TRAVELER REVIEWS

There's no better way to learn what a trip is like than from the firsthand experiences of your fellow travelers, and our Traveler Reviews are the real deal—unbiased and unedited—giving you an honest appraisal of the experiences that await you on this trip.

Passage to Eastern Europe With Transylvania

The staff was exceptional,efficient, charming, funny and courteous. The trips were amazing. The guides were extremely knowledgeable, very personable and engaging. They were passionate about sharing the history of the regions with us so that history came alive, which gave us a deeper understanding and appreciation of their history and culture. And the sights were breathtakingly beautiful. Lots of fun!! I would travel with Vantage again.

Passage to Eastern Europe With Transylvania

The ship and the crew are excellent. I am a solo traveler and Vantage does an excellent job catering to solo travelers. I had a great time on the cruise. Met other solos and couples and everyone was very friendly. The weather was great. Eastern Europe is a place many don't travel but it is well worth it. The reason I didn't give an excellent review were for a couple of reasons. I thought they could have used more wait staff. The staff worked hard and always do. They are great. There just weren't enough of them. I wasn't happy with the way the Transylvania extension was marketed. I was glad I took the extension - Transylvania was great. It was marketed as a 4 day extension. Everyone on the ship did two of the 4 days we did and we paid extra. I did complain to Vantage and they did listen to me. I see the extension now is listed a little differently than the one I took. The food, wines, home visit, entertainment, cruise director (Bogden), and lecturers were fantastic. I learned a lot and it was interesting to listen to those that grew up under Communism. It is a great cruise. If you can do the whole 25+ days - the European Sjourn - do it. If you are in a suite you get free laundry, the rooms are bigger, and well worth it. Vantage is not as well known as others but I think they are a great value. Go.

Passage to Eastern Europe With Transylvania

Totally enjoyed my experience aboard the MS Voyager. Especially enjoyed and appreciated our local guides; Dyanne (Osijek-Vukovar) and Sorin (Brasov-Bucharest). Both were exceptional! Bogdan is a wonderful Cruise Director, and I applaud him as well. The daily briefings were excellent. Most everything went well, with just a few minor negatives, which are not worth talking about. All in all, 'Excellent'!!!

Passage to Eastern Europe

Gheorghe Bihoi was incredible. 2nd time with him, and he is 1st class! Do all you can to keep him as such. I look forward to having him again on another cruise. All of the staff were so pleasant and helpful. My compliments on how you do this.

Passage to Eastern Europe

This trip was a life changing experience. It brought to life the things that we learned about from history books to news media and updated them to the current day. The guides were great. The tour directors worked so hard.

Passage to Eastern Europe

This was a WONDERFUL trip!! The MS River Splendor is an outstanding ship in every way. The food was superb and the service of the entire staff was excellent. The various "entertainment" and enrichment that Vantage included were top rate. In fact, the very best I have ever seen for local talent brought on board. The itinerary is very interesting and I learned a great deal about these countries pre-WWII, during WWII, during the Communist Regime, and after the fall of communism. Quite amazing to see how these countries have emerged.

Gateway to Eastern Europe

This was our first time to do a river cruise with Vantage and we were pleasantly surprised by the excellent service we received. When there is another opportunity, we will be happy to go again and explore other areas.

Gateway to Eastern Europe With Poland

We went on the Eastern europe river cruise in October 2016. The MS river Voyager was fabulous and the cruise from start to finish was educational and amazing. The one thing to note about this cruise is that it really makes you take in the history of the Eastern European communist rule. You see the aftermath of the effects from the iron curtain. The guides were amazing and the tours were wonderful. I loved Budapest the best and have been back once since. I would highly recommend this tour. The Locks were also educational and amazing to watch as we sailed through.

Gateway to Eastern Europe With Poland

This cruise was different for us because it was more of a sailing into History for us. Seeing the history of the cold war in Serbia and Croatia and Romania was compelling and amazing. Overall, the cruise was nothing short of vantage's finest as always. The ship was amazing, the crew was fabulous and no complaints from beginning to end!

Gateway to Eastern Europe - Music Theme

Boat, Crew was Outstanding, Destinations above expectations, the food was just 'par', was not impressed and Never had a Hot Meal! My only complaint, but would recommend this company and especially their Employees!

Gateway to Eastern Europe

This was an awesome trip. The food onboard was great, the crew excellent and couldn't ask for a better cruise director. Cruising through the Iron Gates was beautiful.

