Vantage Deluxe Travel
Sep 3rd, 2004, 07:40 PM
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We did an Australia and New Zealand cruise with Vantage on Princess. We have also done a European river cruise, but with Viking. We were treated very well by our 2 Vantage escorts on the Princess trip. I did see the Vantage River boat in Amsterdam, and it looked very fit. The bottom line is that Vantage is not one of the cheaper modes of travel, but if you are the type that want's everything done up front for you, then they are great. Vantage usually tacks on a day or two before and after the cruise in a hotel, plus the air arrangements are included in the price. Just for comparison, check out Uniword, Viking and Grand Circle Tours. They may have a similar tour.
Oct 6th, 2006, 06:43 PM
#3
Join Date: Oct 2006
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If it helps here is a copy of my Survey comment sheet for a Vantage Travel cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.
Overall rating of your travel experience:
Quality of your travel experience: Fair
The sleeping accommodations were surprisingly generous. Sleeping above the forward thrusters was unsettling, but understand that nothing could have been done about that. It would have been honest of you to tell us this was a poor place to sleep based on first come first served one gets stuck with it. Food quality and variety was very poor at best. We expected quality regional foods and were fed substandard entries. The Program Manager assigned to our group was incompetent and the Program Manager Lead failed to take immediate corrective measures. The beauty of the cities, river way and sights were what we expected. Traveling with 42 friends was the best part.
Value of the trip: Poor
Based on the quality of food served, the knowledge and attitude of our Program Manager, the attitude and inattention of the wait staff, the defensiveness of the Hotel Manager to quickly blame any issue on management in Boston, and the poor quality of the majority of off shore excursions, poor is a very, very generous evaluation. Personally, overall I was embarrassed for those who planned and promoted our group river trip.
I neither would recommend nor knowingly travel any Vantage Travel program ever again. Early on in this experience I had lost all faith, confidence, and trust in Vantage Travel. My positive comment for anyone interested in Vantage Travel would be “buyer beware.”
Hotel Accommodations:
Overall: Good
Location: Fair
The room was located above the forward thrusters. Did not sleep much and therefore this was not a restful vacation.
Dining: Poor
See the attached “On board Survey” and comments.
Cleanliness: Excellent
Rooms: Excellent
Your best Public Relations Representative was our Room Stewart. She always had a smile and a warm greeting every time we met.
Staff: Good
The exceptions were our program manager and the wait staff.
Ship:
Overall Quality of the Vessel: Excellent
Cleanliness / Maintenance: Excellent
It took three days to replace a light bulb. On day two I went to the front desk with bulb in hand and was given one. On day three the maintenance man shows up to replace it. I assume he had some other higher priority duties to keep the boat afloat. Still, I would say Excellent.
Dining Room Service: Fair
Were it not for the Maitre’d the rating would have been poor. She played a major role by intervening between customers and wait staff. As the quality of food became poorer and poorer more and more complaints were being expressed to the wait staff by guests. The wait staff became defensive and argumentative with guests. It was apparent that the Maitre’d met with the wait staff and talked to them as my wife noted at one meal that attitudes sure changed. The Maitre’d saw a problem and took measures to resolve it. For this she should be commended. Although she told us that in many instances her hands were tied by Boston. She did her job well.
Quality of food: Poor at best.
See the attached Onboard Survey
Staff: Good
Those responsible for the boat, Captain and crew were superlative. I would say that the Captain could thread a needle with his skill in maneuvering that boat. We felt very safe at all times. What you call your on board executive chef, the wait-staff, and the program manager assigned to our group are your largest liabilities. The hotel manager is a “company man” and his reply to most issue was … “it is what we are directed to do from Boston.” This excuse was also echoed by the Maitre’d. It soon became what we called the River Odyssey Boston brush-off.
Cabin: Good
The sleeping accommodations were surprisingly generous. Sleeping above the forward thrusters was unsettling, but understand that nothing could have been done about that.
Onboard lectures and discussions: Good
I especially liked the one on the cannel system.
