Voyages to Antiquity Pompeii etc. May31

[Livestotravel]

Hi Livestotravel

I was on the June 1st cruise and I'd echo the recommendation re The Middle Sea. It's not exactly an easy read, but I found myself reading about parts of Sicily a few millennia ago that we just happened to be passing at the time which was nice.

I also research everything to death, hence I was particularly annoyed to find myself on a cruise where the actual experience was a million miles from the offering.

For a warts-and-all review, check out trencherman.org and click the bottom LH (black) link.

 

Thanks, it's on reserve at my library - figured I better start plowing through it now. I read your review, and it is very discouraging, but I am an optomist and hope things will get better. I'm considering bringing white garbage bags to cover the pool-side lounges - oh no - that would be tacky!

[SwissMyst]

Thanks, it's on reserve at my library - figured I better start plowing through it now. I read your review, and it is very discouraging, but I am an optomist and hope things will get better. I'm considering bringing white garbage bags to cover the pool-side lounges - oh no - that would be tacky!

 

Nope, soot on the chairs is tacky. Soot at all on a "premium" positioned cruise is not acceptable at all. Bring the bags. Make your point. Let them fix it.

[cruisemom42]

Thanks, it's on reserve at my library - figured I better start plowing through it now. I read your review, and it is very discouraging, but I am an optomist and hope things will get better. I'm considering bringing white garbage bags to cover the pool-side lounges - oh no - that would be tacky!

 

Nope, soot on the chairs is tacky. Soot at all on a "premium" positioned cruise is not acceptable at all. Bring the bags. Make your point. Let them fix it.

 

 

Better yet, bring the towels from your room to sit on, then call for fresh ones. Perhaps they'll get the point.

[SwissMyst]

Better yet, bring the towels from your room to sit on, then call for fresh ones. Perhaps they'll get the point.

 

Great idea. They provide the soot. They also provide the remedy. This way if they are creating the soot for some reason unknown, they can collect it all from their towels and put it to whatever use they intended to create it for.

 

Abrasives for toothpaste? Garden fertilizer? Grit for icy pavements? Deal killers for future cruisers? Non-caloric substitutes for poppy seed fillings that still lets you pass a drug test if you are going through Dubai?

[Livestotravel]

Great idea. They provide the soot. They also provide the remedy. This way if they are creating the soot for some reason unknown, they can collect it all from their towels and put it to whatever use they intended to create it for.

 

Abrasives for toothpaste? Garden fertilizer? Grit for icy pavements? Deal killers for future cruisers? Non-caloric substitutes for poppy seed fillings that still lets you pass a drug test if you are going through Dubai?

 

Funny! Funny also, is the picture I have of myself sliding ungracefully off the plastic bag and onto the deck!!

[SwissMyst]

Refund for our sadly canceled Nov 2010 Cairo to Athens trip credited in our account. Class act, VTA. Hope we can join you next year after all those first year birth pangs get worked out. If, we can still afford you then.

[Ontariotrekker]

Better yet, bring the towels from your room to sit on, then call for fresh ones. Perhaps they'll get the point.

All joking aside, there is no need to worry about chair covers etc. The pool towels are amazing... super large, super soft and really plentiful.. I always used one to roll up and put it on the coffee table to put my feet up. Not really polite but everyone else was using the low tables as foot stools as well:)

[cruisemom42]

For anyone reading this thread and concerned about the early reviews of VtoA sailings, I thought this might make interesting reading about inaugural sailings of new ships:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227384

 

Again, I'm not downplaying the fact that the ship had some issues to resolve. But just pointing out that this is the case with almost any new ship -- experiences reported on the thread included lines ranging from mass market lines to Crystal.

[SwissMyst]

For anyone reading this thread and concerned about the early reviews of VtoA sailings, I thought this might make interesting reading about inaugural sailings of new ships:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227384

 

Again, I'm not downplaying the fact that the ship had some issues to resolve. But just pointing out that this is the case with almost any new ship -- experiences reported on the thread included lines ranging from mass market lines to Crystal.