Gateway to Eastern Europe

This is a great trip for anyone who wants to learn more about the countries in Eastern Europe that border the Danube. The opportunities to interact with local people were especially enjoyable. We visited schools, saw local dancing by both children and adults, ate in homes and community centers, were taught to make strudel, embroider, and decorate eggs. Be aware that the pace can be rather fast, and that many stairs do not have railings.

Gateway to Eastern Europe

This was my fourth river cruise in Europe and first with Vantage. I have always heard good things about Vantage and they lived up to their reputation. It was friendliest and most helpful crew I've ever experienced. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I would like to see a champagne station at breakfast for making mimosas. Although the food was superb, I did manage to eat low carb and gained no weight, a first for me. I wish I could have done the additional tours at the beginning and end, but they were sold out and I didn't have the time anyway.

Gateway to the Black Sea

Take this trip from Black Sea to Budapest. Ending the trip with lights at night after a day of exploring Budapest is a real treat.

Gateway to the Black Sea

This was my first river cruise and I was very pleased. The Navigator was a small boat with 100 passengers which made it very easy to meet people. The tour was very organized from the crew to the tour guides. I very much enjoyed the cultural exchanges with home dinners, craft demonstrations, local folk dancers, church concerts and learning about the various countries on the cruise--especially the politics and economics of the area. Only complaint is that I would have loved to have more time in each port so as to explore on your own. A lot of time was spent with tour guides that were well versed in history etc. but left very little time for further exploration. Vantage does an amazing job in their selection of hotels and their location. I am afraid that I am now used to 5 star hotels! My room on the boat was small but just right for a single person--rather tight for a couple. There were many more expensive rooms that were larger. The river cruise went through areas that were not as populated as other parts Europe which meant that there were times that you needed to be bused to the cities/towns. I been told that in many river cruises that the ship docks right in the towns. All in all, I certainly recommend the tour.

Gateway to the Black Sea

A perfect trip. Cruise director was excellent as was the service on board River Navigator. Tours were interesting with very knowledgable local guides who were among the best we have come across on tours. On board lecture on Serbia and Croatia was enlightening and the lecturer came across really well.

Gateway to the Black Sea

Good trip, very enjoyable first time trave,ller

Gateway to the Black Sea - Music Theme

This trip is a must-do if you are a music lover. The entertainment was all exceptional, from the concerts in opera halls to the lunchtime music and costumed dance performance; from the enthusiastic school children's program to the on board entertainers. It was all top notch! I very much enjoyed the pre-extension to Transylvania as well, then the travels continued on the Danube. It is overall at the top of my favorite travels list--Excellent!

Gateway to the Black Sea

This was an incredible trip. One of the outstanding features was the amount of contact we had with natives. In Croatia we were treated to a concert and hilarious show in English in an elementary school. In groups of 8 we lunched in people's homes and learned first hand about their lives. I helped prepare strudel and bread in a farm on our way from the Prague extension to Budapest. We learned a great deal about life under the Communists and the sad history of WW II. The art deco architecture and the magnificent river scenery are memorialized in my wonderful pictures. Our riverboat was luxurious, food, service and native entertainment were outstanding. I highly recommend this special journey.

Gateway to the Black Sea

I enjoyed this trip very much, in fact it is one of my favorites. There were a number of very interesting countries included and the people we encountered in each one seemed so glad that we were visiting. They were eager to meet and talk with us. There was no language barrier at all. I especially enjoyed the extension into Romania.

Gateway to the Black Sea

This adventure was one of the most exciting and interesting I have ever experienced. The ship, crew, itinerary was outstanding. There was a fine variety of experiences. Included tours were sufficient for me. I enjoyed every meal. The pre-trip tour to Prague and Bratislava were well worth it. Only difficult portion was the departure from Romania after the Vantage person left me. Solo travel is becoming more challenging. All aspects of this tour were great. I would urge anyone to take this cruise. There is a difference when the ship is Company

Gateway to the Black Sea

This trip more than exceeded our expectations. The on-board staff were delightful and fun, and accommodations and meals were all excellent. The staff responded to my wife's dietary needs and made arrangements for any off-board meal sites to as well. We learned a great deal about countries and cities/areas we visited through the tour guides, who were well informed and interesting.

Gateway to the Black Sea

This trip more than exceeded our expectations. The on-board staff were delightful and fun, and accommodations and meals were all excellent. The staff responded to my wife's dietary needs and made arrangements for any off-board meal sites to as well. We learned a great deal about countries and cities/areas we visited through the tour guides, who were well informed and interesting.