Onboard Entertainment: Good
I was disappointed with the selections the pianist played. When asked if he would play classical (after all it was Mozart’s 150 birthday when we were in Vienna) or regional folk songs he told us that he was instructed to only play music Americans wanted to hear. I thought this odd because I was an American and wanted to hear classical music as we waited to be called forward to the concert in Vienna. The musician risked it. He did play two classical numbers and then went quickly back to pop music so he would not get into trouble. I pointed out to him that he received applause from all present when he played the classical numbers but no one applauded his pop music. This did not pass the common sense test at all. The crew show was cute. Finally, for me, the magic was fun.
Cultural connections and sightseeing:
Overall learning and cultural experience: Poor
Our Program Manager would make up stuff as he went along as if he was not in touch with reality or even where he was in the world. Note that several of us speak and understand German. The bus driver would correct him (in German) and he would tell the bus driver (in German) “These are Americans they will believe anything you tell them.” When one of our fellow tour members corrected him (in German) she was told to sit down and shut up, that he was the tour guide not her. We could no longer trust anything our program manager said. In my opinion, Vantage Travel’s integrity hit an all time low.
Local tour guides(s) knowledge: Poor
The local tour guide in Vienna was knowledgeable however she was discriminating. There were two women who walked around with canes. She knew this and just said to them that you will have to catch up. She sped around the streets and I ran up to tell here that half of the group could not hear her because we were out of transmitter range. When we got to the bus she told the bus driver (in German) I hate it when they give me cripples – if they cannot keep up they will just miss out.
The local tour guide in Wertheim was a Swiss girl who was told that she would now have to take Americans. She told us that she prefers French. Her attitude was poor, her knowledge was focused on political issues more so then the history of the town we were visiting. She could not process questions asked her in English. Then she brought our group in the middle of a motorbike rally rest stop. She could have brought us to a more quite spot only 300 feet away but she already established herself, in my opinion, as one that did not like to deal with Americans. As with most tour guides we experienced on this trip several of us left the tour to explore the town on their own. Speaking German we found the local townsfolk eager to talk to us and tell us about their town.
One outstanding local tour guide was the man from Heidelberg. Note that because of our groups program managers arguments a good 20 minutes were lost on this tour. Our local guide apologized for the late start and stated that he would do his best but we had lost much time.
Quality of the included excursions: Poor
We were taken to a beautiful castle hotel for dinner. I was expecting a good German meal. The restaurant was a bistro that featured a savory blend of French, Italian cooking with Asian spices. The quality of food was very poor – worse than the boat, if that can be possible, and the portions – well I had less then a tablespoon of meat on my plate. I went to the hotel registration desk and asked to look at the menu. There was some good meals and at reasonable prices. I brought the menu back to our table and asked a fellow guest if they were enjoying the good German meal. They too felt mislead and taken advantage of. Based on this poor experience I decided never again to participate in another “included excursion.” So when it came time for the Nurnberg excursion I found my own restaurant and talked to the locals working and eating there, thereby creating my own dinning and cultural excursion.
Quality and Value of Optional Tours: We did not participate in Optional tours.
Quality of home visits: Not available
Opportunity for cultural interaction: Excellent
My wife participated in the opportunity to talk to students in Nurnberg. This was a good exchange. I created cultural interaction from Budapest to Amsterdam by talking to venders in the open-air markets, towns’ people in restaurants, bars, churches, and the public transportation systems. These are the real people one needs to meet for cultural interaction and they were eager to try their English, as I was my German. In general they were educated and had definite opinions. Lunch with a college kid paled in comparison.
Lectures and discussions: Fair
Keep politics and economics out of the lectures and discussions and focus on history and culture.
Program Managers:
Our Senior Program manager failed us by not having our group program manager immediately removed and replaced once our group members notified him of our discontent with the individual and not wait until the end of the tour to send him home.
Our Group Program Manager:
Overall Performance: Poor
I cannot tell if our groups program manager’s shortcomings were a result of his current medical condition including daily medications and the effects alcohol may have had on them or his inability to control his anger over his new physical shortcomings resulting from his accidents. The program manager, in my opinion, should have been psychologically evaluated before any interaction with the paying public. Economics and politics were his focal points throughout his interactions with our group. This did not go over well as we felt we should be learning more about cultural and history not politics and economics. I must admit that I enjoyed talking to him on a one-on-one basis. As with most educated Europeans, discussing a position on a subject begins with a hypothesis that is expressed and supported by common references. Challenging and sharing understandings of supported positions is an intellectual exercise and can be great sport. Finally, when addressing the tour group he should not swear, especially using the “F” word.
