Tauck

:confused:Hi, i booked a Rhine River Cruise with Tauck for next October. I never see any posts about Tauck. Anyone have any experience:confused: with this line, the Rhine cruise or the Inspire?

Thanks.

You're right, there aren't very many reviews of Tauck cruises. That's because Tauck has a small number of boats, so there aren't that many cruisers to report back.

Here are two recent reviews of Tauck's Rhone cruise (one letter different, but a very different area!):

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2102292&highlight=tauck

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2108324&highlight=tauck

Danube:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1499408

You will notice that Ozjohnno is the most prolific Tauck reviewer here. I hope that he will jump in and offer more insights.

I was on a 14-Day Tauck River cruise starting in Budapest and ending in Amsterdam. It was first class all the way.

The guides were very knowledgeable and ship was elegant and the food was comparable to a five-star restaurant. Accommodations were wonderful. I would not hesitate to do another.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Terri

Thank you. Did you spend any time in Amsterdam?

My review was previously mentioned and I would like to respond again by saying that I felt Tauck was a top class company to tour with. Everything that we wanted in an all inclusive tour! I tried to get input from CC people, but found that river cruisers are not as vocal as large ship cruisers. Did get some very good tips from the few CC Tauck travelers and their input was extremely helpful!

I would travel again with Tauck and possibly do another river cruise, but not in the near future. Loved the Tauck staff and the Swiss Emerald's staff-very caring, helpful, and knowledgeable! We are in our late 50's and really enjoy being pampered, love nice hotels, really like good food, and traveling hassle free.

Tauck covered all our wants very nicely!

If you are interested in Tauck book very early. Their summer season 2014 sold out well in advance. We ended up on a Viking ship, it was a nice new longboat but the food wasn't anything special.

:confused:Hi, i booked a Rhine River Cruise with Tauck for next October. I never see any posts about Tauck. Anyone have any experience:confused: with this line, the Rhine cruise or the Inspire?

Thanks.

I have been a supporter and user of Tauck trips for a number of years now. I discovered them in 2010 whilst doing a search for river cruise companies that could be booked in Australia. My philosophy is simple even though there are a number of posters on this board that don't agree with me. I look for an all-inclusive holiday and to me that means absolutely nothing extra to pay after my final payment and that's what Tauck provides. They only have six boats cruising the rivers of Europe all made specifically for them and manned by the Swiss company Scylla. The Inspire is one of their new boats and I've not had the privilege to sail on her but I have no doubt you'll have a great trip. I truly believe that a Tauck cruise is unique in so many ways.

I don't want to write a page on my experiences with Tauck because that would bring out those that consider me a Tauck shill but if you have a specific question please just ask.

Rod

I wanted to do a Tauck, but sold out. The research I did showed they were the best, included all you tips, drinks all the time ( if I am remembering correctly) we just retuned from our trip on AMA, and we had to walk through a Tauck. While our ship was brand new and beautiful. This was jaw dropping, my partner asked why we did not go on that ship. I told him sold out.

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Thank you. Did you spend any time in Amsterdam?

The boat stayed overnight in Amsterdam and we spent a few more days there before returning home. There is a lot to do and see there but it was not one of my favorite cities.

Prior to the cruise we spent four days in Vienna and loved every minute of that city. Then we took the train to Budapest where we were met by a Tauck driver who took us to the boat. No extra charge for that.

I loved the river cruise.

Terri

This will be our first River Cruise and I hope I selected well. Thanks for the reassurance. I read a couple of reviews posted recently for Inspire and there were complaints about food and spending too much time on buses.

This will be our first River Cruise and I hope I selected well. Thanks for the reassurance. I read a couple of reviews posted recently for Inspire and there were complaints about food and spending too much time on buses.

I certainly had no complaints about food. The buses were another story and I did find that there was a problem with that. However, last year there were strikes by the lock workers, causing problems as to when the boats were able to move. Sometimes we were stuck in a city for more than one day and in order for us to see the places on the itinerary, we had to be bussed to the places we were supposed to be. I did not like that too much.

