Vantage Elbe Review I

We just completed our river cruise on Vantage (Chopin) that began in Berlin and ended in Prague and here is a brief review and certainly open to any questions anyone has about this trip.

First of all, Berlin was nice, but disappointing in that when they rebuilt after WWII, they did not recreate the beautiful buildings that were destroyed during the war and if someone had not told us that we were in Berlin, we might have thought that we were somewhere in the Midwest. Of course, on our bus tour through the city we saw Checkpoint Charlie and the Wall from the windows of our bus and had a brief stop at the Brandenburg Gate.

That afternoon was on our own and there are many things to see, but you needed to find your way there either walking or using public transportation.

The following day, we were bussed to Potsdam to see where the Potsdam Conference was held, then to the ship.

Magdeburg was the next stop after cruising the Elbe that morning. We toured the city and the cathedral in the afternoon and then sailed to Wittenberg where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints Church. The local guides were especially charming and dressed in tradition clothing of that period at the end as characters involved in the Reformation.

The following day we had an exceptional tour of the Meissen Porcelain "factory". It is difficult to call it a factory since everything is done by hand. The demonstrations were wonderful and very detailed. The results of their artwork are beautiful.

That afternoon there was a tour of Dresden (as far as we were concerned, the "Jewel" of the Elbe). Sadly, the afternoon tour was cold, rainy and windy. Many people opted to skip the tour due to the fact that the next morning was also spent in Dresden and the weather the second day was perfect. What a beautiful city! How fortunate for everyone that when they rebuilt, they recreated what was destroyed.

That afternoon we sailed through what is called Saxon Switzerland and it was beautiful. Probably the best and most scenic experience as far as sailing on the Elbe.

Due to the fact that one of the locks downriver was not functioning, we spent an additional day at a small town (I forget the name), but it was May Day and no businesses were open, but it was charming nonetheless.

Cole

That evening we had dinner at the castle in Melnik and it was a quite an experience. We were greeted with trumpets, served appetizers and champagne, entertained by a string quarter and then served a meal almost in the same fashion as in Downton Abby. It was a late night, but well worth it.

Again, due to the fact that the lock was still inoperable, we did not sail into Prague, but were bussed. It was a long day of walking (9:30 to 3:00) and extremely crowded. Remember, this was May 1 (a holiday) right before the weekend.

Prague is a beautiful city and the tour guide made sure that everyone was taken care of, no matter your limitations.

The only negatives we could comment on (and remember Vantage does not own the ship) would include very limited internet and the only way you could connect was by using 1 of their 4 IPads. Our own devices did not work. And we personally thought that the coffee was terrible. The ship company needs to invest in a quality espresso/cappuccino machine. Also, anything other than coffee or tea for lunch was not included in the price (meaning sodas, tonic water, etc).

If you have any questions, please post them and I will gladly respond.

Cole

Hi Cole: Thanks for a very honest and forthright review. I've done 6 cruises with Vantage and have 2 scheduled. I've been thinking of Elbe as my 9th but you are the second person to tell me how disappointed they were in Berlin! No, the other person did not go with Vantage but was on a land tour...and they said the same things you did. I've already been to Prague, but was thinking how nice it would be to be on the river. Now I am seriously re-thinking this one.

Disappointed with Berlin? I've never heard that before! I think the trick to seeing Berlin is get there a day or two early and go on a good walking, biking or Segway tour or a specialty tour like Cold War, Third Reich, etc. There are so many neighborhoods to explore as well. And what about Museum Island with the Pergamon and other museums? What about Gendarmenmarkt, one of the most beautiful squares in Europe? I do agree that the bus tours offered in such places as Berlin, Prague and even Budapest are highly limiting and passing by a beautiful monument or opera house is not the same as exploring it. I also appreciate that everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I was just offering mine. We went on Viking's Elegant Elbe several years ago, which out of my 6 or 7 River cruises, still remains the most memorable. I forget how the coffee was on Viking, but I can tell you Uniworld's coffee is good and of course, don't get me started about their free cappuccino machines......

Disappointed in Berlin!?

I am so looking forward to returning. We have a day and a half on our own and I have a laundry list of places to visit. Some were on the wrong side of The Wall, some have changed dramatically since The Wall fell, others were iconic to post war Berlin and then there are a group no longer what they were in the era of The Wall.

I don't visit for months, but I'm already planning my UBahn and SBahn route!

ETA: Perhaps OP's ship had a Soviet era coffee machine? Or, leftover grounds from the Brits? ;)

The rub with Berlin and places like it, is the time available. If you try to do it in 1 day it will be disappointing. This is the problem with arranged tours, no

freedom and little time. Berlin is a wonderful city full of many things to see and do but it takes time and effort and can't be done with a canned tour.

We just completed our river cruise on Vantage (Chopin) that began in Berlin and ended in Prague and here is a brief review and certainly open to any questions anyone has about this trip.

