your needs. If you consider this, please let us know. Team Boat Bike Tours.
Dick
Heerlijke week varen en fietsen. Mooi schip, hele fijne bemanning. Super kok. Perfect ontbijt en diner. Texels bier van de tap is heerlijk. Al met al een aanrader.
Glen Johansen with Star Travel
Nice size group of 24. A week of great weather (no rain on the bike rides). Staff was very nice and helpful. Food was good and varied. Just one of our favorite experiences in Europe!
Pieter Biessels
Great trip We had a wonderful time on our boat bike tour. Food was delicious, staff very friendly and helpful. The bike rides were well set up avoiding busy traffic. Cabins were clean. We will do this again
Mme TAILLEFER Gail
This was a truly wonderful experience, between sailing and biking. The staff was great on all levels, particularly as I was the only native English-speaker (with no German or Dutch, despiite French and Spanish ;-), and the only person travelling alone. The only concern I voice on a self-guided tour is that people should either be given the basic bike tools (aside from tire repair), or told to bring their own. It so happened that the bike rented had two issues during a ride (screws that needed tightening, making it impossible to continue), and while we managed to find people in a small town with tools, the difficulty could have been avoided had the bike been carefully checked before renting. Tools, in any case, would be a good idea.
Marylise Ballarin-Devins
I ‘m used to enjoy one week biking with Bostbike every year since 2013 and this year it was a second tour, but not with Boatbike, but with Radreisen. Uselly I prefer small boats to have a better contact with small group, but I wanted to try the famous Danauweg without the enormous number of people who normally go on this route (because of the pandemia, there was much less people). Result: it was not so bad, but the route is a bit boring, not all the time but mainly, the number of kilometer is small. I was lucky to be with wonderful people the first night in the restaurant and this has give me a better feeling for the social side.But I still prefer small boats and I prefer to travel with Boatbike. Marylise
Dear Marylise, Thank you so much for your review. How nice to read that you have been along for the ride so many times. A pity that the trip on the Danube was not as much to your liking. They are indeed quite large ships that provide cycling-boating vacations there. You have experienced the difference. We have a wide range of ships, in addition to the Netherlands we also have several smaller ships in France and Germany, perhaps interesting for next time? (although there is a chance that you have already been on one of these with its long travel experience!) Team Boat Bike Tours
maja van abeelen
Een 8 daagse boat/bike tocht op de Mare van Fryslan! Van het Ijsselmeer naar de waddeneilanden Texel en Terschelling, via Harlingen, Stavoren terug naar Enkhuizen. Alleen maar moois, van uitleg en het mee zeilen tot heerlijke diners, relaxen, wijn, ontmoeten, je zijn, ik ben enorm dankbaar!! Dank aan Joris, Marvin Wiebe en Esther, jullie maakte samen met de zon het verschil ((:
Tracy
Fabulous experience and ready to go again.
Pamela Tennant
Another great vacation on the Magnifique III This was our third trip on one of the Magnifique boats and it was just as wonderful as the other two. Each time was a little different. Tom our tour guide on this one took us to some great little spots for a coffee/local beer etc along with castles/windmills, lots of biking trails, etc. Sunshine and beautiful biking weather. Meals by Alv were amazing and as always our two hostess’s were top notch. On every trip we have felt the pride of ownership from Captain Walter and this time was no different. Captain Hylke made us all feel like we were at home for the week. We hope to go back again and bring more friends to experience a great vacation. We highly recommend the Magnifique ships. Booking through Boat Bike Tours is easy and they are always quick to respond.
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