Germany Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 1291 to 1320 of 1360

Upon boarding, there was confusion regarding our room assignments. All 12 of us in our party were assigned different rooms than our vouchers indicated, even on different decks. Fortunately, the cruise director was able to sort everything out, but not without some angst on the part of the hotel manager, who was in the midst of boarding all the passengers at the start of the trip.

I felt bad the employees hadn't had a break since the beginning of the season. Leslie the tour director was burnt out. He was a little defensive when we mentioned some of the route was poorly signed. Many people missed some turns. Other than that we loved the tour, food, staff and have recommended this to many friends!

Excellent trip. Look forward to trying another one.

Only hitch in the whole experience was confusion when we arrived at the boat for check in. In our group of twelve, those who had paid extra for upper deck rooms were assigned lower deck rooms and vice versa, causing a few flared tempers and a less than welcoming start to our excursion. After that was sorted out everything went smoothly. We liked some of the extra excursions more than others but the biking was really the highlight of the trip. Biking through the Wachau Valley with vineyards climbing the mountains on either side, many with castles on top, through charming villages - priceless!

With 100 passengers & half German speaking/half English speaking I would recommend 2 guides instead of one. At times our guide seemed overwhelmed with questions, assistance, etc....

I was pleased with the points of interest on the tour (Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Colmar, Breisach), however, the route was very industrial at times and there was just nothing special about it. The maps and route descriptions were terrible and I'd say that was the number one complaint of fellow passengers. I talked to the guide and he said they will redo the route for next year so hopefully with some changes, it will be much better.

I had a good time on this trip, however, there was not enough time on the bicycle. As well, compared to the other biking trips we have taken, this one was very dependent on time. We did not have all day to get to the next spot. I felt rushed on three of the days, and we only biked on four. Also you lose the sense of discovery when every spot is picked out for you ahead of time, as to where to eat, shop, etc. The cruise staff were wonderful, but it seems to me that they think people only want to see cities, whereas I love the countryside and the villages. I would not do a combined boat and bike again.

Great way to do an active vacation. Will definitely book again!!

The boat itself is nothing remarkable, but quite comfortable and clean. The staff was amazingly friendly. Route descriptions were sparse in some sections so there was some guessing involved. The maps themselves didn't have any road names on them if you did get lost they were of no use. We honestly didn't rely on the maps/route descriptions as much as the info from our daily meetings with the tour guide. There were good and bad days as far as scenery on the rides, a few days were pretty boring with not a lot to look at, while others were quite beautiful. We docked within walking distance to town on all days except one (where you had the option of one lonely restaurant). On board you are provided with maps and flyers for each overnight town. The bikes were super heavy and cumbersome (not bikes I am used to) but this is the norm in Europe. The food on board was excellent. I would recommend this trip as I know the routes are being reviewed and descriptions/maps updated.

The Bike and Barge cycling trip was a great way to experience new countries. The cycling paths along the Danube are excellent and the riding was very enjoyable. We will be looking at other bike and barge options through Tripsite.

They need to provide better maps or route sheets. Manager of the boat (Peter) was very unfriendly and sometimes rude.

Staff was incredible. Only change I would make is in the dining room. To be allocated to a table with the same people for every meal was restrictive. We go on trips to meet people from different countries and to make new friends. On speaking with other travellers they mentioned that open seating would have made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. We thoroughly enjoyed our dining companions, but what if you didn't you were stuck all week.

Can't say enough about how accommodating the staff were, especially in the dining room. Many thanks! Want to do the trip again next year add bring my siblings.

Would be helpful if bikes had water cages

Thanks for providing us with a lifetime of memories.

Overall we had an outstanding trip. The boat was a little better than we expected but very well maintained and managed by the staff and crew. Leslie, our cruise director, was fabulous. I think we overwhelmed the boat with our large group and American ways. Leslie did a great job of balancing our fun trip and the ship's need to do their jobs in a certain way. We will definitely look to Tripsite for another boat/bike adventure in the years to come.

Main reasons for not recommending: Too many people. I would prefer a smaller group especially for lunches and stops along the way. Too much time needed for logistics with such a large group. (That being said, Leslie and the crew did a great job being as efficient as possible with this given the numbers involved.) The trip was marketed as meals all included. However, it was clear that we were "expected" to eat lunch at restaurants during our biking days. That would have been okay except we were always at the same place as dozens of other people (mostly people from our own boat who had not elected to take the guided trip option) so that the experience was not at all enjoyable. The restaurant staff were obviously harried at having to deal with such a large group at one time.
We always seemed to be in a rush to get back to the boat before its departure. I hadn't realized that the boat would have such a tight schedule to get from one docking point to another. I would have paid slightly more to have better food. There was way too much pork served; I felt starved for good quality, fresh vegetables by the time the tour ended.