First of all, Berlin was nice, but disappointing in that when they rebuilt after WWII, they did not recreate the beautiful buildings that were destroyed during the war and if someone had not told us that we were in Berlin, we might have thought that we were somewhere in the Midwest. Of course, on our bus tour through the city we saw Checkpoint Charlie and the Wall from the windows of our bus and had a brief stop at the Brandenburg Gate.

That afternoon was on our own and there are many things to see, but you needed to find your way there either walking or using public transportation.

The following day, we were bussed to Potsdam to see where the Potsdam Conference was held, then to the ship.

Magdeburg was the next stop after cruising the Elbe that morning. We toured the city and the cathedral in the afternoon and then sailed to Wittenberg where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints Church. The local guides were especially charming and dressed in tradition clothing of that period at the end as characters involved in the Reformation.

What a shame you didn't get the full feel to Berlin.

Berlin was our 'final' stop when we did the reverse itinerary to you with Viking. Our hotel for the extended stay was perfectly positioned for exploring by ourselves after the scheduled included excursions.

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/07/31/one-way-to-do-berlin/

I even managed to climb to the top of the Victory Column...

...where the view was amazing...

...down to the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate.

The rub with Berlin and places like it, is the time available. If you try to do it in 1 day it will be disappointing. This is the problem with arranged tours, no

freedom and little time. Berlin is a wonderful city full of many things to see and do but it takes time and effort and can't be done with a canned tour.

That is so true, but we did not have the time to add the pre-cruise days or explore Berlin on our own. My comment on being disappointed was not for the city itself, but the architecture. While other cities rebuilt as they were prior to the war, Berlin chose to build with modern structures. When I compare how Vienna looks with Berlin's - I lean toward Vienna. ;) Bottom line - the cruise was everything we expected.

Cole

Daw and I were discussing Berlin's post war rebuilding. No way did the four occupying powers wanted rebuilding of potential monuments to the governments that led to WWI and WWII. There was extensive "denizification" in the early days of the occupation.

Heck, the Reichstag was still a ruin in the 70s and the Kaiser Wilhelm Church is still unreconstructed today as a reminder. Other civic buildings in the "West" we're not reconstructed as they were but replaced with "Modern" building as an example of the superiority of democracy.

I was in Berlin in 1982 and again in 1991 after the wall had fallen. It was remarkable to see the change from the divided city when people were shot trying to escape the DDR giant prison.

I would like to go back and see how Berlin filled out Potsdamer Platz and the open (kill) area that was formerly behind the wall. Also, there is a Holocaust memorial there.

We saw the Pergamon Museum in 91 and it was amazing.

Going back again would be great.

I first visited Hong Kong in 1981 (with a day trip over to the Peoples Republic). Going back in 2012 was interesting, since I could gauge how much the city had changed.

I want to see Bernauer Str. today , it was iconic then, as well as Potsdamer Platz.

Cole, I understand what you mean about the post WWII and "Cold War" reconstruction. But I think that's what sets Berlin apart from other cities. I found the stark architecture and huge residential tower blocks and apartments on Karl-Marx-Allee fascinating. But I do agree that some neighborhoods did remind me of Brooklyn where I grew up years ago. I would agree that the ugly exterior of the Stasi Headquarters lacks the charm of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, but I think it captures the terror that Berlin went through in recent history. Even the Holocaust Denkmal Memorial is an undulating field of concrete slabs...

Where is the Holocaust Memorial?

It opened around ten years ago and is right next to the Brandenburg Gate. It's a very controversial memorial unlike anything you have ever seen before.

I can understand what you are saying about the architecture in Berlin but the biggest problem is that reconstruction didn't really start until the Wall came down in '89. In East Berlin the USSR bombed some churches and let others fall into decay via pure neglect. They were more interested in erasing all things German. That being said we saw beautiful architecture on Museum Island, the Reichstag, the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, and several other churches. One of the royal palaces is in the process of being rebuilt and restored. We ended our tour with Vantage in Berlin as Cole was arriving. We did add 2 days to the Berlin end of our trip and stayed very busy. We arranged a visit on our own to the Reichstag and spent hours at the Topography of Terror Museum. It is situated on the spot of the SS Headquarters and presents a detailed accounting of the horrors of ****sm. The museum is free. It is next to a section of the wall. We also visited the KaDeWe department store. It's 6th floor food floor rivals Harrods in London. Bus route 100 is great for seeing the important sights of the city. It's like a cheap HOHO. There were 5 of us traveling together and we loved Berlin and felt we missed many great sights and would like to return.

The Chopin used by Vantage was lovely. I too wasn't impressed by the coffee but don't find European coffee to my liking anyway.

My iPad has 3G. Knowing that wifi would be very limited, we purchased an international data plan so I had access on my device throughout the trip. I would highly recommend this option. The cost is no more than those plans offered on large cruise ships and was well worth it.