 

What attracted us to VTA this year was the incredibly priced package with all the inclusions. This had to be a loss leader pricing, with the downside it was their first year. So we went in with the idea of "how bad can it be" and agree most of the complaints are in the tolerable range.

 

The only real concern is with the early complaints, even with the good pricing, that they may not complete their season and any early money deposits could be lost. That was the main reason we cancelled.

 

Not because of the complaints, though I do hate diesel smoke, we realized this itinerary did not leave much time onboard anyway and the bonus on this itinerary is it included a lot of land overnights as well, but risking the final payment in August for a ship that may fail to generate mid summer revenue was just a little too risky for us.

 

VTA still sounds like a great, really, great deal this season and the string of negatives are not really all that bad for those used to more adventure type cruising. I wish it well and am envious you will still most likely be taking "our" trip of a lifetime.

 

I do fear if we try to take it next year, it will be priced more realistically for what it is offering and will be out of our travel budget. Enjoy taking advantage of this exceptional offering while you can. On paper, indeed it is a winner. Old boat and all. So was the MV Discovery.

[Livestotravel]

I expect that the travel insurance I bought would take care of refunding any monies already sent to the company if they went under - that is why I take the good advice of others on these boards to never insure with the company you are going with.

 

I do wonder what the prices will be next year - and whether I'll be sorry I didn't wait until the glitches were worked out, or happy I took advantage of "training" rates! "Inaugural" just sounded so special!

[Louise22]

I had a difficult experience last year when I paid for a cruise by check. They only took AmEx or a check and I have Visa. I never dreamed I might have a problem but the cruise line ceased operation and my trip insurance would not cover. The insurance was not sold by the cruise line. As stated in the insurance brochure the cruise line would have to declare bankruptcy. It never did. I am not sure how many people lost their money. The cruise I was on was the first of the season and they kept booking people promising they would be operating. I contacted the attorney general of the state they were operating out of and got my money after almost 6 months. I think some of the people who booked later never did get their money - I am sure I got repaid with their money. My cruise was in April and I just saw in a travel magazine a letter to the editor from someone who lost their money from August. Never pay by check!

[Livestotravel]

Great advice - and I guess reading the fine print in the insurance document. Since many times there is a surcharge for paying by credit card, I've often paid by check - never again!

[SwissMyst]

I think the cruise industry could benefit from a bullet proof escrow account for cruise deposits. Other wise cruise deposits are just a Ponzi scheme, using "our" later money to pay for present operations so that if they fail, our money has already been spent.

 

Foolishly I assumed that is what happened until I lost a $600 deposit after everything went belly up in the travel world after 9-11. Ultimately American Express made good on it since it was on their card and they were marketing themselves at that time for making good on anything that was lost, broken or destroyed.

 

Hmmmmmmmm I thought and they replied since I was a good Amex customer with them for a long time, my lost deposit fit their idea of what they would be willing to compensate. Bankruptcy court for the company eventually offered me a $35 settlement on that original $600. But by then, I had been restored in full by Amex.

[patseacruiser]

I emailed my contact at VTA about some of the problems and this is the response:

As you know, there were indeed problems that we just were not anticipating. Thank goodness – none of those were with the product delivery in terms of the overall land/shore experiences. The ship issues are/have been addressed and will continue to be quite rapidly. So the good news is:

1) The tenders are being replaced in Athens – and where necessary – itinerary amendments are made to reduce the number of tender ports on the Key to Sicily and Pompeii is So Wonderful itineraries. There were just too many tender calls in one day – and the areas themselves (Amalfi coast and Capri) are just not suitable for tender operations. Much too rough – even when the sea appears calm – believe me there are currents underneath that are quite disruptive to small boating.

2) The Executive Chef has come back onboard as of Jun 16 and will stay onboard until the food is right. Our Managing Director was onboard for several days just last week and part of this one and he has confirmed this action has already caused an improvement of 100%. The original Chefs are replaced now and we hope this issue is knocked on the head once and for all..it really wasn’t the budget which was quite high for a ship of our size but in fact the galley team itself.

3) The soot issue is being corrected – it is an engineering thing with the smokestack so I cannot give you specifics but it is fixable and is being fixed.