Communications Skills: Poor
He had a strong command of the English language. However, we would be driving around and he would point things out to us and make up stories, none of which were true about the item being talked about. The bus driver (in German) would try to correct him and he would either take the correction or (in German) tell the Bus driver that these are Americans and they have no idea of what I am telling them is right or wrong. Enough is enough, one of our German born and educated companions corrected him (in German). He told her (in German) to sit down, shut-up and look out the window.
Problem Solving Skills: Poor
Getting into a loud verbal quarrel with a bus driver from another tourist group. Using offensive and abusive language. When the lead program manager was informed he approached our program manager about his behavior and we understood that he was to have apologized to our group for his behavior. After the tour of Heidelberg he talked to us. He spent 20 minutes justifying his actions. The bus driver (in German) said that is not what you were told to do. He replied (in German) I am the tour guide I tell them what they need to hear.
Providing a Cultural Connection: Poor
Cultural connections were abandoned all but for politics and economics. Politics and economics the two subjects he felt most comfortable with and we heard them every time we were on a bus with him or in a small group.
Availability: Excellent
You could always find him at the bar, Program Manager’s desk, or smoking topside and he was always willing to talk.
Trip Briefing: Poor
Our program manager could not give clear and logical instructions when it came time to meet back at the bus or a location in town. The man did not know when to shut up and let us enjoy the beauty of the land. Overall we could not believe anything he said was factual.
If more then one Program Manager how well did they work as a team: Poor
It was obvious that other program managers were distancing themselves from him. The Program Manager lead, did not take immediate corrective measures to remove him from his team.
Itinerary and Pacing:
Overall pacing and scheduling for this trip: Good
Often felt rushed with only a few hours to spend in a town with so much to see.
Quality of the included meals provided on shore: Poor
The castle dinner was a bistro that featured a savory blend of French, Italian cooking with Asian spices. The quality of food was very poor – worse than the boat, if that can be possible, and the portions – well I had less then a tablespoon of meat on my plate. The wine served was of the poorest quality I ever experienced in Germany.
Overall quality and value of your included shopping stops: Fair
We never had enough time to shop in areas that had shops with quality merchandise but there was always time to be taken at a quick tourist trap.
Availability of alternative activities: Good
There was a wide selection but I became suspect of any offering as Vantage Travel integrity diminished to near zero.
Quality of vehicle / coach: Excellent
Additional feedback on your tour:
Receive final documents 21 days prior to your departure: Yes
Talking to several fellow passengers all expressed a surprising lack of courtesy and professionalism with phone calls to the Boston Office. The most common complaint was being hung up on when questions became too difficult for the person on the other end to handle. Although we did not experience this perhaps because we traveled as a big group.
Experience any significant problems before or during tour: YES
Bad Food
Music requests
Incompetent Program Manager
Did you speak with a Vantage representative about the problem: YES
Was it resolved: NO
Everyone sang the company line “We can only do what we are directed to do from the Boston Office.” Program Managers are sub contracted, they are not part of Vantage Travel.
Future Travel Plans:
Will you travel internationally in the next 18 months: YES
It will never again be with Vantage Travel
On Board Survey
Overall impression of the ship: Excellent
Overall performance of the Officers and crew: Excellent
Captain’s accessibility and friendliness: Excellent
Reception Desk: Excellent
Shipboard Cleanliness: Excellent
Cabin Service: Excellent
Service in Restaurant: Poor
o Wait staff argumentative.
o Wait staff is discontented with the idea of sharing tips equally. They believe that it rewards poor workers equally with exceptional ones.
o Wait staff made no offer of optional menu items when it was apparent that the food presented was poor or not palatable.
o Individuals who were on medication, dietary, or other medical reasons and need to eat early were told they had to wait. The first hour of dinner was pushing wine and drinks.
o The more guests complained about the quality of food the more defensive the wait staff became. It got ugly.
o The wait staff was not responsive to guest’s requests and only focused at the work they had to do at that time.
o The Wait staff never looked around to see if anyone needed something. We had to catch their eye.
o The wait staff was uncaring about food quality.
