All Things Vantage

...Turns out Henry Lewis is at Vantage, and several other Lewis family members run Grand Circle. I wonder if there is friendly family competition between their companies????

If by "friendly family competition" you mean numerous law suits, you would be correct. Actually I doubt if the brothers (Henry and Alan) any longer do much socializing...:rolleyes:

It is a little scary to have booked so far in advance( 2019), but Iceland has been on our "bucket list" for a couple of years and have recently booked the cruise with Vantage that circles the island with a couple of days in Reykjavik. Anyone else brave enough to join us?

Cole

 

Cole. My only issue with that far in advance is that Vantage has a Non-refundable deposit. I'd suggest you buy insurance for that amount (it's cheap) - not the whole cruise but the non-refundable portion. Use insuremytrip website. And with that far out you may not be able to get pre-existing condition. (JMHO)

 

We were in Reykjavik overnight on a wonderful RCI cruise from Harwich, Emngland. Honestly 2 days there was plenty for me. And it was MUCH cheaper than Vantage of course.

Cole. My only issue with that far in advance is that Vantage has a Non-refundable deposit. I'd suggest you buy insurance for that amount (it's cheap) - not the whole cruise but the non-refundable portion. Use insuremytrip website. And with that far out you may not be able to get pre-existing condition. (JMHO)

 

We were in Reykjavik overnight on a wonderful RCI cruise from Harwich, Emngland. Honestly 2 days there was plenty for me. And it was MUCH cheaper than Vantage of course.

 

 

 

Insurance has been purchased. Yes RCI is less expensive but we wanted to circle the entire island and not spend time getting from England to Iceland. But you point is well taken.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Insurance has been purchased. Yes RCI is less expensive but we wanted to circle the entire island and not spend time getting from England to Iceland. But you point is well taken.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

gREAT. rEMEMBER TO ONLY BUY THE INSURANCE NOW FOR non-refundable DEPOSIT, NOT WHOLE CRUISE. yOU CAN ADD THAT later. (jUST TRYING TO SAVE YOU SOME $) (SORRY for caps. keyboard sticks - damn!)

It is a little scary to have booked so far in advance( 2019), but Iceland has been on our "bucket list" for a couple of years and have recently booked the cruise with Vantage that circles the island with a couple of days in Reykjavik. Anyone else brave enough to join us?

Cole

 

Some years ago I did a 14 day coach tour of Iceland, and scenically it is truly varied and unique.

 

It helped that we had an Icelandic guide who knew the island like the back of his hand.

Some years ago I did a 14 day coach tour of Iceland, and scenically it is truly varied and unique.

 

It helped that we had an Icelandic guide who knew the island like the back of his hand.

 

I'm planning a trip to Iceland for 2019 also, and I agree that the country has enough varied and interesting aspects to easily fill a 7-night circumnavigation. But I don't think I'll be booking Vantage, because reviews of this ship aren't very promising.

 

I should also point out that this thread isn't about River Cruising. Vantage is one of those companies that has several divisions including River Cruising, Small Ship Ocean Cruising, and others. This thread should be on the "Other Cruise Lines" forum:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=218

You should cross-post over there, as you will reach a completely different group of Cruise Critic members.

Some years ago I did a 14 day coach tour of Iceland, and scenically it is truly varied and unique.

 

It helped that we had an Icelandic guide who knew the island like the back of his hand.

 

We also looked at a coach tour, but didn't want to pack and unpack as we went from hotel to hotel. But I am sure it was a great scenic trip.

Cole

I'm planning a trip to Iceland for 2019 also, and I agree that the country has enough varied and interesting aspects to easily fill a 7-night circumnavigation. But I don't think I'll be booking Vantage, because reviews of this ship aren't very promising.

 

I should also point out that this thread isn't about River Cruising. Vantage is one of those companies that has several divisions including River Cruising, Small Ship Ocean Cruising, and others. This thread should be on the "Other Cruise Lines" forum:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=218

You should cross-post over there, as you will reach a completely different group of Cruise Critic members.

 

You are correct. I just saw the thread "All Things Vantage". Guess this doesn't qualify for "all things". Will move to the small ship thread but I thank those who did respond.

