Tauck is 6 stars -- perfection -- but never again

I am not sure what it is with the Black Forest but more than twenty years back now in England I was asked by locals if the place I live in is in the Black Forest. It is not, I live more than 100 miles away. It appears that in the English-speaking world of all the places in Germany the Black Forest seems the one that people can easiest relate to. I for myself find the Black Forest not that spectacular, for me the Bavarian region "Bayerischer Wald" (bordering on the Czech Republic) has more appeal. One can get Black Forest Gateau wrong, it is not the easiest of cakes to bake and baking for tourists...hmm, not sure if the love and patience for baking is not lost a bit. For the Black Forest tour I would DIY instead, go to Freiburg, where one can also buy cuckoo clocks and eat the cake in a nice café. The cake is not restricted to the area, many, many cafés in the Rhine valley serve it. Those places are usually called Konditorei Café, by the way.

To the OP's original idea for the thread: Great that you tried it out, had the experience and now move on with a light heart. I had wanted to try river cruising for some years, when it finally worked out I was delighted, but also apprehensive. Would it be for me? It was, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As regards ocean cruising I can say that it would take a lot of convincing to get me on an ocean cruiser. I tend to "extrapolate" what the experience might be like from channel crossings on ferries with slot machines and teenagers and children talking in many languages or in high-pitched voices calling for mummy and cannot see myself on such a ship. Especially after some neighbours came back from their Mediterranean cruise with the conviction of not going on one again. I have been to cities along the Mediterranean on land trips and will continue to do so unless somebody pays for my transatlantic crossing on the QE2. I cannot get myself to trying it out with hard-earned money.

notamermaid

I am not sure what it is with the Black Forest but more than twenty years back now in England I was asked by locals if the place I live in is in the Black Forest. It is not, I live more than 100 miles away. It appears that in the English-speaking world of all the places in Germany the Black Forest seems the one that people can easiest relate to. I for myself find the Black Forest not that spectacular, for me the Bavarian region "Bayerischer Wald" (bordering on the Czech Republic) has more appeal. One can get Black Forest Gateau wrong, it is not the easiest of cakes to bake and baking for tourists...hmm, not sure if the love and patience for baking is not lost a bit. For the Black Forest tour I would DIY instead, go to Freiburg, where one can also buy cuckoo clocks and eat the cake in a nice café. The cake is not restricted to the area, many, many cafés in the Rhine valley serve it. Those places are usually called Konditorei Café, by the way.

 

To the OP's original idea for the thread: Great that you tried it out, had the experience and now move on with a light heart. I had wanted to try river cruising for some years, when it finally worked out I was delighted, but also apprehensive. Would it be for me? It was, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As regards ocean cruising I can say that it would take a lot of convincing to get me on an ocean cruiser. I tend to "extrapolate" what the experience might be like from channel crossings on ferries with slot machines and teenagers and children talking in many languages or in high-pitched voices calling for mummy and cannot see myself on such a ship. Especially after some neighbours came back from their Mediterranean cruise with the conviction of not going on one again. I have been to cities along the Mediterranean on land trips and will continue to do so unless somebody pays for my transatlantic crossing on the QE2. I cannot get myself to trying it out with hard-earned money.

 

notamermaid

Suggest considering Viking Ocean. No casino/slots, no photographers, no onboard selling of art & stuff, no children, small 950 passenger ship often seems quite empty.

Well, apparently the version served to our ship's group was dry and flavorless, so.....I guess you can make chocolate, cherry & whipped cream not lovable....[this came from my mother, who did the trip and is a sweets fiend - I personally don't have much of a sweet tooth so I'll take her word on it; also I wasn't there;p]

 

We're definitely glass half full people - we're going to enjoy a vacation, no matter what. Which is why I continue to say that the river cruise we did was fabulous - I'm just not going to do it again for a long while - it's not my style. And it's not the only type of vacation where we've had that happen. But as with you - we chalk it up to experience and move on to the next thing, tailoring each trip to what we've learned in the past as much as possible.:hearteyes:

I'm curious - did your mother buy a slice or was this a sample from the demo. Just wondering if there was a difference. As I said - I thought it was quite good and not dry at all. Maybe it depends on the baker of the day!

You appear obsessed with whether I listen to advice.

