Voyagaire Houseboats
Voyagaire Houseboats
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4.5
38 opiniones
Excelente
29
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Horrible
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Sydney L
24 aportes
nov. de 2022 • Familia
Wow! What a spectacular family vacation. This is the best national park that you’ve never heard of. Picture the most beautiful lake you’ve ever seen with private islands where you pull your houseboat up to and explore as if your the first family to ever see them.
Voyagaire is the best company in the best location with the best service. You forgot something? They will bring it out to you. You need advice on where to dock? They will point you in the right direction.
We’ve already booked for next summer! Do this!
Voyagaire is the best company in the best location with the best service. You forgot something? They will bring it out to you. You need advice on where to dock? They will point you in the right direction.
We’ve already booked for next summer! Do this!
Escrita el 12 de noviembre de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Chris S
3 aportes
sept. de 2022
TL;DR: You absolutely must see Voyageurs NP, but you probably shouldn’t rent a houseboat from Voyagaire. Tired equipment and poor customer service spoiled our adventure.
We rented a houseboat and fishing boat for a week to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday. We were having a good time until, on our third day, the seat in the fishing boat broke off the pedestal, sending my dad ass over teakettle and crashing his neck on the bulkhead behind him. Looking at the pedestal base, it obviously wasn’t the first time the seat screws have pulled through the mounting plate. Although the nurses in our party determined Dad hadn’t broken anything, the next morning he was in a lot of pain. With the guest of honor out of commission, our little adventure was over, and we headed back to the lodge.
We were told that we could stay at the lodge for the rest of the week and continue to use the fishing boat, and that Voyagaire was going to “comp” us around $1,500 against our bill for our trouble. I was unable, however, to pin down the manager to get a written summary of exactly what we were going to be charged for. At checkout, we learned that Gina, the manager who had promised us the written summary, was no longer employed at Voyagaire. The final invoice showed that Voyagaire had comped us the nights at the lodge, credited us for half the rental fee for the fishing boat, waived a $250 charge for accidental damage to the houseboat, and given us one free dinner at the lodge.
What they would not do, however, was give us any refund or credit against our weeklong rental of the houseboat itself, and I was told that I would need to speak to the owner if I wasn’t satisfied. I did attempt to reach the owner at Voyagaire after getting home, but was told that the owner was familiar with what had happened and considered the matter closed. We ended up paying Voyagaire basically the same amount of money as we would have if we’d been out on a houseboat as intended.
Their response was a big disappointment. From a money perspective, the complimentary nights at the lodge didn't hold a lot of value for us--just a place to sleep. Only one of us had any use for the fishing boat after our return to the lodge. Money aside, it took a lot of advance planning to get the whole family in the same place at the same time, and it's unlikely to happen again.
Aside from the broken seat in the fishing boat, we weren’t impressed by the condition of the houseboat. The beds and seating had seen better days, especially the fold-out couches, which none of us could use for either sitting or sleeping. The only comfortable chair was the office-type chair apparently intended for use as a captain’s chair. The heater wasn’t working, and after the first night, the carbon monoxide alarms started going off just about every time we fired up the AC generator.
Positives: the kitchen facilities were good, making it easy to feed a group of six (though the oven, microwave, and coffee maker required running the troublesome AC generator). The battery/inverter provided to power dad's CPAP was a godsend. The dock staff and the folks running out with deliveries and responding to calls for help were great, and the four-stroke motors powering the houseboat and the fishing boat were surprisingly efficient.
We rented a houseboat and fishing boat for a week to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday. We were having a good time until, on our third day, the seat in the fishing boat broke off the pedestal, sending my dad ass over teakettle and crashing his neck on the bulkhead behind him. Looking at the pedestal base, it obviously wasn’t the first time the seat screws have pulled through the mounting plate. Although the nurses in our party determined Dad hadn’t broken anything, the next morning he was in a lot of pain. With the guest of honor out of commission, our little adventure was over, and we headed back to the lodge.
We were told that we could stay at the lodge for the rest of the week and continue to use the fishing boat, and that Voyagaire was going to “comp” us around $1,500 against our bill for our trouble. I was unable, however, to pin down the manager to get a written summary of exactly what we were going to be charged for. At checkout, we learned that Gina, the manager who had promised us the written summary, was no longer employed at Voyagaire. The final invoice showed that Voyagaire had comped us the nights at the lodge, credited us for half the rental fee for the fishing boat, waived a $250 charge for accidental damage to the houseboat, and given us one free dinner at the lodge.
