All Things Vantage

[pbnjrockette]

We just returned from a fabulous cruise to Norway! (May21-June 4) We considered going with Vantage and Hurtigruten but for a very comparable amount we booked with Holland America aboard the Rotterdam and were extremely pleased! The Hurtigruten ships goes to many more ports but often is there for only a few hours (we have friends who have done the tour with Vantage and they sent us a video of their cruise). The Hurtigruten ship and it's accommodations are a lot more basic than a HAL cruise ship. We enjoyed the larger ship (1800 passengers)and all it had to offer (better food, better cabin, entertainment while not in port) We did cruise the fjords (the sail ins were in the early morning but the sail outs late afternoon and evening were gorgeous!, went all the way to Nordkap, saw the 'midnight sun', had absolutely gorgeous weather and calm seas! We mostly booked our own tours (usually at least half-price of the ships tours and a lot better! We booked our own air.

 

I REALLY enjoyed this vacation!!!

[Hydrokitty]

We just returned from a fabulous cruise to Norway! (May21-June 4) We considered going with Vantage and Hurtigruten but for a very comparable amount we booked with Holland America aboard the Rotterdam and were extremely pleased! The Hurtigruten ships goes to many more ports but often is there for only a few hours (we have friends who have done the tour with Vantage and they sent us a video of their cruise). The Hurtigruten ship and it's accommodations are a lot more basic than a HAL cruise ship. We enjoyed the larger ship (1800 passengers)and all it had to offer (better food, better cabin, entertainment while not in port) We did cruise the fjords (the sail ins were in the early morning but the sail outs late afternoon and evening were gorgeous!, went all the way to Nordkap, saw the 'midnight sun', had absolutely gorgeous weather and calm seas! We mostly booked our own tours (usually at least half-price of the ships tours and a lot better! We booked our own air.

 

I REALLY enjoyed this vacation!!!

 

We have been looking at Vantage Hurtigruten for a couple of years now too. My problem is wanting to see the Aurora Borealis and they're the only one who does this trip in the winter....I never booked it because I had heard the food was mostly fish (I would rather starve to death) and not that good...also ship itself is more functional than comfortable, which is understanding since it's primarily a work and transportation ship. But after reading your post, I think I'm going to book this cruise on Celebrity or RC....I like the idea of fewer ports and if we take first or last cruise of season we might get lucky!!

What kind of shore excursions did you book?

[pbnjrockette]

We chose to go in May because there was still snow in the mountains and the waterfalls were spectacular. It is my understanding that sometimes in late September you can catch the Northern Lights. We also figured if the weather was bad (and it frequently can be) at least we were on a comfortable ship with good food!!

 

We did several walking tours with and without guides, hop-on/hop-off bus in one port, hired a limo with 2 other couples in another port, and an excellent bus guide to the Nordkap (the ship's tour has NO guide or narration and is twice as expensive). Depending on your ports there are lots of options!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Another option, which may be the best of both worlds [smaller ship but more luxurious] is Azamara. They do a full Norwegian fjords itinerary (to Nordkapp) about once a year, and one of their captains is from Norway. We're going with them in August (rt Amsterdam, also makes flying easier).

[Hydrokitty]

We chose to go in May because there was still snow in the mountains and the waterfalls were spectacular. It is my understanding that sometimes in late September you can catch the Northern Lights. We also figured if the weather was bad (and it frequently can be) at least we were on a comfortable ship with good food!!

 

We did several walking tours with and without guides, hop-on/hop-off bus in one port, hired a limo with 2 other couples in another port, and an excellent bus guide to the Nordkap (the ship's tour has NO guide or narration and is twice as expensive). Depending on your ports there are lots of options!

 

Another option, which may be the best of both worlds [smaller ship but more luxurious] is Azamara. They do a full Norwegian fjords itinerary (to Nordkapp) about once a year, and one of their captains is from Norway. We're going with them in August (rt Amsterdam, also makes flying easier).

 

Thank you both....you've given me something to look into....maybe I'll get to see lights after ll! (It's not like I haven't tried....we went to Iceland....nothing...then Alaska...nothing) Next up is Norway and then I just give up!! :D

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thank you both....you've given me something to look into....maybe I'll get to see lights after ll! (It's not like I haven't tried....we went to Iceland....nothing...then Alaska...nothing) Next up is Norway and then I just give up!! :D

 

My assumption is that you can either have the Midnight Sun, or the Northern Lights -- but not both. But then, I'm not a Rocket Surgeon :D

[CPT Trips]

You can have both. Just takes two trips.

Try staying at a Holiday Inn Express :rolleyes:

[Hydrokitty]

You can have both. Just takes two trips.

