LOVERS Canal Cruises is a premier provider of canal cruise experiences in Amsterdam, operating since 1956. The company offers a diverse range of cruises, including classic one-hour tours, evening excursions, and themed events such as the Amsterdam Light Festival cruise. With a focus on customer satisfaction, LOVERS Canal Cruises provides audio guides available in 19 languages, enabling guests to learn about the city's rich history and landmarks while enjoying scenic views from the water. Targeting both tourists and locals, LOVERS Canal Cruises caters to a wide audience seeking a unique way to explore Amsterdam's iconic canals. The company also offers various combi deals that allow customers to combine their canal cruise with other activities at discounted rates. With multiple departure locations and a commitment to exceptional service, LOVERS Canal Cruises is dedicated to providing memorable experiences for all visitors to Amsterdam.
Lovers Canal Cruises receives a mixed reception from customers, with many expressing dissatisfaction regarding staff attitude and organization. Reviewers frequently mention rude interactions with staff, particularly at ticket counters, which detracts from the overall experience.
Additionally, numerous complaints highlight issues with overcrowded boats, long wait times, and a lack of clarity regarding ticketing and boarding procedures. Despite these negatives, some customers appreciate the opportunity to see Amsterdam's beautiful canals and learn about the city's history during the cruise. The ease of booking and the scenic views are noted as positives, but they are overshadowed by the frustrations related to service and logistics. Overall, the sentiment leans negative, with many suggesting potential customers reconsider their options.
Summary generated with AI from recent reviews
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
| Source | Rating | Reviews | Weight | 6-mo | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trustpilot Imported Trustpilot reviews | 3.4 | 1,000 | 100% | +0.8 | ● Low |
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Jul 2025.
| Month | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Sep 24 | 3.0 | 1 |
| Oct 24 | — | 0 |
| Nov 24 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Dec 24 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Jan 25 | 1.2 | 9 |
| Feb 25 | — | 0 |
| Mar 25 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Apr 25 | 1.3 | 4 |
| May 25 | 2.7 | 3 |
| Jun 25 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Jul 25 | 1.0 | 1 |
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 500 most recent reviews.
“Makkelijke site, goed duidelijk”
“I would not recommend this company to anyone expecting even the most basic level of customer service and respect”
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Travel & Tourism.
| Company | Overall | Legit | Website & app | Service | Booking | Trend | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 3.4 out of 5 (fair) | 100 out of 100 | 3.1 out of 5 (fair) | 2.5 out of 5 (poor) | 2.5 out of 5 (poor) | −11% | 1,000 |
| 4.9 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 4.2 out of 5 (good) | 5.0 out of 5 (good) | — | — | 1,109 | |
| 4.2 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 3.5 out of 5 (good) | 4.2 out of 5 (good) | 3.5 out of 5 (good) | — | 1,083 | |
| 4.6 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | — | 4.5 out of 5 (good) | 4.5 out of 5 (good) | — | 1,069 | |
| 4.8 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 5.0 out of 5 (good) | 4.9 out of 5 (good) | 4.9 out of 5 (good) | — | 1,050 |
Bottom line: Lovers Canal Cruises is #5 of 5 on overall rating in this group. On service, Evolution Travel scores higher (5.0 vs 2.5).
500 reviews of Lovers Canal Cruises. Filter by what matters to you.
Forced to give a one star, faced a very rude staff who talked rude to us while using the pay n use toilet in the cofee shop .Why would we jump line to to save a couple of euros when we can buy 3 cruise tickets! No wonder the ratings are so poor. That is not 'NORMAL' behaviour while serving customets girl!.
