Considering Voyages to Antiquity Cruise; Seeking Feedback

[Escriteur]

Hello,

 

My husband and I are planning a cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and we're looking at an Istanbul to Athens sailing with Voyages to Antiquity (Aegean Odyssey). I'm just wondering if any of you have sailed with them and have any feedback?

 

I'd be especially interested in learning about details not covered in the brochure/website, like any activities offered onboard (apart from the lecturers and classical musicians). I know there's no casino or disco, but I'm wondering if they do wine tastings, cooking lessons, trivia games, etc. Also, I'm curious if the satellite TV offers any movie channels, or just television shows. Of course, we're primarily going for the itinerary/sightseeing rather than for the ship's offerings, but it would be nice to know what kind of other activities are available on sea days/evenings. Have any of you discovered any hidden gems (restaurants, tavernas, shops, etc.) at the ports on this route?

 

Also, I'd appreciate any feedback on the included air/hotel program, like what airlines they use and how the hotels were. After being on cramped World Airways charter flights for previous cruises, we're hoping they use commercial flights. I'm also curious to know about business class upgrades - they advertise they're available "at reasonable cost" but don't give any indication of what the price might be.

 

Looking forward to any feedback (good or bad) any of you may have to share. Thanks in advance...!

[patseacruiser]

They have the usual TV news channels like CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, 4 movie channels, a navigational channel and 4 radio channels.

 

In Istanbul it is the Grand Bretagne and the room depends on the class of cabin you purchase.

 

In Athens it is the Grand Hyatt for the premium cabins and Conrad Hilton for the standard cabins.

 

They use only regularly scheduled airlines - no charters.

 

Forgot to add: no trivia, cooking, etc. After a long day of touring the passengers generally want to sit up top and sip some wine and share some comradeship before retiring to start their busy day tomorrow.

[cruisemom42]

I've been on 2 Voyages to Antiquity cruises and am looking at a third, so I guess you could say that I like their product.

 

They have been one of the easiest lines to work with in terms of air. Flights offered are generally good and deviations (if you want to go in earlier or leave later, or if you want to pick your own favorite airline/flights) are very reasonable.

 

They stay in top hotels.

 

Onboard entertainment you will find to be very laid back. You are generally in port and on tours for a long part of every day. By the time you return, clean up for dinner (which is a nice "event" if you choose to eat in the dining room and can be leisurely), and then take in the evening's briefing and perhaps lecture, you'll find quite a few people are ready for bed. If not, there is live music and a bit of (sedate) dancing in the lounge. On my second cruise, they did set up and show a couple of movies in the forward lounge in the evening (oldies, but related to our itinerary).

 

On the (few) sea days, again it's very low key. No trivia, bingo, casino, or cooking classes. I have yet to visit the exercise/spa area (not my thing) but again there is no big push. What they do have is lovely, comfortable loungers with thick cushions where you can relax, write notes/postcards, read a book, etc and watch the sea slip by. :)

 

TV reception I have found to be spotty when at sea. They show some movies on the in-cabin TV too.

 

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer.

[Escriteur]

Thanks so much for providing feedback, @patseacruiser and @cruisemom42! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.

 

As it turns out, we had to move up our trip because my husband just accepted a part-time evening/weekend teaching position at a local community college, and the dates no longer worked for us. So we've booked a cruise to Tahiti on the Paul Gauguin instead.

 

But It was great to get some positive feedback on this cruise line. Hopefully we'll have an opportunity to sail with Voyages to Antiquity for our next big trip!

 

Thanks again, and happy travels to you both!

[rugbypopsie]

Just this week I read the most complimentary (unpaid) review of the Aegean Odyysey by someone who had travelled on the earlier voyage and came back to see if the earlier hiccups had been fixed...they gave the cruise a total thumbs up...I am booked for September and cant wait.

 

Instanbul has been featured on a tv program tonight...so exciting to think I will be there in a few months.

 

Sue

[Escriteur]

Thanks for the update, Sue! :)

 

As mentioned in my earlier post, I wasn't able to book the Aegean Odyssey this year because of scheduling conflicts, but I definitely hope to sail with Voyages to Antiquity someday in the future. I hope you'll post a review of your own trip when you return - and please shoot me a message here if you do; I'd love to read it!

