seabreezer

Now that I am home I want to add that the disembarkation process was simple and the airport transport very organized. Every detail was so well managed by Tauck and the staff whether Scylla or Tauck was so professional and friendly. You can really tell that everyone enjoys their job. I will definitely be recommending Tauck to friends.

Nearing the end of this lovely cruise and I must say, despite a very few service and food related minor issues the overall comparison to my Uniworld experience is very favorable with Tauck really coming out on top. The value has been excellent considering all the extras with Tauck...more variety and frequency of on board entertainment, much better on board enrichment (lectures, glass-blowing) extra on shore dining, wine, beer experiences on shore, special little treats everyday, outstanding guides in every city and better organization of tours. The very slight edge that Uniworld River Queen has with food is off-set by the outstanding service aboard Tauck Esprit. The lounge and restaurant space on board Esprit is also far superior to River Queen.

We had another great day of touring. Tauck really does excell in tour organization, communication and the quality of guides. They seem to arrange for more museum access than what I remember on Uniworld but it’s not exactly a fair comparison because many towns were much smaller on the Rhine and Moselle.

There is less space on the lower deck, so it can be crowded.

 

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True...could be crowded in nice weather. That’s not the case this time of year.

Yes the Esprit does have the forward upper deck but it had no lounging chairs, the radar equipment blocks a lot of the forward view and it got very crowded up there!

 

I will say I enjoyed being up there when we'd go under low bridges because it was fun to watch the wheelhouse disappear down and us all having to duck our heads.

 

 

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So then the locks really are a non-issue. Just wear earplugs when you sleep and you are free to be on the lower sundeck anytime.

Another point of difference is that there are more lectures on board in addition to the port talks on Tauck vs Uniworld. We’ve a couple already. And as I write this I also recall that we had a cooking demo on Uniworld but we haven’t had one on this Tauck cruise yet...we have a full day of cruising ahead so perhaps there may still be one in my future.

The Esprit also has a split deck and the forward area in front of the wheelhouse is not closed when going through the locks. Not sure why that was an issue for scluvsrain...

Well, I can now report that we made it through without any problem or delay today!

The excursions have all been comparable with the exception of the dinner and performance in a palace in Vienna with Tauck. There was nothing like that on my Uniworld cruise. There also seems to be more opportunities to take guided brisk/fitness type walks with Tauck. The groups are also a little smaller with Tauck.

The food situation has improved somewhat from the first couple of days but the variety and quality of preparation is not on par with Uniworld. The dishes do seem to be regional as on Uniworld and most of the wines are regional as well but they aren’t that great. Sevice is excellent! The 3 tour directors are outstanding and all else seems to be similar to Uniworld.

Heading towards Passau soon....any word on water levels?

Why could you not use the sun deck?

I am currently on Esprit Budapest to Amsterdam and cannot help but notice some significant differences between the 2 lines. My cruise on Uniworld was 2 years ago on the Rhine and Moselle. WiFi is so slow and iffy so I will keep it short and update along the way.

Decor: Tauck is fairly basic with a quiet color scheme. Furnishings are comfortable. The lounge is roomy enough for everyone to have a seat. On Uniworld the decor was much more colorful, interesting but seating in the lounge was not so comfortable nor was there enough for everyone during a port talk. Many people had to stand and the space felt more crowded.

Water: Tauck provides bottles of water daily in cabin and on excursions. Uniworld provided a metal refillable canteen type bottle to use throughout the cruise and to take home as a souvenir. It had a loop on top so was easier to carry and less wasteful.

Food: More to follow after a few more meals but so far Uniworld blows away Tauck cuisine, preparation and service.

....Cannot speak about Viking as I don't/won't cruise with them.

Don’t or won’t?

Sounds like this wasn’t the right cruise for you as you stated earlier.

Interesting thread. If you had been to Paris before why didn’t you just skip the bus tour and do your own thing? The itinerary is sent to pax in advance so there shouldn’t be too many surprises. As for Nice, The Matisse museum is not in the central area of the town but is easily accessible by city bus or taxi - the ship’s shuttle unfortunately is not a taxi. On all my cruises I‘ve never been given a list of restaurants unless I ask for recommendations from the concierge. Other than the quality of food it seems many of your issues could have been avoided or mitigated. After encountering the first heavy sauce it is so easy to request sauce on the side or none or ask if there’s an alternative. I’m no fan of Tilapia either but isn’t salmon always available? Salt cod croquette’s are a very traditional dish in Europe....I would have been so happy but it is understandable if it’s not your favorite. Other than the matter of your personal taste was the food generally not well prepared? If so I would be concerned about the direction Tauck is headed in light of the other recent comments on this thread.

Well, I can't do without my shoes and clothes, so I am willing to pay and put up with any inconvenience. That's just me. I dress for myself and for me it's part of my holiday! Holidays are to make you feel good and I feel good when I like what I'm wearing - even if some may feel I'm either over or under dressed. [emoji6]

 

 

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Which cruiseline are you booked with? I noticed my upcoming Tauck cruise specifies 1 checked bag weighing no more than 50 lbs. per person, plus any carry-ons. That's about twice the amount I would usually pack for a month of travel and believe me, I dress well enough on vacation.

Ahh! I stand corrected. I was looking at the BMW North American site. Sorry for any confusion. BTW, have you been able to determine how long the tour is?

I believe the factory has suspended tours until 2018.

Naot also makes good walking shoes and sandals that can accommodate orthotics of needed.

Some cash will come in handy, especially small notes and coins for the odd small place that does not accept credit cards. For a non-touristy shop or a boulangerie (bakers' shop) perhaps. A tip: get an uneven sum, not 100 euros, or see if you can stagger the notes manually. Normal distribution when you want 100 euros is 50/20/20/10 but you might want more small notes. Not sure how far 100 euros would get you, Paris is expensive. For a whole week you could need more even with all expenses paid. ATM's are readily available in all town centres but further out of town and in small villages you might not find one.

 

Rick Steves has got a page on ATM's, perhaps this is helpful: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-machine-atm-tips

 

This is what the search engine came up with when I looked for an ATM in Rouen: http://www.visa.com/atmlocator/index.jsp#(page:results,params:(query:%27Rouen,%20Seine-Maritime,%20Normandie%27))

 

notamermaid

The Rick Steve's article is excellent!

Yes. I know for a fact that we had zero balance and no OBC on that cruise so we did not pay for any excursions. Perhaps there was a difference in itinerary but there was a bus ride involved to get to town.

ATM's are probably the cheapest way to go especially with a debit card with a bank that reimburses any ATM fees. Charles Schwab has a debit card without any fees. You can also use credit cards very easily almost everywhere but be aware of transaction fees.

Everything listed in their cruise companion is included. There are few with an extra fee, but you won't even know what those are, until you're on board. I wouldn't say they're becoming less inclusive, as there was always at least one included option each morning and afternoon.

 

Robin

 

 

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I was referring to the fact that now Heidelburg has a fee when clearly 2 years ago it did not. What's up with that?

I would do Russia only because it's so easy to see France by car on your own.