Reviews

Dear mrs. Marsh, We are sorry to read you have had such a bad experience during your trip in Bordeaux. We are a bit surprised by some of your comments, because at the time you were onboard our director/CEO was there too. He discussed everything that had happened to you, regarding the situation on the river at the time and then it seemed like you understood, even though you stayed extremely nervous. For people reading your review we like to be clear that because of the extreme drought the water in the river was very low. Since it is a tidal river this ship is on, the captain had to make sure there was enough water to pass under the bridge. Unfortunately he didn’t make it, so he decided to wait for high tide. This took approximately 3 hours, and the captain placed the barge on a safe spot in the river. Indeed it went a bit lopsided and therefore the manager turned the air conditioning off; this prevented the condensation water from flowing out. The first night the air conditioning was also off for some time, and indeed it was warm, approx. 25 degrees Celsius. Once it was reported it was fixed very soon. Regarding your remark about the safety drill you never had, we have understood from the crew that you arrived late for the welcome speech. During this talk they explain about the safety procedures on board. Of course the crew was more than happy to explain the procedures to you in person, when they found out that you had missed the introduction, because you stayed in your cabin the whole time. They have pointed out where the life vests were and how safety on board of a ship works. About the cabins we can only say that they are as large as mentioned on our website. See ‘Ship information’: https://boatbiketours.com/boat-bike-tours/france/bordeaux/. So this is something you chose for, when you booked the tour. It can be something you forgot to check, because you made a last-minute booking. In all of our information (boarding information, FAQ’s) we also explain, that cabins are a lot smaller than a standard hotel room. Your complaint about the meals is something that we regret. We are aware that not all of our guests appreciate the local French cuisine. The chef onboard has stated that there were vegetables (fresh and mostly local) served with every meal on board. The crew has not received any complaint about the meals from the vegetarian person you mention, nor have we heard anything about this. Then there is your assumption about the not-docking to avoid paying docking fees or forcing guests to drink on board. We would like to explain this too, because your assumptions are wrong. Docking fees are paid per year, so this is not true. There was one night – in Libourne – that the ship had to anchor instead of dock. This was because there was no docking place available, since there already were two other large ships moored. The third mooring place had been severely damaged by another ship earlier this season and it has not been repaired by the local municipality yet. Also on other nights the ship did not dock because (again) of the tides of the river (the ship has to pass under a bridge with the right water level). The second reason the captain decided to continue sailing, is because it is nicer for guests to be cruising when it is still light and keep going until in the evening, instead of leaving in the middle of the night and waking everyone up with the sound of the engines. About the prices of the drinks – these are lower than standard prices for regional restaurants, hotels and catering industry: a small beer for € 2.50 and a large one (0.5 liters) for € 5, a glass of wine for € 2.50 and € 1.5 for 1.5 liters of mineral water. The tap water on board is good and could have been served for free during dinner, if you have asked for it. Just one comparison with prices of bars in and around Bordeaux, a beer costs between € 3 and € 9. Your last remark about the disembarkation and people screaming that it was not safe, that happened to be to you (the captain shouted “Stop!”) for trying to get off board too quickly. At that time the ship was still not completely tied up to the shore. The captain was safely maneuvering the boat to a better position. Indeed there was no bridge for passengers yet, but you were determined to depart as soon as possible without a proper goodbye. All safety procedures were always taken accordingly, so with ropes for all exits. If you or your husband (that you thought the screaming was for) were to disembark before the ship was properly moored you have put yourselves in danger. We have not had such a review for this trip ever in the two years we offer this tour. All of our reviews prior to yours have been a 4- or 5-star and almost everyone enjoyed their trip. So your experience is quite unique. Once again we are very sorry to find out that you’ve had such an unpleasant trip, even though your husband told the ships’ manager several times everything was fine.

Thank you for your reaction about the cycling distances during your Amsterdam - Bruges tour. It sometimes happens that you have to ride more kilometers than indicated in the itinerary. If it did not cost you too much effort, you were actually very lucky: you saw more of these beautiful countries! During our routes it is quite common that due to road construcions, new highlights along the route that are 'must sees' or other circumstances that ask for a different route, the cycling is a little longer than indicated. Every year we try to process all comments and suggestions of our travelers and tour guides so that - for next season - the mentioned distances are more consistent with reality. If you have any specific comments we are pleased to receive them per email. Thanks in advance! Kind regards, the Boat Bike Team