Exceptional Service

Crew is the quintessence in taking the barge cruise experience from amazing to extraordinary. Attentive and amiable, barge crew are solely focused on their guests’ comfort and pleasure. Guests often disembark feeling as if they are saying goodbye to dear friends.

All hotel barges are crewed, with crew members living onboard the vessel, or close to the cruise route. Depending on a boat’s guest capacity and rating, crew on hotel barges range from three to seven. With such a small number of guests on barges, the high crew-to-guest ratio allows for levels of personalized service unheard of on larger boats. This boutique service and personalized pampering truly sets barge cruises apart from its contemporaries.

Below Deck: Barging Edition

Go Behind the Scenes on a Barge Cruise (1:06)

Meet Your Crew

English-speaking and typically hailing from Europe, barge crew are the heart and soul of the vessel’s gentle journey. Crew members often come to barge cruising with impressive backgrounds from venues such as Michelin star restaurants, high end international hotels, and Swiss ski chalets. As a seasoned team of service professionals, they are responsible for creating the unique ambiance of relaxed hospitality for which barge cruising is celebrated.

Captain

An experienced maritime professional and “de facto” barge manager, your Captain will impress you with the ability to guide the boat through the smallest of lock and under the most abbreviated of bridges with mere inches to spare — usually with a smile on his or her face!

I love the interaction with people from around the world. I really enjoy getting to know clients and assisting them to see new parts of the world. I really do genuinely love my job.

—Helen de Cent, Captain on Spirit of Scotland

Chef

Along with daily provisioning, recipe creation, and meal preparation, your professional private Chef is a mine of information when it comes to the local markets, regional specialties, and, of course, fine wines.

Tour Guide

Armed with an expert’s insight and deep local connections, your Tour Guide accompanies you to area attractions and local landmarks, revealing regional gems and offbeat charms through the eyes of an insider.

Host/Hostess

Catering to your every need onboard, the Host or Hostess serves the meals, tidies up your cabin, and, most importantly, makes sure your wine glass stays full.

My favourite part of being a crew member on a barge, is that we are a small family, who welcome their extended ‘family’, each week from somewhere else around the world, and we get to show them our home here. Excitement,surprises, smiles and knowledge what brings me back year after year.

—Marianna Kozak, Hostess on Athos

Deckhand/Matelot

Working away behind the scenes, the Deckhand ensures the vessel stays clean and tidy, repositions the barge’s private vehicle, and ensures the barge’s bicycles are ride-ready.

Barge Lady Guests Review the Crew

“We were all so impressed with the friendly yet professional crew. Our needs and wants were always immediately and graciously met. We hated to say ‘goodbye.”
– Kathleen P, Savoir Vivre Guest

“Tour Guide Magali and Captain Nicolas were great. Chef Sarah cooked delicious vegetarian meals. Hostess Briggs was delightful! She has a terrific sense of humor and kept the barge spotless. We loved them all!”
– Kathy B, Magnolia Guest

The crew was fabulous! They were friendly, helpful, hardworking, and answered all our questions. Chef Corrine’s meals were delicious, well presented, and exemplified her knowledge and love for cooking. Tour Guide Barbara was knowledgeable, interesting and highlighted each area we visited.”
– Gloria B, Rendez-Vous Guest

“The whole crew worked very well together. Chef Arne was beyond excellent. Luke was a great Captain and Tour Guide. They all contributed to a great trip!”
– Tom H, La Belle Epoque Guest

Experience the Exceptional Service Onboard a Barge Cruise

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