Service in Bar: Good
Occasionally you would have to look for some one to poor a drink for you.
Menu Selection Breakfast: Poor
Menu Selection Lunch: Poor
Menu Selection Dinner: Poor
Food quality Breakfast: Poor
Food quality Lunch: Poor
Food quality Dinner: Poor
If it is true that the Boston office dictates all menu selections then a great disservice was imposed on us. First, what you call an Executive Chef on the boat is nothing more then a dishwasher who worked his way up to cook. Experience is good but nothing beats good solid education and formal training. Taking a cooking course and attending training conducted by Boston does not cut the mustard. He does not have his Cordon Bleu Certification and lacks knowledge and skill in proper food preparation. Food presentation is by photograph as dictated by Boston. There was no qualified Pastry Chef. Training of cooks comes from Boston, Menus come from Boston, and Foodstuffs ordered from Boston, whoever is in Boston doing this to us is not in touch with reality or our wants and needs.
The amount of garbage that went back into the kitchen – foodstuffs prepared and not consumed by the guest, was overwhelming. It was common to see whole meals returned. I believe justifiably so. One example was the Schnitzel that had the same consistency of shoe leather. Didn’t the cook know that the meat needed to be pounded out – tenderized? Personally, there were only three meals served the entire trip that were palatable. They were the Stuffed Cabbage lunch, and the Duck, and Steak dinner. Palatable individual items included spinach ravioli, raspberry cold soup, Hungarian beef on noodles, Prime Rib, and Spaghetti. If it were not for the Black Forest Ham, Wasa Bread, cheese, and coffee I would have started the day off as hungry as I had gone to bed. I did not expect to pay all this money and still be hungry each day. Always available was a steak, however anyone who ordered this at your table caused the whole table to be served last as Boston had dictated that everyone is served as food comes out and special orders are prepared after all primary meals are prepared. The Cheese or Fruit plate became the dinner of last resort.
Dinner was at 7 PM so the first hour was selling drinks or being ignored. The main course came an hour later. There was a couple at our table who requested to be served early for medical reasons. No, he was told, Boston states when you are served. They too learned that you can get the fruit or cheese plate early as your main course but do not expect to get what is on the menu.
We soon learned that the only good regional meals were from the local economy. We often told the Maitre’d of the establishment we visited that we were from a boat that had lousy food. Without exception, they were most eager to show us the best regional food their menu had to offer. Sometimes the tour guides would suggest regional foods as well.
Itinerary: Poor
Often felt rushed with only a few hours to spend in a town with so much to see.
Shore excursions: Fair
Much has already been discussed above.
Onboard Musician: Good
It would have been excellent had he been allowed to play the piano, play classical and folk music but he was told to only play music that Americans want to here – pop. His attitude and outlook reflected the disgrace of his additional duty as garbage man.
Local Entertainment: Good
Highlights were the Dausackers – authentic German music, they were fantastic, Gunzenheimer Swing Band, most excellent, and the Quartet, I cannot remember their name. The Guitar player that came on board was poor.
Overall rating of your travel experience:
Quality of your travel experience: Fair
The sleeping accommodations were surprisingly generous. Sleeping above the forward thrusters was unsettling, but understand that nothing could have been done about that. It would have been honest of you to tell us this was a poor place to sleep based on first come first served one gets stuck with it. Food quality and variety was very poor at best. We expected quality regional foods and were fed substandard entries. The Program Manager assigned to our group was incompetent and the Program Manager Lead failed to take immediate corrective measures. The beauty of the cities, river way and sights were what we expected. Traveling with 42 friends was the best part.
Value of the trip: Poor
Based on the quality of food served, the knowledge and attitude of our Program Manager, the attitude and inattention of the wait staff, the defensiveness of the Hotel Manager to quickly blame any issue on management in Boston, and the poor quality of the majority of off shore excursions, poor is a very, very generous evaluation. Personally, overall I was embarrassed for those who planned and promoted our group river trip.
I neither would recommend nor knowingly travel any Vantage Travel program ever again. Early on in this experience I had lost all faith, confidence, and trust in Vantage Travel. My positive comment for anyone interested in Vantage Travel would be “buyer beware.”