 

Cole

 

I should also point out that this thread isn't about River Cruising. Vantage is one of those companies that has several divisions including River Cruising, Small Ship Ocean Cruising, and others. This thread should be on the "Other Cruise Lines" forum:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=218

You should cross-post over there, as you will reach a completely different group of Cruise Critic members.

 

Jazzbeau, I'm confused. You say this "All Things Vantage" thread isn't about River Cruising, yet that's exactly what it's under, right? In Post #1, FuelScience asked you if this was OK, and in Post #2, you said "sure."

 

Are you saying this entire thread would have been better started in Other Cruise Lines?

 

Or by "thread" do you just mean "this latest turn of discussion" (about Iceland, not river cruising) doesn't belong here?

 

Should there be an "All Things Vantage" thread under "Other Cruise Lines" for Vantage non-river, in addition to this "All Things Vantage" thread for Vantage river-only? But that sounds needlessly confusing. Why can't "all things Vantage" be in one place? Frankly, I wish Vantage was simply listed in the "Cruise Lines - P to Z" section.

 

Forgive me if I've misconstrued the situation.

Jazzbeau, I'm confused. You say this "All Things Vantage" thread isn't about River Cruising, yet that's exactly what it's under, right? In Post #1, FuelScience asked you if this was OK, and in Post #2, you said "sure."

 

Are you saying this entire thread would have been better started in Other Cruise Lines?

 

Or by "thread" do you just mean "this latest turn of discussion" (about Iceland, not river cruising) doesn't belong here?

 

Should there be an "All Things Vantage" thread under "Other Cruise Lines" for Vantage non-river, in addition to this "All Things Vantage" thread for Vantage river-only? But that sounds needlessly confusing. Why can't "all things Vantage" be in one place? Frankly, I wish Vantage was simply listed in the "Cruise Lines - P to Z" section.

 

Forgive me if I've misconstrued the situation.

 

This. Sorry for the confusion. I was responding to someone's complaint that this turn of discussion didn't belong on the River Cruising forum, and trying to explain why I decided to leave it here.

I researched for a Kenya/Tanzania safari in 2019 and found Vantage's prices to be 50% higher than a similar trip staying at comparable lodgings. We like Vantage, but not that much.

Extra €40 Per Bag Per Flight for Madeira Extension?

 

We're doing the Douro with Vantage in April and taking the Madeira post-cruise extension. Our Lisbon-Madeira tickets have been issued, and after talking to TAP (the Portuguese national airline), it appears that we'll be charged an extra €40 per bag per flight--so €160 (~$200 US for two people each checking a bag).

 

Can someone who's taken the Madeira extension confirm this extra charge?

Is anyone else going on the May 11, 2018 sailing Switzerland & The Heart of the Rhine & Moselle? Hope to be able to chat with you soon. Our last Vantage river boat trip was from Bonn to Bucherest and we loved it.

 

Rhona & John

Is anyone else going on the May 11, 2018 sailing Switzerland & The Heart of the Rhine & Moselle? Hope to be able to chat with you soon. Our last Vantage river boat trip was from Bonn to Bucherest and we loved it.

 

Rhona & John

 

Hello- We're on the last sailing of the year for this route, boarding 1 November. Planning on flying in 2 nights early and visiting Lucerne.

 

Very eager to hear any info on this trip as well.

 

Are you on the River Voyager also? We sailed on her from Budapest to Bucharest in 2016 and had a great time. It's a comfortable ship.

still looking for Egypt trip people. would I need to bring an electrical adapter for the river cruise?

We leave next Friday, 3/30, on the River Voyager on a Rhine Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. We are not using Vantage’s air. Our paperwork says that we must call a number in Germany no more than 24 hours before embarkation to find out where the boat will be docked. This is my first cruise with Vantage, and this process bothers me as I have never had to call in to find out where my boat will be docked. Has anyone else gone through this process, and am I freaking out over nothing?

We leave next Friday, 3/30, on the River Voyager on a Rhine Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. We are not using Vantage’s air. Our paperwork says that we must call a number in Germany no more than 24 hours before embarkation to find out where the boat will be docked. This is my first cruise with Vantage, and this process bothers me as I have never had to call in to find out where my boat will be docked. Has anyone else gone through this process, and am I freaking out over nothing?

 

Ocean cruises book guaranteed docking spaces long before the sailing, but river cruises are different: there are fewer spaces at these small towns, lock traffic can upset planned sailing schedules, and the port master assigns the docking location at the last minute [and it may change even during the ship's stay in port]. That's why you have to call to find out where they were told to dock.

