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Who has really good enrichment programs on 600 or so passenger ships?


OlsSalt
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We love the Voyages of Discovery enrichment programs and have enjoyed three incredible cruises with them.

 

We are not so enamored with their new ship the "Voyager" (old Alexander Humboldt) - large table group dining, noisy and limited outdoor spaces, and very poor sight lines in the lecture/entertainment lounge. (All of which are really a disappointment -their old, old ship the Discovery excelled in all those three aspects)

 

What other smaller ships (600 or under) offer similar excellent itineraries and speakers that VOD so justly and proudly offers, but has a better ship layout that addresses those above concerns?

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We did the Discovery once to Antarctica and found it was very good. The shipboard entertainment was the same trio we had on the Marco Polo. I think enrichment depends upon where you are going. In the US. The Mississippi river ports do an excellent job. Overseas, I have found Voyages to Antiquity to be good. Some lecturers are better than others. I did Oceania and found they were not so good and some of the so called experts were really phony con people. What you should do is find the area you want to cruise to and look for available ships and compare them.

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We did the Discovery once to Antarctica and found it was very good. The shipboard entertainment was the same trio we had on the Marco Polo. I think enrichment depends upon where you are going. In the US. The Mississippi river ports do an excellent job. Overseas, I have found Voyages to Antiquity to be good. Some lecturers are better than others. I did Oceania and found they were not so good and some of the so called experts were really phony con people. What you should do is find the area you want to cruise to and look for available ships and compare them.

 

Actually we have been pretty much "everywhere" so are specifically looking for pretty much what a ship like Voyages of Discovery Voyager has to offer in terms of interesting itineraries and speakers, but with more two-person dining options and perhaps a different deck plan layout.

 

A similar type "small ship" where two person tables are routine, and not the exception. They were more readily available on their old Discovery ship (the even older Ocean Princess) banquette dining room and dome-covered lido deck layout than the ship they use now -the former Alexander Humboldt - now called the Voyager.

Edited by OlsSalt
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I've been on 5-6 cruises with Voyages to Antiquity and 1 on Swan Hellenic (Minerva). Both have excellent speakers onboard. VTA seems to do a good job of having the speakers match the itinerary. On my Swan Hellenic cruise the same was true, but I've seen some advertised with speakers that, while good, were not 'on topic' necessarily with the cruise.

 

I travel solo; sometimes I like to dine with others and sometimes I prefer to dine alone -- have not had a problem doing this on VTA's Aegean Odyssey, but then I enjoy sitting out on their outdoor terrace to dine. The MDR has a few tables for two and also some booths where either two or four can be seated.

 

Aegean Odyssey outdoor dining: http://f.tqn.com/y/cruises/1/S/L/0/6/Kusadasi-4438.jpg

 

On ships with only 350-odd passengers, there is only space for a certain amount of flexibility, I suppose.

 

As to lecture venues, Swan Hellenic's lounge is not too bad but it is not on a rise, so if you are further back it may be difficult to see. Ditto the main lounge on VTA's ship, except the sight lines seem to be slightly worse.

 

Both ships have good libraries, but Minerva's is larger and has better (comfier) seating.

 

Edited to add: I still prefer the VTA experience to that on Swan Hellenic where the expectation is that guests will be taken care of to the point where independent travelers (i.e., those who like to strike out on their own on tours, etc.) find little help. On VTA, their staff is willing to provide information, maps, and other advice to those who might want to do something a bit different.

Edited by cruisemom42
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