Hydrokitty
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Posts posted by Hydrokitty
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I made a list of all the coverage offered by the insurance through Vantage and then went on line and compared it with all the major companies. I discovered that I could not match the same amount of coverage with any other company, including the company Vantage used! There are several factors to keep in mind: your age and general health and condition being primary and the solvency of the company you are using. For me personally, I am most interested in having to cancel at the last minute due to a health emergency or becoming incapacitated in a foreign country where I may need to be transported home on a medical evac. By comparing each item with several companies, it isn't hard to pick who gives you the most for the money. The key is to make sure you get the same or better coverage.
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how many of you take the first cruise by that company to a specific itinerary?I always wonder if they have to work out the rough spots.
The one I put on HOLD with Scenic is doing its first cruise next yr....so maybe its good I m going in 2015?
After 10 different areas, getting to a point where I ve seen most of them.Wish they d come out with a few more.See Viking has a new eastern France one starting next yr.Maybe more luxury ones will also go there now? :confused:
Good point..I usually don't like to buy the "first" of anything except reading material for the same reason. As for the itineraries it's true after you've done so many river cruises it's hard to find ones that go places you haven't seen.... We need more rivers in Europe! I want to do one in Spain! :)
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I hope I am still cruising till the day I die. Just saying!
I hope you are too, Rachel! Be careful out there tonight, we saw on the news how bad it is in your neck of the woods.
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I believe that Vantage also has a refundable deposit on 2015 river cruises. We are interested in the Elbe and waiting for dates and prices with Vantage.
Cole
We put a hold on Vantage China for 2015 and they called me in Nov. with dates. Pretty sure hold fee was refundable and positive that it was transferable....i've traveled with Vantage so many times that quite frankly I'm more concerned with ME still being around in Oct 2015 than them! :D
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Go online and order brochures from the following companies.... I apologize if I have forgotten one!
1. Tauck
2. AMA
3. Avalon
4. Uniworld
5. Scenic
6. Vantage
7. Viking - note once on their mailing list even dying won't stop the endless brochures! This applies to Viking :)
All these companies will send their brochures Free by just making a request online. It really helps to be able to study the different company offerings. I research online and compare itineraries side by side. They also show pictures of each ship and info about cabins in the literature.
All this info is also available on each company website, I just like the paper.
Be sure and carefully consider what is included and not with each company, each has a different version of All Inclusive.
Have fun!
I prefer Vantage for myself however, my Mom used Tauck and loved it and seeing the menus and pictures that she saved, I would describe Tauck as THE top of the line. What nana says about getting off Viking mailing list also applys to Vantage! And probably to all of them. I often wonder how much the cruise would cost if they didn't mail those 60 page full color magazines every week!:D
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The Hospital in the Rock is great... but not easy to find.
There are signs up in the area by the Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church - and they point towards a street with a stone wall. There are stairs from there that go down to a road below. You need to get down to that road.
When you get down to the lower road, you need to turn right and walk a bit. It is not well marked.
Fran
Fran: I am familiar with the Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church. What kind of walk/stairs are there? I have trouble walking over uneven surfaces and especially down stairs.
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I would love to hear from other cruisers that have taken an Vantage Cruise along the Douro River. How was your trip? Did you like cruising on the Douro?
Tahoe Tessie:
I would too!!
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Hydrokitty - the Parliament in Budapest is open to the public now - when we were there last month the renovation work was going on outside. That made it a little bit of a challenge to walk to it - to make sure we got to the right entrance. We made sure to give ourselves enough time to walk there from our hotel. Not sure if it's on a HOHO loop, we didn't do that.
We ordered our tickets for the Parliament tour online before leaving home.
Thank you Sparky! I'm going in June. hopefully they will be done with the renovations by then. But it seems they've been going on for quite some time.
Do you know anything about the "underground hospital"?
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Just visited this thread for the first time since I'll be on a Vantage cruise from Budapest to the Black Sea and plan on doing the President's Palace tour as well. I am so glad I visited because like a pp I would have left my passport locked in room safe or my suitcase. I've never heard of a "tourist attraction" keeping your passport while you visit! I understand there is a HOHO in Budapest with stops near the place where ships dock. Does anyone have any info on it? I've been to Budapest before so not really interested in the same city tour, although I will take it only for the free ride to the Fisherman's Bastion! I am most interested in taking a tour of the Parliament Building and would like to know if HOHO would work for me.
