All Things Vantage

[4774Papa]

I think you made the right choice picking the Vantage cruise over Viking. Vantage is one of the few cruise lines that cruises as far north as Honfleur. Viking only goes as far as Rouen, which means long bus rides to Honfleur and the D Day beaches. Also, due to the size of the Viking ships, they aren't allowed to dock in Paris but must dock in the small town of LePeq outside the city. They do provide shuttle buses into Paris, but in my opinion it's much better to dock in Paris where you can walk off the ship and be right in the city. Viewing the Eiffel Tower at night from the deck of the ship is not to be missed!

Also, Vantage is usually cheaper than Viking and doesn't make you pay a year ahead of time.

[dolllover]

Also, Vantage is usually cheaper than Viking and doesn't make you pay a year ahead of time.

 

I pay 6 months ahead of time and for 10 grand I get flights, insurance, 3 days pre and post cruise plus the 1 week river cruise for two people. Also nice perks from my local TA .

[bebtwice]

We're also on the November 1 Rhine Cruise Basel to Amsterdam. Maybe we'll have a chance to meet. Hoping the water levels are more stable by that time.[

 

 

 

quote=ural guy;55634341]

We leave next Friday, 3/30, on the River Voyager on a Rhine Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. quote]

 

 

We'll be on that cruise 1 November, which seems ages from now.

 

I'd appreciate if you'd post any thoughts or suggestions you have upon your return. We've been on the River Voyager before...it's a very nice ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise, hope it warms up a tad.

[lyndarra]

I am new to cruising solo but not new to cruising. I have just received information from Vantage promoting Solo Cruising. Has anyone had any experience with Vantage as a solo cruiser?

Edited March 5, 2019 by lyndarra

[bebtwice]

We were on Vantage last Fall and did encounter quite a few singles, both men and women. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and made friends among themselves and also couples. On our ship there were no tables just for two and with a full ship, you'll always be sitting with someone at least at dinner, as that is one seating at a set time(breakfast and lunch are more flexible). You will be initially assigned to a group for the shore excursions, so here's a chance to meet others there and then part way thru the cruise people were allowed to make up their own groups for the shore excursions.

 

Just what info/experiences are you looking for?

[lyndarra]

4 minutes ago, bebtwice said:

We were on Vantage last Fall and did encounter quite a few singles, both men and women. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and made friends among themselves and also couples. On our ship there were no tables just for two and with a full ship, you'll always be sitting with someone at least at dinner, as that is one seating at a set time(breakfast and lunch are more flexible). You will be initially assigned to a group for the shore excursions, so here's a chance to meet others there and then part way thru the cruise people were allowed to make up their own groups for the shore excursions.

 

Just what info/experiences are you looking for?

That is what I was looking for, thank you.

For solo guests Vantage are saying that many of their cabins are for solos. I was wondering if cabin size is same as for couples? Bed size? They also are promoting no single supplement so was also wondering if that is reflected in their pricing.

[lyndarra]

Some background info. My wife and I cruised, with Avalon, Rhine/Main/Danube May last year and enjoyed it very much. My wife passed away shortly after our return to Australia but I would like to do more river cruises in Europe but I am finding having to pay single supplement is making any kind of touring very expensive.

[bebtwice]

lyndatrra - If you look at the deck plans for the different ships, you will see the sizes of the cabins and which ones are for singles.  I would expect them to be somewhat smaller but frankly didn't look. Not sure if they have queen-sized beds or singles. Sizes and bedding type may vary by ship.

 

For each cruise I believe there will be a limited number of cabins that will have no single supplement. You will need to check the pricing. I believe Vantage also has a roommate matching service if that is something you'd be interested in to get a regular cabin at what is normally the per person double occupancy price.  Not sure if you still only pay half if you don't end up with a roommate but that info should be on-line. The joke on our last cruise was that one of the woman had a double cabin to herself but when she arrived there was a name tag on the other bed that was for a man. She had not requested a roommate! We wondered what happened to him and what would have transpired if he had actually shown up. Not sure there were any empty cabins on our ship!

 

Just an FYI - the solo cabins seem to sell out quite quickly due to the price break.

[xmaser]

I've sailed solo on several river cruise lines. Both AMA and Avalon offer attractive offers for single travelers. For the small difference in price from Vantage there is a great difference in the on board experience. Shop around before your settle on Vantage.

[4774Papa]

We have been pleased with three Vantage tours/river cruises, but wanted to do a safari in Kenya/Tanzania and the price is really high.  In fact, it is more than double what i found from a highly rated company.  One problem is that Vantage's tour is 14 days, longer than we want.  The cheaper tour is 8 days (except for one night in Nairobi all  in deluxe lodging)'

We don't want to spend more than $10,000 per person on a safari and airfare when we can do it for less than half.

