“Everything excellent except for poor liaison with coach company. Would have liked more time in Tewksbury. A temporary mooring and shorter coach ride might have helped.”
“We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on the Edward Elgar; nothing was too much trouble for the crew, the food was delicious and beautifully presented and the programme of excursions was interesting and varied.
We would definitely recommend.”
“We are very pleased with our cruising week. It was just as good as I had hoped for. The service was splendid with a wonderful crew good food and nice excursions. We are gladly coming back.
Kind Regards
Lennart Nilsson”
“we felt the activities were slightly regimented. we seem to spend a lot of time walking up and down the tow- path for transport and getting on and off coaches but feel that we were really spoilt by the cabin crew, we love chugging up and down the river. Menu was a bit strange-roast turkey dinner for lunch !!”
Thank you Christopher for your 4 star review! We're glad you enjoyed the cabin crew and the opportunity to cruise up and down the river. We appreciate your feedback and are constantly looking to improve our service.
“The food was excellent. The all inclusive drinks were generous. The cabins are small, however we did find them comfortable. We always slept well. We had a starboard side cabin. At every mooring, we were against the bank, wall 🧱 or trees. Meaning that those passengers with a port side cabin always had river, city, pub or countryside views. This should have been shared a bit. The itinerary was changed. None of the passengers knew about it before boarding? We were supposed to go as far North as Bridgenorth. Which would have been a highlight for us. We only went as far as Stourport-on-Severn. There are only 5 crew. They all worked very hard, and made us feel welcome. Some of the so called excursions are a bit naff. At Upton-on-Severn the excursion was called "Visit the Pepper Pot" This was a pepper pot shaped church tower and dome. It housed a Tourist information centre? On some days there was no free time ashore.”
Thank you for your 4-star review Stephen! We appreciate your honest feedback and it's great to know that you found the food and drinks excellent and were comfortable in the cabins. Unfortunately, itinerary changes do sometimes occur but we are sorry to hear you missed out on seeing Bridgenorth on the Railway trip. Severn Valley Railway have decreased in volunteers so unfortunately the trip that was planned for your cruise could no longer go ahead.
We are glad you found the crew hard-working and welcoming!
We hope to see you again in the future,
Sincerely,
EHC team
“A most enjoyable break on the Edward Elgar with great staff who went above and beyond, where nothing was too much trouble. We particularly enjoyed the tours to Berkley Castle, Slimbridge and Woodchester Mansion and the meal and wine tasting in the Boathouse. We would recommend this break to others.”
“A nice restful journey. I was particularly impressed by how the staff and suppliers handled my unusual food intolerance issue. Early season weather and the state of the river caused some disruption to the schedule; the crew worked hard to minimise this.”
“I enjoyed everything about this cruise (especially no shopping trips) the only criticism I found the cabin airless and hot at nightI think maybe I didn’t understand the air conditioning fan !!! Advice or demonstration maybe”
“I had a very enjoyable weekend on the canal. The crew were excellent and worked hard to keep us all happy. The food was fine but could have been more imaginative. The live entertainment was ‘painful’ and very loud, and not really suitable for the demographic of the group. The excursions were managed well and were informative. Overall a pleasant experience.”
Dear Jean,
Thank you for your comments, and we're glad you enjoyed yourself! There are significant plans for the food in 2023 and also a change from live entertainment to a wine-tasting evening! Hopefully, we will see you again.
“A lovely trip made most enjoyable because of the friendliness of the crew, Louis, Stuart, Ethan and Katie and the 16 passengers who travelled with us. Stuart produced the most delicious food and catered to my wife's dietary needs very carefully, as did Katie who always asked if she could eat certain sauces/fruit.
The beds were very comfortable - it is unfortunate that the shower room sometimes smelled and the toilet was difficult to flush! The outings arranged were very good and the coaches very comfortable.”