Last time I was there it was under renovation and closed to the public
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Hi Judy
You're Welcome. Yes, please send your pics link. Did you stay in the same hotel the whole time or move to others?
Tom:)
Please send me your e-mail address so I can send you the Costco link to my photos. You can send it to Chydro564@yahoo.com.
We stayed in the same hotel the whole 5 days we were in Iceland. If you were to visit in the summer you might need more time and you might want to stay in a hotel in the north for a few days. I haven't been to the north, but I'm sure it's very beautiful. Reykyavik is very walkable and the people all speak English and are very friendly. We went in October because my primary intention was to see Northern Lights, which everyone knows by now we did not! As I said if you want something different and you love nature you will love Iceland.
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Hi
Pictures are on the way. Also, I found a short, 2 part travelogue that I did for friends and sent it also. DW and I recently returned from Churchill,Manitoba, where we saw polar bears. LMK if you want those pics too. We have never been to Iceland and are debating between land tour or a cruise stopping in Iceland.
There is a woman, cc name I love Scotland who went on Hurtigruten Northern Lights tour March last year go to over 55 board.
Tom:)
Pictures were wonderful (especially grandchildren :D). I will check out over 55 board, never visited it before. As for Iceland, IMHO book it through Iceland Air. We flew out of JFK and flight was about 5 hours, landing at 6 a.m. They put us up at the Saga Radisson in Reykyavik, which was a lovely high end hotel and a short walk (no more than 1/2 mile) into the heart of the City. We were unescorted as all airline did was book flights and hotel, but hotel had a tour desk in the lobby and we booked several tours with them, all of which were excellent. Because we went in Oct. the northern part of Iceland was already closed down for winter but most everything of note we visited on the "Ring Tour" which takes all day and stops at several of the waterfalls, geyser, national park at Thingvillir, a hot house where they grow veggies and fruit and the town of Vik, which is where the birds roost and is absolutely fascinating and then walked out to a glacier. We also spent an afternoon at the Blue Lagoon (you can bring your own bathing suit or rent one and is not to be missed) and did two fruitless trips to see the Northern Lights. If you want to see my pictures, let me know and I'll send you the link to Costco. You don't need to be a member to see them, but I think you do need to sign in. Regardless, they will not send you any e-mails.
Thanks again, Judy
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Hi
DW and I took the Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen Vantage/Hurtigruten trip in May 2009. We enjoyed it. We rented a junior suite w. partly obstructed view(lifeboat outside 1 of 2 windows). Standard rms are small. We were on Trollfjord. Food was good and Liz had no lactose intolerance issues. Although fish was on the menu every day, there were other choices. Alcohol was very expensive--$50 for 750ml bottle of wine at dinner. Rms don't have balconies.
I still have photos at Walmart website. Send me your email if you want to see them
Tom:)
I would love to see them, Tom. Thank you!
Judy
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Hi - We are avid ocean cruisers but have never taken a river cruise. We usually book on Celebrity or Princess depending on itinerary. We understand that river cruising is slower and does not offer big boat activities but we are interested in giving it a go. I am looking for a starting point in terms of the companies that offer river cruises - there seem to be many. How does Viking compare to AMA or to Uni? Or others?
Keep reading these boards and you'll get a pretty good idea of which line has many fans and which line doesn't. Viking seems to have the most postings and they range from "loved it" to "hated it" and everything in between. AMA seems to get consistently high marks. Vantage is my personal favorite and Uniworld seems to be more positive than negative. It can be very helpful if you read all the posts and trip reviews and then check out itineraries and things that are included before you make a decision. One thing we all agree on is that we LOVE river cruising!!!!
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Hi, my wife and I are new to river cruising, and we just got off our first river cruise on the Uniworld S.S. Antoinette last week ,and we loved it. A couple of months ago we booked a Dec.2014 cruise on the River Splender. Yesterday I decided that a river cruise would make a nice Christmas gift for our adult 37 year old daughter and I booked her in a singles room. She has been on numerous ocean cruises but never a river cruise. Has anyone ever stayed in a singles room? Are they adequate? We have no idea what to expect from vantage as far as food, service, and excursions. We have heard that wine is not included but that's no big deal with us. thanks
What a lovely gift! I think you'll be pleased with Vantage as far as the food, service and excursions are concerned. I've seen a few single rooms in passing and they do look small but it is for one person and she won't be spending much time in it. As for the wine, Vantage never used to provide wine with meals, having it only available for purchase except for welcome and farewell dinners, but now it seems they offer wine at dinner daily on "most" European cruises. The only thing I can see your daughter "missing" is the night life, shows and pools on the ocean vessels. But having been on one yourselves, you know about life on board a river cruise and whether or not she'll miss it.
