I may not use the gate one transfers in the future. Instead of our transfer dropping us off curbside he dropped us off in a parking garage for another terminal. He said it was a short walk. Well it isn't when you have all your luggage in tow. I also found from the guy in line in front of us 10 minutes earlier there was no line at the check in. Due to us not being dropped off curb side. We got to stand in line for an hour and a half to check in. If their transfers are going to do this they need to leave the boat earlier as we didn't have a lot of time by the time we got to the gate prior to boarding. The only other issue we had which they apologized for was they sent our bus off from a Christmas Market without the other busses due to a couple getting on the wrong bus. Unfortunately our bus driver didn't know his way back. Once someone finally figured out he spoke Romanian, someone got in touch with the cruise director. Who had to get someone to communicate to him that he had to drive all the way back to where we were to cross the river to drive back down the other side. The bus drivers should know where they are going & be able to communicate in basic English. Or have a sign what language they speak so we could have told him what he needed to do, so we were not sitting on the side of the road. Gate One apologized several times and made sure we had time at the other Christmas Market and dinner when we finally made it back. They also gave us a Christmas mug as an apology. Things happen but could have been avoided if he had the proper GPS for a bus.

Just as good as Viking

Before the trip when I told people we were taking a river cruise, their response was "Is it Viking?" I said "No, Gate 1" and they responded "who? " They are definitely a well guarded secret. I don't see how the more expensive Viking cruises could be better. Thanks to our agent for recommending Gate 1.

This was the first time I went on a river cruise. it was fabulous! I loved Gate 1, they were so professional and the room accomodations were excellent. food also very good and the tour guides were very experienced.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip with Affordable Tours/Gate 1. Having a direct flight as opposed to one stop over would have been welcomed as we arrived at Warsaw thoroughly exhausted. Also I would have welcomed the tours starting a little later in the morning. Overall the food, staff and accommodations were great.

The trip was beyond expectations. This is the 2nd time we have used Gate 1 as our tour operator and we will continue to use them in future trips……very memorable experiences on both occasions.

The tour exceeded our expectations.

We really enjoyed the river cruise. The accommodations were as expected, and we were very happy with that. It had enough closet space and the rooms were very comfortable.

Tour Director was excellent, very professional, helpful, knowledgeable and delightful. Activities Director, also excellent. The whole staff could not have been better. Best tour I've been on. Food was very good. One thing I found is all the guides give too much information/details, the non stop commentary whether on the bus or at the visiting sites is too long and tiring.

Rhine river cruise was excellent. Staff on the Monarch Queen was friendly and service was great. Cruise director and local guides were very knowledgeable. Overall wonderful experience.

I don't remember seeing the room options and would have considered a cabin on a higher floor for more of a view. There is a lot of details and for an inexperienced traveler it can be overwhelming. Perhaps a mention of how the rooms work on a cruise would have been helpful.

This River Cruise was wonderful we will book one again.

Second experience with Gate1 and on both occasions we had very knowledgeable guides and effective tour managers. The tour stops were well timed so we did not spend a lot of time in line anywhere. The service on the river ship was excellent, the food very good and we really enjoyed the somewhat casual dinner dress code and atmosphere.

am a long-term traveler with gate 1 so i obviously consider they provide a good program; amsterdam tour pretrip couldn't have been better, river ship staff & services great; however, the 2 gate 1 tour directors on board the river ship could have provided better service--local guides did most of the am local tours, afternoons were largely free, only extra activities provided was an hour game program in the afternoon & a morning exercise program along with early bird breakfast--both provided by the male tour director; the ship's pianist only played briefly; several travelers who were new to gate 1 were complaining about too much free time & i went out of my way to explain that this was unusual; i need to mention that, along with being a gate 1 traveler, we have also taken 5 other river boat cruises;

We were delighted with the Gate1 River cruise. staff was professional, competent, courteous and friendly. food and service excellent. cabin efficient and clean. Itinerary was the right balance between guided tours and free time. we loved the small towns more than the large cities. many people on board were sick and the crew handled this expertly. space on board the ship is limited since the upper deck was off limits for much of the time but we were sailing mostly in the evenings after a full day's activities so it did not feel restrictive. we would definitely consider another river cruise and will definitely go on other tours with Gate1.