All Things Vantage

 

SNIP

 

The ONLY part of the cruise that we found lacking was the dining room food. It wasn't poor, per se, and was beautifully plated. But Vantage requires its chefs to use all frozen food brought on board at beginning and no local fresh regional produce is brought on board. We were in Holland and no dutch meals were served. (not even Gouda or Edam Cheese was served- we had to get in ports and bring on board. Other than that we were very happy campers!

Our one Vantage cruise was on the Saone and Rhone. Every night at dinner we had a selection of local cheeses to choose from. The chef presented information at the port talk and the "omelet/pasta guy" explained again when you requested some after dinner. Just remember to not allow the waitstaff too run off with the bread and rolls.

Our one Vantage cruise was on the Saone and Rhone. Every night at dinner we had a selection of local cheeses to choose from. The chef presented information at the port talk and the "omelet/pasta guy" explained again when you requested some after dinner. Just remember to not allow the waitstaff too run off with the bread and rolls.

We had cheeses every night (it was the cheese plate and the omlette/pasta guy (our guy was from Kotor!) explained each one. But they were the same cheeses every night - usually 5 and they were not "local" in Belgium or Holland. There was a Greek one, an Italian one and (of course) brie. The chef - in his - gallery tour explained that the company (Vantage) will not let him pick up local foods (including meat, fish and cheese- all meats and fish are frozen and slow defrosted). It frustrates him. Now someone posted about 12 or so posts back that were on a cruise that Vantage ran usibnging another company (Douro)' ship and staff and THEY had l;ocal produce etc.

Travellady. Is this your first cruise on any ship? All cruise lines add a gratuity - split among the crew - and most ocean ones are about $13/day. So Vantage's $17 is not much higher. This includes your Cruise Director who often adds to the enjoyment of the cruise. And unlike major cruise lines, small river boats don't have as many layers of staff in the dining room. There is one Dining room manager, then waitstaff and then cooks.

 

We had our FIRST River Cruise in April/May (Tulips) and loved-the casualness. no need to pack suit or dress clothes - and the attentiveness of our Cruise Director (Erna). And - at least with Vantage - and our itinerary - there were no major OPTIONAL excusions so we really didn't spend much extra after the final payment and the gratuities.

 

The ONLY part of the cruise that we found lacking was the dining room food. It wasn't poor, per se, and was beautifully plated. But Vantage requires its chefs to use all frozen food brought on board at beginning and no local fresh regional produce is brought on board. We were in Holland and no dutch meals were served. (not even Gouda or Edam Cheese was served- we had to get in ports and bring on board. Other than that we were very happy campers!

Hi Steve,

I think I have given my opinion of Vantage. We were on the Splendor in May, Budapest to Amsterdam. Had a very nice time, but really our expectations were too high. Food was just OK..lots of pork..staff was good, but to be honest, being in a suite, didn't see much better cabin service than anyone else. The 628.00 in gratuities were much too high.. some of the staff was so new, that the service was not up to our standards. Example, When one person at the table would ask for additional coffee or wine, he would just fill that persons glass and leave. My husband had to speak to hm so he knew that he ask everyone at the table. Yes, river cruising is very relaxed, casual dress and did have very good tours but we will not be on Vantage again, have booked Viking Ocean Cruises, which have gotten high marks, and back to our favorite cruise line Celebrity. There ar no more formal nights on these cruise lines, and to be honest we did wear the same clothes in the evening that I do on Celebrity. Some people pretty much wore the type of clothes they did during the day, but we don't.

Hi Steve,

I think I have given my opinion of Vantage. We were on the Splendor in May, Budapest to Amsterdam. Had a very nice time, but really our expectations were too high. Food was just OK..lots of pork..staff was good, but to be honest, being in a suite, didn't see much better cabin service than anyone else. The 628.00 in gratuities were much too high.. some of the staff was so new, that the service was not up to our standards. Example, When one person at the table would ask for additional coffee or wine, he would just fill that persons glass and leave. My husband had to speak to hm so he knew that he ask everyone at the table. Yes, river cruising is very relaxed, casual dress and did have very good tours but we will not be on Vantage again, have booked Viking Ocean Cruises, which have gotten high marks, and back to our favorite cruise line Celebrity. There ar no more formal nights on these cruise lines, and to be honest we did wear the same clothes in the evening that I do on Celebrity. Some people pretty much wore the type of clothes they did during the day, but we don't.

Well some folks LOVE Carnival (not me) and some love Royal and Celebrity (me) so it's a matter of opinuion. Just to res[pond to your comments above. How long was your cruise? If the gratuity added was $17/day/night/pp, then how did you get $628? 18 1/2 days. Our gratuities were $306 per cabin for 9 nights. Do they charge THAT much more for a suite? (maybe so). We did not have a suite. We chose the category C whjich was in mid level in the rear. We were actually next to the steps to the rear dining room - very convenient. We were happy with cabin but didn't spend much time there. Always busy. We did visit a fellow passenger on our cruise's Suite . They were upgraded at no extra charghe and said they would not have paid the going rate for the cruise. They agreed that they werren't therethat often. Of course NO River cruise has a "balcony" to sit on. Some folks are surprised. As I said earlier, we may go back with Vantage because we liked the fellow passengers and virtually everything was included. We were in same ports as Viking and Gate One. What we didn't care for the non-local and "fresh" food.