Op dinsdagmiddag 10 juni had ik een nare ervaring bij de ticketbalie van Lovers Canal Cruises bij Amsterdam Centraal. Ik vroeg op een normale en vriendelijke manier of ik recht had op korting met mijn pas. De medewerker van de klantenservice – die ik op dat moment telefonisch sprak – bevestigde dat dit inderdaad het geval was. Tot mijn verbazing weigerden de dames bij de kassa dit te accepteren. Sterker nog: ze vielen de medewerker van de klantenservice verbaal aan, terwijl ik het gesprek via de telefoon volgde. Het was ronduit vijandig en ongemakkelijk om als klant tussen twee interne medewerkers te staan die zo met elkaar omgaan. Ik voelde me totaal niet welkom. Uiteindelijk ben ik zonder tickets vertrokken omdat ik me er ronduit onprettig bij voelde. Dit is niet wat je verwacht van een organisatie die toeristen en bezoekers op een prettige manier wil ontvangen. Een zeer teleurstellende ervaring.
Leuk een rondvaart in Amsterdam? Wij komen woensdag 7 mei 2025 rond 20.45 aan bij Lovers Amsterdam en willen mee met de rondvaart van 21.00 uur. Online zijn er nog 23 plaatsen beschikbaar. Nee de boot is vol, na de opmerking dat er online nog 23 plekken open staan zegt de man bij de boot dat ze niet weten met welke boot er gevaren wordt. Mijn opmerking dat het om jullie eigen website gaat van Lovers haalt de man zijn schouders op. Blij dat we niet online alvast een kaart hebben gekocht.
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Polarized pattern: few middle ratings. 38% of recent reviews are 4–5★ and 53% are 1–2★.
Extremely Disappointing and Unprofessional Experience We had a terrible experience with this cruise company. We arrived in plenty of time for the 17:00 cruise we had booked the day before, but due to an unorganized and massive queue of tourists, we missed our scheduled boat through no fault of our own. When we approached the next boat, just minutes later, an employee told us we had to rebook our tickets at the desk upstairs. Once there, the staff member at the desk was rude and dismissive, insisting we had to pay an extra 5 euros to rebook — despite the delay being caused by their poor crowd management. We politely explained the situation, but instead of showing any understanding, she became increasingly unfriendly. She said she would ask her colleague, and when she did, he shockingly referred to us as “stupido” in Dutch — an absolutely unacceptable and insulting comment. This kind of treatment is embarrassing, unprofessional, and completely ruined what should have been a pleasant experience. I would not recommend this company to anyone expecting even the most basic level of customer service and respect. P.S. captain of the boat was nice and funny tho
Took one hour cruise. Audio guide was not working. We had a cruise 5 years ago with a different company where the operator gave us explanatoins of what we were seeing and was very friendly. Will definitely not take any cruises with the larger boats as it is just so impersonal.. The route that the boat took was quite boring as compared to the previous cruise
We hadden vandaag een rondvaart door de Amsterdamse grachten. Het was qua route niet de meest interessante tour die je kon hebben. Buiten langs via het IJ en daarna de Herengracht af. De gids dacht dat hij erg lollig was. Hij was uitermate negatief over Amsterdam, de burgemeester, de fietsers, de Nederlanders etc Er kwam geen positief geluid uit. Wie er al een jointje had gerookt (boot zat vol gezinnen met kinderen)? Nou hij wel en wij waren vast allemaal leugenaars. Het was vast lollig bedoeld allemaal maar wat ons betreft onprofessioneel en teleurstellend. Een kwinkslag mag best maar dit was niet ok. Datum van ervaring: 17 april 2025
We were under the impression that this tour was not closed in. It was and so was everyone on the boat. Packed like sardines we had poor audio, very dirty windows and not much fun. Everyone around us, very disappointed and you couldn't even see the top of the beautiful buildings. I do not recommend this tour at all.
1 star given as I would of got off after 5 minutes if I could have done. Loud 80's poor quality sound system blaring out, pizza cold and tasteless. Shared table (luckily with two lovely young girls who equally were really disappointed) Boat so steamed- up nothing could be seen, wiping windows didn't help, guides commentary was inaudible and what we did make out from the din was just lame. Wine or beer was not flowing, we had 3 small glasses max of Luke warm white wine - just don't bother it's cheap for a reason.
