Dalmatian Elegance (Classic, Lower Deck Cruise)

Traveler Reviews

• V

  Viki

  October 13th, 2024
  The ship was very well maintained, all the crew did their jobs very well, the food was good. Only negatives for me...
  The ship was very well maintained, all the crew did their jobs very well, the food was good. Only negatives for me was the fact that the original wording implied wine with lunch and dinner - whereas it was very definitely one glass with those meals and I paid for even bottles of water. Also not laid out was the expectation for large tips at the end. I already paid a large single supplement so did not comply. So a great experience- but those things should be known before you go.Show more
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  Traveled in October 2024
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are pleased that you enjoyed the tour and found the ship excellent. While we are glad you had a great experience, we have noted your comments about the areas that need improvement. Our Product Development and Documentation Departments will review your feedback to see where improvements can be made. Thank you for being our guest.

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• J

  Jay

  July 10th, 2024
  BEWARE! This is not an Insight Vacation Tour. Insight subcontracts this tour to Katarina Lines. That said, there is...
  BEWARE! This is not an Insight Vacation Tour. Insight subcontracts this tour to Katarina Lines. That said, there is zero Insight presence on this tour. Not only did our boat get changed, sixty percent of the guests on this boat were booked through other travel agencies. Whatever quality we were expecting was diminshed by Katarina Lines need to fill seats. The onboard TD, self-titled tour designer, helped coordinate our arrivals and departures from different ports of call, but did little to inform us of the local history or tour sites. The local guides were average, ranging from a 20 minute introduction on Hvar to a general overview of Dubrovnik. Most days consisted of free time. Again, no Insight presence. Problems on the ship ranged from faulty WiFi on the sun deck to no internet service between midmignt and 0700, the coffee machine being turned off after meals, and other simple ammenities one would expect through out the day to name a few. The meals were repeatative, especially last's night dinner at breakfast. Although the ship itself was plesant, when stacked up against other ships in the harbor, it paled in comparison. Do yourself a favor, find another tour.Show more
  Traveled in May 2024
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  Thank you for your review. Our sister brand, under the Travel Corporation Umbrella, realises the operations for this tour; they incorporate the same values and dedication to service as we do at Insight Vacations. We apologise that the tour did not meet your expectations; however, we are pleased to know you were not unassisted while on tour. The Cruise Manager will be available to assist guests with any queries and requirements for the duration of their cruise. The Cruise Manager will be with guests on the cruise from day one until the end of their holiday in Croatia. Much like a Travel Director would. We are sorry if you are unaware. Thank you for travelling with Insight Vacations. ​​​​​​​

