Jump to content

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


bitob
 Share

Recommended Posts

Thanks to the OP for this very balanced review. I've always wanted to try a river cruise, but as nice as it sounds, I don't think this is for us either. Maybe later on when we are older, but not now. [emoji2]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most. Some were very short rides. Or you got a bus tour of sites before arriving at the destination for the tour

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

That's a little disappointing. I was looking forward to walking tours right from the ship. I guess the Danube is not known for that?

 

Anyway, it is a long cruise and we will definitely plan at least several days on our own. Being herded around does become a little tiring and sometimes redundant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a little disappointing. I was looking forward to walking tours right from the ship. I guess the Danube is not known for that?

 

 

 

Anyway, it is a long cruise and we will definitely plan at least several days on our own. Being herded around does become a little tiring and sometimes redundant.

 

 

 

There were a few bus ports where you could opt for a power walk into the town. Only for the fittest of travelers

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did the Paris to Prague City of Lights cruise with another couple on Viking a few years ago. It was their trip and we just went along with their plans. None of us had ever been to Europe before. Had a great time, loved the food, the scenery, the ship, and the company. We saw castles, museums, vineyards, cobblestone streets, and cathedrals. Won't do another one in Europe but would consider China. Prefer ocean cruising for the value and flexibility and entertainment. Glad we did it though. Be forewarned, if you do Viking, you will br inundated with brochures for the rest of your life. I resent their pricing "two for one" as that is their regular price. Just a marketing ploy.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This year is my second Viking cruise, both in Europe. I wonder if I would enjoy an ocean cruise with all the crowds, crowds, crowds. I'm trying to convince my husband to do the Viking Ocean cruise to Australia and New Zealand in 2018 or 2019.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This year is my second Viking cruise, both in Europe. I wonder if I would enjoy an ocean cruise with all the crowds, crowds, crowds. I'm trying to convince my husband to do the Viking Ocean cruise to Australia and New Zealand in 2018 or 2019.

 

I share the same thoughts; 2 cruises, one with Vantage, one Viking, both river.

The Viking Ocean boats look great, and 900+ people is still a lot better than 4000+. Plus I get motion sick.

 

But if I do go on an Ocean cruise, I think it would be Viking's that goes through the Adriatic, along Croatia and to Greece.

 

Thanks to the OP for a great review and viewpoint. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reminds me of what the guide said to us on the Discover Scuba excursion: What some people discover is that they don't like scuba!

 

Loved this! So very true! River cruising is definitely not for everyone.

 

Although we've found we love it, we also do it our own way: We always book one of the largest suites, take only the group tours we want to (and never feel guilty about skipping an afternoon once in awhile), and we always spend several days on land on each end of our cruise in locations we're interested in visiting in a more in-depth way. Even as much as we have enjoyed our river cruises, I'm not sure I could do it for more than a week. (And my BIL/SIL who came with us on the first cruise will probably never choose to do another again. Just not the way they want to spend their vacations.)

 

P.S. I'm one of probably the few here who have never been on an ocean cruise, and I find nothing attractive about the entire concept. Different strokes for different folks! At least the OP now knows it's not for them, although it was probably a pricey lesson.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I share the same thoughts; 2 cruises, one with Vantage, one Viking, both river.

The Viking Ocean boats look great, and 900+ people is still a lot better than 4000+. Plus I get motion sick.

 

But if I do go on an Ocean cruise, I think it would be Viking's that goes through the Adriatic, along Croatia and to Greece.

 

Thanks to the OP for a great review and viewpoint. :)

 

What's better, Vantage or Viking?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did the Paris to Prague City of Lights cruise with another couple on Viking a few years ago. It was their trip and we just went along with their plans. None of us had ever been to Europe before. Had a great time, loved the food, the scenery, the ship, and the company. We saw castles, museums, vineyards, cobblestone streets, and cathedrals. Won't do another one in Europe but would consider China. Prefer ocean cruising for the value and flexibility and entertainment. Glad we did it though. Be forewarned, if you do Viking, you will br inundated with brochures for the rest of your life. I resent their pricing "two for one" as that is their regular price. Just a marketing ploy.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

I think for first timers to Europe a river cruise might be a good introduction to travel abroad. Saves you the learning curve of planning in far away places.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think for first timers to Europe a river cruise might be a good introduction to travel abroad. Saves you the learning curve of planning in far away places.