Belachelijk! Meer dan een uur in de rij. Chaos, geen structuur en geen organisatie rondom het Lightfestival in Amsterdam. Alle uren door elkaar in de rij. Niets geregeld voor mensen die slecht ter been zijn en geen enkele communicatie over hoe lang de rij nog gaat duren of waar de rij heen gaat. Gevaarlijke situaties rondom kruispunt en verkeer, omdat de rij zo extreem lang was. Verder krappe stoeltjes en korte snoer voor oordopjes als je aan het middenpad zat. Laatste stuk file aan boten en daardoor duurden het erg lang voordat er aangemeerd kon worden. En uiteraard een chagrijnige bestuurder/kapitein mocht niet ontbreken!
Ticket voor lichtfestival. Grote chaos bij het aanschuiven, alle uren door elkaar, mensen van meer dan een uur vroeger dan ons stonden er nog. 400 mensen aanschuiven voor boot tour. Reactie: Het is druk op het kanaal, je zou denken dat ze dit aankunnen en hiermee rekening houden. Er was ook niks te zien, dat ze dit lichtfestival durven te noemen. Veel betaald voor niks
So unorganised company. Customers should wait for about one hour in very cold weather outside, however we bought our tickets 2 days before online. Different time slots were mixed together in line and every thing very chaotic.
We booked on line for the light festival trip and were told to arrive 15 minutes early for our 7.15 trip, which we did there was an enormous queue . There was no real order to figure out if we were in line for the right boat that was setting off at 7.15. So we just we in line with the masses. The queue meandered back and for and took us One hour before we reached the cafe where we could get a drink to take on board . We followed those in from of us, no one checked our tickets and we got on. Despite so many people the boat was not filled. you could view from the side windows but not really clearly the top windows needed to be cleaned to see the view of the light installations from above. So you can't view much. The boat trip we paid for was 1.5 hours we were back at the dock within an hour with no explanation. Probably as there was such a queue of people waiting. The captain was entertaining at least, Really a rip off!
Tour van 17.15uur geboekt...werd aangeraden er om 17uur te zijn.... mochten plusmin om 17.40uur instappen. Stonden al die tijd in de regen met een klein kind. Boot was veel te vol. Konden met z'n 3en niet elkaar zitten. Oordopjes te kort als je aan het gangpad zit. Ramen waren alle beslagen. Dus we zagen bijna niets van de light tour. Eigenlijk is1 ster nog te veel. Sorry
Kaartjes met een tijdslot en dan buiten in de regen drie kwartier in de rij staan. Wat een beschamende chaos. Allemaal mopperende mensen.
WARNING SCAM!!!! I would give 0 stars if I could. I bought tickets for the Light Tour as a birthday gift for my wife. On-site, everything was very chaotic. We asked 4 team members about our boat and were sent to Pier 2, then to Pier 1, back to Pier 2, and finally boarded the wrong boat at Pier 1. No one checked our tickets to ensure we were in the right place. During the ride, we realized this was not the tour we had paid significantly MORE for. In the end, we spent an hour on a city tour in the dark where we could barely see anything—let alone any light installations. When we addressed the mistake, we were told to handle the refund ourselves and contact the online ticket vendor. In short, Lovers Cruises didn’t take responsibility for the issue, leaving us to solve the problem on our own. That’s what they call service? No help, no understanding. NEVER AGAIN! In the end, we saw nothing, got no money back, and were left with nothing but frustration. Save your money for something worthwhile in Amsterdam—aside from Lovers Cruises, the city is fantastic. I hope my review spares other guests the same misery.
We deden de lichtjestour. De plekken waren voorin de boot waar de ramen hoger zaten en we slecht zicht hadden. Het zicht naar voren is er niet. De boeg van de boot loopt hoog op. De kapitein zit hoog en kijkt wel op het water. Verder zijn er 6 persoonstafels. Waardoor een groot deel van de passagiers slecht uitzicht heeft. Het was een grote teleurstelling.
