This was our 4th Gate 1 trip and our second river cruise. Lucky us - we had Nick both times, as our entertainment director. Nick was warm, fun, funny, and clearly made a point of getting to know each one of us. Eva, our cruise director was exceptional. She was fun, funny, clear, responsive, caring, and professional. The vibe of the trip was perfect in every way! The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The crew was attentive, professional, warm, and friendly. The sights were varied, beautiful, and very enjoyable. And the people on board were the best! I credit Nick and Eva for bringing us all together and creating one big happy family. I loved every minute of the experience and will tell all my friends to take a Douro River cruise with Gate 1. Thank you!!

Thank you to Captain Thomas and ALL the staff and crew for a wonderful river cruise!! Thankyou especially to Captain Thomas (excellent captain, friendly, knowledgeable, approachable, enjoyed talking with him and also learned so much from him), Kriss (great Tour Manager), Laura (great Activities Host), Chef Irwan (FANTASTIC Master Chef - EVERYTHING was OUTSTANDING - selections, taste, presentation, availability to talk to him), Taufig chef, Lin chef, Waiters: Firmin, Nemanya, Chan, Yunn, Saw, Indra, Farj, Farhas, Peter, Weni, Bojan (awesome Hotel Mgr), Andrea, Costi (always helping us at reception during the day), and the nighttime receptionist (I'm sorry, I don't know your name but we appreciated your help!), Myat (a FANTASTIC cabin steward). Thankyou to EVERYONE for a fantastic experience.

The Douro River trip was excellent. I can't say enough about Marissa and the crew. We travel a lot and just wanted to say thank you for this special experience

Everything about this river cruise (Regensberg to Budapest) was Five Star! The cabin was much larger than I remember from before, with plenty of cupboard and drawer space, and the bathroom more generous in size than I remember. The meals were all top-notch and the servers and crew were all amazing. They were skilled, but also cheerful and willing to do anything to make us feel relaxed and having a good time. And Nico made everything such fun. I do not need to search elsewhere for my travel company, especially for river cruises.

George made this trip spectacular. He was very attentive always available .We felt very well taken care of. George is very knowledgeable knows the history, geography and economics of the Balkan region . We would love to see him on our future trips . George is a great asset to Gate 1. This was our 17th trip with gate one and we are very satisfied with our river cruise.

This was our first Gate 1 trip and our 2nd river cruise. We loved our trip with Gate 1 and we will be repeat customers. We had low water levels and Gate 1 went above and beyond our expectations by bringing on 2 additional Tour Managers and chartering a boat for 2 nights to see the Rhine castles. The Nuremberg dinner and entertainment at the Mautkeller Brauhaus was simply amazing! Gate 1 definitely made lemonade out of the lemons because even with the unexpected busses and hotels along the way we still had a fantastic trip. Maarten Buijs absolutely made this trip amazing. He had excellent communication, was always willing and able to push the right buttons before anything went awry, was a wealth of information, had so much energy and was so pleasant to everyone, making each of us feel like valued customers. Laura, the Activity Manager, was so full of energy and kept everyone involved and having fun. Her activities were all fun and well attended - she is fantastic. I would also like to praise Majik (?) who was brought on halfway through the trip - he was also a wealth of information, very kind, and worked very hard at keeping everyone upbeat and having an amazing trip.

Just returned from the wonderful cruise on the Duro river. I wanted to share that the entire trip was spectacular. The food on board ship was 5 stars. The tours were well organized, our guides were very knowledgeable, the crew and service personnel were very professional and helpful. Most of all I want to recognize our cruise director, Eva. Eva made the trip so fun. Her personality and enthusiasm were contagious. She kept the group organized and informed. You could tell she loves what she does. That positive attitude made all of us anxious to be involved and enjoy the trip so much more. I will be booking another Gate 1 vacation and recommend the company to family and friends.