Hotel Accommodations:
Overall: Good
Location: Fair
The room was located above the forward thrusters. Did not sleep much and therefore this was not a restful vacation.
Dining: Poor
See the attached “On board Survey” and comments.
Cleanliness: Excellent
Rooms: Excellent
Your best Public Relations Representative was our Room Stewart. She always had a smile and a warm greeting every time we met.
Staff: Good
The exceptions were our program manager and the wait staff.
Ship:
Overall Quality of the Vessel: Excellent
Cleanliness / Maintenance: Excellent
It took three days to replace a light bulb. On day two I went to the front desk with bulb in hand and was given one. On day three the maintenance man shows up to replace it. I assume he had some other higher priority duties to keep the boat afloat. Still, I would say Excellent.
Dining Room Service: Fair
Were it not for the Maitre’d the rating would have been poor. She played a major role by intervening between customers and wait staff. As the quality of food became poorer and poorer more and more complaints were being expressed to the wait staff by guests. The wait staff became defensive and argumentative with guests. It was apparent that the Maitre’d met with the wait staff and talked to them as my wife noted at one meal that attitudes sure changed. The Maitre’d saw a problem and took measures to resolve it. For this she should be commended. Although she told us that in many instances her hands were tied by Boston. She did her job well.
Quality of food: Poor at best.
See the attached Onboard Survey
Staff: Good
Those responsible for the boat, Captain and crew were superlative. I would say that the Captain could thread a needle with his skill in maneuvering that boat. We felt very safe at all times. What you call your on board executive chef, the wait-staff, and the program manager assigned to our group are your largest liabilities. The hotel manager is a “company man” and his reply to most issue was … “it is what we are directed to do from Boston.” This excuse was also echoed by the Maitre’d. It soon became what we called the River Odyssey Boston brush-off.
Cabin: Good
The sleeping accommodations were surprisingly generous. Sleeping above the forward thrusters was unsettling, but understand that nothing could have been done about that.
Onboard lectures and discussions: Good
I especially liked the one on the cannel system.
Onboard Entertainment: Good
I was disappointed with the selections the pianist played. When asked if he would play classical (after all it was Mozart’s 150 birthday when we were in Vienna) or regional folk songs he told us that he was instructed to only play music Americans wanted to hear. I thought this odd because I was an American and wanted to hear classical music as we waited to be called forward to the concert in Vienna. The musician risked it. He did play two classical numbers and then went quickly back to pop music so he would not get into trouble. I pointed out to him that he received applause from all present when he played the classical numbers but no one applauded his pop music. This did not pass the common sense test at all. The crew show was cute. Finally, for me, the magic was fun.
Cultural connections and sightseeing:
Overall learning and cultural experience: Poor
Our Program Manager would make up stuff as he went along as if he was not in touch with reality or even where he was in the world. Note that several of us speak and understand German. The bus driver would correct him (in German) and he would tell the bus driver (in German) “These are Americans they will believe anything you tell them.” When one of our fellow tour members corrected him (in German) she was told to sit down and shut up, that he was the tour guide not her. We could no longer trust anything our program manager said. In my opinion, Vantage Travel’s integrity hit an all time low.
Local tour guides(s) knowledge: Poor
The local tour guide in Vienna was knowledgeable however she was discriminating. There were two women who walked around with canes. She knew this and just said to them that you will have to catch up. She sped around the streets and I ran up to tell here that half of the group could not hear her because we were out of transmitter range. When we got to the bus she told the bus driver (in German) I hate it when they give me cripples – if they cannot keep up they will just miss out.
The local tour guide in Wertheim was a Swiss girl who was told that she would now have to take Americans. She told us that she prefers French. Her attitude was poor, her knowledge was focused on political issues more so then the history of the town we were visiting. She could not process questions asked her in English. Then she brought our group in the middle of a motorbike rally rest stop. She could have brought us to a more quite spot only 300 feet away but she already established herself, in my opinion, as one that did not like to deal with Americans. As with most tour guides we experienced on this trip several of us left the tour to explore the town on their own. Speaking German we found the local townsfolk eager to talk to us and tell us about their town.
One outstanding local tour guide was the man from Heidelberg. Note that because of our groups program managers arguments a good 20 minutes were lost on this tour. Our local guide apologized for the late start and stated that he would do his best but we had lost much time.