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Scenic also inc.all transfers,tips,drinks,shore excursions and rooms look larger .
That s why I m giving them a try in June.
Vikings room were all very SMALL and we also upgraded to a suite(but it was far from luxurious).Bathroom smelled whole time like sewer.But think they now have new or upgraded ships.
yes, we stayed on ship in both cities about one half hr.bus ride from city center.
Re.of above probsl,still LOVED visiting Russia.Esp.the small ports in between both cities.People were friendly,food was pretty good,only sad part was many stray dogs.(fed them from ship)
We loved the ports too...I was really disappointed to discover that vantage has dropped the Moscow/St. Pete cruise from their trips for 2015 opting instead for a land tour only. What a shame to miss places like Kizhi, which was my absolute favorite, and Mandrogi where Putin has his dacha and the shopping was fantastic! We saw the dogs too and our ship crew fed them. although to be honest (and I'm an animal lover) some of these "stray" dogs did have an air of "professional moocher" about them!
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If you just want to see the northern lights, check out Icelandair. They run specials that include air to Iceland,hotel & sightseeing, including a trip to see the northern lights (no guarantee you'll see them). It's a 4 or 5 day trip & usually runs about $800.
Thanks Rijan but we've been there, done that and loved Iceland, but alas, the Northern Lights were elsewhere while we were there in late October and despite several trips at night to Thingvillir NP we did not see them! I strongly recommend Iceland to anyone looking for "someplace different"....it is the most amazing place with scenic beauty unlike anywhere else, ranging from spectacular waterfalls and geysers to glaciers and the Blue Lagoon.... night life galore and wonderfully friendly people....and on top of all that, the flight is only 5 hours from JFK!!!:D
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Only few days later and we are not going on that trip. Vantage called to say that the trip was overbooked and would we rebook the same trip in Oct. and get $2000 or any trip next year and get $3000. Since we were worry about my hip (I am starting the process to get hip replacement in June), We took their offer and have booked the same trip for July 2014.
Good morning! We're on the Budapest to Black Sea in June, 2014 as well. This is our 6th Vantage trip and wondering which date you're leaving, which ship you're on and are you doing Prague extension? We fly to Prague on 6/19 and sail from Budapest on 6/24.
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but it was 5 yrs ago.Was NOT impressed with ship or food(but see they ve upgraded).The crew and ports were great and loved the experience.
Would go with AMA or Scenic,if money is not an object.Seems you really DO GET what you pay for.
Would avoid GrandCircle(had bad BB reviews and ship s seem less luxurious).Don t like that Vantage doesnt allow TA s to help, mine give cash back,,plus LOTS of help. So many details to consider, I know.Everyone is different,so its what YOU decide.GOod luck.;)
Poster is correct, Vantage does not deal with travel agents and for some this is a deal breaker. One difference we like is that Vantage incudes most of the shore excursions, which can really add up! Transfers are also included if you buy air from Vantage and if you do not, you can purchase transfers separately on many of their trips. this is new this year so I'm not familiar with how well it works.
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We did this trip with Vantage last year and it was wonderful. As PP said, Vantage is one of the few companies that puts you in hotels in Moscow and St Petersburg, which saves a lot of bus time due to terrible traffic problems in both cities. It also gives you time to sample some of the Russian restaurants and one in St Petersburg, the Soviet Cafe, was wonderfully inexpensive and had fantastic food and ambiance. Vantage leases the Lev Tolstoy for the river cruise and while an old ship, it was spotlessly clean, well-maintained and appointed, the food was good and the public areas comfortable. I will not comment on the cabins because we were fortunate enough to get upgraded to a full suite but only compaints I heard was that cabins were small. Tolstoy also has an indoor swimming pool, but nobody used it because it was green and in the bar!
