Review of Tauck Amsterdam to Budapest 8/15-8/29

[newlondon]

We recently completed a superb cruise on Tauck's Swiss Saphire from Amsterdam to Budapest. I'm not computer literate enough to include my pictures even though we took over 500, so the verbal description will have to do. Let me start by saying some descriptive phrases about our previous travel experiences. DW and I for many years have traveled independently. We always stay top of the line such as Relaix and Chateaux or other luxury accommodations. When we ocean cruise it is either Silversea or RSSC. We have done a major trip every year for close to 20 years and hope to continue. We are in our late sixties and both have an Ivy league or equivalent education. Using this as a background you may apply this review to your own situation.

 

We arrived in Amsterdam 3 days in advance of embarkation to see the museums in the city as well as take a full day with a car and guide to see the flower auction and travel to The Hague. My particular desires were to see the Van Gogh museum and in The Hague, Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earing". After seeing it, I truly believe it is the most beautiful painting in the world. The Van Gogh museum is spectacular , but crowded.

 

We stayed at the Marriott, in our opinion a great location, but also a great price, $0, due to reward points.

 

We boarded the Saphire on Saturday at noon. Tauck headquarters had told us any time from 9a on was ok even though our cabin might not be ready. As it turned out we were able to move right in, unpack, and head to the main lounge for a light lunch before returning to the city for some fun musical events.

 

The cabin was one of Tauck's 300 sq. ft. suites. Although unimaginative in shape (a rectangle) it was well designed with a good size walk in closet and an even better designed marble bathroom with both a full bathtub for DW and a separate shower pour moi. This is definitely more expensive than the standard cabin an Tauck or the other mass market river boats but we felt it was well worth it for the 2 week length of the voyage. I don't know about climate control on other lines, but have read on this site that some are less than satisfactory, not the case here. The hvac was outstanding, particularly since we had 2 100 degree f days. We opted for the 2 bed configuration which involves 2 twin beds pushed together with separate bedding. Worked great and the beds were very comfortable. We looked at the standard cabins. They were workable, but we were glad to have the extra space. Both the suites and second level cabins had french balconies which is a big positive. I was surprised by how many boats we saw that didn't even have windows that could be opened.

to be continued

[shoshona2]

Hi,

 

Looking forward to the continuation of your review.

 

Sheila