I did feel that Tauck should have compensated us for that, but there was nothing forthcoming, no apologies or anything. Just, not our fault.

Other from that, the cruise was great and the riverboat was wonderful.

Terri

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I did feel that Tauck should have compensated us for that, but there was nothing forthcoming, no apologies or anything. Just, not our fault.

 

Other from that, the cruise was great and the riverboat was wonderful.

Terri

The fine print of your agreement with the tour company would have told you they owe you NOTHING for those changes.

The fine print of your agreement with the tour company would have told you they owe you NOTHING for those changes.

I understand that. An apology at the end of the cruise for the long bus rides would have been nice.

I am not faulting Tauck, it was not their fault. However, they did take care of many other cruisers last year when the waters rose, and that was not their fault either. That was in the fine print too.

They knew before we left that the lock workers were on strike. We should have been given the opportunity to cancel and been told that there were going to be long bus rides rather than cruising to the ports. That was not done until one of the passengers brought it to their attention.

If I wanted a bus tour I would have booked one.

Terri

They knew before we left that the lock workers were on strike. We should have been given the opportunity to cancel and been told that there were going to be long bus rides rather than cruising to the ports. That was not done until one of the passengers brought it to their attention. If I wanted a bus tour I would have booked one.

Terri

This is a complaint that river cruisers have had with other cruise lines. Surprise problems will be judged on how well you adapt. But known problems should be communicated before the cruise so that cancellation insurance can be activated. I'm surprised and sorry to hear this about Tauck.

Although we have taken many cruises over many years, this will be our first with Tauck but from what I have read, and the limited input on CC, it would appear as though we have chosen correctly. Tried Viking in China and, to a degree, it put me off River Cruising. However, the very positive input from others would make this River Cruise so much more interesting.

My research of the various stops and market places therein, have really impressed my wife and I. We will spend a few days prior to the cruise in Basel and a further four days at the end in Cologne, so, hopefully my planning will work out.

Joe and Pat:)

Although we have taken many cruises over many years, this will be our first with Tauck but from what I have read, and the limited input on CC, it would appear as though we have chosen correctly. Tried Viking in China and, to a degree, it put me off River Cruising. However, the very positive input from others would make this River Cruise so much more interesting.

 

My research of the various stops and market places therein, have really impressed my wife and I. We will spend a few days prior to the cruise in Basel and a further four days at the end in Cologne, so, hopefully my planning will work out.

 

Joe and Pat:)

I think you will enjoy Tauck very much. While I had one complaint, the majority of the cruise was wonderful. They take care of you very well. They know how to do it. There are no options on board. The only bill we had at the end was laundry. Everything else was included. The food was wonderful and they are really careful with people who have food allergies or intolerances. i was one of them and my meals were specially prepared every day.

Enjoy your cruise.

Terri

I think you will enjoy Tauck very much. While I had one complaint, the majority of the cruise was wonderful. They take care of you very well. They know how to do it. There are no options on board. The only bill we had at the end was laundry. Everything else was included. The food was wonderful and they are really careful with people who have food allergies or intolerance's. i was one of them and my meals were specially prepared every day.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Terri

Thank you for your input, much appreciated. I notice that you appear to be a fan of those 'Dam Ships'. Like you we have enjoyed a number of cruises on their ships. We did a 28 day one this May/June on the smaller Prinsendam and enjoyed it very much. It was like being on a Seabourn, but on a larger scale and, as such, it more than met our needs. I am sure you will enjoy your South America cruise....Bon Voyage!!

Tauck doesn't actually own the river boats. They are leased to Tauck as well as the crew. Still, they are really top-notch. You could not have chosen better IMO.

Many people are put off from them because of the cost. If I had the extra $2000 over what we paid for Avalon (not that cheap either), I would've gone with Tauck too for our river cruise but I couldn't justify spending that much more. I will one day though!

Congrats on your booking!

For the solo traveller, Tauck's no supplement for the 'entry level aquarium class' cabins is a great incentive.

I have nothing but praise for my Bucharest to Amsterdam cruise with Tauck.