[bebtwice]

It is very difficult to compare two tours of varying length - 8 days to 14 days. Naturally one would expect the tour that is 8 days to be substantially cheaper than one that is 14 days, especially when you figure in the extra accommodations, meals, tours,  and transportation costs for the additional 6 days. If the 14-day tour doe not meet your needs in length or cost then it's not for you. Simple as that.

 

We too have sailed on Avalon and did not find the Avalon to be a superior experience over Vantage. Both were very good from our perspective, but on none of the cruise lines did we sail as a single traveler. I think whether you are single, a couple, or sailing as a family/group, you always need to compare a lot of things in addition to the total cost  - sailing dates. itinerary. cabin sizes, amenities, included and optional tours, etc. - to determine which cruise is best for you.

Edited March 6, 2019 by bebtwice
forgot info

[gnome12]

4 minutes ago, bebtwice said:

It is very difficult to compare two tours of varying length - 8 days to 14 days. Naturally one would expect the tour that is 8 days to be substantially cheaper than one that is 14 days, especially when you figure in the extra accommodations, meals, tours,  and transportation costs for the additional 6 days. If the 14-day tour doe not meet your needs in length or cost then it's not for you. Simple as that.

Does the 8 days include travel from North America? If so, you have less than 6 days.

 

You are going a very long way, and probably will never go back. There is a lot to see in Africa; don't cut your trip too short.

 

In terms of prices, they are all over the map. Accommodations vary from basic to very luxurious; decide what you are looking for. In terms of a river cruise, the ships are very small (much smaller than a European river cruise) and are generally very luxurious (and quite expensive).

[vincent]

We just got back from a Vantage Venture river cruise to Normandy and back, which we were very pleased with.

The Mercure Tour Eiffel hotel on Avenue Emil Zola, where we stayed 3 nights,  was the perfect location, a block from the Quai where the ship ties up in Paris, an easy  10 minute walk with our luggage..  We took the train from CDG to the Cluny stop, and then transferred to the #10  line to Javel stop, and we were 1/2 block from the hotel. The Javel station  is perfect for the metro lines to central Paris.  The hotel was clean and basic but pleasant, and the reception staff English  speaking and very helpful.

We loved the itinerary, and got a very good price in December through one of the e-mail travel sites.  The ship was very nicely designed, and the public spaces attractive.  In addition to what the Viking itinerary  offers, we stayed overnight in Honfleur ( a totally charming town), and in Vernon, where our bus ride to Giverny was 10 minutes, so very convenient.  The D-Day trip was very moving, and ,if offered a choice, we recommend the Caen Peace Memorial which some of our fellow travelers chose, not the Bayeux tapestry which was our choice.  In Rouen, be sure to go the the  Joan of Arc museum, which was very well done.

The food was very good.  Lunch and dinner always offer a meat , a vegetarian, and fish choice, and the fish entrees were excellent. Wine at lunch is extra, but wine beer and soda are all complimentary with dinner. 

The weather was rather chilly at the beginning of our 4/8 to 4/20 itinerary, apparently a little cooler that usual, but was 70 degrees by the last 2 days of the trip.  The flowers were gorgeous, despite the chilly weather, in Paris in the parks, and in the countryside.  Monet's Garden was absolutely amazingly beautiful.

If anyone has any questions, we'd be happy to answer them.

[lynncarol]

Just returned from Culinary Adventures in France, a  cruise along the Seine River from Paris to Normandy and back (Oct. 16-29, 2019).  This was our third Vantage cruise but this time my husband and I also brought along our 23 year old granddaughter.  Unlike us, she is a night-owl so we purchased a separate single cabin for her . Although she was by far the youngest onboard, the other passengers were wonderful, acting like surrogate grandparents. The other cruisers gave her advice about shopping opportunities, and plied us with compliments about her. Our young French tour director made sure to provide lots of opportunities to practice her rudimentary French in their conversations. All of us were very pleased with the experience.

The towns along the Seine River were lovely and there were so many tasting opportunities we could hardly find room for the delicious meals each night. The free-time allotted in Paris, with a ship berthed within sight of the Eiffel Tower, served as a very convenient home base from which to enjoy the city. Highly recommend this tour.

Edited November 10, 2019 by lynncarol

[deec]

Any recent Vantage travelers done the Douro Cruise.  Trying to decide Viking or Vantage.

[notamermaid]

Cruisecritic has been on Vantage: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/4748/

I am sure many are happy to have an up to date travel experience on a Vantage ship.

 

What I do not understand is: Ms Spencer sailed from Mainz to Regensburg. That does not take her into the Rhine Gorge and hence she could not have shot the photo of the castle as the Rhine Gorge officially ends just before Rüdesheim downstream from Mainz. An excursion or a stock photo? Not sure if this reaches the editor this way, but if it does would she be happy to explain?

 

Thank you.