Quality of the included excursions: Poor
We were taken to a beautiful castle hotel for dinner. I was expecting a good German meal. The restaurant was a bistro that featured a savory blend of French, Italian cooking with Asian spices. The quality of food was very poor – worse than the boat, if that can be possible, and the portions – well I had less then a tablespoon of meat on my plate. I went to the hotel registration desk and asked to look at the menu. There was some good meals and at reasonable prices. I brought the menu back to our table and asked a fellow guest if they were enjoying the good German meal. They too felt mislead and taken advantage of. Based on this poor experience I decided never again to participate in another “included excursion.” So when it came time for the Nurnberg excursion I found my own restaurant and talked to the locals working and eating there, thereby creating my own dinning and cultural excursion.
Quality and Value of Optional Tours: We did not participate in Optional tours.
Quality of home visits: Not available
Opportunity for cultural interaction: Excellent
My wife participated in the opportunity to talk to students in Nurnberg. This was a good exchange. I created cultural interaction from Budapest to Amsterdam by talking to venders in the open-air markets, towns’ people in restaurants, bars, churches, and the public transportation systems. These are the real people one needs to meet for cultural interaction and they were eager to try their English, as I was my German. In general they were educated and had definite opinions. Lunch with a college kid paled in comparison.
Lectures and discussions: Fair
Keep politics and economics out of the lectures and discussions and focus on history and culture.
Program Managers:
Our Senior Program manager failed us by not having our group program manager immediately removed and replaced once our group members notified him of our discontent with the individual and not wait until the end of the tour to send him home.
Our Group Program Manager:
Overall Performance: Poor
I cannot tell if our groups program manager’s shortcomings were a result of his current medical condition including daily medications and the effects alcohol may have had on them or his inability to control his anger over his new physical shortcomings resulting from his accidents. The program manager, in my opinion, should have been psychologically evaluated before any interaction with the paying public. Economics and politics were his focal points throughout his interactions with our group. This did not go over well as we felt we should be learning more about cultural and history not politics and economics. I must admit that I enjoyed talking to him on a one-on-one basis. As with most educated Europeans, discussing a position on a subject begins with a hypothesis that is expressed and supported by common references. Challenging and sharing understandings of supported positions is an intellectual exercise and can be great sport. Finally, when addressing the tour group he should not swear, especially using the “F” word.
Communications Skills: Poor
He had a strong command of the English language. However, we would be driving around and he would point things out to us and make up stories, none of which were true about the item being talked about. The bus driver (in German) would try to correct him and he would either take the correction or (in German) tell the Bus driver that these are Americans and they have no idea of what I am telling them is right or wrong. Enough is enough, one of our German born and educated companions corrected him (in German). He told her (in German) to sit down, shut-up and look out the window.
Problem Solving Skills: Poor
Getting into a loud verbal quarrel with a bus driver from another tourist group. Using offensive and abusive language. When the lead program manager was informed he approached our program manager about his behavior and we understood that he was to have apologized to our group for his behavior. After the tour of Heidelberg he talked to us. He spent 20 minutes justifying his actions. The bus driver (in German) said that is not what you were told to do. He replied (in German) I am the tour guide I tell them what they need to hear.
Providing a Cultural Connection: Poor
Cultural connections were abandoned all but for politics and economics. Politics and economics the two subjects he felt most comfortable with and we heard them every time we were on a bus with him or in a small group.
Availability: Excellent
You could always find him at the bar, Program Manager’s desk, or smoking topside and he was always willing to talk.
Trip Briefing: Poor
Our program manager could not give clear and logical instructions when it came time to meet back at the bus or a location in town. The man did not know when to shut up and let us enjoy the beauty of the land. Overall we could not believe anything he said was factual.
If more then one Program Manager how well did they work as a team: Poor
It was obvious that other program managers were distancing themselves from him. The Program Manager lead, did not take immediate corrective measures to remove him from his team.
Itinerary and Pacing:
Overall pacing and scheduling for this trip: Good
Often felt rushed with only a few hours to spend in a town with so much to see.