Try staying at a Holiday Inn Express :rolleyes:

 

Actually I'm thinking of a B2B on X...1 round trip plane trip (makes DH happy) and trip 1: 11 days Baltic Caps, with a revisit to St. Pete, trip 2: Norway.. Bergen to Nordknapp....I think I'm giving up on Northern Lights. There is a trip to Yellow Knife (?) in upper Canada that looks interesting... only a week but they guarantee seeing them. Bad news, you may have to stand outside all night in the snow!! :D

[Hydrokitty]

My assumption is that you can either have the Midnight Sun, or the NortheIn Lights -- but not both. But then, I'm not a Rocket Surgeon :D[/quote

 

Midnight Sun is summer and Northern Lights is winter....right? I'm not a Rocket Surgeon either. :D

[Hydrokitty]

Well, I did it!! Booked b2b on Celebrity: Scandinavia and Russia followed by Norway to Nordknapp from Southampton. Thanks guys!!! :D

[CPT Trips]

Actually I'm thinking of a B2B on X...1 round trip plane trip (makes DH happy) and trip 1: 11 days Baltic Caps, with a revisit to St. Pete, trip 2: Norway.. Bergen to Nordknapp....I think I'm giving up on Northern Lights. There is a trip to Yellow Knife (?) in upper Canada that looks interesting... only a week but they guarantee seeing them. Bad news, you may have to stand outside all night in the snow!! :D

 

Maybe they can mix up a Caribou? That'll warm you.

[zogrand]

We traveled with Vantage on Hurtigruten and loved it. Is the ship slightly less glamorous than a big cruise ship? Yes, our room was pretty basic but we hardly ever stayed there except to dress or sleep. The bathroom in our room had everything we needed and the floor was heated which we really enjoyed. The public rooms were comfortable and spotless. We found the food delicious. There was lots of fish - reindeer too - but one of our traveling companions wouldn't eat either one and they accommodated her every night with yummy alternatives. No matter how short the stop was, our Vantage guide met us on the dock to take us on a quick walking tour or verbal tour of the town and the area. Most tours were included by Vantage. Vantage did offer some optional tours, some we took, others we didn't but there was an included tour at each stop. Alcohol was very expensive both on and off the ship. Our guide pointed us to the local liquor stores and we bought boxed wine whenever we needed it. Boxed wine may not be our first choice but when even a box of wine is expensive, it's a best buy! We'd take the trip again in a minute! One sad note to our wonderful trip, our ship, the Nordlys, developed difficulty at sea the day we disembarked. Two crew members died and all the passengers had to be evacuated in an emergency situation. The ship was out of commission for months. We were blessed to miss this awful experience but felt so badly for those involved.

[Hydrokitty]

Maybe they can mix up a Caribou? That'll warm you.

 

Is THAT what it's called??? I think I had them in Iceland, standing in Thingvillir NP at 10 p.m. while our guide kept handing us paper cups and saying "there they are, did you see it?" Of course, by the time we left we all swore we did, but DH who doesn't drink said...."no, we didn't". :D

 

BTW, I just booked the b2b I mentioned earlier. It only goes in August...so will it be dark at 3 p.m. or light at 3 a.m.? I never figured that out in high school...science wasn't my thing! :D

[Hydrokitty]

We traveled with Vantage on Hurtigruten and loved it. Is the ship slightly less glamorous than a big cruise ship? Yes, our room was pretty basic but we hardly ever stayed there except to dress or sleep. The bathroom in our room had everything we needed and the floor was heated which we really enjoyed. The public rooms were comfortable and spotless. We found the food delicious. There was lots of fish - reindeer too - but one of our traveling companions wouldn't eat either one and they accommodated her every night with yummy alternatives. No matter how short the stop was, our Vantage guide met us on the dock to take us on a quick walking tour or verbal tour of the town and the area. Most tours were included by Vantage. Vantage did offer some optional tours, some we took, others we didn't but there was an included tour at each stop. Alcohol was very expensive both on and off the ship. Our guide pointed us to the local liquor stores and we bought boxed wine whenever we needed it. Boxed wine may not be our first choice but when even a box of wine is expensive, it's a best buy! We'd take the trip again in a minute! One sad note to our wonderful trip, our ship, the Nordlys, developed difficulty at sea the day we disembarked. Two crew members died and all the passengers had to be evacuated in an emergency situation. The ship was out of commission for months. We were blessed to miss this awful experience but felt so badly for those involved.

 

I do remember hearing about that. I appreciate your information...I'm really excited about this trip!!!

[CPT Trips]

Caribou is québécois thing . . . red wine, whiskey, and maple syrup to smooth it out a bit. Whether Yellowknife or Iceland does them ? ? ?

[macsails]

Really appreciate all the input regarding Norwegian coast line cruises...Hurtigruten vs regular cruise ship. We have booked Hurtigruten and I'm hoping the positive reviews are more factual than the negative ones! One from several years ago would have kept me from booking if I had read it before I had already booked. Guess traveling is always an unknown. Did the person who bought box wines on shore, have to "sneak" them back on or was it OK with the ship?

[jamscckmc]

Hi, going on a Vantage cruise next week. There doesn't seem robe much on Vantage lately on this Vantage thread.