4) A new Hotel Manager came onboard on June 15 – there is now a Cruise Concierge who seems to know her stuff – and the whole tour disembark/bus assignment issue has been refined for two cruises now in such a way that it is much more organized and less confusing. The staff seems to have pulled that part of the tour process together quite well.

[SwissMyst]

Wow, what a response from VTA. They certainly got the message. But it is still troubling they felt they could operate as badly as they already have.

 

These do seem like obvious deficiencies they should have been on top of long before this string of specific complaints needing specific remedies put them on the defensive.

 

But this is all good news for future cruisers. Maybe someone also needs to tell them we want to hear from real passengers; not just the travel press who get free trips. Tell them they can pay me and I'll send out a fair report to them first, before I go online.:)

[cruisemom42]

What attracted us to VTA this year was the incredibly priced package with all the inclusions. This had to be a loss leader pricing, with the downside it was their first year. So we went in with the idea of "how bad can it be" and agree most of the complaints are in the tolerable range.

 

The only real concern is with the early complaints, even with the good pricing, that they may not complete their season and any early money deposits could be lost. That was the main reason we cancelled.

 

Not because of the complaints, though I do hate diesel smoke, we realized this itinerary did not leave much time onboard anyway and the bonus on this itinerary is it included a lot of land overnights as well, but risking the final payment in August for a ship that may fail to generate mid summer revenue was just a little too risky for us.

 

VTA still sounds like a great, really, great deal this season and the string of negatives are not really all that bad for those used to more adventure type cruising. I wish it well and am envious you will still most likely be taking "our" trip of a lifetime.

 

I do fear if we try to take it next year, it will be priced more realistically for what it is offering and will be out of our travel budget. Enjoy taking advantage of this exceptional offering while you can. On paper, indeed it is a winner. Old boat and all. So was the MV Discovery.

 

I expect that the travel insurance I bought would take care of refunding any monies already sent to the company if they went under - that is why I take the good advice of others on these boards to never insure with the company you are going with.

 

I do wonder what the prices will be next year - and whether I'll be sorry I didn't wait until the glitches were worked out, or happy I took advantage of "training" rates! "Inaugural" just sounded so special!

 

Yes, I agree with both of your posts and believe me, I have been doing the same second-guessing. I just keep thinking -- where else can I get this itinerary and with no single supplement? I guess for now my feeling is "fingers crossed and will wait to hear if the issues really are being addressed."

 

I'm not so convinced the dire financial picture painted by a couple of people is accurate. I think Gerry Herrod has probably got some pretty sound backing based on his previous successes. I doubt things are on shaky ground. (At least, not yet, and not if this season ends well.....)

 

Again, fingers crossed. I do hope they'll continue to offer the no single supplement, even if the rates increase a bit next season. :)

[SwissMyst]

Yes, I agree with both of your posts and believe me, I have been doing the same second-guessing. I just keep thinking -- where else can I get this itinerary and with no single supplement? I guess for now my feeling is "fingers crossed and will wait to hear if the issues really are being addressed."

 

I'm not so convinced the dire financial picture painted by a couple of people is accurate. I think Gerry Herrod has probably got some pretty sound backing based on his previous successes. I doubt things are on shaky ground. (At least, not yet, and not if this season ends well.....)

 

Again, fingers crossed. I do hope they'll continue to offer the no single supplement, even if the rates increase a bit next season. :)

 

You hang in there, because you get the bonus of having me eating my heart out when it all works out just fine for you! I want you to have a great time. Let all the regrets be mine; not yours.

[Livestotravel]

I emailed my contact at VTA about some of the problems and this is the response:

 

 

1) The tenders are being replaced in Athens – and where necessary – itinerary amendments are made to reduce the number of tender ports on the Key to Sicily and Pompeii is So Wonderful itineraries. There were just too many tender calls in one day – and the areas themselves (Amalfi coast and Capri) are just not suitable for tender operations. Much too rough – even when the sea appears calm – believe me there are currents underneath that are quite disruptive to small boating.