Our trip on the Monarch Countess was incredible. We did not feel like we were on a commercial vessel. We felt like we were valued guests in someone's home. The crew was like a family that embraced us a member. We felt more like family than customers. This attitude spread to the passengers that embraced each other in the same way. Many thanks to our dining room servers Zhvigo and Marieta that memorized our preferences and made sure we always had what we needed. It was easy to talk to them as friends. Ciccio was the perfect person for his position. His boyish enthusiasm was very infectious and made us want to participate in all the fun. Bart was very organized and kept us worry free during our time with him. It felt good to know that he was in charge and so dependable that we didn't have to worry about anything. The Captain Pasqual was amazing. He projected security in his control of the ship and crew, but could also be approachable to the guests. We loved that he was willing to join in the fun by playing the harmonica, singing and dancing with us. So much fun! One of the highlights of the cruise for sure. We really appreciated Carmen coming and silently cleaning our cabin whenever we were gone. She kept things well stocked and we never ran out of anything. I really liked the presentation of the crew at the farewell dinner. It gave us the opportunity to actually see all those behind the scenes workers that made our vacation such a joy. I think that this recognition also helped them to feel valued by Gate 1 contributed to the feeling of family that they passed on to us.

While the entire crew was excellent from the officers to the friendly gales in the laundry, I feel the need to point out a few very special people. Our Tour Host, Adrien, was probably the best I've ever encountered. She was very friendly, efficient and worked nonstop. Daniele, our Activity Host, was very personable and did everything he did fun for the guests. The bartender Nele was very knowledgeable about the wines served and made dinner an event. Last, but certainly not least, Yoga my cabin steward was terrific.

I wanted to add a little more about my recent Douro River cruise. Our tour manager, Ricardo, and Activity director, Nick, were both excellent!!! They both did their jobs very well. Ricardo is very intelligent, giving us a lot of info and answering questions. He is also very friendly. Nick was the best Activity director we've ever had! He keeps everyone having fun, whether through trivia, dance classes, exercise classes, bingo, karaoke and a whole lot more. He's very personable too. Both Ricardo and Nick are true assets to the Gate 1 travel company.

This was our first river cruise. I so enjoyed it and want to do more! I would like to give a special shout out to the Activities Director Daniele. He was the best. I appreciated his morning exercise classes, even though I was one of a handful that participated. I enjoyed all of the evening activities that he directed and really appreciated the music he played for dancing afterwards. The dining staff was wonderful. Our family party of 5 especially appreciated Nile whom we had every night for dinner.

My mom and I enjoyed our first ever cruise. The Monarch Countess truly felt like home for a week (and had one of the comfiest beds/pillows I've ever had!). The crew and staff were so friendly and efficient, and cruise director Kate and activity director Nad were absolute gems. The variety and quality of food was wonderful. Our highlights of the itinerary were the Van Gogh sites in Auvers and Monet's garden in Giverny. We enjoyed our cruise along the Seine with Gate 1!

I extended my trip with 6 nights pre-river cruise, and 4 nights post-river cruise in London so I just got back yesterday. I had a fantastic time! The river cruise was beautiful, and two weeks went by very quickly. The Monarch Duchess was a great ship. There were only 103 people on board which made it really nice. The scenery was unbelievable, and I loved sailing along the river and seeing all the castles.

It was fab from start to finish and so lovely to be on the water watching the world go by. We saw things we would never have seen if we were travelling on our own. Crew on board were marvelous, food was exquisite. Carmen the Cruise Director was amazing and is a total rockstar; handled all the logistics without so much as a ripple and shared her love of Spain and Portugal like a true ambassador.

Trip went very well. Gate 1 deliver their usual high quality agenda. River trip was very special with many interesting and informative stops. Food, hotels, and ship were A+. Thank you for your assistance in planning. Air connections were perfect and executed on time all the way there and back.

It was a great trip thoroughly enjoyed by the ship and crew was very attentive. Special shoutout for the extra excursion Edam and cheese Farm Tour at "Irene Hoeve, Cheese & Clogs". very personable and informative. We were very pleased with Gate 1 and any trips that we took through you. Already talking about where we will go on our next trip

Our Tulip Time trip with Belgium and Luxembourg was excellent. The accommodations, Itinerary, guides, meals and travel arrangements exceeded our expectations. The river boat experience was a relaxing way to arrive at different ports. It was a cheerful environment that gave us the chance to meet other guests and enjoy their company. All staff were personable and professional. There was a good balance of guided tours and free time.

We are just back from our Nine Day Seine River Cruise on the Monarch Countess. In one word, phenomenal. Bartel, the cruise director, was great. Ciccio was the highlight of the whole cruise. Engaging, funny, entertaining and creative. Ciccio was the absolute best. Tony, the bar waiter, was super friendly and always smiling. Our servers in the dining room, Andrei and Zhivo, were first class. They treated us like royalty. Always having a great conversation with them. Mercedes, our housekeeper, was so, so friendly. Our room was immaculate every day. Nico, the Maître D was so helpful with our friends who always had special food requests.