What they would not do, however, was give us any refund or credit against our weeklong rental of the houseboat itself, and I was told that I would need to speak to the owner if I wasn’t satisfied. I did attempt to reach the owner at Voyagaire after getting home, but was told that the owner was familiar with what had happened and considered the matter closed. We ended up paying Voyagaire basically the same amount of money as we would have if we’d been out on a houseboat as intended.
Their response was a big disappointment. From a money perspective, the complimentary nights at the lodge didn't hold a lot of value for us--just a place to sleep. Only one of us had any use for the fishing boat after our return to the lodge. Money aside, it took a lot of advance planning to get the whole family in the same place at the same time, and it's unlikely to happen again.
Aside from the broken seat in the fishing boat, we weren’t impressed by the condition of the houseboat. The beds and seating had seen better days, especially the fold-out couches, which none of us could use for either sitting or sleeping. The only comfortable chair was the office-type chair apparently intended for use as a captain’s chair. The heater wasn’t working, and after the first night, the carbon monoxide alarms started going off just about every time we fired up the AC generator.
Positives: the kitchen facilities were good, making it easy to feed a group of six (though the oven, microwave, and coffee maker required running the troublesome AC generator). The battery/inverter provided to power dad's CPAP was a godsend. The dock staff and the folks running out with deliveries and responding to calls for help were great, and the four-stroke motors powering the houseboat and the fishing boat were surprisingly efficient.
Escrita el 31 de octubre de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
MBC
Morehead, KY14 aportes
sept. de 2022
We rented a 60' Houseboat and a 16' 50HP Fishing boat this past summer.
The Houseboat was new and in excellent condition. The Lodge folks were great to deal with and welcoming. The Lakes are spectacular, and the region is truly stunning!
A couple of suggestions; bring an Ipad loaded with the Navionics Program so you will be able to navigate. There is almost no phone signal but the GPS works anywhere with your Ipad. Trying to navigate off the small screen of your cell phone is very difficult! Bring some good old fashioned paper maps.
The 16' 50 HP Fishing boat was terrible! A litteral piece of ...! I wish I was able to bring my own boat on this trip. The swimming was excellenmt and the smallies were hot!
We will be back to Voyagers Park and the Western end of the Boundary Waters!
The Houseboat was new and in excellent condition. The Lodge folks were great to deal with and welcoming. The Lakes are spectacular, and the region is truly stunning!
A couple of suggestions; bring an Ipad loaded with the Navionics Program so you will be able to navigate. There is almost no phone signal but the GPS works anywhere with your Ipad. Trying to navigate off the small screen of your cell phone is very difficult! Bring some good old fashioned paper maps.
The 16' 50 HP Fishing boat was terrible! A litteral piece of ...! I wish I was able to bring my own boat on this trip. The swimming was excellenmt and the smallies were hot!
We will be back to Voyagers Park and the Western end of the Boundary Waters!
Escrita el 22 de octubre de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Alr63
Minneapolis, MN20 aportes
jul. de 2022 • Familia
The staff and customer service are excellent, so I hesitate to leave a harsh review about the boat itself. But especially given how central the actual accommodations are when you’re remote from everything else, and given the cost of renting a houseboat—even at the lowest price point—I’m writing the kind of review I wish I could’ve seen when deciding whether or where to rent a houseboat in Voyageurs NP. If you’re okay with spending this much money to get out into otherwise beautiful isolation (which is the best part!) and won’t mind being in what could be described as a rough-around-the-edges camper on pontoons, then go for it. The landscapes/waterscapes are gorgeous and the novelty of a houseboat is fun—if you can get past how past-its-prime the boat is.
We rented a Suncruiser Deluxe, which ends up being more than $600/night when you add taxes, trip insurance, damage protection, gas, tips, etc. I don’t know how the other houseboat companies in Voyageurs compare in terms of quality, but if we did this again and were willing to spend the same amount, we’d rent a cabin and fishing boat instead.
One of the biggest drawbacks was that in the July heat there were no screen doors to provide a cross breeze or ventilation on the boat—only very small side windows that don’t open very far. Since the density of MN mosquitos makes it impossible to keep doors open without screens, any time we wanted to be inside it was uncomfortably hot, and at night it was miserably so given the temperatures during our stay (this got somewhat better on days the weather cooled, and once we realized the need to keep the blinds down all day—which made the boat feel a bit cave-like; we avoided using the interior lights on the boat since these put out so much heat).