I have seen the Tauck ships on the Rhine from a distance and was very impressed by the style, I prefer their design to the Viking longships. Would love to go on one, yet I have got no time for itineraries of more than five days.

What I like about Tauck also is that they changed their Rhine itinerary for the Christmas season. To visit the Christmas markets they start or end in Cologne not Amsterdam. A plus for the winter in my opinion, as they cut out the long sail through the Netherlands and a necessary stop somewhere along the way. Viking does the Kinderdijk windmills which I would not want to visit on a blustery winter day.

Thus, Tauck is able to offer a bus trip to Aachen, which I think is definitely worth it as Aachen is great. And if you do not feel like going on a bus trip, Aachen can be reached on a fast train from Cologne. In fact, it is the high speed line Cologne - Aachen - Brussels - London (yes, I have missed out a couple of stops). I recommend the Thalys trains!

I hope those going on a Christmas market trip may report back from their travels.

Have a great time.

notamermaid

I have seen the Tauck ships on the Rhine from a distance and was very impressed by the style, I prefer their design to the Viking longships. Would love to go on one, yet I have got no time for itineraries of more than five days.

 

What I like about Tauck also is that they changed their Rhine itinerary for the Christmas season. To visit the Christmas markets they start or end in Cologne not Amsterdam. A plus for the winter in my opinion, as they cut out the long sail through the Netherlands and a necessary stop somewhere along the way. Viking does the Kinderdijk windmills which I would not want to visit on a blustery winter day.

 

Thus, Tauck is able to offer a bus trip to Aachen, which I think is definitely worth it as Aachen is great. And if you do not feel like going on a bus trip, Aachen can be reached on a fast train from Cologne. In fact, it is the high speed line Cologne - Aachen - Brussels - London (yes, I have missed out a couple of stops). I recommend the Thalys trains!

 

I hope those going on a Christmas market trip may report back from their travels.

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

Thank you for your valued input. We are about three weeks away from our cruise and looking forward to it. For sure, upon our return, I will post my comments. As for Aachen, we will do the coach tour from the ship instead of a tour of Cologne on our last full day, as we will be spending a further four days in Cologne, so plenty of time to see the city and some other places.

We went on our first river cruise last year. We chose Tauck because we had been on a number of their land-based tours and have been thoroughly impressed with them. I wrote an extensive review of our experience here:

http://www.1mpages.com/ReviewTauckRiverCruise.html

Hopefully that will be helpful. If you end up chosing Tauck, I don't think you will be disappointed. Indeed, it could very well cause you to be disappointed if you travel on other river boats after that!

Happy travels!

Cruzin Terri - appreciate your comments about Tauck's Amsterdam-Budapest cruise. My wife and I just reserved this same itinerary for Sep 2016 on the Swiss Jewel. I would be interested in your thoughts (or other's) about extending our time in both Amsterdam & Budapest. Also wondering if you did air thru Tauck or made your own arrangements. Email for a response is: glenn.ball@comcast.net. Thanks!

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Cruzin Terri - appreciate your comments about Tauck's Amsterdam-Budapest cruise. My wife and I just reserved this same itinerary for Sep 2016 on the Swiss Jewel. I would be interested in your thoughts (or other's) about extending our time in both Amsterdam & Budapest. Also wondering if you did air thru Tauck or made your own arrangements. Email for a response is: glenn.ball@comcast.net. Thanks!

 

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We did not use Tauck for our air. We used frequent flier miles and stayed in Vienna for a few days prior to the cruise. We then took the train from Vienna to Budapest and were met by a Tauck driver at the train station. No extra charge for that.

At the end of the cruise we stayed in Amsterdam for a few days. We used Marriott points and stayed at the Amsterdam Marriott. Tauck provided a free transfer to the Marriott.

I would highly recommend Tauck. They think of everything. They really know how to do it right.

Terri

The flights for our cruise have just opened up. Anyone with experience booking flights through Tauck have an opinion of the service? Does it make any difference price wise or with the ability to pick flights and seats, etc... that you prefer?

The air fare seems very high now for Boston to Paris.