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• C

  Christopher

  September 21st, 2019
  Tour leader did not consider the capacity of guests when it came to walking tours often walking so far ahead...
  Tour leader did not consider the capacity of guests when it came to walking tours often walking so far ahead oblivious to where passengers were-the boat docking in Dubrovnik was ridiculous expecting passengers who were elderly and some with limited ability to get themselves back to the boat by bus or taxi with a then easy 15 minute challenging walk from drop off after a strenuous walking tour - in such heat -only breakfast provided on that day so you had to source lunch and dinner so if you needed to rest after the tour and before lunch or dinner where could you go- if you got back to the boat you then had to use your own resources to get back in to the town for a meal because policy is no food or drink on board-and no you could not get food delivered anyway because deliveries said the boat was too far out of town. Surely at least a shuttle service could have been organised and maybe sandwiches offered! Then the end of the trip well at no time in any itinerary info were we told we had to be off the ship by 9am we were only told not to book any flights before 12 midday which we all had done so we were rushed off the boat and many of us had to pay to store our luggage until we got transferred to the airport and had we known we would’ve been off the boat by 9 we would have organised earlier flights...the way it read we thought on the boat till 12....our tour leader was knowledgeable yes but then when an activity was cancelled due to weather...what was the alternative? Nothing.... we docked in a safe harbour where most shops were closed and so many sat around on board until dinner...hadn’t we paid for that activity of wine and appetisers? The crew were great meals good but poorly planned -with such heavy lunches and then a trip out to a local winery for a traditional meal it was ridiculous as many could not eat ...an evening meal in Dubrovnik would surely have been the better plan given our docking sit. When concerns were taken to the tour leader no solutions were offered...then the smoking area was also the only outside covered area on the boat -so as a non smoker we could not sit within close proximity to tea and coffee or the bar we had to go to the top deck -why not put the smokers up there where it is open and breezier so you are not inflicted with the smoke in the dining room...our boat had no outside covered area when it rained we all had to sit in the dining room....we felt the whole experience was overpriced and we did not get what we expected in the advertising ..our room was good but wifi really only worked in the lounge TV mostly did not work and when it did it was CNN news only on our deck some did get TV but why is that not the same fir all passengers..breakfast was nice but the same every day... the captains dinner was the best night with live entertainment every other night was boring unless you sat around and drank why not try to organise some activities how hard would that be... drinks included were one only and had to be wine or beer so what if you drink neither of those?nothing on our trip passengers unanimously felt breakfast and dinner each day and forget lunches because we could have done them in the port of calls... Many of the tour leaders talks we had to attend were terrible ..it was like sitting in a lecture ...we asked about wading clothes and all we were told was no not on board no helpful solutions given ...right now we would not consider booking another insight cruise the people on board made this trip good for us not the tour leader ..and why do you allow smoking on the boat anywhere it has to go made it unpleasant for many of us lad only three smokers in the only covered area meant we could not sit there .Show more
  Traveled in September 2019
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  Thank you for sharing such detailed feedback, we regret to learn that your trip did not go as you had perhaps hoped. Also, we acknowledge all of your observations in regards to the meals, itinerary and accommodation provided while on the cruise. As such, we are disappointed to find out that not all of these matched the standard you have come to know and expect from Insight Vacations. Rest assured that our internal team will review this further to ensure a better experience for our guests going forward. With that in mind, we are without a doubt happy to have hosted you and we hope to have the opportunity to restore your full faith in our guided holidays in the near future.

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• I

  isabellimnhotmailcom

  May 22nd, 2019
  What can I say, the Dalmatian Elegance was a phenomenal trip! Our fantastic guide Aida took so much pride in guiding...
  What can I say, the Dalmatian Elegance was a phenomenal trip! Our fantastic guide Aida took so much pride in guiding us around the islands of her home country and provided us with so much Insight (pardon the pun) whilst on shore excursions and showed us how to live like a local. The cruise was operated by Katarina line on board the MV Avangard, which was a beautiful ship. Our crew were so professional and accommodating, many of my fellow guests felt as though they had made lifelong friends. Special thanks goes to Matea and Tomislav who ensured that our drinks and meals were served wonderfully. I cannot recommend this trip highly enough, especially if sailing on the Dalmatian Riviera is an experience on your bucket list. I guarantee that this is one of the most stylish ways to experience it.Show more
  Traveled in April 2019
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  We are elated to learn that your Dalmatian Elegance trip with Insight Vacations exceeded your expectations. We are especially pleased to hear that our staff’s dedication and knowledge allowed for an amazing atmosphere throughout your time on the road. On top of that, we are without a doubt happy to have shared such a great experience with you and we truly look forward to welcoming you back soon for more incredible experiences.

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• T

  TracyAldridge

  May 20th, 2019
  This journey was amazing! The ship, the crew, the Travel/Cruise Director Aida and the food were all wonderful! The...
  This journey was amazing! The ship, the crew, the Travel/Cruise Director Aida and the food were all wonderful! The local guides did a fabulous job sharing their knowledge of the local ports and the included restaurant experiences were perfect! There is nothing I can suggest to make this experience any better! Thank you Insight Vacations for a wonderful time!Show more
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  Traveled in May 2019
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  We are very pleased to hear that our staff made your time on the Dalmatian Elegance tour with Insight Vacations a memorable one. On top of that, we hope that you were able to go back home with some amazing memories and we look forward to welcoming you back in the near future.