 

Very true. You can have a trip to Europe with absolutely zero planning and you can be taken care of from start to finish. Very comforting if that is what you want, and a great way to get your feet wet.

 

We are very comfortable with DIY, but we also love river cruises. We actually book a river cruise when we want to relax and let someone else do the work, as our DIY Europe trips are certifiably insane! It has taken me about two months to recover from our last "vacation" in Europe... For us, river cruises are relaxing and slow paced. To each his own.

 

Bitob, sounds like the cruise was great in many aspects but sorry it wasn't as great as you might have hoped. Thanks for posting. I have to admit when I saw the title, I wondered where you'd go with the thread...but I thought your review and rationale were very balanced. You did give Tauck credit for everything that you liked and you pointed out why it wasn't the kind of trip that you personally liked. You didn't say anything bad about Tauck, or about those who like river cruising, just that it isn't for you. Totally fair.

 

What's the next trip that you have planned? Some cool DIY trip I hope?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were a few bus ports where you could opt for a power walk into the town. Only for the fittest of travelers

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I have a different perspective. We stopped at each of the cities on this itinerary on various cruises and found most of the docking locations to be accessible to the city center on foot or in combination with public transit. We found most cities on the other major river itineraries to be similarly accessible.

 

To be accurate, buses were used in Amsterdam, Vienna, and Budapest for portions of the city tours. However it was no problem to get to/from the ship city center on our own in these and most other cities.

 

The notable exception was Nuremberg, where our cruise line had scheduled shuttles back to the port from the city center. We did bus to the Rezidence in Wurzberg, but walked from the ship to other places. I can't remember with certainty, but Bamburg may have required a shuttle from the ship to the city center.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a different perspective. We stopped at each of the cities on this itinerary on various cruises and found most of the docking locations to be accessible to the city center on foot or in combination with public transit. We found most cities on the other major river itineraries to be similarly accessible.

 

To be accurate, buses were used in Amsterdam, Vienna, and Budapest for portions of the city tours. However it was no problem to get to/from the ship city center on our own in these and most other cities.

 

The notable exception was Nuremberg, where our cruise line had scheduled shuttles back to the port from the city center. We did bus to the Rezidence in Wurzberg, but walked from the ship to other places. I can't remember with certainty, but Bamburg may have required a shuttle from the ship to the city center.

 

Thank you for the clarification! That sounds much better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very true. You can have a trip to Europe with absolutely zero planning and you can be taken care of from start to finish. Very comforting if that is what you want, and a great way to get your feet wet.

 

We are very comfortable with DIY, but we also love river cruises. We actually book a river cruise when we want to relax and let someone else do the work, as our DIY Europe trips are certifiably insane! It has taken me about two months to recover from our last "vacation" in Europe... For us, river cruises are relaxing and slow paced. To each his own.

 

Bitob, sounds like the cruise was great in many aspects but sorry it wasn't as great as you might have hoped. Thanks for posting. I have to admit when I saw the title, I wondered where you'd go with the thread...but I thought your review and rationale were very balanced. You did give Tauck credit for everything that you liked and you pointed out why it wasn't the kind of trip that you personally liked. You didn't say anything bad about Tauck, or about those who like river cruising, just that it isn't for you. Totally fair.

 

What's the next trip that you have planned? Some cool DIY trip I hope?

