Erie Canal Adventures, Macedon NY

OK, I let this simmer a while before writing a review. If I had posted this the day after we retuned it would have been 1-Star. The Staff at ECA were AMAZING and the Canal Boat spotlessly clean; thus, the 5-Star Review. But, we had a horrible trip, please let me explain. We are adventurers, so when we go on vacation we need some activity. But, this was more like spending a week on a Roman Slave Gally as an oarsman.it's work. LOTS of work! So, if you are looking to take a nice relaxing cruise and see lovely nature on the Erie Canal, this is not for you. To be fair, this is our fault, we just tried to do too much. We did a 7-Night cruise and went from Macedonia to North Tonawanda (LOVELY, but way too far), biked into Niagara Falls Canada, and then even hit Rochester on the way back; so we did everything and stopped in every town with a dock headed WEST. The towns just West of the ECA in Macedonia were very nice. But, once you go past Spencerport most of the towns are like scenes from The Walking Dead.businesses shuttered and nothing to see or do. Our night in Lockport we fell asleep to the sound of GUN SHOTS. HORRIBLE! My biggest complaint was the scenery, or lack of. The Erie Canal is just not that pretty; actually quite dirty in some towns. So, our recommendation is to do a three night cruise and go West and no further than Spencerport. That will give you a few lift bridges and a lock so you have the full "Erie Canal Experience". If you must do a full week, just do two nights at each town and still turn around at Spencerport.

Erie Canal Adventures offers the unique opportunity to cruise the canal! Despite being a native New Yorker I didn't really know much about the canal and its history. We did a four night cruise heading west on the canal. The boat was comfortable, well designed and we found it easy to drive. The locks are an amazing engineering feat - boaters are prepped for locks and bridges by the staff before departure. They were available and easy to work with throughout the process. It was a fun adventure!

We loved our Canadice packet boat trip. We mastered the locks, slept in port towns and enjoyed the well-maintained boat, kitchen, foredeck and saw glorious herons and even an osprey. Highly recommend this relaxing and renewing trip!

My wife & I chartered the canal boat, Cayuga, for a week and had a blast. Great boat, built like a tank and handled well (bow & stern thrusters!). It was a great adventure and a lot of fun. Easy to get groceries and an onsite laundry at the marina (we'd been on the road for awhile).

Good folks to deal with and really knew their boats. Highly recommend!

My girlfriend and I had this on our to-do list for a while and finally got the chance last week. What makes this extra cool is that it's not a cruise where you have a staff. It’s just you and whoever you’re travelling with. The first day starts with a training class, in the classroom to start but then you and a staff member take your boat out on the water to learn the boat operation and there is a nearby lock so you get to practice lock navigation during training. Our trainers were Evan and Chloe who were awesome. Once out on your own there is full time support from the staff only a phone call away. The locks can be a little tricky but for the most part the boats are easy to handle. They are like floating RV's and if you follow their itineraries you can easily find a port with pedestals which supply power and water hookups. You need to radio the lock operators and some bridge operators to lift some of the bridges but this is cool because it is part of the experience. The canal is usually very calm and the boat is sturdy so I hardly felt any movement even when the boat was in motion. We were on the Lockmaster 34, the smallest boat but I was surprised how well laid out it was. We’re both average sized so fit okay into the berth but some bigger people may find the bed a little cramped (or cozy) so keep that in mind. There were days we were on the water for 4-5 hours but we had such a good time we didn’t even notice. If you are into birding and bird photography like I am then there is a never ending supply of birds floating or flying. ONE CAVEAT: if you leave the boat and fully lock it up you need to crawl out the window in the bow to get out. If you have knee or hip issues this may be a little awkward.

If they had a sixth star we would give it. From the drive to the marina with clear signs pointing the way, to the help from the dock landing the boat on our return our adventure was A+ awesome.

The boat was clean and superbly equipped with linens and kitchen equipment. The instruction was clear and supported by a refresher video in case you forgot something.

