Santana Adventures Avis 191

We've been on I think 11 cruises with Santana and the three things that keep us coming back are the people, the cycling in astonishing new places and the general ease with the entire process. The Ponant ship that the Norwegian cruise had was astonishing-- (with all the others we've been on being excellent). Tandem cyclists (maybe even more than usual adult cyclists) have a tendency to embrace lots of aspects of life which flows into the meals and side conversations. Take the plunge---.

We had a wonderful trip in Norway! The cycling was spectacular on scenic and well-maintained roads. We enjoy the stops along the way that provide a bit of the history of the area and a look at the life of locals. The ship was exquisite!

Aus/Taz was a great trip, but after doing 11-12 Santana trips now my wife & I do not enjoy the larger ship experience. We feel like the need of larger ports there is too much time spent standing in lines, tenders off ships, & rides that have to incorporate the city/wharf part of the rides. With that said Windstar was a wonderful service ship—the crew was unbelievable. We also realize being a 1st time trip all the “on the fly” changes that were needed and how you best serve us as travelers.

Our two trips this year were amazing. Holland , Netherlands and later Norway. The sites are lovely, the rides were breathtaking ; truly Norway is the most beautiful place to ride.
The Ships were fantastic . Bill and Jan and the entire team went out of their way to make sure everything ran smooth and it did!

We joined Santana on their 2022 Baltic Sea adventure.
This was our second cruise with them, as we did their Sicily trip back in 2018. Santana got it right in teaming up with Windstar. The cruise ship was a great size(312 passengers), and the ship had been thru a complete renovation, so everything was fresh and nicely done. Also, the food onboard was great.
We really enjoy Santana and how they organize their rides. There is not a lot of structure, and there are a lot of options, depending on how much or little you want to ride that day. Also, chartering the entire ship has great advantages, as they are able to adjust the itinerary on the fly, because of weather or other issues that might pop up. They also picked a great company to use for bike rentals, and we rented carbon bikes with electronic shifting. Bill's meetings to discuss the next ride are informative, and not only does he discuss the three options for the rides, but has information on local sites to see and things to do, including for those that may not ride that day. My only complaint on this past cruise was that I think they tried to cover too many ports in a limited time. Consequently, there were a few times when we had to be back to the ship by 2pm, which is a little earlier than we would have liked. But, other than that, we've been really pleased, and I'm sure we'll do another cruise with Santana in the future.

We loved the beauty of Norway and the small, luxurious Ponant ship Santana utilized. The food and service were excellent. The cycling routes were beautiful and well planned.

Greatest trip, ship and bike routes ever! Loved every minute. We were fortunate to have good weather!

Bill, Jan, and all the people who are associated with their business are wonderful. They are happy, helpful, courteous and respectful. I feel that they all work very hard to make the cruise a lifetime experience for the participants. I am definitely looking forward to our next cruise with Bill, Jan, and the crew!

Regardless of weather or unseen problem great adaptability to ensure ever day wonderful. Believe have had the best possible sights by bike on all four trips with the most recent the Baltics. Strongly recommend pre and post tours.

Well organized and efficient- the trip went off as advertised

Santana Adventure trips are always well planned. Even when plans have to change because of weather, or port issues they are always able to reschedule and a good time and great experiences are still achieved.
We love the staff they are all so friendly and helpful.

The good: American Queen Cruise Line Countess is a comfortable boat with a hardworking crew. The original itinerary was very attractive. The musical entertainment arranged for us was good. The bike rental representative from TRAIL really put out a great effort.
Not so good: We had to carry our bikes unassisted up and down four flights of stairs every day. Routes were provided each morning with a hand drawn map. E bikes were "not necessary, not available for rent, and would not be supported" on this ride, yet there were at least 15, including rentals. "Mid Ride feasts" (catering at lunch stops) were terrible, one day the only meal was some meat and seafood mixed with pasta, served in a styrofoam box with a stale roll. The catering staff did not know what was in it. Vegetarians got some lettuce that day. Some rides were miles for the sake of miles, on uninteresting roads, with no rest areas. Santana staff, when available, was constantly making changes, then getting angry or sarcastic when riders asked questions. The constant chaos and uncertainty really undermined the social aspect of the ride and visibly took a toll on the crew of the Countess.

This was such a great trip its hard to describe. The folks at Santana, the boat and the rides itself were amazing. Hard to describe in one short comment -but looking to sign up for our next trip! Thank you for the trip of a lifetime - and looking forward to many more!!

It was a good mix of exercise and travel experiences.The rest stops were well planned to give you a feel of the islands as well as the history of the Tahitians.

Great first trip. Love the detail and options. Will plan another with you

Response to Bill Hyde regarding
*Out and out thieves!
I contracted with Santana Adventures to book a cycling cruise to Tahiti for August 2020. As per Santana policy, full payment was advanced. I received several e-mails from McCready …..*
Yes, our group had the same experience. We paid in full in December 2018 for the Tahiti trip in 2020. We all voted to Get a refund when Santana put out a vote and Wind Star was going to give him a refund. There were 8 of us who voted for a refund. We checked to understand how that vote went down and was told only a handful of people voted to get a refund. After numerous emails and phone calls, his story changed and he said WindStar never gave him a offer for a refund. Not sure what the big vote was all about. Ended up 4 of our party of 8 went on the trip in Nov 2021. I tried to write a review on Trustpilot, but since my payment (invoice) was from Dec 2018, they would not allow it. Interesting, because 170 people paid more than 12 months ago, and I see their reviews were all allowed.

The entire Sanatana team provided a superior vacation experience. The itinerary, routes, and logistical details were all well thought out and executed. This was a very enjoyable vacation experience.

We enjoyed the trip. The ship was excellent and the staff were very helpful. The routes for cycling were easy and the sights were wonderful. I just wish we enjoyed snorkeling or scuba diving. This trip would have been perfect for that.

Wonderful trip; cycling routes were challenging, scenic and took us to super interesting places where we experienced the local villages and people. There was adequate choice of rides from easier to difficult. Returning to the cruise ship every day was wonderful.

Our recent Santana trip to Tahiti was amazing. It was our second time on a Santana trip and it exceeded our expectations which were already quite high from our first trip to Corsica and Tuscany. Santana's philosophy of the boat relocating at night so you don't have unpack half a dozen times is the starting point of a great trip. The next great thing is the trip is logistically well thought out with lots of options for when you want to ride hard or not or if your partner wants to push or just relax. The boats are always luxurious, yet because of the size, still intimate. You can be a couple or single; it's an inclusive crowd. Finally you can be in the greatest place on earth and outside on a bike, but if you are with nasty people it's not worth it. Santana attracts a really interesting customer both in age (trends towards recently retired) and careers. My wife and I, both still working, love the people who go on Santana trips. There is no one type of person. Everyone had a great story.... careers public and private as well as working and retired united by their desire to visit great places on a humble bicycle. We're already planning when to make our next trip!