Some drawbacks were also outside the control of Voyagaires, but made the poor conditions on the boat matter more than they might have otherwise. Storm warnings were issued on each day of our trip, so we didn’t venture out as far into the park as we’d hoped we’d be able to. The storms never hit us, so we were able to enjoy swimming and boating around our cove, but it meant we spent all our time either on or near the boat. We’d imagined it would be possible to explore one of the NP visitors centers and Kettle Falls, but even with a 4-night stay, these were too far from Crane Lake given the need to stay in place for possible storms. With less mobility for these and accessing hiking trails than we’d anticipated, the conditions on the boat we were confined were especially disappointing.
We rented a Suncruiser Deluxe, which ends up being more than $600/night when you add taxes, trip insurance, damage protection, gas, tips, etc. I don’t know how the other houseboat companies in Voyageurs compare in terms of quality, but if we did this again and were willing to spend the same amount, we’d rent a cabin and fishing boat instead.
One of the biggest drawbacks was that in the July heat there were no screen doors to provide a cross breeze or ventilation on the boat—only very small side windows that don’t open very far. Since the density of MN mosquitos makes it impossible to keep doors open without screens, any time we wanted to be inside it was uncomfortably hot, and at night it was miserably so given the temperatures during our stay (this got somewhat better on days the weather cooled, and once we realized the need to keep the blinds down all day—which made the boat feel a bit cave-like; we avoided using the interior lights on the boat since these put out so much heat).
Some drawbacks were also outside the control of Voyagaires, but made the poor conditions on the boat matter more than they might have otherwise. Storm warnings were issued on each day of our trip, so we didn’t venture out as far into the park as we’d hoped we’d be able to. The storms never hit us, so we were able to enjoy swimming and boating around our cove, but it meant we spent all our time either on or near the boat. We’d imagined it would be possible to explore one of the NP visitors centers and Kettle Falls, but even with a 4-night stay, these were too far from Crane Lake given the need to stay in place for possible storms. With less mobility for these and accessing hiking trails than we’d anticipated, the conditions on the boat we were confined were especially disappointing.
Escrita el 9 de octubre de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Amie
Alachua, FL3 aportes
ago. de 2022 • Pareja
First time to Voyageurs National Park and first time on a houseboat - it was awesome and we wish we would have booked a longer stay! Boat was comfy and the staff were great along with everything they offer. Was told to truly visit this park you needed to be on the water and I couldn’t agree more - if you’re on the fence or wondering if it’s worth the money - do it!
Escrita el 13 de agosto de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Karen V
1 aporte
jul. de 2022 • Familia
I admit with new owners we were wondering if it would be as good. Fortunately it was. Saw some of the same staff. Everything was fantastic.
We had some problems with the boat most of which we created, they were excellent in coming to help us out.
The food was great.
Saw some updates were made and some services added. We again had a great time. So much to do.
We had some problems with the boat most of which we created, they were excellent in coming to help us out.
The food was great.
Saw some updates were made and some services added. We again had a great time. So much to do.
Escrita el 30 de julio de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Joan L
Prior Lake, MN2 aportes
sept. de 2021 • Pareja
Stained seats and couches had lost their spring. The windows were dirty and we had to set traps for mice. For the price this didn't seem adequate.
We enjoyed the fishing and scenery. Maybe 5 nights would have been better than 7.
The Staff was amazing and our night at the Lodge very comfortable!
We enjoyed the fishing and scenery. Maybe 5 nights would have been better than 7.
The Staff was amazing and our night at the Lodge very comfortable!
Escrita el 4 de octubre de 2021
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
John S
Franklin, WI47 aportes
sept. de 2021
The folks at Voyagaire were super helpful and super friendly!
Our trip consisted of 4 couples who had been BWCA and Quetico canoe companions for years - but who had gotten old. We decided that renting a houseboat and sailing in the lakes adjacent to the BWCA would be a great thing for us - and it was! We rented a very large and comfortable houseboat that accommodated this crew of old-timers (70+) and had ourselves a great time! The women (a.k.a. Nature Queens) had plenty of paddling, hiking, and nature-watching experiences. Those who wanted to fish, had great opportunities. Those who wanted to relax and read had plenty of time and sun to do that.
Again, the folks at Voyagaire made it very easy to plan and carry our our trip! They even have concierge service for those boats that need supplies in mid-trip! (we heard one radio exchange: "Base, we need 2 packs of Marlboro, 2 bags of ice, some nightcrawlers, and a chocolate cake." "Uh, roger that; we'll be there with your supplies at around 2:00 pm."!!
They helped us with our planning ahead of the trip and Mike gave us us a great going-over of the boat before we launched.
It was a great trip for this crew, lovers of the BWCA and environs!
