https://www.facebook.com/MichelleFerrericom/videos/427128454569218/
Our family loves to travel.
I had always wanted to rent a houseboat, so you can imagine how excited we were when owners Jill and Frank Quast of Happy Days Houseboats agreed to partner with us and let us share our experience aboard one of their stunning luxury model houseboats for five days.
It was one of the best family vacations we’ve ever had!
But WHY was a rental houseboat so amazing?
- It brings everyone together as a family. You have to work together and communicate! You are all responsible for the ship and everyone has a job and purpose, which builds confidence and knowledge for EVERYONE! In a world of screens and busy schedules, the Happy Days Houseboat experience does what I believe to be the most important thing for happy and healthy families: It connected us.
- It is exciting!!! To travel the Trent Severn Waterway is AMAZING! The lock system is so impressive, the lock staff are superb at customer service and life on the water is peace and serenity!
- It is adventurous! We had the opportunity to explore islands, star gaze from the top deck and see stars you would never see in the city, watch wildlife and go where no car or truck could ever go!
- The locks and marinas allow you to visit the cutest towns ever! Lovesick lake, Buckhorn, Burleigh Falls, Bobcaygeon, there are so many wonderful communities to explore and see. Docking the boat, going for a walk, meeting others on the water, it is so much FUN!
As you may have noticed, we truly fell in love with the experience and would highly recommend it to any family looking for adventure and connection!!
Watch a tour of the Happy EH! houseboat that we loved so much!
I also think it would be an amazing girls or guys trip, any company looking to build leaders would definitely benefit from investing in this experience for their staff. I learned more about myself as a captain than I could have at any conference.
Happy Days Houseboats is a family run business and with the essence of family and connection at the core.
They are professionals who have seen and dealt with every possible situation. The staff fully prepare you to handle the ship and the water.
You do not need a boater’s license to operate the boat, which I think was the most surprising fact for me. I did captain the 52 foot ship and I am proud to say, I did it very well! We had no accidents, bumps or issues and we went through four locks.
Click here to watch a video with the person who taught me to captain the boat!
Our boat, Happy EH!, is the Cadillac of Happy Days Houseboats, it is a luxury ship with a stunning kitchen, two bathrooms, two showers, and outdoor top level kitchen area, two barbecues, satellite TV, four bedrooms and two other beds, meaning it sleeps 12 people… comfortably!!
There are other models available, but I can tell you we were beyond impressed with the luxury model, and so was everyone else on the water! We were constantly stopped and asked questions about the beautiful ship.
The cost of rentals varies depending the season and which model you rent. Click here to view all the pricing details. Fuel is extra (note below).
Where do you stay when you rent a Happy Days Houseboat? Click to watch!
A couple things I would add/suggest:
- Make a meal plan and get everyone to help with this.
- Don’t stress if you forget anything. There are stores at every lock and everything is within an hour or less boat ride. I forgot milk for cereal and it was no big deal at all.
- Don’t worry about getting lost. I was kind of stressed about this before we left, I was worried I wouldn’t know where to go. My sense of direction on the water is not great, but by day two I had the hang of it. There are so many maps and the Trent Severn waterway is well marked and is easy to handle. Also the Happy Days Houseboats staff are on call 24/7 with any questions and concerns. It’s like being on a floating luxury hotel with the peace of mind to know that concierge is literally a phone call away!
- Also when you’re packing, be sure to look at the Happy Days Houseboats website, because they outline everything on each model! Our boat even had a vacuum and a broom!
Other info you might be wondering about
Fuel Costs: Each houseboat comes with a full tank of gas and fuel costs are paid for at the completion of the rental. Fuel works out to be approximately $12-14 per boating hour.
Lock passes are included the rental rate. You do not need to buy your own separate lock passes.
The memories we made were invaluable, I cannot say enough about this experience and can’t wait to do it again! Thank you so much to the staff and owners of Happy Days Houseboats, you certainly made this family very happy!
