1 independent reviews for Gambia and Senegal river cruise

We were sorry to hear that the cruise did not meet your expectations, and particularly so with the food on board, also the performance of the cruise director and the value for money of the shore excursions in particular. The cruise operator has admitted that there was a general low score on the food on board that week and that they have since taken the necessary steps to rectify this situation. The comments about the cruise director were also noted for attention. They did note that on their satisfaction questionnaire, the guests had rated the vessel overall highly, as they did also the cleanliness on board and the overall level of service from the crew. As regards the negative comment about benefit to the local community, this was somewhat surprising, as this cruise in partucular has historically scored very highly on this question. It is notable that this cruise encourages cultural exchange in every stop, by bringing visitors deeper into smaller communities, by promoting awareness and respect for local heritage and the natural environment, and of course by supporting local tourism services and the local economy (guides, local boats, excursions, markets etc). Another point that the company is especially proud of, is that they raised the money ( through company donation plus guest input) to build a school there, which didn’t previously exist — giving local children immediate access to education. The company continues to support the school, as well as to organise a cultural event there. It was perhaps an omission of the cruise director that these initiatives were not highlighted to the guests on board that week. I must note here that our experience of running this cruise over several years is that the level of satisfaction with the cruise overall has generally been very high, as has the engagement of guests with the local community during excursions. With just 21 guest cabins, it is the only small ship able to explore the Gambia river and visit communities otherwise beyond the reach of visitors. My own view is that the input of the cruise director and their ability to set the scene and share facts and focus attention on highlights is central to the success