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

[zitsky]

Today we had a Bavarian lunch. Sausages, sauerkraut, potatoes and peas. 3 kinds of mustard.

 

 

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Is that fish next to the sausages? Did they offer salads? Is lunch usually a buffet on Tauck?

[bitob]

There is always fish. Lunch is a buffet with many hot and cold offerings and plenty of salad options

 

 

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[scluvsrain]

Yes that is fish next to the sausages.

 

 

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[Floridiana]

Looks like a menu with several local dishes which I would expect on river cruises in Europe. The lettuce on your plate is more expensive than iceberg in my supermarket. They should have named it correctly to prevent surprises. But it all comes down to taste.

[scluvsrain]

Is that fish next to the sausages? Did they offer salads? Is lunch usually a buffet on Tauck?

 

 

 

Lunch is always a buffet.

 

 

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[Gourmet Gal]

Today we had a Bavarian lunch. Sausages, sauerkraut, potatoes and peas. 3 kinds of mustard.

 

 

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Looks so unappetizing!

[Host Jazzbeau]

This makes me re-evaluate my ranking of river cruise lines, which had put Tauck at the top. Since food is of prime importance to me Tauck now sinks down rather far. Since they have lost the 'top' position to Crystal anyway, they really need to up their game!

[SuiteTraveler]

Looks so unappetizing!

 

I agree - all the food looks...unappetizing. The presentation is quite bad and it's like the chef doesn't garnish the plates or buffet items at all. Those potatoes on the buffet don't look like they have any flavor at al - how hard is it to put butter on them and sprinkle with chopped parsley? And the sausages seem to be cooked to different degrees of doneness and the fish on the buffet is just sitting in a bunch of oil. Yuck! Also, the sea bass - the risotto? That doesn't look like risotto at all - just black rice and it's not relaxed on the plate and looks overly dry. Then there is the sea bass served skin side up and even the lemon sauce looks bland. Why is there no wedge or slice of lemon on this plate? Should there not be some paprika? Then the veggies on the plate don't seem to add any color and the garnish is just weird looking. The salad is inexplicable - it looks like they put 2 raisins and 2 1/8 tsp size pieces of cheese on it. LOL! The soup looks icky. So disappointing! It's like the chef doesn't care...

[Got2Cruise]

This makes me re-evaluate my ranking of river cruise lines, which had put Tauck at the top. Since food is of prime importance to me Tauck now sinks down rather far. Since they have lost the 'top' position to Crystal anyway, they really need to up their game!

 

 

 

I was thinking the same. Their food has to match the price point.

 

 

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[bubbulz]

Wow. If the food had looked like that on our first cruise I don't think we would have ever booked another.

 

The food on both of our cruises taken so far has been outstanding, both in terms of presentation, preparation, and variety.

[caviargal]

This makes me re-evaluate my ranking of river cruise lines, which had put Tauck at the top. Since food is of prime importance to me Tauck now sinks down rather far. Since they have lost the 'top' position to Crystal anyway, they really need to up their game!

 

Same here! Looks completely unappetizing.:(

[Gourmet Gal]

This makes me re-evaluate my ranking of river cruise lines, which had put Tauck at the top. Since food is of prime importance to me Tauck now sinks down rather far. Since they have lost the 'top' position to Crystal anyway, they really need to up their game!

 

Hopefully it's just this one ship and a problem with a possible new chef. Remember, the OP had glowing reviews of the entire ship operation, food, etc. and there appears to be a new chef.

 

Does anyone know if Tauck reads CC?

[Gourmet Gal]

Scluvsrain, is anyone complaining to management on board about the food?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Hopefully it's just this one ship and a problem with a possible new chef. Remember, the OP had glowing reviews of the entire ship operation, food, etc. and there appears to be a new chef.

 

Does anyone know if Tauck reads CC?

 

Another thing this series of posts is making me re-evaluate is the ownership vs leasing and especially the own staff vs using an agency to staff the ships. On Tauck the crew is supplied by the Swiss company Scylla Tours. Scylla owns the vessels, which are on long-term lease to Tauck. So this replacement cook wasn't hired by Tauck and apparently wasn't vetted very well by them or Scylla. That isn't something that I would expect to happen on a cruise line that owns and manages their own ships.

