“Great boat (Sun Charm), electric boat (very quiet). Kettle, loo, hot plate. Lots of space for the four of us, inside and outside. Booked for half a day and had great fun. Staff great and instructions clear. Deffo would book again.”
“Nice clean boat. Real friendly staff. Lovely area to take a boat out. Zak was super helpful and friendly and worked hard in the heat! Will definitely return!”
Beth, thank you for the lovely review. We're really pleased you and your four-legged crew enjoyed your day on the Broads, and we'll make sure Zak sees your kind comments too. He'll be glad to know his efforts were appreciated, especially in that heat!
We look forward to welcoming you back again soon.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Everything was very polite and professional. The boat was clean and well-prepared for us. However it would have been good to know ahead of time how tight the beds were!. they were quite short and the doubles were at most a 3/4 size, most tapering -so narrower at the end. We were a party of 8 and I chose a boat for 12 people to give us more space. However I must say that there is no way 12 people would ever have fitted on that boat: Emperor 2!
We will do another holiday here for sure but book a different upgraded boat and have fewer people.”
Dear Jacqueline
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. We’re pleased to hear that you found the team polite and professional and that Emperor 2 was clean and well prepared for your arrival.
We are sorry that the size and shape of the beds came as a surprise. As with many boats designed to accommodate larger parties, some of the berths are shorter, narrower or tapered, and the double berths can be more compact than a standard bed at home. We completely understand that, having booked a 12-berth boat for eight people, you reasonably expected it to feel more spacious.
Your booking was made through Waterways Holidays, and having reviewed the information displayed there, we agree that the berth sizes were not explained as clearly as they are on our own website. We have asked for this wording to be updated so future customers have a better understanding of the sleeping arrangements before booking.
We’re delighted that you would consider another holiday with us. For a future booking, our team would be very happy to help you choose a boat with larger beds and a layout better suited to your party.
Yours Sincerely
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Booking holiday for 2027 was easy on line and received a receipt for deposit by return ,but conformation of booking showing actuall holiday booked did not follow I left a message on phone no response then emailed and then 3 days after booking I received confirmation on email .
I think these should be sent together it has always been the case when I have booked other holidays
My holiday this year with Barnes Brinkcraft was great hence booking for next year but I did book that through Waterside Breaks”
Dear Carolyn
Thank you for booking with us again, and we’re really pleased to hear that you enjoyed your holiday with Barnes Brinkcraft this year.
We’re sorry that your 2027 booking confirmation did not arrive promptly. You are quite right that the deposit receipt and full booking confirmation should follow through without the need for you to chase us.
Unfortunately, illness has left us unusually short-staffed in the office, which contributed to the delay in responding to your telephone message and email. However, we appreciate that this should not have affected the service you received, and we are sorry that you had to wait three days for confirmation of your booking.
We will check why the confirmation was delayed. Rest assured your 2027 booking is all correctly in place.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention and, most importantly, thank you for choosing to holiday with us again.
All the Best
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Great friendly service. Good price for the picnic boat. Very easy to handle plenty of room
.Absolutely loved it would thoroughly recommend this company.”
It’s great to hear you had such a good day, Jenny. Picnic is a lovely boat for getting out on the water, and we're pleased you found her spacious, easy to handle and good value too.
We really appreciate the recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another cruise before too long.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“The person I spoke to for booking was very helpful. After clarifying the few questions I had, I proceeded to book online only to find the the website froze every time I attempted to use it. I went back to the office and spoke to the person I had talked to before and booked over the phone. So I am £10 out of pocket already on this holiday as the booking system with its attendant discount failed. So good human and bad tech hence 3 stars.”
Thank you for your feedback, and we’re pleased to hear that our team was helpful when you called.
We’re very sorry that the website repeatedly froze while you were trying to book. We completely understand how frustrating that must have been, particularly as it meant you missed out on the £10 online booking discount.
We’ll make sure the £10 discount is applied to your booking, as you shouldn’t be left out of pocket because of a technical issue. We’ll also pass your comments to our website team so they can investigate what went wrong.
“Had an enjoyable 3 hour trip on the broads. Boats are basic but easy to handle. Clean.
My main issue was that this company who are obviously quite a large one with many warehouses and places where they operate from think its acceptable to not provide a single toilet for their customers. One has to walk into town to use the public one. Shame on you.”
Thank you for your review, and we’re pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip and found the boat clean and easy to handle.
