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.

Ireland: a Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

All I can say is that is was wonderful. I thought Christiane was wonderful and extremely nice. I really liked her stories. I also just found every destination to be beautiful. I loved every second of it and thoroughly recommend it to everyone who likes to travel.

Ireland: a Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Traveling to Ireland has been on my bucket list. This journey to get an overview of where my ancestors came from gave me everything I was hoping for. I wanted to see the geography of Ireland. I wanted to hear the history. Our tour director provided both. As we toured the countryside, I heard what had been going on in each region for centuries. . Thank you for such an outstanding journey.

Ireland: a Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Dan O'Leary was the best trip director we have had with Vantage

Ireland: a Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Only a few hours back from this fabulous trip, I am still "in" Ireland and feel immersed in its character, thanks to our Program Manager Gemma, who lavished so much insight and care on our entire group. The basic Vantage program is excellent, and packed with varied events bound to appeal to everyone. Gemma has many connections through her family in Ireland, and personalized our trip with special treats such as a harp/pipe concert and a family-owned pub visit. She MADE the trip, as far as I am concerned. We were blessed with excellent weather -- no rain! -- and our group was composed of experienced travelers, so we all cooperated in being on time, and helped each other keep up. As a historian, I thought I knew something about Irish history - wrong! Hearing about the phases of oppression in the land, especially during the Tudor reign, was an eye-opener, and helps explain why the attitude toward Britain has had an edge to it long before "the troubles." My favorite activities were the first-day scone-making at a sheep farm, which engaged everybody in a pleasing project; and the home visit in Cobh, where we had a friendly evening with a town resident who cooked us an excellent Irish meal. But there were so many other "extras" given us on this trip - I'll leave it to others to share their impressions. I am a very happy Vantage customer, particularly due to this trip.

Ireland: a Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Historical narration was excellent. Accommodations were too far out of the way of central
activities. The pub crawl was a joke as we went in one door, walked through a pub and out
the other door without doing a thing. The Celtic presentation was amateurish and boring.
Family should have been left out of the tour business. The home visit was excellent and
very interesting.

Ireland: a Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Amazing Trip. Ireland is such a beautiful country and all of the places we stayed were top class. We took all the tours and they were all well worth it. I am continuing to relive this tour as I organize my pictures.

Ireland: a Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

United Airlines travel --terrible
Got there and had to wait 7 hours for a hotel room.

Everything and More

Freshman year in college(1965-66) my professor informed us, "There were no Dark Ages in Ireland. In fact, Irish monks saved western civilization: the Book of Kells, lower case manuscript letters, and so VERY much more." She was correct. The Book of Kells is amazing. So is the immigration museum in Galway - much more there about the Titanic than in Cork. As a knitter, I was astounded to learn that sheep are raised only for meat and their wool is sent to China. The merino wool Aaran sweaters are made of come from Australia!

Everything and More

Freshman year in college(1965-66) my professor informed us, "There were no Dark Ages in Ireland. In fact, Irish monks saved western civilization: the Book of Kells, lower case manuscript letters, and so VERY much more." She was correct. The Book of Kells is amazing. So is the immigration museum in Galway - much more there about the Titanic than in Cork. As a knitter, I was astounded to learn that sheep are raised only for meat and their wool is sent to China. The merino wool Aaran sweaters are made of come from Australia!

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Yes I had the joy of kissing the Blarney Stone and yet my strory will be true. I've never before seen so many shades of green and they were througout the Emerald Isle. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Vantage provided a grand program. Our tour manager "Mary" is a resident of Ireland and new the country backwards and forwards and our driver "Martin" (no not Doc Martin - just Martin) was skilled, accomodating and added good color to the program. Accomodations were top of the line, the people friendly, the food tasty and the beds comfey. The tassting at Jameson's was smooth - here is to another sojourn. gc

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Yes I had the joy of kissing the Blarney Stone and yet my strory will be true. I've never before seen so many shades of green and they were througout the Emerald Isle. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Vantage provided a grand program. Our tour manager "Mary" is a resident of Ireland and new the country backwards and forwards and our driver "Martin" (no not Doc Martin - just Martin) was skilled, accomodating and added good color to the program. Accomodations were top of the line, the people friendly, the food tasty and the beds comfey. The tassting at Jameson's was smooth - here is to another sojourn. gc

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Very little of Ireland is missed on this energetic tour! We happened to hit unusually cold weather (may 2013) but it didn't stop us from having a wonderful tour. Our PM, Gemma L., was awesome - a true gem! She was so good that we rarely had another local guide. We began our trip with a pre-tour in Ennis but I understand that has been eliminated. All of us who were there thought it was one of the best places we stayed. All of the hotel accommodations were excellent. The castle hotel (which may be eliminated by now) was fabulous and made it a very special treat for us. If you are a history buff, this is your trip! If you love gorgeous scenery, this is your trip, too! Beer? Comfort food? Oh yeah.... you will be very happy! The PEOPLE of Ireland are the true gold, though. It's too bad we didn't have more free time because sitting in a pub listening to the local musicians and chatting with the locals is the magic of visiting this charming country. This is becoming my one pet peeve with Vantage -- they are trying too hard to pack almost too much into the itineraries. Oh how I'd love to be in one hotel at least 3 days with even 1 whole day or 2 - 1/2 days on our own. We can't resist an optional tour because they are always terrific so that eats up any free time we might have. This was an excellent and very comprehensive tour. We upgraded our air to Business and it was great! There are no direct flights from LAX to Ireland so it was really nice having the excellent staff of the Vantage travel department take care of all the details. We requested a slight change in our departure date and they did a terrific job for us. The value of the upgrade was outstanding.