I make my own decisions after considering a lot of information. But no one person decides for me. And had I listened to you I would disagree. We preferred the Danube to the Rhine and we would never take a 7 day cruise undrr any set any circumstances. A complete non starter. For us one reason to cruise is to have a floating hotel and to avoid unpacking and unpacking. Also we find the demographic differs on short cruises

 

 

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Interesting about the demographic. I know it applies to longer ocean cruises, but I didn't think about it applying to river cruises as well - which seem to have a different demographic from ocean cruises to start.

We did the Rhine Getaway as our first - because the Castles on the Rhine thing and because we thought it would be a good cruise to start. We loved it, so we're doing another - the Grand European on Viking next year.

We also have 2 ocean cruises (complete opposites - Carnival to Canada/NE and Viking West Indies) and a fly and stay in Bermuda for the the next year. Have passport - will travel - not leaving any inheritances ;p

Why did we chose to take a river cruise and not take the included excursions? The convenience of unpacking once, the experience of cruising along the river, the people we met along the way, the convenience of travel from one spot to another. You are right, to each his own. We enjoyed it very much and would not have seen all those towns in such a relaxing manner if we had done it totally on our own.

Pretty much the way we felt about the river cruise. I really loved being on the river. While I enjoyed the ports and didn't mind being "herded" (actually I never felt herded - I was usually in the back of the pack taking photos!) I enjoyed the guides - they were knowledgeable, informative and I liked listening to the stories they all added in. Loved not having to pack & unpack or live out of a suitcase.

It's another from of travel, and as I said previously with the exception of camping and huge mega ocean ships, I love to travel. Options are great! Mix 'em up for me!

I am not sure what it is with the Black Forest but more than twenty years back now in England I was asked by locals if the place I live in is in the Black Forest. It is not, I live more than 100 miles away. It appears that in the English-speaking world of all the places in Germany the Black Forest seems the one that people can easiest relate to. I for myself find the Black Forest not that spectacular, for me the Bavarian region "Bayerischer Wald" (bordering on the Czech Republic) has more appeal. One can get Black Forest Gateau wrong, it is not the easiest of cakes to bake and baking for tourists...hmm, not sure if the love and patience for baking is not lost a bit. For the Black Forest tour I would DIY instead, go to Freiburg, where one can also buy cuckoo clocks and eat the cake in a nice café. The cake is not restricted to the area, many, many cafés in the Rhine valley serve it. Those places are usually called Konditorei Café, by the way.

 

To the OP's original idea for the thread: Great that you tried it out, had the experience and now move on with a light heart. I had wanted to try river cruising for some years, when it finally worked out I was delighted, but also apprehensive. Would it be for me? It was, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As regards ocean cruising I can say that it would take a lot of convincing to get me on an ocean cruiser. I tend to "extrapolate" what the experience might be like from channel crossings on ferries with slot machines and teenagers and children talking in many languages or in high-pitched voices calling for mummy and cannot see myself on such a ship. Especially after some neighbours came back from their Mediterranean cruise with the conviction of not going on one again. I have been to cities along the Mediterranean on land trips and will continue to do so unless somebody pays for my transatlantic crossing on the QE2. I cannot get myself to trying it out with hard-earned money.

 

notamermaid

As for the Black Forest - yes, I'll admit it was a romantic notion, but one I wanted to do, and so I seized the day and did it. I enjoyed it - the walk in the woods felt all Black Foresty :D

As for ocean cruising, I don't know about other smaller ship lines, but Viking does not allow anyone under 18, so no children "calling out for mummy" at all. And they do not have slot machines. All of this I am looking forward to enjoying - uncrowded bliss compared to the mainstream lines. I have a friend who swears by Seadream Yacht Club and this also intrigues me, but they have no balconies, and my husband wanted the ship with all the balconies. He got no argument from me!

I would love to do a TA on one of the Cunard Queens - but I'd have to find someone else to go with. My husband is not found of getting dressed up - another thing he likes about Viking.

 

As for ocean cruising, I don't know about other smaller ship lines, but Viking does not allow anyone under 18, so no children "calling out for mummy" at all..

"The minimum age requirement for Viking River Cruises is 12 years old. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult who is over the age of 21. The company states that it reserves the right to limit the number of passengers who are younger than 18 years old."

