Holland & Belgium River Cruises

We booked this Tulip Time Cruise because my husband is a keen gardener and thought we would be gliding down the rivers of Holland and Belgium seeing endless fields of tulips. Unfortunately this was not the case and the only opportunity to see tulips was the included visit to Keukenhof Gardens. In fact, we did not see much of the countryside at all as the boat sailed at night except for 2 afternoons towards the end. This was very disappointing and rather disturbing sleep wise. The cities we visited ...read more were all lovely with beautiful old buildings we don't have in Australia but I would have liked to see the little towns along the river too. The boat was nice and well appointed, the staff friendly and very helpful and of course the food was good with a French chef, maybe a little bit too fancy as only the French do. There was a mix of nationalities on board, the majority of passengers being American, Australian, and English. Everyone seemed to get along. We had a few showery days and it got unseasonably cold for the last few days but overall the weather was as expected. We were disappointed with the amount of entertainment on board... there was only a few nights when anything was on. They were good acts but we were expecting more local acts. We booked the trip with Jemma and as usual it was easy and everything went as planned. Thanks Global Journeys once again.

I was a bit unlucky with the weather but it did not stop me having a great time. Especially seeing the tulips which was my main reason for taking this river cruise. I really enjoyed the trip, my accommodation was excellent (even if I was at the end of the corridor) the staff were excellent as usual. Food, wine and entertainment were very good, as was the organisation.

What was so enjoyable about the cruise was the relaxed pace and plenty of opportunities to get to know our friendly fellow passengers. All the staff were also very friendly and took a personal interest in us. We were the only two non US residents out of 180 passengers and it seemed as if they were out to make us feel at home- which we felt very much indeed. There was a lot of laughter and friendly teasing. The excursions from the ship were exceptionally chosen for their cultural and educational ...read more value. We were very impressed with our tour to the world's largest agriport and learned about their green house technology. Holland is indeed a wonderful country to explore with so much variety and diversity to offer e.g. history from the Operation Market Garden, the ingenuity of the people in their water management, and of course the beautiful tulips in Keukenhof. One complaint is the fact that nobody told us that we could book the optional tours months before beginning the cruise - as a result of which, even though we had booked 1 year ago, we missed out on the bicycle tour. Also, if making your own transfers, one can be dismayed by the uncertainty of the ship's docking positions. We ended up cancelling our private arrangements and opted for the more expensive option of using Viking's transfers. But all in all, it was a very enjoyable experience.

This has been an amazing holiday. It was very well organised. A wonderful very experienced guide, Kitty Weigert, and guest lecturer Anna Pavord, a world authority on tulips and an historian, made sure the whole trip ran smoothly and it was incredibly interesting. The flowers....tulips, daffodil and hyacinths were amazing and in full bloom. We went to some spectacular private and public gardens and museums and also the largest flower market in the world, Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, to name a few ...read more of the highlights. The fortnight ended with the triumph of Keukenhof, the spectacular spring park an absolute masterpiece of colour and beauty. Thank you also Georgie for your excellent and professional management of my booking. I will certainly be using Global Journeys again.