Gateway to the Black Sea

Last fall, we flew to historic Prague on a pre trip extension (well worth it). After a relaxing stop in Bratislava, we were taken to the Vantage deluxe ship ms River Splendor. Meandering down the Danube to the Black Sea, we went to Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. The history, architecture, cities, countryside, local people, and especially our fellow passengers made for a wonderful 17-day trip. The Vantage staff were very knowledgeable and ready to help make the trip special. We are currently planning our next adventure with Vantage.

Gateway to the Black Sea

River trips are my favorite, love to be able to see everything. Food is great. Cultural experiences like having lunch at the house of a local family is a unique event. Experienced many things that I probably would have never seen or done had we not gone on this trip. A very different part of the world featuring modern development but still has that old world flavor. .

Gateway to the Black Sea

This was a fabulous trip and we highly recommend it ! It was our first river cruise and certainly won't be our last. So nice to "unpack" once yet travel to new places every day. Having 160 passengers and a crew of 45 was ideal.......small enough for great personal service and large enough for diversity of travelers. The crew and guides were excellent and the cities/locations visited were most interesting. Lastly, the ship was modern (Wi-Fi throughout),spotless and boasted all the amenities we could ask for. The workout room and the internet/computer room were nice bonuses. Thank You Vantage !!

Gateway to the Black Sea

We had always wanted to see eastern Europe and this cruise did not disappoint! From our arrival in magnificent Budapest to our farewell to our program director, Bogdan Curea in Romania, we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. We learned so many things that we did not previously know: that Hungary has a large agrarian population; that Bulgaria has such a charming culture, that Romania is in fact, a Romantic culture rather than a Slavic one. We enjoyed the onboard lectures and entertainment that were provided for us.....in fact, we enjoyed the whole onboard experience. The crew is so professional, but not a bit "distant". All of our needs were met beautifully, and every day was a cherished experience. Vantage does such a superb job or making their trips pleasurable and educational. We will recommend you to anyone we can!

Gateway to the Black Sea

Second trip with Vantage and all was great as always. Vantage did a great job even though we did have some weather problems that caused the river to be down so the ship could not go all the way to the Black Sea. Transportation was provided to and from the Black Sea. This part of Europe is coming out and is really open to visitors coming in. This is a must see trip to get a full idea of what they have to live in and work in. A great trip and a real eye opener.

Gateway to the Black Sea

I call this the Bucharest to Budapest Tour. Because of low water levels, the cruise had to be adjusted, but, as has been true of other Vantage tours, the guides adapted our trip seamlessly. Truthfully, a "cruise" is not my favorite way to travel, so I very much appreciated the opportunities to get into the cities and countryside each day in the various countries. But the accommodations on board were very comfortable and the food delicious. Perhaps the highlight was coming into Budapest at dusk with the lights of the city welcoming us, and the captain graciously taking us up and back down river, under the bridges, to enjoy the view!

Gateway to the Black Sea

Eastern Europe was an area that we had never traveled to before. The ship, other travelers, staff and general accommodations were great. Our only disappointment was the "dirty Danube" which surprised us greatly. Perhaps it was because it was fall. The planned excursions were very interesting and we most enjoyed free time to explore a number of the cities. Several of our favorite excursions included the visit to the school and meeting all the students. We also very much enjoyed the home visit with meal. The family shared much information with us concerning their past and current lifestyle. We appreciated the head chef showing us the kitchen and one of the mechanics showing the engine room to my husband. We enjoyed various sections of the ship including the top deck where we were able to take a walk each day. Our cabin was very roomy and pleasant - with plenty of space to store our luggage. Our final night offered a great meal at a lovely hotel.

Gateway to the Black Sea

We have traveled numerous time with both Vantage and other travel companies, and Vantage is far and away the best. This particular trip was exceptional, with all the various sites and activities, there was never a dull moment. The pre-trip to Brasov was exceptional from the accomadations to the experience of going to Transylvania, worth every penny spent on trip.

Gateway to the Black Sea

This was my first Vantage trip. I had a wonderful time, the accommodations were excellent as were the program managers that accompanied us. The scenery was beautiful along the river and was thrilled to experience Budapest. So happy I went.

Gateway to the Black Sea

This was my first Vantage trip. I had a wonderful time, the accommodations were excellent as were the program managers that accompanied us. The scenery was beautiful along the river and was thrilled to experience Budapest. So happy I went.