I am a big guy and claustrophobic, but I never felt it, even in the shower (where the term “water closet” comes to mind.

We stopped at Fairport, Pittsford, and Spencerport for overnights. Docking was easy and kind of fun. Driving was simple. Get the blocks to stand on for better sight-lines. Going through the locks was easier than we feared, and a once in a lifetime experience (unless we come back)

We said to each other at the end of the first day, “If this was it, it would be a solid win! ”

Do it! There is nothing to be afraid of.

How great is it to captain your own ship on the Erie Canal and visit the small towns on its banks? Well, my 15-year-old son didn't complain once about not having access to his Xbox and he used his phone almost exclusively as a camera. The boat was perfectly outfitted, the staff guidance and support in learning how to guide it down the canals and through the locks was thorough and patient. We loved being able to bring our bikes so we could ride along the trail running parallel to the canal as well as to farther flung parts of the towns we visited, but if you don't like to bike, the town highlights are all very walkable. Sleeping quarters were comfy and there's just nothing like brewing up a coffee and sitting on deck as the sun rises over a cute little town. The part of the canal we toured (westward from Macedon) was largely lined by lush woods and wetlands, so we did see some great wildlife-herons, baby ducks and a bald eagle sighting. Going through the locks was a front row seat on history and engineering. We will be back-probably a few times!

We had a great time! My husband and I have never done anything like this before, and we didn't know what to expect, we just knew we wanted the experience and would try our best.
The folks at Erie Canal Adventures educate you on all aspects of the boat maintenance and operation. They supply you with info on ports, bridges, locks, and towns along the canal. We also took a short run out on the water with a company staff member who took us through a lock so we would have some experience on how to manage it ourselves. We are very glad they did!
The boats themselves are in great shape with lots of storage The kitchen was supplied with all our cooking and dining needs and the company also supplied bath and bed linens.
These two 'seniors' thoroughly enjoyed our three day adventure on the Erie canal- we wish we had done it sooner!

Erie Canal Adventure staff were helpful, professional and provided us with great information during training. We chartered three canal boats for our club week-long trip and we all had a great time! Thank you ECA staff!

We had a great, relaxing time. The boat was great, training helped us get familiar and comfortable with operation. We went west and enjoyed the village stops. I would highly recommend this experience.

If experiencing the canal and history is your cup of tea then I highly recommend Erie Canal Adventures. Boat and staff were wonderful.

I truly enjoyed my adventure on the Erie Canal. The personnel were professional and very friendly. They definitely knew their stuff (boating) and the training I received left me with a feeling of confidence and curiosity to explore.

Had a fantastic trip up to Lockport! We rented a car from there and went to Niagara Falls and finally got on the Maid Of the Mist! This was our 3rd trip up the canal. 2 with the last Co.and this time with Erie Canal Adventures. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM!

Highly recommend - even people who have never boated! You will feel comfortable after the training and shake down cruise when they ensure you have listened well to their detailed instructions. Boats are steel and quite solid, and will NOT go fast. Transiting the locks is so weird and neat, kids will love it. You cannot get lost, very little current, no tides! A different place to anchor each night at charming villages from the last century. Almost every village has shore power, wifi, hot showers, and stores or restaurants within walking distance. They're so clean, elves must come out and vacuum at night. What a fabulous trip!

My wife Colleen and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary on a 7day Erie Canal trip.

The historical canal, beautiful scenery, quaint towns and restaurants, canal boat and helpful Lock Master and Lift Bridge tenders made for a relaxing and memorable trip.

We really enjoyed our time on the canal. Boat was easy to navigate and very comfortable.

My husband and I rented a canal boat for a week. This was our first trip and we absolutely LOVED it! The training they give before setting sail was perfect in getting us up and going. We so enjoyed the scenery, the towns we stopped at, the people we met. The Erie Canal Adventure crew had great support while we were on the canal. The boat was clean and nice and they provided things for the beds, bath, and kitchen. It was truly one of our best vacations.

