River Voyager Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Vantage has cut corners

Review for Europe River Cruise on River Voyager
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tubabob
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Jul 2017

This was our ninth Vantage World Travel voyage, and our fourth Vantage European river boat cruise. Our past experiences had been excellent and we expected the same to be true of this one. Sadly, Vantage no longer offers the same quality as in the past.

Formerly, there were four program managers to take care of guest needs. That equated to one program manager for every 44 passengers, assuming the ship was full. Now they have only one for all 176 passengers. They also have a concierge, who is really a program manager in training. One day Jessi, our program manager, spent 2-1/2 hours pointing out from the bridge the castles on either side of the Rhine. Then, she scurried down to the lounge to do her port talk. She was fantastic, but, in my opinion, overworked.

The food quality also has become inconsistent. There were some memorable dinners - excellent rack of lamb, pork tenderloin Wellington, and beef tenderloin. But while presented beautifully, most meals were not memorable - at least when compared with past cruises. But, on a positive note, there were many choices available. And the soups, every lunch and dinner, were fantastic.

Cabin Review

Cabin Owner's Suite

Our previous Vantage cruise was on the then brand-new River Splendor, where we also stayed in the owner's suite. That room was huge, and the bathroom was excellent and spacious. On the Voyager they tried too hard and came up with a less practical suite.

On the River Voyager the OS is a two-room suite, separated by pocket doors. The bedroom is tiny; there is only about a foot of space between the bed and the French balcony. Fortunately for me, my wife slept on the far side of the bed, but she had to walk sideways to get there. The furniture in the sitting room is not comfortable; an uncomfortable sleep sofa with a back that leans too far back, and two chairs that neither of us was comfortable in - and I'm a big guy, and my wife is petite.

We did enjoy the ample closet space in addition to a walk-in closet. The mini-bar was stocked daily, along with wine, and we also had a coffee maker and lots of coffee and tea supplies. We also were supplied with fresh fruit.

The bathroom is beautiful - marble on the walls and floor, with glass tiles on one wall. We had a glassed-in shower plus a whirlpool tub and double-vanity. The huge mirror was heated, so it never got steamed up. But. . . the bathroom was very long and narrow; hence it was nearly impossible to walk past each other. The shower was very wide, but not deep at all; very little room. It also had double doors that didn't keep the water from escaping. The positive was huge thick towels.

Bottom line - except for the mini-bar stocked daily, the regular suite would have been a better choice - and a lot less expensive.

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