 

I noticed that for 2013 sailings, they no longer offer a 2-night stay in Athens. That's a shame, and really makes me wish we had been able to book this year. But I hope you enjoy your trip - Voyages to Antiquity certainly offers some amazing itineraries!

 

Best regards,

Shay

[bcscot]

Just this week I read the most complimentary (unpaid) review of the Aegean Odyysey by someone who had travelled on the earlier voyage and came back to see if the earlier hiccups had been fixed...they gave the cruise a total thumbs up...I am booked for September and cant wait.

 

Instanbul has been featured on a tv program tonight...so exciting to think I will be there in a few months.

 

Sue

 

We too, are looking forward to our V2A trip in Asia in January. It is nice not to have to worry about organising tours in less frequented ports and not have to go on the mass market versions, being herded around like cattle.

I hope that you enjoy your cruise. I would also be interested in your report.

[Jaxlady]

Hi Everyone,

I need to know if anyone had the same problem that we are having. My Husband and I were on the Viking River Cruise on June 1 - 12 from Shanghai to Beijing. There was a charge on our Visa card for the General Carpet Store in Shanghai. We found out later this is the same amount we charged for our tips aboard the riverboat. We did not purchase anything at the rug store nor were we in Shanghai at that time. I have a call into the customer relations at

Viking. Please e-mail me if you can help me out.

 

RNKatcher@yahoo.com

[HDS]

Jaxlady,

I hope Visa and Viking will sort this out for you fast. It's a rotten end to a holiday but could be an Visa operator error.

You might find more readers who have sailed with Viking if you post this on the River Cruise board. It's in the Special Interests Cruising section.

Good luck!

[Barbwire Bunny]

We were considering booking the Sept. 26, 2012 Istanbul to Athens cruise but started looking at the excursions & noticed that there were lots of half-day tours & I think only one full day of touring. Are we supposed to do research and figure out what to do the other half of the day in port? I know that Regent includes excursions but their web-site doesn't state what times the different excursions start, so maybe we will be doing half day tours on that line as well. We think free time is for sea days & like to jam as much into one day in port as possible. Is VTA (or Regent) for us? :confused:

[rugbypopsie]

We were considering booking the Sept. 26, 2012 Istanbul to Athens cruise but started looking at the excursions & noticed that there were lots of half-day tours & I think only one full day of touring. Are we supposed to do research and figure out what to do the other half of the day in port? I know that Regent includes excursions but their web-site doesn't state what times the different excursions start, so maybe we will be doing half day tours on that line as well. We think free time is for sea days & like to jam as much into one day in port as possible. Is VTA (or Regent) for us? :confused:

 

Hi,

 

I think the idea behind half day tours is so you also have free time to do your own thing...I think they are high quality and quite intensive...unlike the half day ones the standard cruise lines offer which is often more like a bus ride. The tours are all included on V to A as are gratuties..so it all saves you a fair bit of cash to splash out in port. The Med is very port intensive with a port every day..we only have one sea day I think.

 

Anyway we are off next month so I will fill you in when we get back.

 

Sue

[the bees knees]

I've done 7 day cruises and the Panama Canal with lots of sea days in the 14 day trip. I'm thinking of Bail to Bangkok in January but don't know if 21 days is just too long. Any thoughts from anyone?

[rugbypopsie]

I've done 7 day cruises and the Panama Canal with lots of sea days in the 14 day trip. I'm thinking of Bail to Bangkok in January but don't know if 21 days is just too long. Any thoughts from anyone?

 

Not sure what you are asking, too long on the V to A ship or too long for a cruise. If its the length of cruise you are concerned about NEVER TOO LONG...lol...the longest so far I have been on board was 42 days and I loved it didn't want to get off at all. Bali is a fun destination and Thailand is so far my favourite place in the world.

 

sue

[rugbypopsie]

I am just off the Istanbul to Venice

Cruise on Aegean Odyssey and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it....I cruise often on all sorts of ships as does my friends who accompanied me...You can get cheaper cruises in the Med but for all the inclusions...the quality of the tours, the organisation and thoughtfulness of the staff and the lovely pre cruise hotels, not to mention the generous free drinks with dinner...it was very good value.

 

The ship is the perfect size for this sort of cruise..so if you are NOT into late night disco, loud annoying music all the time, having to pay extra for everything, constant hassling by photographers etc. Give Aegean Odyssey a try..probably not the ship for twenty somethings but anyone 50 and above would really love it I think.