 

This also highlights the different attitude that river cruisers need to bring to the ship: go with the flow. River cruising is both more regimented [shore excursions are included, but you go when they tell you; dinner is one sitting for everybody] and more unplannable [if you try planning your own shore excursions, you may find that the ship has moved while you were out] than ocean cruises. But they have their own charm. Go with the flow, and enjoy your river cruise!

Raring to go,

 

as hostjazzbeau as already tried to assure you: this is a normal and very good way to make sure those that Vantage cannot get hold off at the airport, i.e. you are not arriving at a time when Vantage picks up their "air passengers", will be at the ship when it needs to sail. Docking locations do change, that can happen in river cruising at busy ports. I am sure you will have a great time. Enjoy your cruise.

 

notamermaid

... Go with the flow, and enjoy your river cruise!

To add to Jazzbeau and Notamermaid (both excellent souces). If you are flying in day of to immediately connect to your cruise you may be able to call Vantage Boston before you leave and get dock information. 24 hours in advance in Germany is 30+ hours in the US. Vantage SHOULD provide you with the BOAT’s mobile phone number. Make sure you have that; call Boston if you don’t. If you are arriving day of on your own still look if there is a Vantage rep at the airport- more than once I have ridden their bus gratis by asking (politely, no doubt against policy) but sometimes for small groups they use taxis and you’ll be on your own. ENJOY your river cruise!

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.

We leave next Friday, 3/30, on the River Voyager on a Rhine Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. We are not using Vantage’s air. Our paperwork says that we must call a number in Germany no more than 24 hours before embarkation to find out where the boat will be docked. This is my first cruise with Vantage, and this process bothers me as I have never had to call in to find out where my boat will be docked. Has anyone else gone through this process, and am I freaking out over nothing?

 

We're leaving soon for the Douro with Vantage. We're using Vantage Air, but we got an email from our cruise director with his contact info about a month before departure. We were able to connect with him by email with questions, and he responded promptly. This should be standard procedure.

We leave two weeks from today for our Vantage Douro Cruise from Madrid to Lisbon with a post-cruise extension to Madeira!

As one of my trusted sources here on River Cruises, I wish you a GREAT trip. I did Vantage Douro two years ago (different boat, different itenerary, same river) and thoroughly enjoyed it. There have been posts of docking in the middle of nowhere, but I found a pub within walking distance in every Portuguese port. I’ll be interested in your experience.

 

I did NOT do Vantage Madeira extension, but I have been there. If you get a chance in Funchal go to the Blandy Wine Lodge. IIRC they would have poured us generous samples all day long (we had stopped elsewhere who poured us one [and only one] small sample to go with their hard sell). My father was curator of the Virginia State Arboretum located at Blandy Farm - I thought it interesting that it had the same name. I have since proven that Graham Blandy who donated the Arboretum property to the University of Virginia was indeed a cousin of the Blandys who are the largest shipper of Madeira wine (and “out of respect” I always keep a Blandy Madeira bottle in my collection - but someone keeps emptying it).

Leaving in 2 weeks for Vantage Douro cruise!

We leave two weeks from today for our Vantage Douro Cruise from Madrid to Lisbon with a post-cruise extension to Madeira! Will try to post from the cruise.

 

Looking forward to your posts. We are on this itinerary in October but did not opt for the Madeira extension. It is our second Douro river cruise. You will love being able to sail during the day and seeing the beautiful countryside rather than night sailing on the other rivers.

Cole

..we got an email from our cruise director with his contact info about a month before departure. We were able to connect with him by email with questions, and he responded promptly. This should be standard procedure.

I have done Vantage in France after Vantage had switched from fixed group Program Directors to Cruise Director/ Concierge/ Local Guides. But when we later did the Douro we had dedicated PDs with us the entire trip (the Madeira extension group had the same PD for the duration) and Douro Azul (from whom the boat was chartered) provided the CD. I am interested if that is still the case.

 

For those new to river cruises the guides under whatever name are professionals in every sense of the word. Licensed by region, language, etc and every one I have had prided themselves on taking excellent care of each person in their group. They are independent contractors and in general their only compensation is the tips you give them. Something to remember when tip time rolls around.