Vantage Danube Cruise OCT NOV DEC 2018

[CruisingMode]

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

[CruisingMode]

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.

[CruisingMode]

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.

[CruisingMode]

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.

[DaveinCharlotte]

Just finished our Vantage "Bonn to Budapest" cruise (starting at Frankfurt airport), which was to have been on the River Voyager.  First change: Had to change to the River Splendor instead, from Mainz.  Vantage arranged a day excursion on a small ship that did the southern half of the Rhine Gorge, and our tour of Cologne was replaced with a tour of Mainz.  Otherwise, the cruise continued as scheduled until we reached Regensburg, where the River Splendor could go no further.  We were bused to Passau (1.5 hours) where we boarded the identical ship River Discovery II.  Again, we continued as scheduled to Vienna, where the River Discovery II could go no further.  From there it was a long (4 hour) bus ride to Budapest, where we were put up for two nights at the Ritz-Carlton 5-star hotel.

 

Our cruise director Martin did a first-rate job.  We thought the food was excellent and the waiters proficient.  We enjoyed every one of our tours, and the guides were great.  We enjoyed the cruise through the Wachau Valley especially, and the extra time in Vienna helped offset the long bus ride.  Overall we thought it was a great trip.       

[CruisingMode]

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.

[DaveinCharlotte]

Hmm.  Today River Splendor appears to be heading west from Regensburg heading for Wurzburg.  The River Discovery is stopped in Linz, about 1/3 of the way between Passau and Vienna.  I'm guessing that it could easily get to Passau in time for your Dec 7 trip.  If you have a transfer to the ship from Munich, I'll bet it will be a bus to Passau instead of Regensburg...they're about the same distance from Munich, and Vantange wouldn't want you to embark the Splendor for just one night.  Just guesswork on my part, of course.

[CruisingMode]

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.

[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. 

[DaveinCharlotte]

Vantage sent us a letter December 7, offering us a $1100 comp discount on any Vantage trip booked within a year.  We had to sign and return a release waiver (saying we wouldn't sue) before the offer would be considered final.  The $1100 was for both of us, not per person...still, I thought this was adequate compensation for our relatively minor inconveniences.