Awful experience. In July 2024 I booked six people on the Lovers Evening Dinner Canal Cruise schedule for Saturday November 30th. Total cost approx £420, through Viator. This was to be the highlight of our group visit to Amsterdam. On the afternoon of Friday 29th November (the day before the scheduled dinner cruise) I received an email saying "Your tour operator had to cancel your booking." No reason was given. No apology was given, the word "sorry" did NOT appear in the email. No alternative cruise or date was offered. Our group was desperately disappointed. So my advice is DONT USE LOVERS CANAL CRUISES. There are other companies available, select one of those instead.
Helaas, was deze rondvaart niet fijn. Wat een bijzondere middag moest worden met mijn kleindochter, werd onder andere verknoeid doordat elke 15 seconden er een motor heel hard aangezet werd, waardoor je niks meer verstond van wat er verteld werd door de hoofdtelefoon. Dat ging de hele rondvaart zo door , heel ergerlijk. De kapitein zou zelf eens op het achterdek moeten gaan zitten om dat te ervaren. Daarbij begin een ander bootje met 2 personen erin een stuurfout en dat bootje kwam tegen de rondvaartboot aan. Toen werd de hele boot in de bocht stilgelegd en kwam de kapitein op hoge poten naar het achterdek waar mijn kleindochter en ik zaten en begon op een meter afstand van ons tegen die onervaren mensen van dat bootje te tieren. We vonden het erg vervelend om dat te moeten meemaken. En het verknoeide ons uitje. Ook duurde het boot tochtje geen uur maar 50 minuten terwijl er bij de kassa werd gezegd en in de advertenties 1 uur rondvaart.
We ordered our tickets from Headout and I went there 4 hours earlier, showed our tickets and asked where we need to be and if there is anything else I need to do. They told me "nothing, just come 20 minutes in advance". Then we come again 20 minutes in advance as recommended and we are told that we paid for kids pizzas which is not written in the offer in headout. We were requested to pay 35 euros more and we were told that we were ordered margarita pizzas even though that neither me of my boyfriend eats that pizza. About the experience: The pizza wasn't good it was almost tasteless, we weren't told that the drinks are free so we and a lot of the people on the boat didn't drink much, the "guide" was so muffled that it was almost 100% inaudible we understood only partial words / subjects. The waiters were acting more like bottle girls then actual restaurant waiters. At the end he said something in the effect that if you are not happy with the service you can just get high and relax which even though it was a joke it was super disrespectful because for example I am pregnant and there we also 3-5 kids on the boat. Overall, it was super bad experience do not give them your money...
Impensable !!!!!ce sont des voleurs et des menteurs. Nous sommes arrivés devant le guichet pour prendre nos tickets ma nièce a demandé à la personne qui faisait l'accueil des passagers par quel chemin mon mari (qui est en fauteuil roulant)pouvait accéder aux bateaux. Cette personne lui explique par où il doit passer. Ensuite nous sommes allés prendre nos tickets ma nièce a précisé qu'il y avait 3 adultes dont a personne en fauteuil roulant. Il nous vend les 3 tickets .arrivés aux bateaux on nous dit que ce n'est pas accessible qu'ils ne peuvent pas nous accepter en fonction des assurances. De retour auguichet ils n'ont pas voulu nous rembourser (j'avais pourtant payer en espèce ).c'est honteux une fois de plus mon mari était déçu 😞 et désolé pour nous
LOVERS Canal Cruises is a premier provider of canal cruise experiences in Amsterdam, operating since 1956. The company offers a diverse range of cruises, including classic one-hour tours, evening excursions, and themed events such as the Amsterdam Light Festival cruise. With a focus on customer satisfaction, LOVERS Canal Cruises provides audio guides available in 19 languages, enabling guests to learn about the city's rich history and landmarks while enjoying scenic views from the water. Targeting both tourists and locals, LOVERS Canal Cruises caters to a wide audience seeking a unique way to explore Amsterdam's iconic canals. The company also offers various combi deals that allow customers to combine their canal cruise with other activities at discounted rates. With multiple departure locations and a commitment to exceptional service, LOVERS Canal Cruises is dedicated to providing memorable experiences for all visitors to Amsterdam.
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