We had such a great time on our 4-day rental! We couldn't stop smiling throughout the trip - and neither could the people we passed by! Everything about this vacation was great. The leisurely pace of the boats is such a welcome change of speed, forcing us to relax and take a slower pace of life for a few days. The boats were well maintained, comfortable, well-appointed and surprisingly fun to drive. Lots of lovely, walkable small towns along the route, and peaceful breaks of solitude in between. Easy learning curve considering we're first-time boaters.
Navigating the locks and lift bridges (and learning to use the radio!) was entertaining. The entire experience was wonderful. And surprisingly good value-for-money too, considering accommodations are included!

We've been recommending the Erie Canal boat tours to friends & family ever since our trip!

If you have been thinking about a canal boat vacation but have not yet experienced it you are missing out! We recently returned from our seven-day trip and it was simply amazing!

Right from the start we could tell that we were dealing with an organization that are experts in what they do. We arrived slightly early and received a friendly greeting and directions to our boat, the Seneca. The crew was just finishing up with making the boat ready for us and we were able to get our food on ice before orientation began.

Orientation was put together very well with a combination classroom/video presentation and several printed handouts that we could take with us. Dell provided great info to augment the videos and answered all of our questions completely.

After orientation we moved our stuff onto the boat and got settled in. There were three of us, myself, my wife and her mom (in her 80s) and we had plenty of room. Shelly made sure that the boat was squeaky clean and in excellent condition. All dishes and linens were fresh, clean, and in plastic totes. We had ample time to unload the totes, fill the fridge and unpack our suitcases. There was more storage than we expected (which was a good thing!) and we left the totes and our suitcases in the car after they were emptied.

Sam, our onboard trainer, arrived next. He walked us through the boat systems and was very good at explaining and answering all of our questions. He then taught us some basic knots for tying up the boat that we had to demonstrate and we were ready for on-the-water training. Sam coached us out of the marina, taught us some maneuvers, and walked us through the operating capabilities of the boat. He then coached us through our first lock. That went great, so we u-turned and went back through the lock with Sam supervising our performance. We passed! We returned to base, said goodbye to Sam and were on our way west on the Erie Canal!

I had spent a lot of time planning our trip using the resources provided by Erie Canal Adventures and the internet. During the pre-planning Allie was a great contact for answering questions about the boat, both by phone and email. She, like everyone else we met at ECA, was intent on giving us the best vacation possible.

We spent the week enjoying the towns to the west of Macedon, as far as Medina. The town information for restaurants, etc.provided by ECA was excellent. Special kudos to Susan and the staff at the Brockport Visitor Center for over-and-above hospitality! Planning and knowing in advance where we were going each day made the trip much easier. The Erie Canal Adventures smart phone app was a great cruising tool for navigation knowledge, FAQs, etc.

Boats are boats, and boats sometimes break. We experienced a non-safety related issue toward the end of our trip and the manner which ECA addressed it was simply outstanding. It happened on a Sunday afternoon and, since we were near the ECA base, we decided to make our way there in order to have the problem looked at in the morning. We notified ECA by using the app and within minutes our phone rang. Brian, who is the owner of Erie Canal Adventures, was calling to ask about the problem. We discussed it, and we assured him that we were OK. Brian promised us that his team would address the problem first thing Monday morning. We made it to the base without issue and were surprised when Brian showed up at the boat. He checked a few things but the problem persisted, so he again promised to have his team look at it first thing Monday morning. The problem was resolved Monday morning and we continued on our vacation happy with the knowledge that our vacation and 100% satisfaction was the goal of Brian and the entire ECA staff.

We drove from Minnesota to experience the Erie Canal, and we would love to do it again. There is no other company that we would even consider booking the experience with. Thank you, Erie Canal Adventures!