[scluvsrain]

I have almost gotten to the point where I don't think I want to go on another river cruise. The food runs from not good to very good but the problem with this is the lack of consistency. I've asked other passengers and I get a range of opinions. Some say it's pretty good overall. Others say it's inconsistent. Here is tonight's menu. Look at the parrot entree. I almost barfed.

 

I had the broth. It was hot and good. Then I had the Caesar salad. It was fresh but the dressing was watery and bland. My entree was the "daily" salmon. Unlike the other day when I had it, tonight's came with a nice sauce. I don't know what it was but it was good. It was something buttery. The baked potato it came with again tested like it was from the microwave.

 

Had a chocolate mousse tower for dessert. I inhaled it. Delicious.

 

So this is kind of what I mean about consistency.

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

Did they really serve "Grilled parrot fillet"? Did they remove the feathers before grilling? :evilsmile:

[vino100]

Now I'm getting worried about the food. :o I did a lot of research before we booked Tauck. Even from friends who raved about the food and they own an upscale catering company .

I wish now I had waited before booking for next year. Hopefully this is not the norm.

How is everything else on the cruise ?

[CPT Trips]

Parrot?!? Did anyone order that? Sounds like a bad translation, what was it really?

[vino100]

I have almost gotten to the point where I don't think I want to go on another river cruise. The food runs from not good to very good but the problem with this is the lack of consistency. I've asked other passengers and I get a range of opinions. Some say it's pretty good overall. Others say it's inconsistent. Here is tonight's menu. Look at the parrot entree. I almost barfed.

 

I had the broth. It was hot and good. Then I had the Caesar salad. It was fresh but the dressing was watery and bland. My entree was the "daily" salmon. Unlike the other day when I had it, tonight's came with a nice sauce. I don't know what it was but it was good. It was something buttery. The baked potato it came with again tested like it was from the microwave.

 

Had a chocolate mousse tower for dessert. I inhaled it. Delicious.

 

So this is kind of what I mean about consistency.

 

 

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There is nothing on the menu that sounds good. :( Well maybe the desserts.

[Roz]

I think it's a type of fish, but something got lost in the translation and/or spelling.

 

Roz

[Gourmet Gal]

There is a Parrot Fish but is not commonly eaten outside of tropical areas AFAIK. Perhaps it's a misspelling and is some other type of fish.

[Gourmet Gal]

The menus we've seen so far here do not seem very regional. Also disappointing. This just doesn't seem to fit with the many glowing reviews I've seen regarding Tauck.

[Gourmet Gal]

Another thing this series of posts is making me re-evaluate is the ownership vs leasing and especially the own staff vs using an agency to staff the ships. On Tauck the crew is supplied by the Swiss company Scylla Tours. Scylla owns the vessels, which are on long-term lease to Tauck. So this replacement cook wasn't hired by Tauck and apparently wasn't vetted very well by them or Scylla. That isn't something that I would expect to happen on a cruise line that owns and manages their own ships.

 

If the end product is excellent as has been the case with Tauck for many years then the leasing situation shouldn't be an issue. Has the ownership of Scylla recently changed and are they now cutting corners?

[TrulyBlonde]

Wow. If the food had looked like that on our first cruise I don't think we would have ever booked another.

 

The food on both of our cruises taken so far has been outstanding, both in terms of presentation, preparation, and variety.

 

All I can say is that it was so much better than the other river cruise line we took prior to Tauck. I am wondering if someone is out to try to sabotage Tauck with these reviews? None of this seems normal and the critic needs to voice her issues with management onboard.

I do not like river cruising, but they definitely are a huge step above what we experienced with another river cruise line. (not Viking BTW).

[Host Jazzbeau]

All I can say is that it was so much better than the other river cruise line we took prior to Tauck. I am wondering if someone is out to try to sabotage Tauck with these reviews? None of this seems normal and the critic needs to voice her issues with management onboard.

I do not like river cruising, but they definitely are a huge step above what we experienced with another river cruise line. (not Viking BTW).

 

I have never sailed on a Tauck ship, so I can't place the photos or menus by memory. Do they look authentic to you? If so, can't scluvsrain have different taste in food than yours?