EXPERTS TO SERVE YOU, SHIP TO SHORE
During your cruise you’ll be well taken care of, including with daily briefings about upcoming ports conducted by your Cruise Director. Your Cruise Director is also the point person for coordinating social and cultural activities on the ship, and the person who will ensure that your experience is the best it can be. Lectures on your journey will be conducted by handpicked, knowledgeable experts. To lead your included shore excursions, we’ve selected the best regional guides. If your program includes a land stay (or if you’ve chosen an optional extension), you’ll also enjoy the service of a Program Manager to steward your journey to its very end.
CRUISE DIRECTORS MAKE YOUR TRIP "SMOOTH SAILING"
Your Vantage trip will be led by a seasoned Cruise Director who will ensure your comfort and satisfaction. Think of him or her as your onboard “host” — the person to turn to with questions about your itinerary, updates on the day’s activities, reservations for optional tours, and so much more.
Darko Dovedan
Darko was born and currently lives in Zagreb, Croatia. He speaks three languages (Croatian, English, and Italian) and spent some time in Venice. He began to feel naturally drawn toward becoming a guide when she was studying art history in Zagreb, and has since visited 163 countries and lead tours in 70 of them! Of all of those destinations, the Mediterranean holds a special place in his heart. His goal for his travelers is that they get the full picture of each destination, including the culture, customs, gastronomy, language, nature, and local people. When he’s not leading tours, he spends his time fulfilling his own travel aspirations.
FROM START TO FINISH, PROGRAM MANAGERS ARE THERE
To ensure your fullest satisfaction, you’ll also enjoy the services of a dedicated Program Manager to coordinate shore activities, organize entertainment programs, and oversee operations, including embarkation and disembarkation. When you’re traveling on a pre- or post-trip extension, your Program Manager will also join you to make sure your experience is top-notch from start to finish.
Adrianna “Sjannie” Hulsman-Louwers
At just 13, Sjannie knew that the Netherlands was too small a place to contain her forever. “My geography teacher was talking about his trip to the tundra in Siberia and to Mongolia,” she recalls, “and I decided that the Netherlands was too boring to spend my entire life here.” She tagged along with a friend on a family trip to the U.K. and her love for travel was cemented. Though she pursued an MBA and worked outside tourism, Sjannie eventually found her way back to the industry. “At 50, my husband knew I needed a change and he suggested returning to work as a tour guide, because that’s when he saw me at my happiest. And so I did.” Sjannie is also a yogini and works to train tour guides in Asian countries.
NEW! ENHANCED COMPLIMENTARY WORLDWIDE CONCIERGE SERVICE
Before your cruise, our worldwide Concierge is here to assist. If you have a special request or personal interest you’d like to pursue during your journey, let our worldwide Concierge work for you — and best of all, it’s complimentary for all travelers. If your cruise is still months away but you’d like to plan a party, track down a bit of your family’s heritage in one of your destinations, secure restaurant reservations, and beyond, we’ll get to planning early. Or, if you’re onboard and want to visit the spa, make hotel reservations, organize a pub crawl for family and friends, your onboard Destination Manager can make your travel dreams come true.
To request Concierge service prior to your journey, simply log in to MyPortfolio, submit a pre-trip request to Concierge@vantagetravel.com, or call 1-888-982-6824 and you'll have your answer from our Concierge within two business days.
Maya Pashpurova
Maya was born in Shuman, Bulgaria and currently lives in Sofia, Bulgaria. She was first inspired to become a tour guide when she worked as a receptionist for a cruise line and noticed how much her colleague, who was a concierge, enjoyed her job. She sees tour guiding as a dynamic, diversified job that never has a dull moment. She has traveled to most European countries as well as the United States, the Caribbean, and the United Arab Emirates. In her free time she enjoys watching movies, drawing and painting, and going for long hikes.
REGIONAL EXPERTS IN EACH PORT
No one knows a destination better than an insider, so in addition to your Cruise Director, you’ll enjoy the services of experienced, English-speaking regional experts who will deliver scintillating lectures onboard and who will be waiting to lead you ashore during your included activities. Their deep command of regional history will certainly enrich your viewing of important attractions. But these “insiders” go a step beyond, sharing insights on behind-the-scenes aspects of local culture that ordinary tours overlook. How do families in this area get by? What are some of the local legends? What do the decorations on a particular house mean? Your regional experts are eager to bring it all alive for you.