Quality of the included meals provided on shore: Poor
The castle dinner was a bistro that featured a savory blend of French, Italian cooking with Asian spices. The quality of food was very poor – worse than the boat, if that can be possible, and the portions – well I had less then a tablespoon of meat on my plate. The wine served was of the poorest quality I ever experienced in Germany.
Overall quality and value of your included shopping stops: Fair
We never had enough time to shop in areas that had shops with quality merchandise but there was always time to be taken at a quick tourist trap.
Availability of alternative activities: Good
There was a wide selection but I became suspect of any offering as Vantage Travel integrity diminished to near zero.
Quality of vehicle / coach: Excellent
Additional feedback on your tour:
Receive final documents 21 days prior to your departure: Yes
Talking to several fellow passengers all expressed a surprising lack of courtesy and professionalism with phone calls to the Boston Office. The most common complaint was being hung up on when questions became too difficult for the person on the other end to handle. Although we did not experience this perhaps because we traveled as a big group.
Experience any significant problems before or during tour: YES
Bad Food
Music requests
Incompetent Program Manager
Did you speak with a Vantage representative about the problem: YES
Was it resolved: NO
Everyone sang the company line “We can only do what we are directed to do from the Boston Office.” Program Managers are sub contracted, they are not part of Vantage Travel.
Future Travel Plans:
Will you travel internationally in the next 18 months: YES
It will never again be with Vantage Travel
On Board Survey
Overall impression of the ship: Excellent
Overall performance of the Officers and crew: Excellent
Captain’s accessibility and friendliness: Excellent
Reception Desk: Excellent
Shipboard Cleanliness: Excellent
Cabin Service: Excellent
Service in Restaurant: Poor
o Wait staff argumentative.
o Wait staff is discontented with the idea of sharing tips equally. They believe that it rewards poor workers equally with exceptional ones.
o Wait staff made no offer of optional menu items when it was apparent that the food presented was poor or not palatable.
o Individuals who were on medication, dietary, or other medical reasons and need to eat early were told they had to wait. The first hour of dinner was pushing wine and drinks.
o The more guests complained about the quality of food the more defensive the wait staff became. It got ugly.
o The wait staff was not responsive to guest’s requests and only focused at the work they had to do at that time.
o The Wait staff never looked around to see if anyone needed something. We had to catch their eye.
o The wait staff was uncaring about food quality.
Service in Bar: Good
Occasionally you would have to look for some one to poor a drink for you.
Menu Selection Breakfast: Poor
Menu Selection Lunch: Poor
Menu Selection Dinner: Poor
Food quality Breakfast: Poor
Food quality Lunch: Poor
Food quality Dinner: Poor
If it is true that the Boston office dictates all menu selections then a great disservice was imposed on us. First, what you call an Executive Chef on the boat is nothing more then a dishwasher who worked his way up to cook. Experience is good but nothing beats good solid education and formal training. Taking a cooking course and attending training conducted by Boston does not cut the mustard. He does not have his Cordon Bleu Certification and lacks knowledge and skill in proper food preparation. Food presentation is by photograph as dictated by Boston. There was no qualified Pastry Chef. Training of cooks comes from Boston, Menus come from Boston, and Foodstuffs ordered from Boston, whoever is in Boston doing this to us is not in touch with reality or our wants and needs.
The amount of garbage that went back into the kitchen – foodstuffs prepared and not consumed by the guest, was overwhelming. It was common to see whole meals returned. I believe justifiably so. One example was the Schnitzel that had the same consistency of shoe leather. Didn’t the cook know that the meat needed to be pounded out – tenderized? Personally, there were only three meals served the entire trip that were palatable. They were the Stuffed Cabbage lunch, and the Duck, and Steak dinner. Palatable individual items included spinach ravioli, raspberry cold soup, Hungarian beef on noodles, Prime Rib, and Spaghetti. If it were not for the Black Forest Ham, Wasa Bread, cheese, and coffee I would have started the day off as hungry as I had gone to bed. I did not expect to pay all this money and still be hungry each day. Always available was a steak, however anyone who ordered this at your table caused the whole table to be served last as Boston had dictated that everyone is served as food comes out and special orders are prepared after all primary meals are prepared. The Cheese or Fruit plate became the dinner of last resort.
