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Most articles on hotel barge cruising focus on things like the relaxing nature of the experience, the food, the scenery, the tours etc. and this also goes for the brochures and websites promoting these cruises. Quite right too you may say because these aspects of this type of holiday are very important and persuasive in distinguishing it from the general run.
However, there are other aspects, perhaps not quite so glamorous, which deserve consideration and which are not generally given much attention in the promotional material. For example, how are you going to get to and from the barge? Often the barge’s location lies at a considerable distance from a railhead, airport or hotel you may want to stay at before or after your cruise. Has the operator transfer arrangements in place, and if so will he pick you up from where you are or will you have to get to an assembly point? Often your travel arrangements require you to be transferred to a different location after the end of the cruise. Will your operator do this?
For the most part barge itineraries are fully inclusive and include all meals on board. A major consideration for the traveller must therefore be how does the operator handle individual diets? Barge galleys do not have the same storage areas as land based restaurants so providing properly planned meals for special diets can be challenging. Has the operator ensured that you have provided full dietary information in advance? What will he do if a diet is sprung on him without notice?
Many barge itineraries have wide-ranging itineraries and are in many different areas during the course of the season. Are the tours specified in detail and conducted by a knowledgeable multilingual guide? Barge operations with a stable and possibly locally based crew operating in a single region will have a better chance of satisfying this requirement than those which range widely. How does the operator stack up on this one?
A feature of some importance to passengers is the opportunity of outdoor dining. What is the policy of the operator to outdoor dining? This depends on deck space relative to the barge’s passenger complement and its possibility may perhaps be deduced from images on the promotional material, but it is important to check since some galley arrangements may render it difficult if not impossible. What the operator cannot tell you is what the weather will be like!
Barges come in many sizes. Some are large and often operated by corporate entities, sometimes by individual owners. Smaller ones are usually operated by individual owners and the atmosphere on board is quite intimate, involving the crew as well as other passengers, as opposed to the more formal atmosphere of the larger vessels. Is the barge owner operated? The promotional material will give you the size and capacity of the vessel, but has this operational aspect been addressed?
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Source by John R Purdue
