Waterways Holidays Reviews 

490
TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.9

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 48 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the staff for being helpful, polite, and knowledgeable throughout the process. The booking process is frequently highlighted as remarkably easy, quick, and efficient by many people. Consumers also found the website to be user-friendly, concise, and transparent, making navigation straightforward. Many reviewers appreciated the clear communication and comprehensive information provided, which helped put their minds at ease. The customer service team consistently delivered a professional and friendly experience, ensuring a comfortable and smooth booking process.

What people talk about most

Staff

Clients share positive opinions on staff, consistently describing them as helpful, friendly, and informative.... See more

Booking process

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of the booking process, consistently describing it as easy and simple.... See more

Service

Customers consistently note positive experiences with service, describing it as professional, friendly, and... See more

Website

People report positive experiences with the website, finding it easy to use, concise, and transparent, which... See more

Customer service

Customers had positive experiences with customer service, consistently describing it as professional,... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It was very easy to book, quick response after pressing book from a lady who called to take payment, much preferred this way rather than having to input details on booking site. Very polite, and exp... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Just booked a week on one of their luxury cruisers. Their website is easy to use, concise and transparent so you know exactly what you’re getting. Good menu to help you choose your location and da... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We booked the boat we thought would suit our needs and the next morning I got the confirmation phone call and all the necessary information. Payment was made and an easy trouble free experience was a... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Remarkably simple compared to other booking forms. I requested the size and date and voila! Form completed satisfactorily. I then telephoned your agent Mark who was extremely helpful and efficient.... See more


Company details

  1. Boat tour agency
  2. Holiday accommodation service
  3. Holiday Apartment Rental
  4. Self-Catering Accommodation
  5. Holiday home letting agency
  6. Vacation rental

Written by the company

Waterways Holidays specialise in offering self-drive boating holidays on the UK canals, rivers and Norfolk Broads. Offering over 1,800 boats from a choice of 80 different start locations in England, Scotland and Wales, we can find a holiday afloat to suit everyone. The types of boats offered include narrowboats, cruisers and yachts (both modern and traditional) and no previous boating experience is required as full instruction is provided at the start of your holiday. We also offer boating holidays on the waterways of France, Germany and Portugal for those looking to venture a little further afield.


Contact info

4.9

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

490 reviews

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No recent history of asking for reviews

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4.9

All reviews

(490)

47 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Friendly, helpful staff.

When Waterways holidays called back to take the deposit the staff member was extremely friendly and very helpful.

29 January 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you James. Your complimentary feedback and 5 star review is really appreciated!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Impressed.

Very good first contact. Easy booking and very helpful on the phone.

20 January 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you Stewart! Have a great holiday

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Booking was easy

Booking was easy, including paperwork and payment.

11 January 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you for your 5 star review and kind comments David. Have a fabulous holiday!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The lady who took my booking was very…

The lady who took my booking was very friendly, helpful and knowledgable. She is a credit to the company.

8 January 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much for your 5 star review and fabulous feedback which has been passed to our booking team! Have a great holiday

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing service…….highly recommend

I put in a booking request over the Christmas break, Waterweys called me first thing on their first day of re-opening. I made the booking, was given all of the details I needed including how to make payment.
The phone call was swiftly followed by a confirmation email. Made the payment, booking is confirmed.

Really looking forward to our midweek break in February, and would highly recommend Waterweys.

2 January 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much Kerry. We really appreciate your very kind feedback and we are delighted that we could help you. Have a fabulous holiday!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

I phoned in to pay. The lady on the phone was brilliant.
Answered all my questions. Very friendly and professional.

15 December 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much, for your 5 star review Alan. Have a fabulous holiday!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great booking experience

I made my reservation online on a Sunday. Heather from Waterways was in touch early Monday morning and we got everything sorted over the phone quickly and efficiently in a professional and friendly manner.

6 November 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much for your 5 star review and very kind feedback which has been passed on to Heather. Have a wonderful holiday!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Booked with very short notice

Booked with very short notice. Was no problem and very friendly, professional and helpful.

4 November 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much for your 5 star review and positive feedback Phillip. Have a great holiday!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Simplicity Itself

Easy to follow instructions and everything is explained clearly.

4 November 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you for your 5 star review. Have a fabulous holiday!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Trudy my Heeo

Trudy the lady I spoke to was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Told me everything I wanted to know about the broads. She also booked everything for me. Very efficient. Thank you very much.

2 November 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you Ray. Your very kind feedback will be passed to Trudi and we wish you a fantastic holiday!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Waterways & Herbert Woods are very unprofessional

