CruisingMode

We got back on 12/17.  The trip was wonderful.   There were some minor issues caused by Vantage, but we always pack a good attitude when we travel. There was enough snow/rain to raise the water levels enough to get us all the way down the Danube.   I highly recommend taking a Danube cruise.  All the stops were wonderful. However, I found Vantage front end customer service to be sub-par and I would rate the ship and staff as average.   If Vantage had a GREAT deal I might go on another cruise with them.  Otherwise I'd go with another cruise line. 

Update:  Looks like with all the rain in the last week or so the River Discovery will be able to go from Regensburg to Budapest.  The River Discovery  II is docked in Regensburg today with a destination of Budapest.  At this point Vantage must think they can make it all the way.  I noticed earlier this week that the River Navigator made it from Bratislava to Vienna and the Viking Tor made it from Vienna to Budapest.

Glad you had a great trip!  Best I can tell at this point is that the River Splendor is on it's way to Regensburg.  We'll probably spend the night on that ship and then be bused to Passau to board the River Voyager.

Update:  FleetMon has the 12/1 position of the River Discovery II as in port in Vienna.  With a scheduled arrival in Passau on 12/6.  I'll email Vantage, but my guess is the current cruise passengers will eventually be bused to Bratislava and Vienna.

Vantage now says that Voyager and Splendor could not get to Regensburg or Passau.  That is why they switched to the Discovery II which is/was in Vienna on 11/27.  

I was told by the Vantage Manger, without asking or requesting any, that there would be some compensation for changing ships.  She also said their engineer confirmed the low water levels should not be an issue on the part of the Danube for this trip.  What I'm reading on other threads for Viking, etc. suggests that there will be issues with the low water levels.

UPDATE:  One person in our group just got a call from Vantage.  The ship has been switched from the River Splendor to the River Discovery II.

Hi,

I want to create this group to share information and experiences in regards to Vantage Danube Christmas Market Cruises in 2018. 

If anyone has already cruised this year, would you please let us know about your experience?

  How was your trip?  What did you enjoy the most?  Any tips/tricks? Did the water levels cause your group to take buses?  Any issues regarding being bused?  Has Vantage issued any refunds/credit?

If you have not taken your trip yet,  please let everyone know what Vantage is telling you about your upcoming trip.

So far this is what Vantage has said to us about our trip that starts Dec 7th.   The River Splendor will replace the River Voyager.  They said there would be no trip interruption because the Splendor is better suited for the lower water levels.  However when I looked at the ship details on the Vantage website it lists the draft for the Voyager as 4.8 feet and Splendor as 5 feet.  I'm not knowledgeable about sailing terminology, but I would think the a 5 foot draft would drag in low level river conditions before  a 4.8 feet. 

Thanks,

CruisingMode