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FYI some people refuse to use local currency. We are just back(November 2013) from a Nuremberg to Budapest cruise and one person never changed her US to anything else.
setting aside the arrogance that implies (IMHO), was she able to buy anything? In some places, especially the old USSR countries, it is very hard for locals to convert dollars into local currency. I may be wrong, and again it's only my opinion, but I think when people travel they show respect for their host country by a) learning a few polite phrases like please, thank you and good morning/afternoon/evening and b) not insisting that all shopkeepers /taxi drivers/waiters/porters/hotel maids, etc. accept US dollars, which implies that ours is better than theirs.
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Dear Hydrokitty,
Having been on the Hebridean Princess years ago, I can understand your wanting to go on it. I took the cheapest single inside cabin, and luckily got upgraded to one with a window!
As far as the Northern lights go, my wife and I had a discussion about them.
The least expensive way to see them is to fly to Fairbanks Alaska in the (brr) winter. They take you about 60 miles outside of town to see them. There are tours that do that.
I was working in Point Barrow years ago, and saw them at that time.
Thank you Steve and Kathy! I have found one land tour that takes you to a winter lodge for 3 nights and you go out at night by snow cat or snow mobile to see the lights. It's pricey for such a short trip but cheaper than Hurtigruten! I would really prefer to do Scandinavia with Celebrity in summer and this way I could do both!!
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Dear Hydrokitty,
Having been on the Hebridean Princess years ago, I can understand your wanting to go on it. I took the cheapest single inside cabin, and luckily got upgraded to one with a window!
As far as the Northern lights go, my wife and I had a discussion about them.
The least expensive way to see them is to fly to Fairbanks Alaska in the (brr) winter. They take you about 60 miles outside of town to see them. There are tours that do that.
I was working in Point Barrow years ago, and saw them at that time.
Thank you Steve and Kathy! I have found one land tour that takes you to a winter lodge for 3 nights and you go out at night by snow cat or snow mobile to see the lights. It's pricey for such a short trip but cheaper than Hurtigruten! I would really prefer to do Scandinavia with Celebrity in summer and this way I could fl both!!
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Hydrokitty: you realize that the Hurtigruten ships are working cargo vessels that also have passenger cabins, right? Did you notice that part about "each port with a stay of longer than 15 minutes"? :eek::eek::eek:
I had looked into their cruises until I realized that this is normal -- if there isn't much cargo, it's kiss and go!
We are really pumped for a Norwegian fjords cruise, but the Celebrity "Norwegian Fjord Cruise" seems much more passenger-friendly (unless you can afford Hebridean's "Majestic Sognefjord" cruise -- the Queen liked the ship so much she chartered it twice! Unfortunately we don't have her travel budget...)
Thanks for the info jazzbeau! I am aware that Hurtigruten is a working cargo vessel and I was a little put off by the "each port with a stay of longer than 15 minutes" too! I LOVE Celebrity and they actually have a few itineraries that include Norway and I KNOW I would love the food and cabin and ship but here's my problem: Celebrity doesn't go to Norway during the aurora borealis season and that's the primary reason I want to go!!! So far only ship I can find that does a Northern Lights tour is Hurtigruten.....that's why I haven't booked it yet!! The Queen isn't speaking to me, so I guess the "Majestic Sognefjord" is out of the question.:D
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seems I read Vantage does NOT use TAs,is that right?If so, I d be very leary.
My luxury cruise TA only handles AMA,Tauck and Scenic.Said others ranked lower.Seems I also read similar here on CC in one thread,but cant find it to quote.
In my 10 river cruises,taking into account the big differences in EACH boat,EACH country,and ALL the many variables to consider.For the price,AMA has been my favorite.But giving Scenic a try next June.Like to experience more than one line,same with ocean cruises.But now chose luxury lines for all the perks and can finally afford them.:)
I've done 5 cruises with Vantage and have two booked and have never had a single problem with them. While there is no disputing that a good TA can provide service and benefits that dealing directly with the cruise line cannot, I had one trip screwed up royally by a TA and being the control freak that I am, I would rather deal with the company directly. This way if anything goes wrong with the reservations it's my own fault! :D From what I have seen and heard, AMA is a top of the line company and so is Vantage IMHO. Don't know anything about Scenic, so I can't comment.
Put a HOLD on river cruise for 2015 and wonder?
in River Cruising
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Aren't you glad we did Egypt when we did? I checked out the Vantage Douro trip and it looks nice but I need to go to the Alhambra and it sticks pretty much to northern Spain. I am interested in the Celebrity cruise though. Either way I have to do a pre or post trip to either Madrid or Grenada. I really hate these important decisions :)