Resolving small issues, gains you great respect. This did not happen here.

Many small things left unresolved by management end up making a negative impression of the company and how little they care about their clients. We had a great time, luckily, because of the people we met and biked with. The room, an upper suite, was perfect with lots of storage and space. But, too many things went unresolved until recently being contacted by Romy from Boat and Bike. (*…see below) 1. We showed documentation, a pdf file and room pamphlet, that stated tea and coffee was to be served after we arrived from biking. It was instead, set to a specific hour and then everything was removed. When told, hotel manager and tour guides said they told management but were powerless to match what was written. To this day, no one has responded to us. 2. Dinner was often overcooked and the fish was a disaster often without flavour. We had 3 very good partial meals. The rest was terrible. Potato casserole overcooked. Soup was bland. Breakfasts were good, except for the very salty eggs, but remained the same day after day with little changes. Lunch was breakfast packaged in a sandwich. Advertised drinks were not given out. It was the same thing over and over. 3. Water was removed during dinnertime and management told staff not to serve us water under any circumstances! Bottled water was available for sale. I have never been anywhere where water was removed from the facility. In the end, the company actually lost money by doing this as many of us stopped ordering beer and wine if we had to pay for water! 4. The staff on the ship were doing their best considering all the restrictions put into place by management. 5. The boat was delayed for hours one day, yet our tour guide did not tell us about this until just before it docked. We missed hours of tour time waiting for a boat to arrive. If we arrived late at the ship, we would be left behind. No explanation was given, nor something complimentary to show their appreciation for us waiting for them. 6. Our bike tour guides could do a better job planning the routes through construction areas. It was obvious they did not scope out the route in Rotterdam. Sights to see could be highlighted on the sheet and on GPS. Beyond this, other routes were very beautiful and selected to showcase the region. Adding in more short tours of a city or more professional tours like the one given in Rotterdam would make this a more rounded experience. The tours make the trip much more memorable. Some days left little time to bike and tour the various towns. There is no time as the boat leaves by a certain time. Why not stay longer at the ports? 7. One guide did his best to hide from guests and bike solo on his own while the other gave tours and assisted us when needed. One was so friendly, where the other did not even make eye contact or say hello. Even when we waved him down with bike troubles, he kept riding until someone caught up with him. Then, he does not carry a simple tool to correct the problem! Useless! 8. After surveys, still no one from the organization contacted us about the inclusions that were not given and poor meals we had. Boat and Bike also does not trust their senior employees to solve customer issues on their own. They forbid them to do anything to make up for a problem. What kind of organization does this? 9. The sad part is that I realized later that I read about the exact same issues several years ago! I just did not see these reviews this time during booking. 10. Train your staff to greet people and say hello! 11. Ships crew and hotel staff were very helpful. It is the BOAT and Bike organization that is cutting every corner possible to save a few Euros. 12. It is obvious Boat and Bike is taking the cheap docks. We were docked too far away in Amsterdam to really enjoy the city, when other companies docked closer. This was the case at another location also. Choose piers closer to city center. 13. Why is the ship leaving at 3 or 5 pm? We could travel by night to the next city as it is only a few hours away. Instead, we miss a good portion of the day touring because we have to get back to the ship! Again, there seems to be a cost involved. ** After being contacted by Romy, we decided to change this review to satisfactory. She kindly listened and agreed these small issues could have been resolved by the staff on board and the overall experience would have changed. There seems to be a focus on ensuring upcoming trips have changes in place for the food quality, lack of water, updating some of the bike routes, etc. Also, she was kind enough to offer compensation on future trips or this past trip. Sometimes acknowledging and correcting the small issues can leave a positive impression.