Reviews

On the Zwaantje Great crew & ride leaders. Having a leader on the ride took the anxiety out of the ride as we could trust them to provide great guidance, take us to interesting locations, cross the language barrier when needed, and get us back to the boat at the end of the day. The boat was great however there is room for improvement with the WiFi speed/ capacity, coffee (prefer real and not instant) and some extra hooks in the rooms for helmets and jackets. Meals were excellent. A good chef can easily accommodate gluten free meals so the extra €160 was too much so I took this off my tip. The instruction on tips, written on the back on the cabin door, did not go down well and was the subject of much discussion. Australians like the Dutch do not have a tipping culture and get paid appropriately to do their job well. I didn’t get the impression BBT staff were being underpaid. This is a thing in American where hospitality staff rely on tips to make up their pay so I couldn’t see why they would expect a tip. This was a big negative to me and others. Just raise the price if you need more money to run the cruise and we can decide up front whether to book, or not.

Overall a very happy experience. In particular staff were excellent and very supportive of the program. The very small cabins are a challenge and particularly on a share basis… Food was consistently very good.

Very pleased. We sailed with the Zwaantje on a 14 day tour from Bruges to Paris. Overall, great staff and good food. Ride variety through the trip was sufficient to keep it interesting. Be aware the rooms are functional but small. Tips for anyone thinking about it: there’s limited clothes storage and no washing service on board so pack as much quick dry clothing as you can. Don’t be afraid to take time off from riding. A day on the barge can be very pleasant One of our guides organised a day trip to the Somme on our rest day. Very interesting, particularly for we Australians. The bikes have small diameter handle bars so if you want to use a bike computer take a spacer. If we were to do it again we’d opt for a shorter journey, say 5 to 7 nights. Be nice to your guides, they’re gold.

A belated review & now a distant of a fabulous Boat? Bike on the Zwaantje, From Paris (Lagny ) to Epernay. Attention to detail by the staff was fabulous & a great group of people. Loved every minute of it. Looking forward to another trip

Well organised. Wonderful crew and guides who were knowledgeable, obliging and caring. Boat in excellent shape. Plenty of nutritious and well presented meals. Bikes kept in good order.

What a great trip, so well organised

We did not like the way the lunch process was set up. Make your own lunch in a small area with 24 people. One day we ran out of lunch meat and I had a wonderful sandwich of bread and butter for lunch. Also, too many people for the size of the boat, it always felt crowded. The bike trips were good and the route was beautiful.

The best part of the trip is the hospitality, service, and attention to detail of the Zwaantje Captain and Crew and the Tour Guides. All are seasoned professionals and experts in their respective fields.

This tour was made great by the staff on board our boat and the fabulous guides that worked so hard to make our trip a success. The boat is small but intimate vs cramped. The captain, Martin, was experienced, fun and accommodating. The chef, Frank, was fabulous and made a special effort to prepare a great dessert plate to help celebrate my birthday, which I really appreciated. The guides went above and beyond, especially Thomas, and made us all feel comfortable.

Everything was well planned and the crew worked hard everyday to make the itinerary perfect. Food was great, lodging was perfect with comfortable beds, biking trips were planned well to fit the group. Tulips, the boat, and the bicycling…our vacation was wonderful!