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

I have traveled with Vantage and all the trips have been enjoyable. The trip to Ireland was the best that I have been on with ANY travel company. The journey leader, Dan did an excellent job of explaining the daily excursions, keep things moving but not moving so fast that you missed the local details. The driver,Martin was knowledgeable with a hilarious twist while navigating the narrow roads. The group was also the best I have been with in all the journeys I have taken. Everyone was an experienced considerate traveler, no grippers and no always late persons. I have traveled with Vantage over several years and this the BEST so far. Checking the trips for 2014 as I write this.

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

Very little of Ireland is missed on this energetic tour! We happened to hit unusually cold weather (may 2013) but it didn't stop us from having a wonderful tour. Our PM, Gemma L., was awesome - a true gem! She was so good that we rarely had another local guide. We began our trip with a pre-tour in Ennis but I understand that has been eliminated. All of us who were there thought it was one of the best places we stayed. All of the hotel accommodations were excellent. The castle hotel (which may be eliminated by now) was fabulous and made it a very special treat for us. If you are a history buff, this is your trip! If you love gorgeous scenery, this is your trip, too! Beer? Comfort food? Oh yeah.... you will be very happy! The PEOPLE of Ireland are the true gold, though. It's too bad we didn't have more free time because sitting in a pub listening to the local musicians and chatting with the locals is the magic of visiting this charming country. This is becoming my one pet peeve with Vantage -- they are trying too hard to pack almost too much into the itineraries. Oh how I'd love to be in one hotel at least 3 days with even 1 whole day or 2 - 1/2 days on our own. We can't resist an optional tour because they are always terrific so that eats up any free time we might have. This was an excellent and very comprehensive tour. We upgraded our air to Business and it was great! There are no direct flights from LAX to Ireland so it was really nice having the excellent staff of the Vantage travel department take care of all the details. We requested a slight change in our departure date and they did a terrific job for us. The value of the upgrade was outstanding.

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

I have traveled with Vantage and all the trips have been enjoyable. The trip to Ireland was the best that I have been on with ANY travel company. The journey leader, Dan did an excellent job of explaining the daily excursions, keep things moving but not moving so fast that you missed the local details. The driver,Martin was knowledgeable with a hilarious twist while navigating the narrow roads. The group was also the best I have been with in all the journeys I have taken. Everyone was an experienced considerate traveler, no grippers and no always late persons. I have traveled with Vantage over several years and this the BEST so far. Checking the trips for 2014 as I write this.

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

The Vantage trip to Ireland includes all of the major sights at a good pace combining tours with free time. The hotels were absolutely amazing with large rooms, wonderful facilities, beautiful views and delicious food. We enjoyed every minute! How nice to have our excellent driver navigate the narrow, winding roads so that we could concentrate on seeing the lovely views.

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

My trip to Ireland was fantastic. The Guide was was informative and willing to help with any problems that arose. When I had trouble with charging items I wanted to ship home., she was right on it . Most of all, my traveling companions were very compatible. The bus driver,Sean, also was very helpful. The Hotels were clean and comfortable. The experience of staying in a castle was unforgitable. The food was good, and the visit to a private home was interesting. We visited the Balleck Pottery factory and the Jameson Distellery. We waved at the Guiness Brewery as we went by. I am planning to go back to Ireland in the future. Janet King

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

The Vantage trip to Ireland includes all of the major sights at a good pace combining tours with free time. The hotels were absolutely amazing with large rooms, wonderful facilities, beautiful views and delicious food. We enjoyed every minute! How nice to have our excellent driver navigate the narrow, winding roads so that we could concentrate on seeing the lovely views.

Ireland: A Deluxe Journey to the Emerald Isle

My trip to Ireland was fantastic. The Guide was was informative and willing to help with any problems that arose. When I had trouble with charging items I wanted to ship home., she was right on it . Most of all, my traveling companions were very compatible. The bus driver,Sean, also was very helpful. The Hotels were clean and comfortable. The experience of staying in a castle was unforgitable. The food was good, and the visit to a private home was interesting. We visited the Balleck Pottery factory and the Jameson Distellery. We waved at the Guiness Brewery as we went by. I am planning to go back to Ireland in the future. Janet King