Dear Christopher,
We're glad the crew looked after you well; we're very lucky to have them! We will look into the beds as there is a refurbishment of cabins happening this winter in time for 2023 - our deep mattresses and toppers usually work well, so I'm sorry you didn't find the arrangement right for you. We are updating the signage for the marine toilets based on your feedback so thank you for the comment.
“The crew were excellent and looked after us
really well. Nothing was too much trouble.
The excursions were also excellent and well
thought through and we were able to see places
we would otherwise not have visited. It was a very
enjoyable week.”
“A perfect holiday apart from some minor hic-ups with the bathroom.
The crew were all lovely and worked so well together
Thank you for a lovely holiday”
Thank you for your comments Joan, and we're glad the cruise was perfect for the most part! Boats can sometimes present some maintenance challenges as they have lots of moving parts, but we always resolve them as fast as we can!
“The Crew were excellent and handled a difficult voyage very well (unpassable river and medical emergency). The food at the beginning was great but deteriorated towards the end of the voyage - partly I suspect because of the missed pick-up at Gloucester due to river blockage. The directions and information on some of the excursions were a bit lacking. I know some people missed some things because they just didn't know which way to go when getting off the coach. On the whole a good holiday.”
Christopher,
Thank you for your comments. From time to time nature and people's health throw a couple of challenges our way but we hope you feel we dealt with those problems quickly and efficiently as we were still able to deliver the itinerary - just a little delayed! We are reviewing our excursions guidebook which we provide free of charge to everyone to make sure the information is correct. Regarding the food, since late September this year, the menu has been reviewed, and the Chef has changed. We now have the consistently excellent feedback we are used to since those changes were implemented.
“Delightful cruise, hope to repeat it. However food standard dreadful with lots of disappointed passengers.On the Covid aborted cruise last year and the food was excellent and the Chief talked to the passengers about their dietary needs..Mandy and Ethan excellent but overworked. Surely towels could be replaced on route, not washed in a hot cupboard. Will submit a separate letter concerning the poor food.”
Dear Ann,
Thank you for your comments and follow-up discussions on the matter; we're glad you have chosen to come back again next year! In September we changed Chef and overhauled the menu, and we are now receiving great feedback on the food consistently. You're in for a treat next year with a wine-tasting evening and a new menu!
“The crew were excellent and made the holiday even more enjoyable. The willingness to be flexible about the duration of the trips was helpful, as the unexpected heat created some problems, and some sort of shade on the outside deck would have made a huge difference.”
“Very enjoyable holiday. Crew were especially nice and very helpful. Everything that we expected except for the food. Not quite the level we had imagined, although very acceptable.”
Dear John,
Thank you for your feedback, and we're sorry the food wasn't what you expected. Our menu has now been completely overhauled, and our Chef has been replaced. If you come again, we're confident you will feel the food is excellent - rather than acceptable!
“The holiday didn't get off to a good start, the directions from the M5 to the hotel and from there to the boat were not clear, non-existent road signs and street names. However travelling from Gloucester to Stourport on Severn and back at leisurely 4 mph was a tonic . The commentary on board wasn't very audible on the outside deck but the guided tours of Worcester cathedral, Upton on Severn and Tewksbury Abbey were informative and well presented. As we had not researched The Severn Valley Railway we only visited Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, but, apparently other stations on the route were worth a visit. The cabins are compact but sufficient for a short holiday, the beds were comfortable. We had no dietary requirements and ate what we were given and were pleased with the variety and quality, nice not to have a "full English " every day. The stars of the holiday was the crew: they were unfailingly helpful, cheerful, friendly and efficient even when they were a member down.”
“Only because 5/5 leaves little room for improvement, not that there was much. The taxi service from the hotel to the boat caused a degree of confusion amongst some of the guests; self-generated I think. The taxi for the Hunters arrived as requested. We both enjoyed the cruise, the crew and the trips ashore. The email from the crew requesting comments needs proofreading; who are Robbie and Sacha? Once again many thanks.”