As for "dress" and casualness, I haven't been on Celebrity for 2 years (going in January) but, to my knowledge they still have formal nights. Or am I wrong. I don't bring a tux but I do wear a dark suit. To me this is part of "ocean cruising".

To my knowledge you can request that the gratuity be lessend on Vantage but, I have to ask if you discussed the service issues with the Congiere and Cruise Director and if they tried to handle it? I happen to be the type of traveler that tries to get service problem resolved on the ship, not afterwards. If that doesn't happen because of on ship management, I document it. I have done that on RCI and had them give me HUGE OBC for next cruise. But I like to give the cruise linbe the benefit of the doubt.

I'm unsure from your comment if you reached out to Vantage to let them know what went wrong so they could respond. I have the email for the senior manager at Vantage, who gave it to me when I had a long wait for a response from their Customer Service. Since then I have ALWAYS received a courteous reply anything 24 hours.

We figure than when you compare a Vantage river cruise (or any reviewer cruise) with an Ocean one on RCI, HAL, X or Princess, you are paying about 50% more when you include all the excursions. But the ship has at least 95% less passengers, a 1-to-2 crew to passenger ratio and the line is not supported by gambling (the biggest $ maker for cruise lines) and liquor sales.

I know you won't be going back on Vantage so you probably won't stay subscribed to this Thread, but - though - we did have some issues with the food - and we don't see any cruise itineraries that grab us now - I'm sure that the next river cruise we take will be on Vantage. They had the best value when it came to a standard cabin. And I'm just presenting my experience (as you did yours) for others who might read this thread. Some like vanilla (I find it bland), some like chocolate (the darker the better for me), and there are many cruise options out there. We just differ on what we expect.

Peace.

Hi Steve,

I'm going to call Vantage tomorrow morning to find out why I was charged so much for gratuities. It was to be 17 euros pp per day, 14 nights. I'll let u know what happens. I was charged 628. US dollars. Yes, overall our tours were very good. When we are on an Ocean Cruise, I usually organize a private tour or go with others who have also planned tours.

Of course NO River cruise has a "balcony" to sit on.

Not true. Many river ships have real balconies for those who want them.

As for "dress" and casualness, I haven't been on Celebrity for 2 years (going in January) but, to my knowledge they still have formal nights. Or am I wrong.

Celebrity eliminated formal nights in 2015.

Hi Steve,

I'm going to call Vantage tomorrow morning to find out why I was charged so much for gratuities. It was to be 17 euros pp per day, 14 nights. I'll let u know what happens. I was charged 628. US dollars. Yes, overall our tours were very good. When we are on an Ocean Cruise, I usually organize a private tour or go with others who have also planned tours.

Let us know how you made out. PLEASE

And, I too do not use ship's excursions on Ocean cruises .I create my own of 6-8 people and find others on CC Roll Call to jopin us. What I liked with Vantage was the quality of the local guides and group limited to 25 and with headphones so I could wander off to look at something.

Not true. Many river ships have real balconies for those who want them.

 

 

 

Celebrity eliminated formal nights in 2015.

ThanksJazzbeau. I can only say thatr on our Holland cruise we were docked next to Gate1 ships, Viking ships and Avalon and none had full balconies. Hence my comment.

And thanks for comment on formal nights on X. Our last cruise with them was before 2015. RCI still has them.

Hi Steve,

Just got off the phone with Vantage.. the gratuities for the Suite are 20 euros a day.. so yes my 628.55 is correct.. I did give him my feed back on the cruise and he said he would pass it on..then asked if I would travel again, I said no, and told hm I was booked on Viking Ocean next year his demeanor changed. I said that Vantage my want to monitor CC board the way Viking Ocean does to get the true feed back of passengers.

As to your post, YES, many of the river boats have balconies, our window in our suite only opened 1/3 the way.. disappointing. Celebrity does not have formal nites anymore, they are call Casual Chic, dress up or down, nobody cares.

Hi Steve,

Just got off the phone with Vantage.. the gratuities for the Suite are 20 euros a day.. so yes my 628.55 is correct..

 

So it was a 13 day cruise? 40 E for night per suite x 1.17 = $47 US. $628 / $47 = 13. Right?

No, 14 nights. So the charge was correct.

My gratuities on X in a suite are paid for, so I don't know what they charge, but we have a butler who, if u want, will pack unpack ( I don't want them to do that) bring uS a hot breakfast, give u afternoon snacks and cappuccino, and anything more u may want. So I gues they must get double, as my room steward cleaned, put a fresh bottle of water in our room when needed, and an occasional bottle of wine. So I gues he deserves the extra 3euros. NOT

No, 14 nights. So the charge was correct.

So I gues he deserves the extra 3euros. NOT

I think that you have a reasonable point. My experience is that all cabins on most river cruises get the same level of service (Scenic may be an exception), so I don't see how the extra € 3 per day is justified.

No, 14 nights. So the charge was correct.