We just returned from our 14 Day Tulip Time River Cruise with Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam and had an amazing time. This was our 9th tour with Gate 1. Your company never lets us down, always exceeds our expectations. This was our first river cruise ever. The service and food were a five-star experience! Erna, our Tour-Cruise Director, was exceptional in all ways! She made our trip even more special. Admired her skills and excellence. Grateful for all the amazing staff gate 1 employs. We're looking forward to our next trip in September and future river cruises.

My trip was fabulous. I have done a number of Gate 1 trips and they were all great. The river cruise was a first with Gate 1 and found it to be excellent, the accommodations were perfect, the ship staff were all excellent, the room steward, and the serving staff were wonderful. The food was exceptional. The tour guides were all great as I have always found Gate 1 tour guides to be. I have informed a number of people of the quality of Gate 1 trips since I have returned.

My trip was wonderful! The staff on the ship was beyond exceptional. Carmen was a hoot, and Nod was such a positive energetic leader! We all had a great time!!

Thank you for the fabulous vacation! My wife and I had a great time during river cruise with Gate 1! The all personnel of the Ship were very nice, friendly, and knowledgeable, that we are really enjoyed! We recommend people who want to travel to use Gate1! Thanks again for unforgettable experience!

This was our first time traveling with Gate 1. We had a wonderful time on our Tulip Time river cruise and wanted to take a moment to name a few people who we feel went above and beyond. Maarten, the cruise director is a real asset to your company, very knowledgeable and personable. Nico the activities director arranged for some very good local entertainment on board, we really enjoyed the Musicdream Streetband. Suzanna the hotel manager and our room attendant Tunde made our accommodations perfect. The Monarch Queen is in EXCELLENT condition. Our room was large, had lots of storage and was absolutely spotless. We loved our waiters Dika and Mon who always greeted us with huge smiles. Our hats are off to Chef Florin. We have been on 25 cruises with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, MSC, Disney and Carnival and this is the BEST FOOD by far that we have had on any cruise we've taken. Our cruise encountered some rough water and had some minor flooding. The staff handled the situation very well and we were incredibly impressed with how they made sure we were all safe and immediately cleaned up the dining room. Literally, they were serving food again in less that 10 minutes. We will definitely cruise with Gate 1 again.

This was our first time traveling with Gate 1. We had a wonderful time on our Tulip Time river cruise and wanted to take a moment to name a few people who we feel went above and beyond. Maarten, the cruise director is a real asset to your company, very knowledgeable and personable. Nico the activities director arranged for some very good local entertainment on board, we really enjoyed the Musicdream Streetband. Suzanna the hotel manager and our room attendant Tunde made our accommodations perfect. The Monarch Queen is in EXCELLENT condition. Our room was large, had lots of storage and was absolutely spotless. We loved our waiters Dika and Mon who always greeted us with huge smiles. Our hats are off to Chef Florin. We have been on 25 cruises with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, MSC, Disney and Carnival and this is the BEST FOOD by far that we have had on any cruise we've taken. Our cruise encountered some rough water and had some minor flooding. The staff handled the situation very well and we were incredibly impressed with how they made sure we were all safe and immediately cleaned up the dining room. Literally, they were serving food again in less that 10 minutes. We will definitely cruise with Gate 1 again.

The trip was fantastic! We enjoyed the river boat, the ports, the guides and last but not least, the amazing crew and staff on the Monarch Queen. We would definitely book another river cruise.

My friends and I had an amazing time visiting Netherlands and Belgium. Cruise Director Matt and activity Host Laura were great, attentive to our needs and adjusted schedule based on weather conditions. Meals were great thanks to Chef Irwan. Staff were fabulous. We made new friends and loved our trip fulfilled by the blossoming tulips at Keukenhof Garden. My friends and I, all first timers for a river cruise, will plan another river cruise, when the price is right.

My first solo trip with Gate 1 was amazing! This was my second trip with Gate 1, first trip was with my travel ladies (8), so quite different travelling solo but I enjoyed every minute of the trip. Also, loved the last minute booking sale price.

