Just back from Tauck French Escapade

[btoohill]

We have taken two other Tauck trips: Machu Picchu/Galapagos and China and they were both superb. We got the brochure on the French Escapade and it looked interesting so we signed up for the Northern journey: Monaco to Paris 14 days. The trip started in Monte Carlo and ended with several days in Paris. There were 9 nights/days of cruising on the Rhone/Saone rivers. We were lucky to have incredible weather which made the afternoons we were cruising the river divine. Tauck's all inclusive policy is really a plus for us. From the moment we landed at the Nice airport and were met by Tauck through our drop-off at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, all luggage handling, tipping, tours, most meals, and complimentary wine and beer with provided meals were taken care of by Tauck. Their riverboats are really special, they have a partnership with Scylla who operates the boats and service on the boats. My husband and I consider ourselves "foodies" as in we enjoy good food and Tauck/Scylla provided that on the boat and in the various provided meals along the route. There were also numerous wine and food tastings provided along the route at a family ranch in the Camargue, several chateaux in the Cote du Rhone district, and in Lyon. The tours were thoughtfully planned and the local guides were excellent. We were a group of about 98 on the boat, so there were 3 Tauck guides and a cruise director to guide and help us. They were also excellent. If you're looking for a relaxing holiday combining river cruising and sightseeing in France, this trip is an excellent choice.

[vlinbin]

We also returned recently from Tauck's French Escapade but we started in Paris and ended in Monaco. Essentially we would endorse what the previous poster has said as the ship was lovely, the food good, and the itinerary excellent. All transfers were nicely handled.

 

We had one of the fourteen suites so there was plenty of room to relax and store everything. There were about 100 passengers on our cruise and Tauck helpfully distributes the names and hometowns of all passengers making it much easier to remember the names of those you have met in the restaurant or on the tours.

 

Both breakfast and lunch in the main restaurant are served buffet style. Not being a fan of buffets even when they are ample as was the case on this cruise, we ate many lunches on the Lido deck which was smaller, less congested, and with a nice view. There one could get a soup, salad, sandwich makings, and a daily stirfry. It was more than adequate. The food at dinner was served and ranged from good to excellent. The only drawback was that many offerings were not specific to the area in which we were traveling, though the wines offered were local. On the information sheet, I had indicated a few allergies. The restaurant manager was very careful to see that I was offered substitutions when those items were on the menu. Tables seated either four or six so most evenings (and breakfasts) one had eating companions.

 

We stayed at the Westin in Paris where most of the Tauck guests found the rooms to be quite small and lacking in storage. Based on the 2012 brochure, it appears that Tauck will not be using the Westin again despite its good location. We stayed at the Fairmont in Monte Carlo and that was a far better hotel, also in a good location.

 

This was our first river cruise and we did not really know what to expect as few had posted about Tauck on either their board or on Cruise Critic. The reorganization of the riverboat board into specific companies should help the readers find specific information more readily.

[shoshona2]

Thank you both for a nice report on Tauck's new French Escapade. They were the first I had read. We have taken over 17 tours with Tauck -- some on their small boats or yachts and have enjoyed them all. We took Tauck's Rhine/Moselle river cruise two summers ago and this past September took AMA's new ship the Katarina on the Volga in Russia. We NEVER had any response back from AMA about our critique cards or complaints and just booked Tauck's Bucharest to Budapest riverboat trip for 2012. We always hear back from Tauck whether we liked our tour or had any problem.

 

Tauck does a great job and leaving the ship with a bill of only 7 Euros was wonderful. When they say that everything is inclusive except the airfare, they mean it.

 

Sheila