Tauck cruises?

[ppiew]

Anyone ever taken one? Trying to find a top notch river cruise or a luxury one for an elderly couple. Any suggestions?

[grand isle joe]

WE took a Tauck Bridges Tour on the Danube. Although the Bridges tours are geared for family travel they use the same ship, crew and guides as regular cruises. The ship and crew are top notch so I assume the service will be the same high standard. Beautiful ship and is very comfortable for it holds 116 passengers(I Think) which is smaller and more intimate than other popular lines. Tauck included all tips and transfers which a number competitors do not. Tauck is a top notch company and we are traveling with them again to Italy in a few months. Any other questions I would be happy to help.:)

[Barrheadlass]

We have an Aussie on this forum who LOVES Tauck and I'm sure he'll come on and fill you in. They have an excellent reputation.

[Ozjohnno]

We have an Aussie on this forum who LOVES Tauck and I'm sure he'll come on and fill you in. They have an excellent reputation.

 

Yes - that would be me. We like them so much that we saved for just under 4 years so that we could take back to back tours/cruise with Tauck for our 40th Wedding anniversary holiday starting in August. I realise that we all have our favourite cruise lines for many and varied reasons but to me I don't believe there is better value for money than by sailing with Tauck. Up front, depending on where you live, Tauck looks to be more expensive but that is misleading. Once you pay for your cruise you never need to put your hand in your pocket again. Others also claim to be all-inclusive but Tauck truly is.

 

I won't rave on about this fine company any more here but if you have any questions or concerns please drop me an email at rodmky@optusnet.com.au. I'll be happy to answer any questions.

 

Rod

[Sylve1]

Also depends if you want everything included but they certainly have a fantastic reputation.

[Tauck Emily]

Anyone ever taken one? Trying to find a top notch river cruise or a luxury one for an elderly couple. Any suggestions?

 

Hi ppiew,

 

I work for Tauck and welcome any questions you may have. Please feel to reach out to me here or via email tauckemily@tauck.com.

 

Best,

Emily

[need2travel1]

Hi,

While we have never taken a Tauck River cruise we have taken 8 Tauck land tours & I can vouch for how fabulous a company they are. We love Tauck & tried to book one of their river cruises for this upcoming August, the category we wanted was booked solid so we are going with another company for our cruise but if all goes well we may get to try that Tauck cruise next year, fingers crossed.

 

We booked with Uniworld, they are supposed to be top notch as well so we are really looking forward to out cruise!

[Ozjohnno]

Also depends if you want everything included but they certainly have a fantastic reputation.

 

I've always been one of the "why wouldn't you want everything included" group. I realise there are many who prefer to "pay as you go" but I'm not one of them.

[ppiew]

i have come to the conclusion that vacations are far more relaxing when all/most is/are included and paid for before embarking! Hence we love Silversea, Regent, Seabourn and now possibly Tauck. A lot less hassle and it is nice to know in advance what the cost will be. Also notice the crews don't have their hand out and you don't have to sign everytime you want a drink or cup of coffee! I LIKE that!

[grand isle joe]

i have come to the conclusion that vacations are far more relaxing when all/most is/are included and paid for before embarking! Hence we love Silversea, Regent, Seabourn and now possibly Tauck. A lot less hassle and it is nice to know in advance what the cost will be. Also notice the crews don't have their hand out and you don't have to sign everytime you want a drink or cup of coffee! I LIKE that!

 

Tauck is on par with Silversea, etc.. And can attest that the only time you reach into your pocket is to find your cabin key at the end of the day. The crew could not do enough for you as a guest. One "perk" that Tauck has included the last couple years is a free pre-night hotel room for returning guests.

[BlewWater]

My wife and I took our first river cruise last year. We chose Tauck because we had already taken a couple of their land-based tours, and have been very impressed with their quality. Before choosing Tauck, I read many Cruise Critic posts about various river cruise companies, and have been reading them since we returned. I am convinced that we made the right choice. Our river cruise was wonderful, and typical Tauck excellence. If you are looking for top-notch, then Tauck should be very high (if not the top) on your list.

 

I am still working on our review of our cruise, but you can see most of it here:

 

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

 

Hopefully it will be helpful to others who are conidering river cruising with Tauck. They have made a fan out of us!

[hoopman]

Has anyone taken that cruise? We are going in July northbound Monte Carlo ending in Paris.

 

Thanks.

[Ozjohnno]

Has anyone taken that cruise? We are going in July northbound Monte Carlo ending in Paris.

 

Thanks.

 

We're booked on the Southbound trip starting in Paris 25th August. After all the research then booking the cruise the waiting becomes the hard part - doesn't it?

[hoopman]

We're booked on the Southbound trip starting in Paris 25th August. After all the research then booking the cruise the waiting becomes the hard part - doesn't it?

 

The waiting is the hardest part. Have you booked flights yet? Airfare from San Diego is horrendous.

[Ozjohnno]

The waiting is the hardest part. Have you booked flights yet? Airfare from San Diego is horrendous.

 

Yes we have. Our TA found us a great deal in early December. As we're doing a Tauck tour through England, Scotland and Wales prior to the cruise we needed a multi-city itinerary and our wonderful TA came up with a great deal through Air France, KLM and Etihad to get us there and back from Australia.