My gratuities on X in a suite are paid for, so I don't know what they charge, but we have a butler who, if u want, will pack unpack ( I don't want them to do that) bring uS a hot breakfast, give u afternoon snacks and cappuccino, and anything more u may want. So I gues they must get double, as my room steward cleaned, put a fresh bottle of water in our room when needed, and an occasional bottle of wine. So I gues he deserves the extra 3euros. NOT

In 2016 X raised suites to $17.

I think that you have a reasonable point. My experience is that all cabins on most river cruises get the same level of service (Scenic may be an exception), so I don't see how the extra € 3 per day is justified.

I think we can drop the topic ;) But have you considered the fact that if you order a steak or lobster in a restaurant and your your dinner partner orders chicken (at half the menu price) and the waitperson brings both, the gratuity for the steak - which traveled same distance) will be twice that of the chicken? :) You know going into a cruise what the PRICE will be and you accept it or not. IMHO. And, having seen the wages that cabin crew get paid. and the life they live (and always smiling), I often tip extra.

We always tip extra to our butler, room steward his assist. wait staff is subjective, as we have different waiters and bus persons, even tho the tips are included with our cruise..but I did not find a need on Vantage to do this, as no one went out of their way.. I waited 40 minutes at lunch for a burger..I could have gone in the kitchen and done it in 10..

so back to Celebrity and trying Viking Ocean.. hope you all have better experience on your future river cruises.

ThanksJazzbeau. I can only say thatr on our Holland cruise we were docked next to Gate1 ships, Viking ships and Avalon and none had full balconies. Hence my comment.

 

And thanks for comment on formal nights on X. Our last cruise with them was before 2015. RCI still has them.

What's your definition of a "full balcony?" Viking does have verandas according to two friends that cruised a longship. We had a balcony cabin on GCT. A bigger sample size would help.

What's your definition of a "full balcony?" Viking does have verandas according to two friends that cruised a longship. We had a balcony cabin on GCT. A bigger sample size would help.

My def is one you can walk out and sit on. Vantage has - as far as I know - only French Balconies - sliding door only. And on our Tulip cruise it was too cold (high in low 50s) to need one. But PERFECT weather to see the tulips!

What's your definition of a "full balcony?" Viking does have verandas according to two friends that cruised a longship. We had a balcony cabin on GCT. A bigger sample size would help.

If you're curious, just go to the web sites for the various cruise lines and look for yourself. All should have floor plans for their various cabins.

My def is one you can walk out and sit on. Vantage has - as far as I know - only French Balconies - sliding door only. And on our Tulip cruise it was too cold (high in low 50s) to need one. But PERFECT weather to see the tulips!

I think that the exception is the new Douro Serenity. The two master suites and six junior suites have true balconies.

http://www.vantagetravel.com/cruises/vantage-cruise-line-our-fleet/europe-deluxe-river-ships/ms-douro-serenity

My def is one you can walk out and sit on. Vantage has - as far as I know - only French Balconies - sliding door only. And on our Tulip cruise it was too cold (high in low 50s) to need one. But PERFECT weather to see the tulips!

That's the generally accepted definition. Just wondered if the was another definition that would lead to stating "no river cruise has a 'balcony' to sit on" when in fact many do.

If you're curious, just go to the web sites for the various cruise lines and look for yourself. All should have floor plans for their various cabins.

Not that curious. Do they define "balcony?" ;p

Good Customer Service

There have been a lot of complaints about customer service from the Boston Office, so I thought I'd mention the positive experience I had this morning. I called in at around 10:00 EDT and was placed on hold. After about 5 minutes I decided to try the "chat" option, so I hung up and initiated a chat session where my questions were answered promptly.

About an hour later I got a follow-up call from a Vantage rep who'd noticed that I'd called in but had never talked to anyone. I assured her that my questions were answered in the chat session, and the rep thanked me.

There may still be problems with their customer service, but I was impressed with the follow-up on my unanswered call.

We take our first Vantage cruise in January. We paid in full at booking plus upgraded to business class and got our flights arranged at that time. Turned out the flights Vantage originally booked us on had us missing the first day of touring. This was fixed in our favor as they are now flying us in a day early with the hotel cost on them. If you take the pre trip flights work out fine...we are not. Flights are limited flying into Yangon...ours via Seoul arrives at 10:30pm. The only item still pending is our flight from Burma to Laos for our post trip. We had a flight then it was cancelled and they are still trying to figure things out.

Is anyone going on the Vantage River Normandy D-Day cruise departing Paris on Sept. 9, 2017? I can't find anything about that cruise here. Can someone guide me? Thanks!

Is anyone going on the Vantage River Normandy D-Day cruise departing Paris on Sept. 9, 2017? I can't find anything about that cruise here. Can someone guide me? Thanks!

I'll add you to the roll call thread. Since Vantage is a smaller line, I took the step of trying just a single roll call thread with all the Vantage cruises for one year and the next. With less than 200 people on a river ship. It's highly unlikely that you'll find another cruiser on a roll call. It does happen, but in 6 river cruises, I've yet to get a hit on a roll call posting. I hope you'll have better luck.