REGARDLESS WHAT I PUT ON FACEBOOK TRYING TO EASE CONCERNS OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS BY TELLING THEM WE HAD A GREAT TIME YOU NEVER OFFERED US AN ALTERNATIVE BOAT AT THE TIME OF BOOKING YOU SENT US OUT ON A DANGEROUS BOAT WITH A HUGE AMOUNT OF FAULTS WHICH YOU WERE AWARE OF I FEEL HERBERT WOODS AND WATERWAYS ARE EXTREMELY UNCARING UNPROFESSIONAL AND DON'T CARE ABOUT THERE CUSTOMERS we explained at the time of booking that there were 3 disabled persons on board & needed wide doors entering the boat so we could fit 2 mobility scooters in, we expressed that stairs were an issue, you gave us a boat with two very high steps leading to a very narrow low door then two more steps getting into the gally kitchen then a steep step to the living area then two steps to the bottom bedroom this was not acceptable my wife Julie had two falls one stepping out of the boat struggling to get up the high step & falling backwards hurting her head shoulder and back, she suffers from Arthritis in her whole body and has major problems with her hips knees ankles and spine she also suffers from clinical depression & has anxiety issues, the second fall was going onto the boat & due to the wet slippery steps she slipped down the stairs hurting herself again, this proved to be a great deal of stress as she was unable to get on and off the boat, John also struggled as he has just finished 6 months of radiation therapy following cancer, his legs & spine were put under a huge struggle getting on& off the boat,I myself was restricted as I cannot climb stairs. There was a boat next to us at potter higham with sliding doors no steps & a larger living space at a cheaper price that would have been ideal & more practical to our needs on booking you assured us the boat you gave was disability friendly this was very far from the truth.Once we set of we instantly noticed a terrible smell, also a huge crack in the toilet, we arrived at Richardson's as we couldn't cope with the stench any longer who pumped us out for £20 and advised us that it hadn't been done at potter higham we had to stop to use other facilities very unhygienic Herbert Woods had never helped us here's your map off you go we travelled around in circles Richardson's helped us out they drew us a route on the map but for 4 days we hadn't a clue where we were going it was extremely stressful my wife had a panic attack, this was not the welcome from the staff we expected not at all.Middle bathroom tray wouldn't empty & overflowed Herbert Woods came on board to check it out said that they had fixed it, but hadn't we couldn't use the middle shower No window screen wipers there was a switch for them but they weren't there we were stuck at a wild mooring place where we couldn't get of the boat as it was pitch black raining heavily & the wind was howling we couldn't go anywhere as we couldn't see out of the window it would have been extremely dangerous, a boat crashed into us sending us all flying there were no lights on the boat very dangerous
There were leaks all over the boat it rained twice all day and throughout the night the upholstery was soaked my wife who had to sleep in the living area as the bed was too high due to her crippling arthritis in her hips and spine problems could not get on the bed as it was very high, she her bedding pillows towels everything got soaked the boat was like a sieve Richardson's said they would never send a boat out in this condition they were as we were appalled.Why when you knew the condition of this boat did you think it was acceptable to let four inexperienced person's sale away in this very dangerous boat
There were holes everywhere especially where the cover was to attach it didn't fix in properly there was tissue paper stuffed in the windows at the front & down the side where the canopy was meant to attach to the boat it didn't hence more rain gushing in & wind constantly coming through except for the 3 days of good weather thankfully.Found curtains on the 3rd day at the side tucked away at the bottom in the cupboard for 3 nights.
the refrigerator was very tiny and fell over a few times the cooker
was dangerous the gas kept going out smelling the boat of gas, the grill wouldn't light and the whole cooker needed condemned,the TV Arial had a whole in it therefore we couldn't watch any television, the cassette radio player didn't work, The Bilge pump went off continuously and into the night keeping everyone awake, Herbert Woods came on board looked at it said he'd fixed it he hadn't Richardson's fixed it we have contacted Herbert Woods and Waterways who are blaming each other we booked with Herbert Woods but they are saying that we booked with Waterways who also have lied saying they offered us another boat which they didn't I have all emails of the booking emails back & fourth regarding this complaint & all pictures backing up our claim Richardson's were fantastic

8 September 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you for taking the time to leave your review and we are very sorry that you were unhappy with your boating holiday.

You booked your Herbert Woods boat through Waterways Holidays (as agents for Herbert Woods, who own and operate your chosen boat). As explained on receipt of your complaint, we recommended (by email and phone) a different Herbert Woods boat to the one that you subsequently chose to book. The recommended boat had the large double doors you requested unlike the boat subsequently chosen.

We are also disappointed to read your review as you have posted publicly on Facebook that you 'had a fantastic time' and that the 'boat was amazing', together with over 60 lovely photos of your holiday, all posted a couple of days after returning from this same holiday?

We take all feedback very seriously and had either ourselves or Herbert Woods been made aware of your complaints at the time of your holiday, these would have immediately been addressed as we want every customer to enjoy a great holiday.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Friendly, super helpful

Can’t book online, only register interest and have someone call back in working hours - but I found the website super easy to navigate, lots of very useful information. A really lovely operator called me first thing and booked us in - very knowledgeable, offered lots of extra helpful tips and answered all my questions. We can’t wait for our trip!

12 October 2023
Unprompted review
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Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much for your kind feedback Gemma. It is really appreciated and we hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The booking agent was very…

The booking agent was very knowledgeable, answered my many questions patiently, and told me where I could find more general information about the route we will be following.

10 October 2023
Unprompted review
Waterways Holidays logo

Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you Tina. Your kind feedback is really appreciated.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Reasonable price for my booking of…

Reasonable price for my booking of holiday.
The person I spoke to on the telephone was very helpful and friendly and explained everything I needed to know.

3 October 2023
Unprompted review
Waterways Holidays logo

Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a lovely 5 star review Sophie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very easy to book

Very easy to book - booking confirmed on the next working day by phone and email. Very friendly and helpful. Good clear information on their website about the different boats and their layouts and prices.

2 October 2023
Unprompted review
Waterways Holidays logo

Reply from Waterways Holidays

Thank you so much Carol. Have a fabulous holiday!

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