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

Took advantage of Vantages Veteran's day discount, and was able to use our low-water credit from our Rhine/Mosel trip last fall, and booked their first Tulip sailing of the year, 132 days from now.  The price included airfare from 150 US cities, and Syracuse made the list.  Included flight deviation fee, so we'll fly out a week early and wander through Ireland.  Airfare from Cork to Amsterdam direct is under $100.

 

This will be our third time with Vantage, all on the River Voyager, all in their lowest class with the French Balcony.  We've only been on Viking besides Vantage for comparison.  We like the Vantage mid-level cabin, well set up and comfortable, just big enough, and the price jump from aquarium is a lot less than Vikings.  (Especially with the Viking French Balconies being smaller with the offset hallway to make the real balcony cabins bigger).  I like the location of the second dining room better on Viking, on Vantage it's at the rear of the ship so view not as impressive when sailing, and you get fumes sometimes when docked from smaller generator they sometimes use.  We prefer eating in the smaller spaces, alot less crowded/noisy... I know most like the finer dining in MDR, but Vantage has a 'grill guy' on the back deck about 80% of the time, and both so far have been great.  On both lines, the same 2 guys work there the entire cruise, so easy for them to learn your preferences, and it's mostly the same passengers so easy to chat.

 

This 9 night cruise wasn't really high on our list, but we both work, so this fit our schedules.  We've been to several of the stops before so it will be a relaxing trip with us wandering on our own a bit, and taking the bikes out.  Love the e-bikes. I know Keukenhof and flowers won't be that far along, but I was lucky enough to visit solo before.  All the huge groups I was avoiding then, I'll be a part of.

[bebtwice]

Just returned from our Vantage Douro cruise last night. We had a very good time, with  only a few small issues, with weather being the biggest. We saw very little sun, was quite cool on some days, but the hardest rain came while we were either on the ship or in the bus, so I'd probably recommend going earlier in the year (this was Vantage's last trip for the year). I didn't like the ship (Serenity) as well as the River Voyager (which we used last year) but it was still nice. Cabins (except maybe the suites) are a bit cramped but would be served better by the removal of the small round table and two small chairs by the window. I seriously doubt anyone really sits in there cabin looking at the river when there is plenty of room in the lounge or in nicer weather, the outdoor areas.

 

The hotels used in Madrid and Lisbon were high-end (Melia Princessa and Tivoli Liberdade) and very nice. The farewell dinner at the Tivoli I felt had better food than the welcome dinner at the Princessa. Both had buffet breakfasts with a wide variety of choices.

 

The included excursions were nice and we took two optional ones. Unlike are trip last year (Rhine & Moselle) there was no "Gentle Walking Group", which quite a few in our group could have used. Everywhere there are cobblestones so it's something to keep in mind for those with walking issues. Also the steps into all of the buses, especially when using the rear door, are very steep so that is also something to keep in mind. People were assigned groups for the buses in Madrid and you remained with the same group for all excursions throughout the trip. Of course you are free to skip any that don't interest you. We loved our tour guide in Madrid (Pablo) and the tour guide we had from Salamanca to Lisbon (Manuel). Both were a hoot and our driver between Salamanca and Porto was great too (Maria). I believe Vantage tries to use the same guides when possible, so it may be possible to request them.

 

There was plenty of wine to be consumed on this trip, not only at dinner on the ship, but at tastings and a couple of lunches at wineries. This may or may not appeal to some, so it's just something to be aware of.

 

Overall, we were happy with the trip and will be doing the Tulip Time (Holland & Belgium) with Vantage in April.

 

We've never done Viking so I can't compare the two. Some ships only go round-trip from Porto, covering only half of the river so that is also a difference to look at when comparing cruises, in addition to of course, price, available dates, cabin sizes, etc. 

 

 

[deec]

Does Vantage have a "drink package" ?  We took Vantage trips a few years ago but they were more remote (Mekong, Irrawaddy, Amazon).  On those trips we were pleasantly surprised that some "house" drinks were included during cocktail hours.  We are wondering what is available on the European Rivers.

 

Anyone have a drink price list?

[xmaser]

I just received the most environmentally damaging, wasteful catalog ever from them. For years I've tried to get them to stop sending, but their 'hearing' in their office is a deaf as the ship's staff on my trips when I needed the broken but unrepaired elevator and help in dietary needs. Not one of their fans.

 

Beware of Vantage!

[bebtwice]

Deec, on the two European cruises we have taken with them we did not hear anything about a "drink package" being available, but since we don't drink much, it wasn't a concern for us. You can try contacting Vantage to see if the can provide a price list, as the were able to provide us with a price list for laundry. Since the ship they use for the Douro cruises is leased (owner provides all crew, etc.) , they may not have control over what prices are charged on that ship compared to the ships they own.