I would love to do a TA on one of the Cunard Queens - but I'd have to find someone else to go with. My husband is not found of getting dressed up - another thing he likes about Viking.

Try Oceania on either Marina or Riviera - far better food in 4 specialties (included) and no dress up needed ever :)

Beats Cunard hands down in all respects.

Try Oceania on either Marina or Riviera - far better food in 4 specialties (included) and no dress up needed ever :)

Totally agree~

I'm on a Tauck cruise right now and I don't like the food at all. I could get better at a cafeteria.

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I'm on a Tauck cruise right now and I don't like the food at all. I could get better at a cafeteria.

 

 

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Is that all the meals , even dinner ? Hopefully all will get better.

Please keep reporting.

I followed your world cruise blog and so enjoyed your journey. Is your mascot with you ? 😀

Is that all the meals , even dinner ? Hopefully all will get better.

 

Please keep reporting.

 

I followed your world cruise blog and so enjoyed your journey. Is your mascot with you ? [emoji3]

Yes! My buddy Snort is with me!

I'm blogging still although I'm a few days behind. Just finished a 20-day North Cape Explorer on HAL's Prinsendam, visiting Norway, Svalbard, Polar Ice Cap, Iceland, Edinburgh and Amsterdam.

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I'm by no means a picky eater. I am easily happified by McDonalds as I am a Michelin Star restaurant. But I find the meals so far on Tauck to be just mediocre. Had French cuisine in their bistro the other night and it was like eating a glorified pot pie.

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The bistro was sub par on our tauck cruise. French or Italian food on a river cruise in Germany would not be my go to meal. People complained so we did not even try it. But the main restaurant was superb. Chef was great. Very versatile

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I'm on a Tauck cruise right now and I don't like the food at all. I could get better at a cafeteria.

 

 

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Which ship and itinerary are you on?

I'm on Esprit. Budapest to Amsterdam. While I may be unhappy with the food, the staff is very friendly and helpful and work very hard.

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I'm on Esprit. Budapest to Amsterdam. While I may be unhappy with the food, the staff is very friendly and helpful and work very hard.

 

 

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I was on same ship. Same itinerary. Everyone raved about food in dining room

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Perhaps there's a different chef onboard now? Otherwise, the two opinions are rather far ranging! I will be on this same cruise soon...

I'm on a Tauck Cruise in France next week. We'll be on the Emerald. I'm hoping for the same standard of food we had on our Budapest to Amsterdam cruise on the MS Treasures a few years ago. That was wonderful.

Terri

Reporting in again on the food. I find the made to order food to be better than the buffet selection, certainly. But I'm still saying overall it's just mediocre.

The buffet scrambled eggs are soupy and lukewarm. The bacon is chewy and greasy. If you order special the quality goes up.

My dinner last night was from the "everyday" menu. I had salmon and a baked potato. The salmon was slightly dry with no accompanying sauce. The baked potato was small and tasted like it had been microwaved instead of baked.

So I consider this mediocre.

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Reporting in again on the food. I find the made to order food to be better than the buffet selection, certainly. But I'm still saying overall it's just mediocre.

 

The buffet scrambled eggs are soupy and lukewarm. The bacon is chewy and greasy. If you order special the quality goes up.

 

My dinner last night was from the "everyday" menu. I had salmon and a baked potato. The salmon was slightly dry with no accompanying sauce. The baked potato was small and tasted like it had been microwaved instead of baked.

 

So I consider this mediocre.

 

 

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Has to be a different chef. Our salmon was perfectly cooked. Bacon crispy.

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Our chef is a little bald guy with glasses and tattoos on his neck.

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Our food was very good, also. The bistro in the back is just OK, but they were more than happy to make a salad with ingredients I wanted in it vs what was on the menu. Most seemed to want the burger, which is huge. A place for a quick meal only.

I tend to eat very healthy and was able to find many items prepared to my liking and majority of dinners were excellent. I typically forgo the bread and desserts unless it is something very special. We were very satisfied with the food and wines.

Tauck is very responsive, therefore, you should definitely let them know if you are not happy.

Our chef is a little bald guy with glasses and tattoos on his neck.

 

 

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Not the same chef.

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Not the same chef.

 

 

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Bad news! At least I don't eat bacon or eggs...