Our trip consisted of 4 couples who had been BWCA and Quetico canoe companions for years - but who had gotten old. We decided that renting a houseboat and sailing in the lakes adjacent to the BWCA would be a great thing for us - and it was! We rented a very large and comfortable houseboat that accommodated this crew of old-timers (70+) and had ourselves a great time! The women (a.k.a. Nature Queens) had plenty of paddling, hiking, and nature-watching experiences. Those who wanted to fish, had great opportunities. Those who wanted to relax and read had plenty of time and sun to do that.
Again, the folks at Voyagaire made it very easy to plan and carry our our trip! They even have concierge service for those boats that need supplies in mid-trip! (we heard one radio exchange: "Base, we need 2 packs of Marlboro, 2 bags of ice, some nightcrawlers, and a chocolate cake." "Uh, roger that; we'll be there with your supplies at around 2:00 pm."!!
They helped us with our planning ahead of the trip and Mike gave us us a great going-over of the boat before we launched.
It was a great trip for this crew, lovers of the BWCA and environs!
Escrita el 28 de septiembre de 2021
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
M. Fink
1 aporte
jul. de 2021 • Amigos
First, I'd like to say how wonderful the staff at both the lodge and the marina are. They are friendly and very kind and helpful. The food is really good and the bloody Mary's are delish!
Second, we had this trip planned for well over a year with people coming from Ohio and California for this "luxury cruising at it's best". We rented the largest houseboat in the fleet, the Isabelle. The cost before flights, food and alcohol for a week was over $7000 dollars. We were to have a/c, a hot tub and a safe vessel to navigate. Instead we got a run down, way past her prime, dangerous derelict of a houseboat. Steering was almost completely gone. A really nice guy named Blackhawk worked on it for over an hour and said "it's a little better". A/C could not handle the 110° heat in the main galley which is entirely glass. There was suppose to be curtains but they were gone and never replaced. We had to throw the hot tub cover over the glass top to provide shade inside and used towels and blankets duct taped to the windows as curtains. In the bunk rooms it was at least 120°. Most screens on windows were torn allowing tons of mosquitoes and flies in. The hot tub didn't work even after my husband was instructed to "just touch these two wires together". No button just wires. The gas stove top leaked gas when not turned to a wonkie position and the wall heaters sparked when turned on. We lost over $100 in meat because the 2 "full size" refrigerators were NOT full size and food had to be stored in coolers.
The upper deck was so hot you couldn't walk in it barefooted. The outdoor carpet had been scraped off and never replaced.
In conclusion, two of our guests left after only 2 days and the rest if us came in a day early due to the condition of the houseboat. We did make our grievances known to the managers. We requested half off the price of the houseboat. They would only agree to 30%. Better than nothing but I'm still very disappointed as are my friends and relatives that traveled great distances to enjoy what Voyagaire advertised. It was nothing like they (Voyagaire) claims. Which is too bad. If they put some work into the boats they'd have a really great thing going.
The Crane Gang
Second, we had this trip planned for well over a year with people coming from Ohio and California for this "luxury cruising at it's best". We rented the largest houseboat in the fleet, the Isabelle. The cost before flights, food and alcohol for a week was over $7000 dollars. We were to have a/c, a hot tub and a safe vessel to navigate. Instead we got a run down, way past her prime, dangerous derelict of a houseboat. Steering was almost completely gone. A really nice guy named Blackhawk worked on it for over an hour and said "it's a little better". A/C could not handle the 110° heat in the main galley which is entirely glass. There was suppose to be curtains but they were gone and never replaced. We had to throw the hot tub cover over the glass top to provide shade inside and used towels and blankets duct taped to the windows as curtains. In the bunk rooms it was at least 120°. Most screens on windows were torn allowing tons of mosquitoes and flies in. The hot tub didn't work even after my husband was instructed to "just touch these two wires together". No button just wires. The gas stove top leaked gas when not turned to a wonkie position and the wall heaters sparked when turned on. We lost over $100 in meat because the 2 "full size" refrigerators were NOT full size and food had to be stored in coolers.
The upper deck was so hot you couldn't walk in it barefooted. The outdoor carpet had been scraped off and never replaced.
In conclusion, two of our guests left after only 2 days and the rest if us came in a day early due to the condition of the houseboat. We did make our grievances known to the managers. We requested half off the price of the houseboat. They would only agree to 30%. Better than nothing but I'm still very disappointed as are my friends and relatives that traveled great distances to enjoy what Voyagaire advertised. It was nothing like they (Voyagaire) claims. Which is too bad. If they put some work into the boats they'd have a really great thing going.
