Reviews

Our experience with ” The Sarah” and her crew was amazing. From the friendly captain to the hostess and first mate to the cute little chef and then to our wonderful tour guide, it couldn’t have been better. We learnt so much from all of them, especially Cornel, our guide. Thanks to all for making our trip great.

We loved this opportunity to explore the Netherlands in the fresh air. The boat was very comfortable and the staff were first class. The bikes were good but it would have been nice to have a holder for the water bottle, and toe straps on the pedals. Some raw veggies for the picnic lunches would have been a bonus to this lovely tour.

Biking through the country side was so pretty and relaxing. There were many stops for coffee, etc. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.

We just returned from the tulip tour on the Sarah (out of Amsterdam), from April 7 through 14. We are from the United States (Georgia) and have taken more than a dozen Caribbean cruises, so we knew the boat-bike cruise was going to be very different. Travel time and expense is much more of a factor, but the cruise itself was just amazing. We hope to do more. Highlights include Keukenhof Garden which offers an amazing variety of showy flowers; not just tulips. The flower auction in Aalsmeer is huge in scale and activity. The cheese farm, the town of Gouda with its beautiful center area and the Church of St. John, canals, windmills, tulip and other flower fields … all were remarkable to see in person. Our guide Cornel offered the opportunity to do a little extra at times, including a short side trip to the beach on the North Sea. The bike riding is on primarily flat terrain, so very doable for even occasional bikers. On the boat, the cabins are small but effective, since you really only need a space to shower and sleep. Most of your awake hours will be spent either on deck, biking, or visiting the sites along the way. Pack light and follow the recommendation for layering clothes as our weather was on the cool / breezy side with one day of light rain. Overall it was comfortable if dressed appropriately. Food served on the boat was very good. We enjoyed full breakfasts with meat, cheeses, cereal, toast, fruit, etc. Lunch was self-made sandwiches with different sliced meat, cheeses, along with fruit and other small snack offerings. Cookies or some other treat were out each day as we returned from biking. Dinners were great with a choice of meat / fish each day. All the staff was friendly and accommodating. Perhaps the most different overall aspect of this trip versus a traditional cruise on the mega ships is that with only 20 or so other people on board, you actually get to know your fellow travelers. If you are a “people person,” this may in fact be your favorite thing about the trip. Cruise with 5,000 other people and you might not get to know anyone else, but boat-bike with 20 and you will know all their names after a couple of days. (Our group included a family of four from Brazil; two couples from France; with the others all from the United States.) Perhaps the biggest recommendation for the cruise is that we certainly want to plan more. We had a wonderful time.