My China tour was memorable and it exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed seeing and learning the cultural sights in Beijing like The Tienenman Square, Great Wall, Temple of Heavens, etc. The technology behind the Three Gorges, locks and dams were impressive. Shanghai gave me a new perspective of how progressive China is. The sky scrapers were amazing and the roads and highways were very advanced. We were also lucky to have an exceptional tour guide Eric who is organized, caring and very knowledgeable. He went beyond the call of duty to make sure that we have the best time. The care he had given the tour group was unbelievable and everyone complimented him for his excellent service. We were happily surprised that he wrote everyone a very nice letter. He also gave us a personalized stamp with our names written in Chinese along with our animal year. For him to take the time to do this is very touching. He made our trip extraordinarily special.

My brother and I just completed our tour in China. It was an 11-day trip with the four-day cruise included. It was the best tour that either of us had ever been on with gate 1. I have been on 11 tours with gate one and 13 total and my brother has been on 12. Everything was first class. We loved the whole tour, however the best part of it was the tour guide Melinda. She was easily the best guide we've ever had, and she went above and beyond in everything she did to ensure that we had a great time. She is a real credit to your company, and she is a fantastic human being. She showed great concern for the whole group. This was truly the journey of a lifetime, and we will never forget her or this trip. There were no negatives in the entire trip. Thank you gate 1 travel.

My trip was amazing! I really enjoyed the Christmas markets and the local tours. The time on the ship was also wonderful. The crews on your ships are really the best! So friendly, professional, helpful...we miss them when we get home! The food is also amazing. Thank you for another wonderful Gate1 trip!!

Thank you for checking in and for putting together such a memorable experience. Our trip was truly wonderful from start to finish. The planning, coordination, and attention to detail made the journey feel seamless, allowing us to fully enjoy each destination without stress. The Christmas markets, river cruise experience, and overall itinerary exceeded our expectations, and it was clear how thoughtfully everything was arranged. We're very grateful for the experience and wouldn't hesitate to travel with Gate1 again or recommend your services to others. Thank you for helping make this trip so special.

Absolutely wonderful! Gate 1 will be my go-to travel company from now on! The staff, service, food, activities, were all exceptional. Thank you so much for exceeding my expectations. See you again soon!

I wanted to drop a quick comment about Alina, our restaurant manager on our river boat cruise. She worked so hard to make sure I got an allergy free meal at every meal! She also made sure that there was a variety of meals. I was so impressed with what an excellent job she did. I wanted to let you know ow so other passengers with severe food allergies and celiac don't have to worry about it. The rest of the cruise staff was wonderful! I can't wait to go on another Gate1 River cruise.

Thank you very much. We enjoyed the vacation tremendously. The Cruise Director Melissa was very professional, caring, gracious and fun, I loved the daily treats she provided to the whole group. Laura, in charge for guests activities, was also so humorous and pleasant! All the staff on board were super accurate and polite. We found the quality of the meals on board above our expectations, also there was a lot of variety and everything was nicely presented, with a prompt, attentive service. The cabin suite we booked was spacious, very clean, very comfortable. I loved looking at the banks of the Seine passing before my eyes, while I was comfortably laying on my bed. The activities were perfectly organized, the pace was smooth, relaxed, and yet rich and diverse: just what I needed. It's been a wonderful trip, I already suggested it to friends and colleagues.

Amy at Front Desk was amazing! So helpful, friendly and just joyful. Great 1st impression for all guests boarding ship. Activity Director and Cruise Director were great! Fun onboard activities and additional entertainment from servers was a bonus Everyone was on point! Can't wait to cruise again on Gate 1

This was my first Gate1 tour and my first river cruise. It was wonderful. Special kudos to Eva and Nial who both made the trip run seamlessly. Also thank you to the chefs and wait staff who made mealtimes special. Thank you to the captain for being welcoming to guests and for providing safe travels. Also enjoyed the bar staff who interacted with all of us, the lobby staff were always available to assist or answer questions, and the housekeeping staff did an excellent job making up the room each day and keeping the ship extremely clean. Thank you to all as they truly are the ones who made the trip so successful.

Our trip was fantastic! George was a really good leader for the group. He is very organized, knowledgeable of all the cities we visited, willing to do more than was expected. The hotel in Vienna was very nice, centrally located and food was delicious. Thank you for the upgrade on the river cruise. We were surprised and very appreciative. We love traveling with Gate 1. The Ship was so nice, clean, staff were so nice and helpful. Food was delicious I cannot wait to travel with Gate 1 again.