The Crane Gang
Escrita el 28 de agosto de 2021
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Cindy W
2 aportes
ago. de 2021 • Solitario
3 reasons we will not return!
1- We were charged for a propeller we did not damage! Before going out on our houseboat, the deck-hand showed us the propeller blades that were a little rough around the edges but in good working condition. The deck-hand made written notes about the blades. We had a good 3-night trip, never hit rock, wood or debris and returned the boat in the same working condition. On returning, another deck-hand claimed we hit something and roughed up the propeller blades. So he charged us for 3 new blades. We had no pictures of the blades before the trip and we needed to get to church so we paid for the propeller and left. I wrote the owners the next day. They looked into the matter but will not show us the notes written on check-in and do not believe what we said about the blades. The owners concluded that “the props were in worse shape than when we left”; no proof/no pics, just their word against our word. I don’t understand how the boat operated so well on our return trip if the propeller blades were in such “worse shape”.
Also Voyagaire does not print or send you a receipt after your trip.
2- The deck crew knowingly sent us out with a broken fuel gauge. When leaving a deck-hand told us the gas gauge was broken but we had nothing to worry about because we had 60 gallons in 2 separate fuel tanks. However, our motor died when the 20-gallon tank ran out of gas because we had no way of knowing that it was time to switch to the 40-gallon tank. We were left adrift in strong winds while trying to restart a finicky motor. The crew or owners were not much concerned about a broken fuel gauge but they were concerned about a propeller we didn’t damage- they got $ from us for that.
3- The lake map on the boat is glued to a large board that can’t be taken out on your smaller pull behind boat. We tried to buy another map at the office before we left but they were out. Plus most of the ‘mooring’ sites are unofficial (not built buy the park), difficult to find and in poorer condition.
Voyagaire Houseboats can keep 2 stars because because they helped us print our houseboat park permit and the inside of the houseboat was decent enough.
Years ago we used Rainy Lake Houseboats in International Falls and we had no problems that come close to the ones we described.
3 pieces of advice for future houseboat renters:
1st- go to Rainy Lake Houseboats also part of Voyageur National Park.
2nd- when you get to your houseboat take pictures of the motor, prop and anything off-kilter on your houseboat.
3rd- make sure you are provided with good maps that can be taken on your pull-along boat.
This trip was just my husband and I.
1- We were charged for a propeller we did not damage! Before going out on our houseboat, the deck-hand showed us the propeller blades that were a little rough around the edges but in good working condition. The deck-hand made written notes about the blades. We had a good 3-night trip, never hit rock, wood or debris and returned the boat in the same working condition. On returning, another deck-hand claimed we hit something and roughed up the propeller blades. So he charged us for 3 new blades. We had no pictures of the blades before the trip and we needed to get to church so we paid for the propeller and left. I wrote the owners the next day. They looked into the matter but will not show us the notes written on check-in and do not believe what we said about the blades. The owners concluded that “the props were in worse shape than when we left”; no proof/no pics, just their word against our word. I don’t understand how the boat operated so well on our return trip if the propeller blades were in such “worse shape”.
Also Voyagaire does not print or send you a receipt after your trip.
2- The deck crew knowingly sent us out with a broken fuel gauge. When leaving a deck-hand told us the gas gauge was broken but we had nothing to worry about because we had 60 gallons in 2 separate fuel tanks. However, our motor died when the 20-gallon tank ran out of gas because we had no way of knowing that it was time to switch to the 40-gallon tank. We were left adrift in strong winds while trying to restart a finicky motor. The crew or owners were not much concerned about a broken fuel gauge but they were concerned about a propeller we didn’t damage- they got $ from us for that.
3- The lake map on the boat is glued to a large board that can’t be taken out on your smaller pull behind boat. We tried to buy another map at the office before we left but they were out. Plus most of the ‘mooring’ sites are unofficial (not built buy the park), difficult to find and in poorer condition.
Voyagaire Houseboats can keep 2 stars because because they helped us print our houseboat park permit and the inside of the houseboat was decent enough.
Years ago we used Rainy Lake Houseboats in International Falls and we had no problems that come close to the ones we described.
3 pieces of advice for future houseboat renters:
1st- go to Rainy Lake Houseboats also part of Voyageur National Park.
2nd- when you get to your houseboat take pictures of the motor, prop and anything off-kilter on your houseboat.
3rd- make sure you are provided with good maps that can be taken on your pull-along boat.
This trip was just my husband and I.
Escrita el 27 de agosto de 2021
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Hi - Just curious about the amount of time it takes to get from the dock at Voyagaire up to Namakan Lake in a houseboat?