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• J

  JeffCatt

  October 1st, 2018
  Room was very small with small bed mattresses that were made up as singles and often slipped apart. Lower deck deluxe...
  Room was very small with small bed mattresses that were made up as singles and often slipped apart. Lower deck deluxe cabins were below water line with small portholes and leaky showers. Nowhere to store luggage. Nowhere to hang clothes so could not unpack. Shower leaked. Very cloastrophobic. On one occasion room service was not totally complete. Waitress in the dining room was rude and arrogant to the point that she would not serve you if your knife was on your plate after buttering your roll. She was reluctant to assist when we wanted to pay our bill on the final evening...it was obviously an imposition but we did not want to wait until the next day when it would be hectic leaving the boat. Only took a moment to finalize the bill. Tour guide was very difficult to understand and 'lectures' were read straight from PowerPoints that did not always work. Many instructions given were important but difficult to understand...led to confusion.She was also very inflexible and did not always consider individual needs and concerns about transfers, seating arrangements (some people did not attend the Captain's Dinner because they could not find a seat next to their partner.) She did not put the customers’ needs as a priority and was more concerned with what made her organisation easier for her. She assumed people were onboard after shore excursions before we left port. She did not count heads. First 2 days we were on our own with no guidance or help. Meet and greet day consisted of a woman in the lobby of the hotel for a short time to give directions. No get together with other passengers for a meal or even a drink! Second day was to leave bags in the foyer at 11:am and then walk to the boat at 2:30pm. No cool drink was offered on arrival after a half hour walk in the hot sun! Therefore, the trip was only 6.5 days as the last day we were off the boat at 8.30am. This was advertised as a 9 day tour but we were pretty much on our own for the first two days and the last day. On the final day our choice for waiting for our transfer was sitting on a 'park bench' in the sun for two hours or placing our bags for two hours in a locker at our own expense! The Split Airport on a Saturday is a complete nightmare. Therefore an early transfer would be the best option but we were not given this choice and in fact if you asked to change times you were told the transfers were non negotiable. While wine and beer prices were reasonable, quantities varied greatly from day to day depending on who was serving you. It was noted that on the day the gratuities were to be paid the servings were much larger. I also think it is poor that if you were buying a softdrink, it was poured from a 1.25L bottle and you were charged $5 AUD. In Dubrovnik our dock allocation was less than satisfactory, particularly when you consider the age of some of our passengers. Walking to and from the bus stops was via an uneven gravel path or a “death defying” walk along the shoulder of a very busy road. The local taxi service appeared to show greater concern for the sake of our passengers by delivering them to the gangway of our ship rather than leave these elderly to find their own way back to the boat in difficult conditions. This all goes to demonstrate the lack of care and consideration given to the safety of passengers on Katarina cruises. To further demonstrate a lack of passenger care, a woman on our cruise was very unwell for a period of days and was in obvious need of medical care. She remained in her cabin for most of the cruise without an insistence of medical care. Most passengers were shocked at her deterioration when we saw her on the final evening. She ate only two spoonfuls of soup, leaving the dining room after not having eaten for days. We were distressed to see how ill she looked. When considering the cost of this cruise and the fact that Insight is advertising in conjunction with Katarina cruises, this trip did not measure up to the Insight standard. We have been on 8 previous Insight trips which we have thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, this tour did not live up to our expectations based on previous experience with your company. We certainly would be reluctant to recommend this trip to other travellers.Show more
  Traveled in September 2018
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  Thank you for sharing this with us. We truly regret to learn that you did not find the organisation of the trip to be in line with the high standards Insight Vacations is recognised for. Also, we understand that where you stay during your trip is as important as the sights you see, that is why it troubles us to learn of any discomfort experienced during your stay. Rest assured that all your concerns have been shared with our internal team for further review to see where improvements could be made to better our guest experience going forward. That being said, we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to restore your full faith in our guided holidays in the near future.

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