We’re sorry the toilet facilities were not made clear when you arrived. Toilets are available at our main Barnes Brinkcraft reception, although the closest public toilets to the day boat departure point are located at Roys in the town centre.
We appreciate your feedback and will add clearer information about the available facilities to our website and customer information.
“The apartment was excellent, very well appointed and extremely clean, and perfect for our party of eight. The only reason that I haven't given it 5 stars is that the apartment is not really suitable for people with limited mobility (due to the height of the step up to the decking in front of the apartment and the incline of the newly tarmac'd ramp up to the deck). Having a boat was wonderful and everybody in our party enjoyed their stay.”
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review, Geoffrey. We're delighted the apartment worked so well for your group and that everyone enjoyed having the day boat to explore the Broads.
We also appreciate your comments about accessibility. Every guest's needs are different, so feedback like yours is really helpful and gives future guests a better idea of what to expect.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
Ian, thank you for the great review. We're pleased the handover helped you feel confident, and it's good to hear the team was there to help when you returned too.
We're delighted you were impressed with the new electric boats, and we hope to see you back on the Broads again soon.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
John, thank you for the lovely review. We're so pleased Jules was able to help make the booking process simple and straightforward. We'll make sure your kind words are passed on to her.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Broads soon.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Unfortunately we had several issues with the boat. Hand basins in the bathrooms did not drain properly. Smell from the toilets until pumped out and blue chemical added. Vacume gave off burning smell so couldn't be used. Overall the boat looked old and tired.”
Dear Ameet
Thank you for your feedback, and we’re sorry that several issues affected your holiday aboard Royall Ambassador.
We do describe Royall Ambassador as one of our older-style cruisers, but the basins should still drain properly, the toilet system should not cause an unpleasant smell, and the vacuum should be safe and usable. We also appreciate your comments about the boat looking tired.
We will review the boat carefully, including the bathroom drainage, toilet system, vacuum cleaner and general presentation. Your feedback is helpful and will form part of our assessment of whether the description and photographs accurately reflect the boat’s current condition.
Yours Sincerely
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
Thanks for the lovely review, Andrew. We're really pleased you enjoyed your time aboard one of our new electric boats. They're a great way to experience the Broads, and it's good to hear you'd happily do it all again.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Paid the full amount, received confirmation paid but no receipt , no confirmation of boat, no info regarding pickup drop off , provisioning , insurance or anything else.
Not very helpful.”
Dear Jerry
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re very sorry that, after paying in full, you were left without the information and reassurance you expected.
We normally send holiday information in stages as the arrival date approaches, including details about your boat, arrival and departure, provisioning, insurance and what to expect on the day. There is also further guidance on our website, but we appreciate that this should have been made much clearer following your booking.
We are reviewing the information sent at this stage of the booking process and will make sure you receive everything you need well before your holiday. Please contact us directly if you have any immediate questions and our team will be very happy to help.
Yours Sincerely
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Had a great week on Belmore and would recommend if you’re hiring this boat to take a couple of deck chairs as it has a lovely sun deck. If you’re first time cruisers don’t forget to stock up with groceries before you set off as supplies can be limited en- route.”
Mary, thank you for the lovely review. It sounds like you made the most of Belmore's sun deck, and your tips for future guests are really useful too.
We're delighted you had such a good week and hope to welcome you back on board again soon.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Problems with first one boat not steering properly then replacement not having any gas, wasted 2 hours of our day. Unfortunately not the worst part. Went to reception to discuss only to be told there was nothing wrong with the first boat m, implying it was it us. Unfortunately for the chap telling me this the lads at the boats had already said an engineered had come and added oil as they found it didn't steer when they tested it, his attitude was argumentative from the outset and basically was implying is staff were lying. Won't be using you again I'm afraid”
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry that the start of your hire was disrupted and that you were left unhappy with the way your concerns were handled.
When the first boat was checked, our team was unable to identify an ongoing steering fault. However, we completely understand that if the boat did not feel right to you, particularly at the start of your hire, you would not have felt comfortable continuing with it. We therefore arranged a replacement boat.
We also apologise that the replacement did not initially have gas available. This should have been checked before the boat was handed over and caused further unnecessary delay.
We offered to refund the two hours of hire time that were lost, but we appreciate that this does not undo the frustration or improve the way the conversation at reception made you feel. Regardless of the outcome of our checks, your concern should have been listened to and explained calmly, rather than leaving you feeling that your account was being dismissed.
We are sorry that this experience has led you to decide not to return.