 

Sue

 

[bcscot]

I am glad that you enjoyed your cruise. Thank you for the reports. I can identify with your comments about the guides having problems with the whisper sets. A few years ago, we did a tour of the Vatican. Our guide had a cold, so he would frequently sniff into the microphone, which we had to endure till my wife offered him a handkerchief. He was quite embarrassed when he realised that he had been sniffing loudly in our ears!

We are looking forward to our trip with VTA in Asia in January. We would also like to try Swan Hellenic. They seem to have done a lot of work to upgrade the Minerva recently.

[rugbypopsie]

I have just posted some photos on facebook...

here is a link to one of the albums for anyone who would like to have a look...this is patmos/athens/and montevassima

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/106683770790302578906/Patmosathensmontevassima?authkey=Gv1sRgCKqu7OyQ-snJuQE

 

Sue

[cruisemom42]

We are looking forward to our trip with VTA in Asia in January. We would also like to try Swan Hellenic. They seem to have done a lot of work to upgrade the Minerva recently.

 

I'm just off Minerva and she was in great shape. It was my first time on board, but there were plenty of "regulars" who were all saying the new upgraded bathrooms are very nice. To me they were quite similar to what you'll find on the Aegean Odyssey, as were the cabins. The public rooms were also very nice. The main lounge (where lectures are held) is perhaps a bit nicer on Minerva, as was the Veranda dining area (casual indoor/outdoor buffet dining). I have to admit that I enjoyed the self-serve cappucino/latte machine!

 

Speaking overall, I think you'd find both ships very similar though, so if you like VTA, you'll probably like Swan Hellenic. Other major differences were the passengers: mostly British on Minerva versus more of a mix of Americans, Australians, British, and Canadians on VTA. And the lecturers were, I thought, just a half-step above on Minerva.

[bcscot]

Thank you. I would like to give both lines a try. They both sound like they have a lot to offer, especially for those more exotic locations where doing your own thing ashore is more difficult.

[patseacruiser]

And to note, with Swann Hellenic and VTA they include excursions and gratuities in their pricing as well as have some single cabins. But single cabins are limited in quantity.

[rugbypopsie]

Just looking at the 2014 itineraries....the Delhi to Cairo has my name all over it...will cross quite a few items off my bucket list......so I guess I will be joining all those others repeat cruisers on V to A.

 

Sue

 

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[myotis]

I'm just off Minerva and she was in great shape. It was my first time on board, but there were plenty of "regulars" who were all saying the new upgraded bathrooms are very nice. To me they were quite similar to what you'll find on the Aegean Odyssey, as were the cabins. The public rooms were also very nice. The main lounge (where lectures are held) is perhaps a bit nicer on Minerva, as was the Veranda dining area (casual indoor/outdoor buffet dining). I have to admit that I enjoyed the self-serve cappucino/latte machine!

 

Speaking overall, I think you'd find both ships very similar though, so if you like VTA, you'll probably like Swan Hellenic. Other major differences were the passengers: mostly British on Minerva versus more of a mix of Americans, Australians, British, and Canadians on VTA. And the lecturers were, I thought, just a half-step above on Minerva.

 

Will be sailing first time on Minerva this February. We tried to get a VtA to work with our plans but Swan offered a better fit. I hope we made a wise decision.

[cruisemom42]

Will be sailing first time on Minerva this February. We tried to get a VtA to work with our plans but Swan offered a better fit. I hope we made a wise decision.

 

I think you'll like it. Much as I enjoy cruising on V2A, I am very driven by itinerary and schedule and I don't mind trying other lines. My cruise on Minerva was very enjoyable. I'll be back on Aegean Odyssey in April but may be trying Voyages to Discovery's new Voyager ship later in 2013.

[Tony & Trevor]

We are cruising Singapore to Bombay this March.

 

What is the normal time for passengers to embark ?

 

 

Thank you,

 

Kind regards

 

Tony

[rugbypopsie]

We are cruising Singapore to Bombay this March.

 

What is the normal time for passengers to embark ?

 

 

Thank you,

 

Kind regards

 

Tony

 

Have only been on V to A once but we were all transported from the hotel...some went straight to the ship...others did a tour and then to the ship...I guess it all depends on what time you are sailing but as a really small ship embarkation is a little different from the bigger ships.

[Tony & Trevor]

rugbypopsie

 

Thank you,

 

Kind regards

 

Tony