Swice Posted August 19, 2015 #1 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Just back from Tauck Savor. This was a family cruise - Budapest, Hungary Bratislava, Slovakia Vienna, Austria Durnstein, Austria Salzburg, Austria Passau, Germany Ending in Munich, Germany Overall excellent. First experience with Tauck. Let me sum it up this way: At the beginning of our vacation, we did a pre-cruise stay at the Marriott Budapest (ugly exterior but FANTASTIC hotel by the way). We booked this hotel on our own, not through Tauck. It turns out the Marriott is an official hotel for Viking River Cruises. As we were checking out at the front desk, the hotel associate was chatting and asked us what we were doing next. I responded that we were about to start a river cruise. She asked, "Viking?" I said, "no, Tauck." She immediately said "Tauck is by far the best." What's important to note is that the Viking check-in desk and the Viking associate were less than three feet away from us. We found Tauck 99.99999 percent perfect. A more detailed review coming soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare xpcdoojk Posted August 19, 2015 #2 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Just back from Tauck Savor. This was a family cruise - Budapest, Hungary Bratislava, Slovakia Vienna, Austria Durnstein, Austria Salzburg, Austria Passau, Germany Ending in Munich, Germany Overall excellent. First experience with Tauck. Let me sum it up this way: At the beginning of our vacation, we did a pre-cruise stay at the Marriott Budapest (ugly exterior but FANTASTIC hotel by the way). We booked this hotel on our own, not through Tauck. It turns out the Marriott is an official hotel for Viking River Cruises. As we were checking out at the front desk, the hotel associate was chatting and asked us what we were doing next. I responded that we were about to start a river cruise. She asked, "Viking?" I said, "no, Tauck." She immediately said "Tauck is by far the best." What's important to note is that the Viking check-in desk and the Viking associate were less than three feet away from us. We found Tauck 99.99999 percent perfect. A more detailed review coming soon. We stayed at that Marriott after our Avalon cruise. We booked it on our own, too. It is an ugly exterior hotel. Very nice with lovely views of the Iron bridge and the Buda Castle. It was kind of fun watching the constant coming and going of the Viking people. jc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted August 19, 2015 #3 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Nice to hear, doing one next fall. Marriott sounds great except for all the cruise bustle from the Viking crowd. I wonder what hotel Tauck uses? I would imagine we'll book our own hotel, post-cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare xpcdoojk Posted August 19, 2015 #4 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Nice to hear, doing one next fall. Marriott sounds great except for all the cruise bustle from the Viking crowd. I wonder what hotel Tauck uses? I would imagine we'll book our own hotel, post-cruise. I kind of thought it was fun seeing all of the excited people in the lobby getting ready to go on their cruise. There are lots of nice hotels near the Marriott. Which is in a fantastic location with world class views. Lots of things close by. jc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyaheel Posted August 19, 2015 #5 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Viking had a desk at the Holiday Inn we used pre-cruise in Nuremberg, but there were a few other Avalon cruisers there as well, and we were all excited about starting the cruise! (there were many other boats docked with us when we got to the port, but I think only Viking & Avalon were embarking on that date) Glad you enjoyed the trip - looking forward to the review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swice Posted August 19, 2015 Author #6 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Nice to hear, doing one next fall. Marriott sounds great except for all the cruise bustle from the Viking crowd. I wonder what hotel Tauck uses? I would imagine we'll book our own hotel, post-cruise. Tauck uses Kempinski Hotel -- It was about a ten minute walk away from the water from the Marriott. We met there for the transfer to ship. Marriott is right on the water and has beautiful views. The tram (light rail) line goes right by the Marriott door and to the Parliament building (that's the iconic shot of Budapest you see on every postcard and brochure). I happen to have status with Marriott so I had access to the Executive Lounge anyway-- BUT this is one location where I would seriously consider paying for the upgrade. The Executive Lounge is open 24-hours a day and always has drinks and snacks. Breakfast had plenty of choices (including several hot items). Evening featured cheese selection, breads, grilled vegetables, soups, and several rotating hot items. More than enough for a meal. The BEST PART was taking your plate out onto the patio and enjoying the view. I can not say enough good things about sitting out on that patio/balcony at the Executive Lounge -- especially after a long day of touring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulyBlonde Posted August 19, 2015 #7 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Nice to hear, doing one next fall. Marriott sounds great except for all the cruise bustle from the Viking crowd. I wonder what hotel Tauck uses? I would imagine we'll book our own hotel, post-cruise. I am on the Westbound Danube with Tauck next Spring. Embark in Budapest and hotel is Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest and Prague is Four Seasons. Our 1st time with Tauck and happy to see the nice review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted August 19, 2015 #8 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I am on the Westbound Danube with Tauck next Spring. Embark in Budapest and hotel is Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest and Prague is Four Seasons. Our 1st time with Tauck and happy to see the nice review. Yes, very much looking forward to reading the full review. Ours is Amsterdam to Budapest next September, still a long wait but still nice to hear about part of the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneStarCruisinCouple Posted August 19, 2015 #9 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) Yes, very much looking forward to reading the full review. Ours is Amsterdam to Budapest next September, still a long wait but still nice to hear about part of the trip. Hello Wendy , This is Lisa and Gary LoneStarCruisinCouple and we are just days away now from going on our Scenic Jewels of Europe Cruise on The Opal. We set forth on our to be Awesome Cruising Adventure on September 2,2015. We are staying at The Toren Hotel which according to Trip Advisor is the number one hotel in Amsterdam and in Budapest staying at The Four Seasons also rated the number one hotel in Budapest on TripAdvisor. We are lucky as we are in one of the brand new Royal Panorama Suites on the opal. keeping our fingers crossed as hoping that the recent rains have put enough water into the Danube that the ships can get through without having to do any ship swaps. So excited as we are celebrating our Wedding Anniversary while on the cruise and have dinner reservations at The Fisherman's Bastion and also have a Horse and Carriage picking us up at the hotel and waiting while we have dinner. I would recommend if you have a chance as to also look into doing the Jewels Dinner cruise in Amsterdam Wishing you Smooth Sailings and a Fun Filled Fun Packed Adventure on your cruise. Lisa and Gary All for Fun and Fun For AllLoungin" Laughin"nLibations Edited August 19, 2015 by LoneStarCruisinCouple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arima22 Posted August 19, 2015 #10 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Tauck uses Kempinski Hotel -- It was about a ten minute walk away from the water from the Marriott. We met there for the transfer to ship. Marriott is right on the water and has beautiful views. The tram (light rail) line goes right by the Marriott door and to the Parliament building (that's the iconic shot of Budapest you see on every postcard and brochure). I happen to have status with Marriott so I had access to the Executive Lounge anyway-- BUT this is one location where I would seriously consider paying for the upgrade. The Executive Lounge is open 24-hours a day and always has drinks and snacks. Breakfast had plenty of choices (including several hot items). Evening featured cheese selection, breads, grilled vegetables, soups, and several rotating hot items. More than enough for a meal. The BEST PART was taking your plate out onto the patio and enjoying the view. I can not say enough good things about sitting out on that patio/balcony at the Executive Lounge -- especially after a long day of touring. Thanks for your comments on the Marriott Hotel. We're staying there 3 nights in Oct. on points with executive status. Setting up our private tours now- any suggestions for guide services?? Herb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted August 19, 2015 #11 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Thanks for your comments on the Marriott Hotel. We're staying there 3 nights in Oct. on points with executive status. Setting up our private tours now- any suggestions for guide services??Herb I originally booked with: Gabriella Török http://www.privatetoursbudapest.com Tel: +36 30 369 2662 Tel, fax: +36 1 226 1189 And then she had to cancel at the last minute and I booked with: Andrea Makkay Private Guide - Budapest +36 20 962 9363 amakkay@t-online.hu andrea@privateguidebudapest.com http://www.privateguidebudapest.com We had a very good day with her. Are you going to Prague as well? Where else do you need a guide? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swice Posted August 19, 2015 Author #12 Share Posted August 19, 2015 We booked with Andrea Makkay as well, but another guide, Judit, took us around. Her english was excellent. LOVED the restaurant she took us to for lunch.... a very nice mid-priced place. Probably less of a tourist place. Very clean, with a little bit of a funky but upscale attitude. The staff was very professional. It had a black bird as a mascot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arima22 Posted August 19, 2015 #13 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Thanks to both. I have Andrea Makkay as one of my contacts on the Tours by Locals listing and will check on her availability for our dates. Only need a guide in Budapest for this trip. We lived in Munich for 6 years so have been to most cities on this Budapest to Amsterdam cruise- just many years ago- will be interesting to see the changes. Herb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gentlemancruiser Posted August 19, 2015 #14 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Nice to hear, doing one next fall. Marriott sounds great except for all the cruise bustle from the Viking crowd. I wonder what hotel Tauck uses? I would imagine we'll book our own hotel, post-cruise. Viking uses the Marriott Budapest, Avalon uses the Budapest InterContinental and Tauck I believe uses the Four Season Gresham Palace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deec Posted August 20, 2015 #15 Share Posted August 20, 2015 we used Gabby for 2 days and she was wonderful....we learned so much and really felt that we used our time in Budapest optimally. She knew what we would see with the included ship's tour and made sure not to duplicate http://www.privatetoursbudapest.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willysgrandma Posted August 24, 2015 #16 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Can you tell m e what cabin category you had? I am traveling in a Cat. 6 on 2016 and I am getting conflicting information if the full wall of glass (2 panes) on the Savor open. One rep. said only one pane opens, another says both slide to fully open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise22 Posted August 25, 2015 #17 Share Posted August 25, 2015 We were in 213 Category 6 in April/May and only one set of window/doors opened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willysgrandma Posted August 25, 2015 #18 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Thank you Louise, that is the exact cabin I have booked for Oct. 2016. But you had the full view from both windows. Spoke to a 3rd rep today who told me that the glass rolls all the way open for two panes. Obviously two of the three were wrong and haven't seen the ships. Thank you for your true information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
id4elizabeth Posted August 25, 2015 #19 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Caviargal - do you have a contact for a guide in Prague that you used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swice Posted August 25, 2015 Author #20 Share Posted August 25, 2015 We were in cabins 225/227. Yes, we opened the sliding glass door early in the cruise and enjoyed it as the boat moved along at dusk... but we didn't realize bugs were flying in. Later, we saw hundreds of gnats and other dots on the back wall, the corner of the ceiling and even on the bed linens. We were careful after that not to open the sliding glass door in evenings. During the day yes, but not at dusk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrivesLikeMario Posted August 25, 2015 #21 Share Posted August 25, 2015 They warned us on Avalon that if you're going to open your wall-to-wall slider at night to turn off all lights inside the cabin. This way, bugs wouldn't be attracted to the light and come in as easily. Thanks for the quickie review. Looking forward to more. I have to say your positive comments about Tauck are right in line with others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalink Posted August 26, 2015 #22 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Caviargal - do you have a contact for a guide in Prague that you used? I am not caviargal, but I can recommend a wonderful guide for Prague. (caviargal helped me a great deal when I was planning our trip to Budapest and Prague.) For Prague, we used Eva Trkalova. Outstanding guide! Here is a link to her website: http://www.trkalova.guide-prague.cz You can email her at: eva.trkalova@gmail.com For Budapest, we used a wonderful guide: Andrea Makkay Private Guide - Budapest +36 20 962 9363 amakkay@t-online.hu andrea@privateguidebudapest.com http://www.privateguidebudapest.com Hope that is helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy1333 Posted August 26, 2015 #23 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Here is the info on Nina, another fantastic guide in Prague. Check out her website ninapragueguide.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
id4elizabeth Posted August 26, 2015 #24 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Thanks bobalink and Andy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swice Posted September 13, 2015 Author #25 Share Posted September 13, 2015 My Tauck Family River cruise review is now live: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=512438&et_cid=2400193&et_rid=85415003&et_referrer=Boards_Million_Member_Newsub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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