I guess we were lucky to have no problems with the locks and our weather was definitely better.

I, too, would be happy to answer questions.

I can understand what you are saying about the architecture in Berlin but the biggest problem is that reconstruction didn't really start until the Wall came down in '89. In East Berlin the USSR bombed some churches and let others fall into decay via pure neglect. They were more interested in erasing all things German. That being said we saw beautiful architecture on Museum Island, the Reichstag, the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, and several other churches. One of the royal palaces is in the process of being rebuilt and restored. We ended our tour with Vantage in Berlin as Cole was arriving. We did add 2 days to the Berlin end of our trip and stayed very busy. We arranged a visit on our own to the Reichstag and spent hours at the Topography of Terror Museum. It is situated on the spot of the SS Headquarters and presents a detailed accounting of the horrors of ****sm. The museum is free. It is next to a section of the wall. We also visited the KaDeWe department store. It's 6th floor food floor rivals Harrods in London. Bus route 100 is great for seeing the important sights of the city. It's like a cheap HOHO. There were 5 of us traveling together and we loved Berlin and felt we missed many great sights and would like to return.

The Chopin used by Vantage was lovely. I too wasn't impressed by the coffee but don't find European coffee to my liking anyway.

My iPad has 3G. Knowing that wifi would be very limited, we purchased an international data plan so I had access on my device throughout the trip. I would highly recommend this option. The cost is no more than those plans offered on large cruise ships and was well worth it.

I guess we were lucky to have no problems with the locks and our weather was definitely better.

I, too, would be happy to answer questions.

Great explanation as to why the buildings are so stark in central Berlin. Hopefully, future cruisers will read your review and take it upon themselves to do some additional exploring. And glad you mentioned the food court. That was amazing! :eek:

Cole

Berlin is a much younger city than Vienna. Berlin became the capital of Prussia in the 18th century while Vienna had been an important center of power for centuries.

Berlin's downtown was completely destroyed in the war. The western side of the Brandenburg Gate was not rebuilt on purpose in wait for reunification when the area would become the center of government. I personally do not like the new stark architectural style, but the buildings before WW2 were not graceful either and not as old as Vienna's architecture.

You can see examples of what had been there before the destruction: the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the Swiss embassy. They survived partially.

Behind the Reichstag (Old Parliament), you'll find a stretch of the river Spree with crosses and the names of those who had unsuccessfully tried to escape East Berlin by swimming. The crosses are visible on street view.

If you want a smaller charming town, I recommend nearby Potsdam.

Berlin is a much younger city than Vienna. Berlin became the capital of Prussia in the 18th century while Vienna had been an important center of power for centuries.

 

Berlin's downtown was completely destroyed in the war. The western side of the Brandenburg Gate was not rebuilt on purpose in wait for reunification when the area would become the center of government. I personally do not like the new stark architectural style, but the buildings before WW2 were not graceful either and not as old as Vienna's architecture.

 

You can see examples of what had been there before the destruction: the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the Swiss embassy. They survived partially.

 

Behind the Reichstag (Old Parliament), you'll find a stretch of the river Spree with crosses and the names of those who had unsuccessfully tried to escape East Berlin by swimming. The crosses are visible on street view.

 

If you want a smaller charming town, I recommend nearby Potsdam.

Crosses were put up all along The Wall during the 60s and 70s in memorium for known unsuccessful escape attempts. Perhaps the Spree area crosses are from that tradition . . .

Successful escapes were not publicized in the West unless they were obvious, such as the Vopo hurdling the fence or some of the Bernauer Str escapes. For the most part this was to hide tunnels and weak spots in order to allow people to continue to escape.

Hi -

I am wondering if smoking is still allowed in restaurants in Prague (I did post this question on the roll call thread as well....)

We were quite surprised at how prevalent smoking was *inside* the restaurants when we were there about 5 years ago. We had to plan our wardrobe carefully - as any clothing worn to dinner was completely unwearable after.

We are going in a day early - so if smoking is still allowed in restaurants, we will bring extra clothes just for our meals (before we get to the boat) and then just pay to have everything laundered when we board.

Thanks so much.

Fran

Hi -

 

I am wondering if smoking is still allowed in restaurants in Prague (I did post this question on the roll call thread as well....)

 

We were quite surprised at how prevalent smoking was *inside* the restaurants when we were there about 5 years ago. We had to plan our wardrobe carefully - as any clothing worn to dinner was completely unwearable after.

 

We are going in a day early - so if smoking is still allowed in restaurants, we will bring extra clothes just for our meals (before we get to the boat) and then just pay to have everything laundered when we board.

Fran

Fran, I can't say for all the restaurants in Prague, but I can say that none of the restaurants we frequented allowed smoking inside. A lot of them had outdoor seating and you were able to smoke at those tables, but not inside. This was last year. I think Europe is beginning to catch up to U.S. as far as smoking is concerned, although the old Communist block countries are a little behind the rest of Europe.