4 Star Europe Tour Reviews — 1141 to 1170 of 1229

Guides should have provided a little more detail (distance between turns, landmarks, areas to pay extra attention, etc)

Excellent guide, staff. Very friendly and helpful. No complaints.

I enjoyed staying put at night better than the barge moving at night. We have done both and I enjoy walking around in the evening.I also would not have so many ferry crossings in the next trip. Puts a time factor in the ride.

AC did not work
BargeBoat needed updating
Crew was accommodating
but moody
Overall my biking experience was terrific!"

Great guides made the trip for us. Allowing 2 bike groups with different strengths was the best way.

Great trip. Should have upgraded on the bike to a road bike!

This trip is for the person who does not want any surprises. There was nothing wrong with the food or the bikes or the staff. However there was also no sense of discovery, as every detail of your day was planned out for you, what to order when you stopped for lunch at the only place recommended, what sights to see in the cities, etc. I personally like to explore along the way and take my time in the countryside. This is the only Tripsite trip I have taken that has left me feeling a bit let down, and I have taken several.

A great trip overall and a good value. I would've preferred an upcharge option for better hotels. The downside was the directions book, though well made and attractive, it was not helpful or practical. I found it was much easier to follow the road signs and ignore the book. Also, the book needs to point out attractions and diversions and points of interest. People are coming from all over the world to see this one particular area, it is so important to know what there is to explore in the countryside rather than just following the route.

The guide was awful. We would only stop when he wanted to, and that was on the side of the path so that he could have a cigarette. When we suggested a stop in a small village, or somewhere interesting, he would say no. When I told him that I was going to go ahead on my own, he spoke to me like I was a child, telling me I was to stay with the group. The route descriptions in the evening were excellent...the main guide was fantastic, it was just the guide that we paid extra for that soured our trip.
The boat was great, the staff was phenomenal. Our rooms were really good, an incredibly clean.

We enjoyed the trip but felt our guide could have provided more detail on points of interest along the way.

Our guide was ok but I've had better ones on previous trips. It was a lot of going through the motions since he had done 15-20 trips prior to ours it was maybe a case of being burned out. A bit more interaction on where we were going and what we were seeing would have been nice. Overall trip was top notch though as usual.

Excellent guide, staff. Very friendly and helpful. No complaints.

Boat and staff were fantastic. Daily rides were good, but routes could have been better. The Devlin loop circled us around several gravel dikes for about 10 miles. Trails were rough and not well marked. But there were miles of great bike paths along the Danube that we motored past on the boat....

We have made two bike and barge tours in the Netherlands and thoroughly enjoyed both trips. We are looking forward to another trip this coming spring on a barge with low beds. (Bunk beds are not as easy to use as we get older.)

We loved this trip! It was so fun for our family of four. Our two boys, ages 11 & 14, enjoyed biking and stopping off to swim in the ocean, trying new delicious food, and learning from our wonderful guide, Fabio. The boat was very nice and the crew were lovely.

We had record setting beat the week we were there and yet still had a fantastic trip. The rooms stayed reasonably cool with the AC-- that was a life saver to have available.

If I had to change anything, I'd probably like to have the boat docked closer to Venice proper so it would be more accessible on arrival and through the first couple days. We made it work-- all a good adventure. The scenery on the bike route was relaxing-- not terribly dramatic, but really nice for small town explorers, birders, and those who enjoy farmland/pastoral scenery.
Pros: delicious food, easy cycling terrain, excellent City/town tours, comfortable rooms, great value, easy logistics when you don't have to move your stuff each day, meeting nice people from all over the world.
Cons: weather was exceedingly hot in July (but would do it again anyway!)

We had a fantastic time on the Ave Maria and we're lucky to have Hein as our guide.....great guy!

Croatia is a wonderful area and the ship was very nice. The guides were just "ok" - they seemed distracted and not committed to the guests. Food on the boat could have been a higher level.

Somewhat inadequate initial bike instruction due to bike shop rescheduling at their convenience. Bike maintenance was only average causing the bikes to not operate as described.

I had an amazing time. I loved everything about it and I would recommend it to anyone. In fact I have recommended it to many many people.

One of my discoveries for this trip was that I think I prefer a self-guided tour to a guided one. The group was larger than what I was really comfortable with, as I like to stop for photos and wasn't comfortable doing that with the large group. (My spouse and I had just finished a 6 day self-guided tour thru Holland). The bikes were fine, but one of our group had constant problems with hers. The food was fine, but I prefer more options, and would have liked eating away from the lunch basket-type of fare we fixed ourselves from barge foods. I loved that the guides gave us interesting evening walking tours.

Would have been nice to have a guide but our trip was the last of the season so no guide was available.

Food was great, would have liked more flexibility on cycling.

Though not a 'delux' trip the staff and other passengers made it such a memorable trip! It might not suit everyone but we loved it!

Even with the age of the boat (1970's!!), we totally enjoyed the cruise. The staff was great and the food was wonderful. The bikes were comfortable and in good repair.

During my trip I didn't obtain the maps and associated documents which made parts of my trip extremely frustrating.

Would be nice to sit with other people at meals. Everyone was great and it felt like we were on a camping trip.

Excellent staff, excellent food. Very professional.

The scenery was spectacular, the challenge was invigorating, the people were interesting, the guides were ever helpful and informative. Loved everything.

1. Food was mediocre - not great...lots of canned or frozen vegetables. Meat was consistently over cooked and dry. There was lots of choices for breakfast and we especially liked the variety to make our lunches. Had to pay for hot water, tea & coffee after 4:00 pm was a ridiculous and cheap policy which angered many.
2. Room service - towels were not replenished each day as expected until the guide told us to put them in the shower to indicate we wanted towels refreshed each day. This was a problem of no signage to indicate this practice and that the guide forgot to tell us until day 4 when someone complained.
3. Maps and route descriptions - we always marvel at the signage for cycling in the Netherlands. Our country should adopt this method. But we were only given one map/booklet per room. Again, a very cheap practice as all travelers are paying cyclists and each want their own maps. Can't guarantee that those who room together actually cycle together. This again angered many in our group all of whom are avid cyclists who have traveled extensively by bike in Europe.
4. Route - Wonderful! Northern Netherlands is so beautiful, the route selected was varied and very picturesque, and towns we visited were charming.
5. Staff - Every staff person, but one, was extremely polite, helpful and courteous, from the kitchen staff, the captain, servers, and bike support fellas. The one exception was our guide who was rigid, rude, impatient and grumpy. He warmed up as the week progressed but his welcoming manner was less than desirable. He didn't seem to like to deal with women or English clients, as we saw that he got along very well with the German clients. It could have been a factor of language and fatigue due the fact that it was the end of the season.

Everything was great. The only thing we didn't like was the guide we had for our guided tour. All other staff were fantastic.