Dinner was at 7 PM so the first hour was selling drinks or being ignored. The main course came an hour later. There was a couple at our table who requested to be served early for medical reasons. No, he was told, Boston states when you are served. They too learned that you can get the fruit or cheese plate early as your main course but do not expect to get what is on the menu.
We soon learned that the only good regional meals were from the local economy. We often told the Maitre’d of the establishment we visited that we were from a boat that had lousy food. Without exception, they were most eager to show us the best regional food their menu had to offer. Sometimes the tour guides would suggest regional foods as well.
Itinerary: Poor
Often felt rushed with only a few hours to spend in a town with so much to see.
Shore excursions: Fair
Much has already been discussed above.
Onboard Musician: Good
It would have been excellent had he been allowed to play the piano, play classical and folk music but he was told to only play music that Americans want to here – pop. His attitude and outlook reflected the disgrace of his additional duty as garbage man.
Local Entertainment: Good
Highlights were the Dausackers – authentic German music, they were fantastic, Gunzenheimer Swing Band, most excellent, and the Quartet, I cannot remember their name. The Guitar player that came on board was poor.
Oct 9th, 2006, 01:24 PM
#6
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WOW.. have never taken a Vantage or GCT trip and if and when the opportunity arrives (and I do get catalogs) I will definetely not use Vantage...although I think and I might be wrong that they are owned by two brothers. here in Boston
Oct 13th, 2006, 11:10 AM
#14
We chose Viking over Vantage due to the layout of the ships. A few years ago, Vantage only had one stairwell thus all passengers on your floor would have to walk by all the rooms creating noise late a tnight, early in the morning.
Nov 7th, 2006, 09:35 AM
#16
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If you ever have a travel problem with Vantage, forget about any proper resolution and you'll never get past the President's secretary. It's too long a story to tell here, but my wife and I are out $12,000 with the lousy company, despite having insurance. And yesterday I spoke to a 78 year old woman who booked an insured package to Hawaii and canceled two weeks before (when they had flooding), they told her that her policy did not cover the $6000 that she and her 83 year old lady friend had to now forfeit. She told me that she has discovered so many problems with this company and their indifference to the public, that she is broadcast her comments on ABC, try to organize a class action suit, in addition to going into small claims court. Beware of these folks. They are the only people I have ever had problems with in the frequent travel we do regularly. Good luck with your own travel ventures.
Nov 22nd, 2006, 09:47 AM
#17
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If you have had serious problems with Vantage, expect the same with GCT. They are brothers, have same or similar business ethics (or lack, thereof), and customer relations are non existent. The only solution, if you do choose to go with one of these mamouth outfits is to put it ALL on AMEX, then if it starts to fall apart, you have some leverage. We had terrible experience with GCT and redeemed most of our money.
Apr 20th, 2007, 02:43 PM
#18
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Goshes, based on the comments above, I'm wondering whether we did the right thing in rearranging Amazon travel plans to join friends on a Vantage itinerary. I'm guessing no one would recommend the prepay plan that has generous discounts (NOTE: my understanding is they don't accept credit cards after initial payment). I haven't read their insurance plan closely but I'm also surmising there would be no relief if the company went bankrupt. Comments please.
Jun 23rd, 2007, 06:12 AM
#19
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Have just returned from Vantage's Budapest to Amsterdam cruise and cannot say enough positive things about the tour. The Program Managers varied from Excellent to OK (ours was Excellent), ship's amenities (cabin, crew, food, staff) were well above-average, programs well-planned and pre- and post-tours very well thought-out. Local guides varied (but always a matter of taste - one person may prefer more historical to cultural, eg), and local entertainment not interesting (again, a matter of taste). As to pre-payment, the discount didn't seem to warrant it to me. Several of our tour members were repeaters and seemed to concur in positive statements. It may be different if Vantage simply leases space on a ship owned by another company with fewer controllable factors. Looking forward to planning another Vantage tour, based on this experience.
Oct 10th, 2007, 06:31 AM
#20
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I did a cruise with Vantage and was very dissatisfied. Our treatment at Heathrow Airport by Vantange led me to believe that they really did not care for the comfort or convenience of their clients. We were kept waiting in a cold, windy, depressing lounge for 4 hours without any communication as to why this was happening. When I wrote to Vantage about this, I got an impersonal form letter.