 

Anyone have any recent reviews on Vantage or general tips. We will be on the French Waterways. Thanks!

[zogrand]

"Did the person who bought box wines on shore, have to "sneak" them back on or was it OK with the ship?"

 

There was no problem bringing any alcohol onto the ship. Nothing was ever checked and there was no policy that prohibited bringing alcohol onto the ship. They did ask passengers not to bring their own alcohol into the public areas. We had purchased the ship's coffee package which included a covered coffee mug. We walked into the dining room every night with the mug filled with wine and no one ever questioned us. As an aside, my husband thought the coffee was fine, I thought it was awful. So if you don't want to purchase the coffee package, bring your own mug!

[pbnjrockette]

Hi, going on a Vantage cruise next week. There doesn't seem robe much on Vantage lately on this Vantage thread.

 

Anyone have any recent reviews on Vantage or general tips. We will be on the French Waterways. Thanks!

 

Do you have specific question about the French Waterways? We really enjoyed our "Treasures" cruise in 2014.

[macsails]

"Did the person who bought box wines on shore, have to "sneak" them back on or was it OK with the ship?"

 

There was no problem bringing any alcohol onto the ship. Nothing was ever checked and there was no policy that prohibited bringing alcohol onto the ship. They did ask passengers not to bring their own alcohol into the public areas. We had purchased the ship's coffee package which included a covered coffee mug. We walked into the dining room every night with the mug filled with wine and no one ever questioned us. As an aside, my husband thought the coffee was fine, I thought it was awful. So if you don't want to purchase the coffee package, bring your own mug!

 

Thanks for the info. I'll stick in a mug since I don't drink coffee!

[jamscckmc]

Any general or specific Vantage info would be appreciated. There seems to be a lot more posts lately that are not specifically about Vantage.

[JerseyGem]

.......... We had purchased the ship's coffee package which included a covered coffee mug. We walked into the dining room every night with the mug filled with wine and no one ever questioned us. As an aside, my husband thought the coffee was fine, I thought it was awful. So if you don't want to purchase the coffee package, bring your own mug!

 

We are taking our first Vantage cruise in October (after many GCT cruises). What is included in Vantage's coffee package? On GCT, all coffee drinks (from the machine) are free and available all the time. Can we at least get a cup of regular coffee on Vantage without purchasing a package? How about hot tea; is it available all day? Thanks!

[TravelerThom]

We are taking our first Vantage cruise in October (after many GCT cruises). What is included in Vantage's coffee package? On GCT, all coffee drinks (from the machine) are free and available all the time. Can we at least get a cup of regular coffee on Vantage without purchasing a package? How about hot tea; is it available all day? Thanks!

I have sailed on 2 Vantage owned boats (Seine & Rhone) and a Vantage chartered boat (Douro). In all 3 cases there was an "expresso" machine that delivered a variety of coffee specialties as well as plain coffee and hot water with a selection of tea bags. Generally available 24/7 (but coffee beans might be out briefly early in the morning after the first round of folks has used the machine and they have not yet refilled). Much of the days there are pastries or cookies by the machine (generally not at night).

Any general or specific Vantage info would be appreciated. There seems to be a lot more posts lately that are not specifically about Vantage.

I hope you realize that the Norway coast discussion was in fact related to Vantage, given that Vantage does partial charters on Hurtigruten. If you have specific questions about Vantage, I be happy to answer to the best of my ability (based on my 3 Vantage river trips [plus many more non-Vantage river trips] and 3 Vantage non-river trips [Norway coastal, Antarctica, Southern Africa]).

 

Thom

[pbnjrockette]

Any general or specific Vantage info would be appreciated. There seems to be a lot more posts lately that are not specifically about Vantage.

 

We have scheduled our 13th trip (Douro Rivercruise) with Vantage since 2000 (river cruises, land tours, small ship tours and ocean cruises). We obviously have been pleased with their product since we keep coming back! We have been fortunate to have excellent program managers for most of our tours.

 

Would be glad to discuss/answer any specific questions about Vantage or specific trips.

 

I have never heard of a "coffee package" (this may have been specific to the Hurtigruten ships?) We have always seen coffee and tea being available (usually in the lounge/bar area).

[zogrand]

We are taking our first Vantage cruise in October (after many GCT cruises). What is included in Vantage's coffee package? On GCT, all coffee drinks (from the machine) are free and available all the time. Can we at least get a cup of regular coffee on Vantage without purchasing a package? How about hot tea; is it available all day? Thanks!

 

The coffee package was not offered by Vantage, it was offered by Hurtigruten. On that trip only, coffee was free with dinner but all other times you paid for it. The Norwegian trip offered by Vantage on a Hurtigruten ship is not private to Vantage. There are many other passengers on the ship not related to Vantage. On Vantage river cruises we've taken, coffee and tea were nearly always available and free - also hot chocolate and cookies and crackers - no package involved - included in your cruise price .