We enjoyed this trip.  The bike riding in The Netherlands is outstanding, and the time spent on the barge was unique for us.  It was a great experience.

BUT.  We had some surprises that I thought should be passed along to anyone considering a trip like this.

Here are the key things I think anyone should investigate before signing up:

1. Guided or non-guided cycling?  What are the options?
2. Weather and the time of year and lack of air conditioning
3. Cycling level relative to other passengers

Taking them one-by-one...

Guided or non-guided cycling?  What are the options?

First, our tour had a guide for the cycling portions of the tour.  He also served as a kind of "animator", organizing some quiz nights and playing guitar and singing.  While he was a nice guy and did a good job, neither of us expected to have this level of organization.  We had expected that we'd just ride during the day and eat/sleep on the barge.

This is important because some tours (we have heard) REQUIRE you to ride with the guide.  This would mean an entire week of riding single file in a line behind the guide.  Our guide did not require this, so we (and some others) were able to ride the routes at our own speed, stopping whenever we wanted.

So check this out in advance.  If you want a full-time guide to lead you through the day's riding, you'll probably be fine.  If this sounds like torture to you (like it did to us), you probably want to investigate further.

The same thing goes for the evening entertainment.  Once you're on the boat, there's really no smooth way to avoid getting drawn into a quiz except to go to bed.  So you should expect some social pressure in this regard.

Weather and the time of year and lack of air conditioning

The cabins in our boat were very quiet, but not well ventilated.  We had two small openable windows (with screens) that we left open through the entire week.  There is no air conditioning on the boat.

During our week of cycling, we had mostly overcast skies and temperatures up to 22 degrees during the day.  Typical spring weather for Holland.  Even at these relatively low temperatures, the cabin was difficult to sleep in because it was very warm.

The staff on the boat gave us a fan, but it was too noisy to run while trying to sleep.

So, if you're planning a trip like this, I would try to avoid the middle of August when the temperatures can rise to 30 degrees in Holland.

Another thing about Dutch weather is that rain is pretty much ever-present.  So you have to be OK with cycling in the rain.

Cycling level relative to other passengers

Our cruse had 7 Americans and 9 Germans on it.  Of these people, we were the only guests to bring our own bike.  Of the remaining people, 4 people rode normal bikes, and the remaining people rode e-bikes.  We were the only people to wear bike-specific clothes.  Most people cycled in some form of normal street attire.

All of this is to point out that the general level of cycling experience and ability is on the low side.  Everyone on the tour was competent on the bike, and everyone cycled every day.  But if you're looking to ride across Holland with experience bike tourists, this kind of tour probably isn't for you.

That's it!  I hope this journal was interesting and/or helpful to someone out there! 

Thanks for your kind comments and interest.