My trip was wonderful. I especially liked the smaller ship where it was easier to meet people and get to know the staff. The scenery was very nice and the atmosphere on the ship was laid back. It was relaxing. The food was delicious and well prepared. The meat is so tender you could cut it with a fork. I enjoyed the presentation of the appetizers, entrees, and desserts. I liked seeing the countryside as I traveled to the different excursions. It showed me the picture of Portugal as a country that I wanted to know Overall, I enjoyed the sights and have recommended Gate 1 to my family and friends for a Douro River cruise.

We have traveled with Gate1 many times, but this was our first river cruise experience with Gate1. We have sailed with Viking and AMA previously. I have to say I really enjoyed the Gate1 experience. The boat was nice, Martin our cruise director was very good and quite pleasant and always organized and fun to be around. The activity host, Danny was SO much fun - just a joy to be around and kept everyone involved. The food was great for all meals - everything was delicious. I liked the way the excursions were run - you just pick a color and get on that designated bus. No fuss or thought! The crew was outstanding! EVERYONE was fun and pleasant to be around and no "stuffiness". Great trip and will definitely do another river cruise with Gate1!

This was our first Gate 1 trip, and we were thoroughly pleased with the quality and staff. We want to pass along how great our cruise director Carmen was. We have done many trips and have had many directors along the way. Carmen was outstanding and a credit to the quality of your tour, based on our experience we will look to Gate 1 for a future trip.

We loved our Douro River Cruise from start to finish - even on rainy days! The ship was truly a home away from home, with much better service. Our tour director, Gisella, was wonderful - friendly, approachable and incredibly organized. We really enjoyed getting to know her. Entertainment director, Eva, was fun and a perfect fit in her role. The food was amazing! I can't recall how many times we said that the meals were incredible.

We appreciate your Customer Service booking of our flights. We gave Courtney the days we wanted to fly and our wanting to have a minimum 2-hour layover at each airport. She quickly found flights for us and booked them within our cruise package. That was very helpful. The dining room and lounge wait staff were exceptionally helpful. The Activity Director Nick brought us passengers together with activities from early morning to late at night. He is very knowledgeable about music. Nick was a good catalyst. The Cruise Director Dijan worked well in each of the five countries we visited from Romania to Hungary. He explained each step and seemed to be popping up everywhere during our tours. Dijan's explaining the history and nature of the countries in his talks during the day were very interesting. He filled in between what we learned when we walked and rode around with the tour guides outside during the days. Overall, we enjoyed learning about Eastern Europe on this Eastern Danube Cruise. Your 27-page Travel Documents packet was well prepared. I liked the details given for each country in terms of currency, being courteous, and watching what we ate and drank. We appreciated the casual nature of the cruise, no smoking, no jewelry and art sale, no casino, and interesting daily tours.

This was our first Gate 1 trip and my wife, and I had a fantastic experience! I would like to make specific mention of the individuals (besides cruise director Adrien), who helped greatly make our vacation so special: Zsuzsanna - she was in complete control of every minute detail and did an amazing job managing the entire crew and operations. Wait staff in the restaurant - Amr, Yee & Milos, all of whom were very attentive and took care of our every need, often without being asked. Other outstanding staff who enhanced our overall service experience and deserve special recognition - Amelia at Reception and Kellen in Housekeeping Finally, I'd like to reiterate that this was one of the best vacations we have been on, and we have every intention of making Gate 1 our primary go to in the future.

The travel through the Seine River was fantastic. Starting in Amsterdam with our travel guide Kristina we experienced a new part of Holland and Brussels going to Edam then on to Bruges. She was knowledgeable, adding her expertise to the beautiful area. After arriving in Paris to meet our ship Monarch Countess we visited Normandy then back to the ship to sail the Seine with travel manager Kate and our entertainment host Nad. What a duo!! The ship and crew were top notch. Overall, the 15-day excursion met all our expectations.

Our entire Rhine River trip was very enjoyable. Gate 1 did a marvelous job from start to finish. The ship's crew exhibited great customer service and a commendable commitment to excellence. Our Germany extension guide Johnny was exceptional. Thank you for a truly wonderful vacation!