Marine Cruises Reviews 117

We had a great Easter break on board Kimberly. The boat was just what we wanted and really great value for money. Plenty of space for a family of 5. Everything worked perfectly and the central heating kept it cozy when the temperature dropped. Stuart gave us some great advice and guidance. Great team doing a great job.

Once again a marvellous trip aboard the narrow boat Debbie. Just fantastic. As usual Marine Cruises were exemplary. Can’t think of anything we would change. See you again soon!,

Just had 3 days aboard 6 berth Kimberley, a beautiful narrowboat at Swanley Bridge. Excellent customer service from the lovely Hayley and her team. All genuine lovely caring people, nothing was too much trouble for them, lovely meeting you all and thank you for making us feel welcome and at home on the boat with fresh flowers, fresh apple juice etc, it was a lovely kind and personal touch.
As we had little experience of narrow boats and canals we where thankful for your advice and local knowledge. Which we took and stopped off at The Shady pub for our lunch was a lovely treat, good food n drink and nice chilled vibe. Loved every minute of our canal trip and would 100% recommend anyone who is thinking about hiring a Narrowboat to go with Hayley and her team. 11/10 yes they are that good 👍🏻 👌🏻

What an amazing short break of 4 nights we had with Marine Cruises. The boat was really well equipped and comfortable.

We had a really thorough induction on arrival from a very knowledgeable member of staff.

At the end of our trip the staff who greeted us were fantastic.

10 out of 10 for Hayley at Matije Cruises who went above and beyond to recover and return a piece of expensive equipment we left on board the boat.

Would highly recommend Marine Cruises

We hired a the narrowboat "Debbie Jane" from the Swanley marina and had an excellent experience with Marine Cruise boat hire. The staff were very helpful and the boat was in excellent condition. The boat has a great layout and as there was only 2 of us, we had a double bed each! The boat was clean and well equipped and had no issues during the week's hire. From Swanley marina, there are a number of routes to chose from, but limitations on navigation for various reasons this year limited the choices, but there was still a choice! For the price we paid, the boat we hired and the location of the marina, this was an excellent choice.

Excellent, lovely boat “Debbie”. All essential on the boat and guidance on use of boat and operating the locks.
Definitely recommend was a wonderful 4 days.

We found Marine Cruises online when looking for a canal boat holiday in Scotland. Their prices were very reasonable compared to the others available and the boats looked ok. Communication from the company was very good from the start with lots of info and links to useful videos. The handover process was very good and the boat was all we could have hoped for, very clean with everything needed for a great holiday. We are experienced boaters and appreciated the facilities on the boat and the handover from George. All in all we had a great week on the Union and Forth & Clyde canals on our boat Debbie. We'd recommend Marine Cruises every time.

A very enjoyable short mid week break on ‘ Suzanne Marie ‘ out of Falkirk Marina and onto the Union Canal as far as Broxburn & back. Comfortable well equipped and plenty of room for 4 of us narrowboat. Only blemish was open shelf in galley storing wine glasses did not prevent them falling and smashing when hitting lock gate / wall.

I stumbled across Marine Cruises after searching online. The prices looked very reasonable compared to others and the standard of the boats looked very good. This was our first experience of a narrow boat holiday so we were a little apprehensive. The booking process was easy and the information I received was very detailed. We received suggested routes and how long it would take to get there including details of where the locks were and where the best pubs and places of interest were. When we arrived at Swanley Bridge Marina our boat was ready for us and we were given a detailed tour of the boat. The staff were incredibly helpful and as this was our first time, the friendly chap stayed with us and helped us through out first few locks - which was a great help. The boat was as lovely as it looked online too. It was very clean and had everything you could possibly need. We had an excellent experience - helped by some beautiful British weather. The only downside was that we didn't appreciate the fact that while the boat wasn't running the fridge wouldn't work so we ended up having to throw away some food that we hadn't been able to keep cold. No big deal but had we known, I wouldn't have brought the extra food.

Great service. Loved the fact we had shampoo, conditioner, body wash and towels. Lovely boat. Very friendly staff.

Had an amazing experience right from the walk through at the start very informative and pleasant staff
Our boat maia was spotless and very well equipped with tea and coffee,WiFi even a bowl and treats for the dogs.
An excellent holiday experience with the only disappointment was we had to give the boat back so will be returning next year thank you hayley and the team

Our boat was spotlessly clean, good handover instructions. The whole experience makes for a wonderful family holiday with so many shared memories. The Forth and Clyde between Falkirk and Glasgow was extremely quiet, we seldom saw any other boats on the canal.

Just returned from a midweek break on canal boat "Debbie Jane". The boat was fantastic, although we chose based on dates and availability we could not have chosen a better canal boat for our party of 3. It was clean, well equipped and the layout was perfect. We had no issues operating Debbie Jane, everything was explained by Pete, always had hot water, kitchen and storage were great. My only advice is to take some walkie talkies as this would have made comunication around the locks a lot easier. Highly recomended, very happy.

Have dealt with MC before and always found them to be friendly and accommodating and quite a bit cheaper then better known competitors without compromising quality/service. We got a great deal on a short break from Swanley marina and everything was as expected on handover of the boat. V lucky with weather this week and boat and facilities / equipment was great. I reccomend trying the Middlewich branch of the shroppie which is really picturesque and a lot quieter than the llangollen canal. Look out for early booking discounts that make these boats very affordable.

We have been canal boating several times. Process of booking was very easy and they always answered any questions promptly, either by phone or email. Staff very friendly, informative and patient when explaining how the boat worked and when explaining all the health and safety issues. Our boat Suzanne was really well set out and very clean and tidy. The beds were comfortable. Cooker/oven was really good. All utensils and crockery etc suited all our needs. Great time had by all. We would book again with this company and would not hesitate to recommend them to others.

We hired a boat from the Falkirk location for a week cruise to Edinburgh, and their service before and during the week was excellent. The boat orientation and assistance to get started was exactly what we needed, and their assistance for little things like calling a taxi and finding a local laundry made everything easy for us.

Well where do I start? What a week to remember. From start to finish everything was easy and straightforward. Booking and paying was simple with lots of information to help plan our trip. We went from Swanley Marina for a week on narrow boat Debbie, who was very clean and had everything you needed. Stuart was a delight and saw that we had all the knowledge needed and even helped us through our first lock. He explained everything so well. We were a bit concerned with timings halfway through the holiday and I spoke with Hayley, who was so calm and talked through the timings with me, putting our minds at rest which meant we slowed down and made it across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. So many good pubs to stop at and the dusty burger is well recommended at The Dusty Miller in Wrenbury. Our narrow boat was an ideal size for us and so comfortable, even had a phone charging point next to our bed! I can’t recommend Marine Cruises enough and we are now planning our next holiday with them, we might try the Falkirk Wheel next.

This was our second time booking with Marine Cruises, and once again, they absolutely exceeded our expectations. The canal boat was immaculate – beautifully maintained, well-equipped, and incredibly comfortable. You can really tell these boats are looked after with care and pride.

From start to finish, the customer service was exceptional. A huge thank you to Stuart, who welcomed us so warmly, set us off with all the information and tips we needed, and was there to meet us on our return. His friendly, professional manner made the whole experience feel seamless and stress-free. It’s rare to find such genuine hospitality these days, and Stuart really made us feel like valued guests.

Whether you’re new to canal boating or a returning traveller like us, Marine Cruises is simply the best choice. We can’t wait to come back for a third adventure!

Very nice maintained boats and such lovely staff!

We did a 3 night break on Lucy Michelle which was very clean and accommodated 7 adults well. Very Friendly and helpful staff