The crew on My Story were amazing! Lesley the cruise director did a great job as did the entire staff. Five star service!

Food was only average. Breakfast buffet was good, but the dinners were mixed. If you could find a way to upgrade the dinners, that would be great and worth more money. For biking trips, given it is a healthy, active crowd, even more healthy meal preparations would likely be welcomed. We did appreciate the vegetarian options though Vegan would also be nice. Overall a wonderful trip though, we enjoyed it very much.

I know you know this, but the My Story is an old boat. Our bathroom smelled really bad. The food was average. The staff was incredible. The biking was spectacular. Leslie, our tour manager could not have been better. This was an incredible trip and it was a great value because the boat was old it wasn't very expensive. The folks at tripsite we excellent as well.

We were to have 1 rest day in Vienna but had 2 rest days. The second being Budapest. We liked the city but would have preferred to see more of Hungary from our bikes. My husband is not an historic buff so was bored with sight seeing.

Information provided by tour guide about towns and attractions very limited, and sometimes inaccurate, compromising planning and enjoyment of the daily ride.

Besides information on the bike routes, I enjoyed the information on side trips.

One of the best holidays we have ever experienced. Great cycling along the Moselle with excellent and knowledgeable guides and then returning tired but exhilarated to an most welcoming environment on the barge - the IRIS. Meals were excellent and entire crew and owner went out of their way to ensure we enjoyed the total experience. Would recommend this trip to anyone. We will be back for more.

Our group was more than well treated. The staff and officers on the barge went out of their way to help us and make the entire trip one to remember. The tour director really put himself out for everyone on board. He even helped us to solve a problem after we had left the boat at the end of the trip. It was outstanding.

Even for a novice biker I was looked after and given the opportunity to cycle shorter legs and enjoy the sailing on the boat. Bikes - we had a couple of bikes that had gear problems, otherwise they were fine.

Yes, yes, I would and have recommended this trip to friends. It was very relaxing, fun, offering beautiful scenery, helpful staff! visiting the small villages was a treat. The route and route guide was user friendly. Hope to bike this way again soon.

Garrit, our bike tour leader, was a novice on this route as well as a poor communicator to the english speaking clients. The docking area changed at each stop from the printed instructions, and the maps and turn-by-turn instructions were only partly correct! Everyone got lost at some point in the trip!! I had asked for GPS routing for my bike Garmin GPS but was told the route was to new and that it was not available! I think some accurate preparation would have made the trip more pleasant.
Second - the route along the Rhine is not scenic (as on the Danube) with few small towns to stop and look/snack on the way. The most notable sights were gravel pits and cement manufacturing. Of course, that is not the fault of the tour operator, however, they should have provided a detailed description of the small towns on the way (although not on the river) to give us the option of exploring the interesting ones and forgetting about the towns with 3 streets and no interesting sights.

Boat staff need to learn how to be more polite and friendly. The management seems to be in the military service.

Trip maps were difficult to decipher in some cases and needed more explanation. There were too many questions of ""which way do we go?, we must have missed our turn, where's the ferry?

Why couldn't we get a cup of coffee or tea before 7am or 4pm? Why couldn't we get a beer in the lounge right after returning from ride? Why couldn't we drop off our panniers before 4 on Friday when the man in charge was sitting at his desk doing nothing? The crew for the most part was accommodating but the Teutonic influence was in evidence too often, and I am 50% German. My grandfather having served for Germany in the First World War.

The Rhine from Mainz to Basel, for the most part, is industrial and not as picturesque as other European bike and barge routes we've enjoyed. There were a few cities (Heidelberg, Germany and Strausbourg, France) which were beautiful and offered much to do, but we were expecting the scenic bike routes with quaint towns for cake and coffee, or beer stops along the way and were sorely disappointed. But the most disappointing aspect of this trip was the inability of the on-board guide to give proper instructions nor enlighten us of things to see or visit. We found out about popular sites from all channels except the guides. In Strausbourg, while chatting with tourists, we heard of an amazing evening light show projected onto an enormous cathedral - huge crowds gathered to enjoy this historic presentation, yet nothing was mentioned of it by our guide. We have needed so little guidance to enjoy our bike and barge trips, but this one missed the mark. Based on previous trips that we've done, we'd convinced 2 other couples to join us and they were underwhelmed and disappointed as well. The barge and accommodations were adequate, though rooms were random sizes no matter which deck you choose. One couple paid extra for the upper deck, but their room was much smaller than another couple's on the lower level. The staff and meals on this barge were top notch and we can't say enough about the gourmet chef and tireless staff.