Edited January 22, 2014 by Ozjohnno

[SaguaroGal]

The waiting is the hardest part. Have you booked flights yet? Airfare from San Diego is horrendous.

 

We are doing the London-Paris via the Seine in May this year. Tauck got us the best airfares by far. Our TA and I both looked extensively and had to go with the great fares (business class and only one stop) Tauck offered.:)

[agreene]

I have taken one land tour with Tauck to Australia and they were fantastic. The accomodations were first class and the tours and guide were top notch. I am booked on a "Tulip Time" cruise this April with Tauck on the new MS Inspire. I have taken AMA once and I highly recommend them as well.

[AZPam]

Tauck would be my dream river cruise. However, I am afraid I will either have to win the lottery or rob a bank before that happens. :o Until then, I will continue to dream . . . .

[Talisker92]

Has anyone taken that cruise? We are going in July northbound Monte Carlo ending in Paris.

 

Thanks.

Unfortunately, we did not take this cruise with Tauck, but with Vantage on a ship about the size of the Tauck ship. We enjoyed it thoroughly, and I am sure the Tauck experience will be even better for you.

The story and pictures are on our website under 2012 French Waterways. We are always happy to answer any questions.

[cruiserfromalabama]

My wife and I took our first river cruise last year. We chose Tauck because we had already taken a couple of their land-based tours, and have been very impressed with their quality. Before choosing Tauck, I read many Cruise Critic posts about various river cruise companies, and have been reading them since we returned. I am convinced that we made the right choice. Our river cruise was wonderful, and typical Tauck excellence. If you are looking for top-notch, then Tauck should be very high (if not the top) on your list.

 

I am still working on our review of our cruise, but you can see most of it here:

 

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

 

Hopefully it will be helpful to others who are conidering river cruising with Tauck. They have made a fan out of us!

I have a question about luggage with Tauck. We travel usually with one checked bag and one wheeled carryon bag for each of us. Would Tauck handle that or would we take it from our hotel room ourselves? We have two days in Paris on our tour and then board the train for Lyon and I am curious if we would be taking our wheeled carryon with us on the train? By the way-I absolutely loved your trip review! One of the best I have ever seen and so well written with a huge attention to detail!

[BlewWater]

I have a question about luggage with Tauck. We travel usually with one checked bag and one wheeled carryon bag for each of us. Would Tauck handle that or would we take it from our hotel room ourselves? We have two days in Paris on our tour and then board the train for Lyon and I am curious if we would be taking our wheeled carryon with us on the train? By the way-I absolutely loved your trip review! One of the best I have ever seen and so well written with a huge attention to detail!

 

Tauck will take care of getting your checked bags from inside your Paris hotel room to the train, and from the train to your riverboat room.

 

As far as your wheeled carry-on, that depends on you. If you would like it transfered by Tauck, you simply ask your director for another luggage tag (it's important that they maintain an exact checked bag count for each guest) and put it on your carry-on. Then it will be transferred along with your other checked bag. I have found that Tauck is very accomodating when it comes to additional checked bags.

 

If you prefer, you can take it on the train yourself as a normal carry-on. It has been a while since I was on the TGV train and I can't recall the space for carry-ons, but I imagine that space for larger carry-ons (like many that have wheels) might be limited as it is on many trains, so taking it yourself might not be the best option.

[cruiserfromalabama]

Tauck will take care of getting your checked bags from inside your Paris hotel room to the train, and from the train to your riverboat room.

 

As far as your wheeled carry-on, that depends on you. If you would like it transfered by Tauck, you simply ask your director for another luggage tag (it's important that they maintain an exact checked bag count for each guest) and put it on your carry-on. Then it will be transferred along with your other checked bag. I have found that Tauck is very accomodating when it comes to additional checked bags.

 

If you prefer, you can take it on the train yourself as a normal carry-on. It has been a while since I was on the TGV train and I can't recall the space for carry-ons, but I imagine that space for larger carry-ons (like many that have wheels) might be limited as it is on many trains, so taking it yourself might not be the best option.

That sounds great! Thank you for your reply and I would like to say again that I really enjoyed your trip review! Hope you do more reviews with your future travels-I would love to read them!

[jojocmcla]

Wonderful review, BlewWater. Thanks. My husband and I cruised Tauck in 2009, beginning in Brussels and ending in Amsterdam. We thoroughly enjoyed it. This spring we are cruising with AmaWaterways, beginning 2 days pre-cruise in Prague and ending in Budapest. We're really looking forward to it.

[sugar333]

Hi ppiew,

 

I work for Tauck and welcome any questions you may have. Please feel to reach out to me here or via email tauckemily@tauck.com.

 

Best,

Emily

 

Can you request two bottles of liquor for your cabin(like Crystal and Regent)?

[btoohill]

Has anyone taken that cruise? We are going in July northbound Monte Carlo ending in Paris.

 

Thanks.

 

We took this trip and loved it. We have taken a number of Tauck trips but this was our first river cruise with them. We loved sitting on the sundeck watching the French riverside scenery go by. The excursions were informative and interesting. The food was excellent. There were a number of special surprise treats provided along the way that added to the enjoyment. There are a number of low bridges that you have to pass under which added to the excitement. We really enjoy the Tauck experience. Feel free to ask me any specific questions.