 

xmaser, it appears that with many cruise lines and tour companies, it is difficult to get off their mailing lists once you have requested a catalog, and especially once you have taken a trip with one of these companies. I find Scenic, Oceania, and Road Scholar to be far worse about continually sending catalogs. I doubt I go a week without getting one from at least one of these companies, even after requests to not send them unless I request them.

 

My husband has some special dietary needs and found Vantage did an excellent job in dealing with them on our most recent cruise. The trick is that you need to get them recorded prior to the start of the cruise and then reconfirm them with the cruise director just prior to the trip. The email from our recent cruise director a week or two prior to our trip stated that she needed any issues be sent to her prior to sailing. A couple of  people  didn't and then at the last minute wanted to change entrees during the provided dinners on the land portion of the trip. At that point it was/is too late. On the ship there are always alternative entrees and breakfast and lunch were buffets, which allowed one to pick and choose.

 

As for the elevator, perhaps the parts could not be obtained to fix the elevator until it reached a larger port? Some of these towns on the cruise routes are very small and I wouldn't expect them to have the items or qualified personnel  to fix mechanical problems. While river cruise ships do have a small elevator,  persons who have difficulties with stairs should be mindful of whether or not they will be able to navigate the stairs should the elevator not be operational. Sometimes stairs are also required to embark/disembark the ship, depending on the port and tide. We had to go thru a couple of ships and up the stairs to the top level in order to disembark twice during our recent tour. I'm not sure what arrangements are in these cases for people with mobility issues. Something to inquire about prior to booking if it could be an issue.

 

[deec]

I agree...River Cruise Ships are NOT a great choice for those with significant mobility issues!!!

[xmaser]

Vantage apologists are legion. My problem is first with the obscenity of the size and weight of the catalogue to someone who is not sailed with them for a long time. They show no concern for the environment with such wastefulness. Mine go directly into the recycle bin. Out of the several companies who send catalogues, they are by far the worst.

 

I've done over 17 river cruises with several lines. Vantage is at the bottom of my list after 3 with them

 

First trip: Please don't pontificate about mobility. I am quite mobile, but suffered an injury affecting that particular trip. The ship was the standard size on the Rhone with an elevator. It needed repair, and we were told day after day it would be taken care of. BS

 

A different trip: As to diet, the needed item was any non-dairy 'milk'. Easily obtained in the cities of The Netherlands and Belgium! I advised Vantage at the time of booking and then emailed the ship directly. It was confirmed by the ship. When I arrived there was none. The 'chef' advised me daily that he would have some. Never did.

 

Please note the day after day 'put offs'.

 

If you choose to gloss with more patronizing generalities, I'll gladly give additional specific examples.

 

If you love cheap, you'll love Vantage.

 

Viking, Avalon, and AMA on several trips provided none of these problems.

[bebtwice]

As I previously stated, I get inundated with catalogs, both glossy, and in newsprint regularly. IMO, Vantage is no worse and  actually arrive less frequently than others, but you are entitled to your opinion.

 

Mechanical issues can happen on any ship and whether repairs can occur in a timely manner will depend on the problem and what it will require to fix it. Just like home repairs, sometimes it's more complicated than initially thought and/or it takes time to get things fixed, longer than anticipated. We know of people who have had problems with toilets and water issues on other cruise lines. Sorry, but I think any of them would have gladly dealt without an non-working elevator compared with those problems.

 

One can understand them not having your "non-dairy" milk being an issue for you but why it was not made available no one here knows. However, personally I would not have allowed this to spoil my cruise or continue to make such an issue out of this, as things happen. If it was so important to me, I would simply have gone to the store (you claim it is readily available) , bought some, and ask the chef to make it available for my meals.  There was both soy and almond milk available on our last cruise. One does have to realize that it is impossible to accommodate everyone's special requests, especially considering the size of the kitchen and available food storage on river cruises.

 

As for your "If you choose to gloss with more patronizing generalities" and "If you love cheap, you'll love Vantage" statements;  I have used other lines and certainly didn't find Vantage "cheap" by comparison, nor do I find my previous statements "patronizing generalities". Everyone has different criteria and standards for what they consider a good vacation. Clearly Vantage didn't meet yours,  just as other cruise lines have failed other passengers for whatever reason(s) . Why, if the first cruise was so bad,  did you book two others? Just book with someone else, as there's numerous other choices. In the meantime, let everyone decide what works for them, whether it be Vantage or some other cruise line. All have their "loyalists" or as you put it, "legions" of "apologists".

 

 

 

 

 

[kwbts124]

1 hour ago, xmaser said:

Vantage isIf you love cheap, you'll love Vantage.

 

Viking, Avalon, and AMA on several trips provided none of these problems.

I have sailed with Vantage only twice and loved both cruises.  
Positive people CHOOSE to look at the good. They only lament in the moment and only if needed for a retribution to happen.