 

 

 

We and 3 other couples are taking cruise from Tokyo to Shanghai. We have private guides pre cruise for 4 days and all during the cruise. When we get to Shanghai we have private tour of china for 12 days with one of the couples.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course. The itinerary we planned is similar to Viking china without Viking and 100 other people. We are in more deluxe hotels and on a more luxurious ship with a private guide for not much more than we'd have to pay Viking

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course. The itinerary we planned is similar to Viking china without Viking and 100 other people. We are in more deluxe hotels and on a more luxurious ship with a private guide for not much more than we'd have to pay Viking

 

... out of curiosity, which hotels and ship are you using?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waldorf Astoria on the bund Shanghai

Grand Hyatt Beijing

Sofitel xian

All in upgraded suites

 

Location is important to us

 

We tried to book the boat used by tauck and Abercrombie and Kent but our schedule did not coincide with the sailings. We booked second choice century paragon. We have luxury suites. Uniworld uses this boat but uses the standard suites

 

We have friends who did Viking china. They said boat was inferior. Actually they felt the trip was mediocre.

As I posted we don't do organized tours s Viking was never in the equation. We put together a luxury trip for 4 with itinerary tailored to our interests. We always do our homework to get what we want. Lolol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited by bitob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having over 1600 posts you should have known what to expect on a river cruise. With all your planning you should have known better. Its funny when people with more then 10 posts say they are suprised with the difference in ocean and river cruises. Its almost as interesting as people who are suprised the Elbe often has low water levels.

Reviews are great to learn about ships and cities. Its when people post very subjective observations that we lose the ability to assist others plan trips. Thats why we read many posts before we make our valuable travel plans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having over 1600 posts you should have known what to expect on a river cruise. With all your planning you should have known better. Its funny when people with more then 10 posts say they are suprised with the difference in ocean and river cruises. Its almost as interesting as people who are suprised the Elbe often has low water levels.

 

Reviews are great to learn about ships and cities. Its when people post very subjective observations that we lose the ability to assist others plan trips. Thats why we read many posts before we make our valuable travel plans.

 

 

 

Of course we knew what to expect. We thought we would give it a try anyway. We weren't surprised. We simply decided that the minuses outweighed the pluses for us.

 

We have been to more than 100 countries on land and sea. Few places left. We thought we might find an option for a different way to travel going forward

 

Why would you assume we did not know what to expect when you do not know us?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the clarification! That sounds much better.

 

If you can't find info in other threads about the ports you will visit, it might pay to start another, more specific, thread. The docking location for some cities can vary by line. In some cases, Viking and Paris come to mind, the dock is actually out-of-town.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though people do a lot of research, you never know what it's really like until you are there. I think you have to experience something to really know if it's the right fit for you. It's a shame that the OP was admonished for not doing enough research, when clearly they enjoyed the trip but just decided that river cruising isn't their thing.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though people do a lot of research, you never know what it's really like until you are there. I think you have to experience something to really know if it's the right fit for you. It's a shame that the OP was admonished for not doing enough research, when clearly they enjoyed the trip but just decided that river cruising isn't their thing.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Agreed.

I know bitob from the Oceania forum and also personally as we have traveled together.

bitob is compulsive about research for all trips and always plans excellent private tours on ocean cruises.

It is true that reading here on CC one learns a lot but one also has to rely on opinions of people that we do not know. If someone says the food was excellent, for example, it's meaningless for me as I don't know what that person likes vs what I like. Likewise, some people love Oceania and others have posted "never again". Whom do you trust since you do not know these people.

Therefore, one needs to experience things for themselves to see if this is something they like or not. This is true for most things in life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you can't find info in other threads about the ports you will visit, it might pay to start another, more specific, thread. The docking location for some cities can vary by line. In some cases, Viking and Paris come to mind, the dock is actually out-of-town.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I will start a new post just to find out which ports are definitely a long bus ride. It's a 2 week cruise so those bus days might be days to do something on our own to reduce that sheeple feeling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed.

I know bitob from the Oceania forum and also personally as we have traveled together.

bitob is compulsive about research for all trips and always plans excellent private tours on ocean cruises.

It is true that reading here on CC one learns a lot but one also has to rely on opinions of people that we do not know. If someone says the food was excellent, for example, it's meaningless for me as I don't know what that person likes vs what I like. Likewise, some people love Oceania and others have posted "never again". Whom do you trust since you do not know these people.

Therefore, one needs to experience things for themselves to see if this is something they like or not. This is true for most things in life.

 

 

 

Now Paul is someone who knows me!! Anal is a compliment. Best to Marsha

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...