This was our third trip with Vantage. We chose this itinerary for a few reasons, length of cruise, VALUE, and the opportunity to visit Christmas Markets later in cruise and still be home for the holidays. Oh, and did I mention I love locks. Our Trip was Bonn to Budapest. "Affectionately called, Route 66...there are 66 Locks. At the highest point the ship is 1332 feet above sea level, how cool is that??? If you asked us what was the best thing about the cruise - we would be baffled! We've talked about it for a week now and we just loved all of it. This cruise was a perfect balance of ship time/excursion time. Probably had the most shopping time of the 3 we've done. A plus, since hubby forgot to pack a hat, it was cold and windy, and first stop in Cologne was to find him a knit hat. ( The ship sells Vantage branded merchandise too... ) Wish the weather was better, but we were well prepared for Europe in late November. Sailing the Rhine & Main has many low bridges so the top deck was closed the first week of the cruise, but it was chilly, damp and rainy many days anyway - no issues. The Main-Danube Canal is amazing.

This trip is ideal for couples and singles. Median age was mid 60's-70. This is a moderately active itinerary! Most days we hit 12-15K steps on our Fitbits! This itinerary they actually had a 'less-active' group for those who couldn't keep up, and some folks were taxed by that as well.... so it's very important when choosing an itinerary that you research it well. There were 150 passengers on the ship, usually broken into 4 groups for excursions.

We chose Vantage because we've had two great experiences with them before (Russia & a Culinary Cruise in France) and had the same expectations. We did the complete package, preferring they arrange the flights and transportation, and we chose the insurance. We also booked the Budapest Extension after the cruise. A few days before sailing we had the opportunity to upgrade to a suite for a very reasonable fee. We decided to splurge, the allure of a tub sold me... I love having a tub, and this was a long cruise....I didn't even realize all the other Suite perks. Read more