 

Pat, this is overall excellent news, however, do you have a sense of what happens to the tours, etc. for Almalfi and Positano - are they substituting a different port instead of tendering in that area? Looks like we'll have press on board for my sailing. Guess that's a good thing?

[patseacruiser]

Here is the reply:

The answer to the question is that on the Pompeii itinerary – it was only Amalfi and now the morning will be spent onboard cruising around Capri – and along the Amalfi coast. The day prior though for those that may not want to do the included tour – it is easy enough to get to Amalfi from Sorrento

[bullshead]

Pat

Based on your quoted reply from V2A, it would seem that my cruise (1-15 June) was spectacularly bad timing, since it was just unfortunate that some key people baled out before (or even during) that cruise, and weren't replaced until immediately following it.

Or, then again, perhaps not?

My advice to anyone contemplating investing their hard-earned cash on a V2A cruise is to consider that if it happened once, it may well happen again. OK, so they've now got a new Chef and Cruise Director - but how long before some other key staff member takes off and leaves that aspect of the cruise as substandard as it was on mine?

Second bit of advice is don't pack any clothes you don't mind being ruined.

[rugbypopsie]

I'm still hopeful for this cruise next year but am holding off booking until I hear the soot issues etc. have been resolved. Lousy food could be a blessing but covered with soot I think not.

 

I hope they keep the attractive pricing to gain a foothold in a niche market...it really was a cruise that fired our imagination.

 

So hopefully we will see some more promising reviews soon.

[bullshead]

I'm still hopeful for this cruise next year but am holding off booking until I hear the soot issues etc. have been resolved. Lousy food could be a blessing but covered with soot I think not.

 

I hope they keep the attractive pricing to gain a foothold in a niche market...it really was a cruise that fired our imagination.

 

So hopefully we will see some more promising reviews soon.

I wouodn't hold your breath for any promising reviews! And assuming you go ahead and take the cruise, you will find that a bit of soot in your morning tea/coffee and grubby seats will be the least of your worries. Since my return from the 1-15 June cruise I have discovered that the ship was inspected 6 days into its inaugural cruise (in Rhodes, 10 May 2010) and it comprehensively failed, with 27 'deficiencies'. Go to http://www.parismou.org/ParisMOU/Inspection+Database/Advanced+Search/default.aspx and enter the IMO number 7225910

[Livestotravel]

I wouodn't hold your breath for any promising reviews! And assuming you go ahead and take the cruise, you will find that a bit of soot in your morning tea/coffee and grubby seats will be the least of your worries. Since my return from the 1-15 June cruise I have discovered that the ship was inspected 6 days into its inaugural cruise (in Rhodes, 10 May 2010) and it comprehensively failed, with 27 'deficiencies'. Go to http://www.parismou.org/ParisMOU/Inspection+Database/Advanced+Search/default.aspx and enter the IMO number 7225910

 

I wish someone from V To A was monitoring these boards, since it would be helpful to know how many of the 27 deficiencies have been addressed. As with a home inspection, don't you go ahead and correct things that fail? Anxious to hear from those on the latest cruise.

[Ontariotrekker]

I strongly suspect that there is someone monitoring the boards...Ever noticed that there is at least one person who always comes up with answers directly from their contact at VtoA.??

[cruisemom42]

I wouodn't hold your breath for any promising reviews! And assuming you go ahead and take the cruise, you will find that a bit of soot in your morning tea/coffee and grubby seats will be the least of your worries. Since my return from the 1-15 June cruise I have discovered that the ship was inspected 6 days into its inaugural cruise (in Rhodes, 10 May 2010) and it comprehensively failed, with 27 'deficiencies'. Go to http://www.parismou.org/ParisMOU/Inspection+Database/Advanced+Search/default.aspx and enter the IMO number 7225910

 

 

This is NOT good news at all. I used the above database to pull up reports on a number of other (larger and smaller) cruise ships operating in the Mediterranean and most had 0 to 1 violations. The most I saw for any other ship I tried was for Prinsendam (4 violations) a couple of years ago..... Even Costa Allegra, another small and far from new ship had none.

 

I am definitely concerned to find whether these points have been addressed.