Tauck Grand European Cruise or break it up into 2 separate cruises?

[OnTheJourney]

Good Morning! Similar to you' date=' I struggle with the notion of long trips due to home issues, specifically, the care of my dog. I won't put her in a kennel so finding a house sitter, assuming I don't have a relative or friend nearby, is always a problem. We're scheduled for an 18 day trip in September - a river cruise (with extensive pre and post trips) and its giving me tremendous angst knowing we'll be gone that long. However, I was able to find a sitter (a 40-50ish couple and the husband's job allows him to telecommute) that will stay in our home and take care of our dog, house, plants, mowing, etc. This particular couple do not charge any fee in that they're looking to travel and see the states and its their way to do so without any financial burden (they sold their house and their kids are grown and have their own homes in case they need a place in between sitting gigs.) While I didn't find them on a particular website, I know there are quite a number of web sites with similar people. One that I've looked at is LuxuryHouseSitting.com. You may be able to find someone there or via one of the several other sites out there in google land. I do believe that most people will charge for their services....we just got lucky with this particular couple. I hate the idea of any pet in a kennel. As someone who worked in the dog industry for several years, I know there are kennel owners that should be out of business. (I'm not saying all are bad, of course, so please everyone, don't go crazy on me.)[/quote']

 

The couple you found sounds great! That will really help take away alot of worry when being away from home. I think more and more about moving into a 55+ retirement community at some point. That would make things so much easier to travel! No extensive yard, probably no plants, no pets, etc. Close the door and go.

 

We do have a great kennel for both the cat and dog. I take them to separate kennels since the one I use for the cat is really good, and same for the dog. But the place where I take the dog is not very nice for cats, and vice-versa. I know..sounds a bit over-the-top and it does make for about 90 minutes in travel time including dropping off and picking up. But it is just one of those things that has to be done in order to go away. What always strikes me is how planning for a 5-day trip is really just as complicated as for a 2-week trip! I pretty much have to do the same level of preparation, with the exception of more or less food to get ready for the pets while boarded.

Edited December 29, 2015 by three4rd

[OnTheJourney]

CruisingAlong -

 

You're right...in looking back I did say about all the yard work in spring and so prefer the fall, but from what others are saying I can see now where May would be a much nicer time. I like how the shorter, western segment is offered in more months than the grand cruise, and yet the eastern segment is only May - August also. I have done some longer trips - around 3 weeks or more - that I really enjoyed, but that was back in the day where I had family members to take care of pets and also did not have a pool. Thanks again for your replies. I really appreciate it.

Edited December 29, 2015 by three4rd

[OnTheJourney]

I just went back and counted up the cruise time on the Amsterdam - Budapest Tauck trip. There are at least 3.5 days of just cruising, out of 14. Mostly half days, one full day. That sounds great to me.

 

But in general, ..., if someone thinks that a particular river cruise (or ocean for that matter) is too port-intensive, one can just skip a port and be at leisure. There's nothing or no one that says you have to do every excursion!

 

Wendy...yes...the Amsterdam to Budapest really looks great. That is probably one of the most popular river trips out there. But I'm also intrigued by what lies west of Budapest. I just love the idea of going all the way from one sea to the other...just sounds like such a neat way to see so many countries in one fell swoop. Tough decision! As you said, one can always skip a few excursions. The way DW and I travel, though, is to generally try and do as much as we can. Even with a road trip that I set up, the itinerary is locked in place with all hotels already booked along the way - so I approach a road trip more like a pre-set itinerary that one experiences in an escorted land tour. I know this sounds really weird, but I don't want the indecision of how far we're going to go each day and where we're staying at night, etc. By figuring it all out ahead of time, I can pre-decide how much time we want to spend at each attraction before moving on...usually works out really well. I do the same with cruises...having all excursions chosen and paid for well in advance of the cruise. I would never want to be one of those people all crowded around the explorations desk during a cruise trying to pick excursions. The downside to that, of course, is that I can't use OBC to pay for ship excursions.

Edited December 29, 2015 by three4rd

[Hydrokitty]

Wendy...yes...the Amsterdam to Budapest really looks great. That is probably one of the most popular river trips out there. But I'm also intrigued by what lies west of Budapest. I just love the idea of going all the way from one sea to the other...just sounds like such a neat way to see so many countries in one fell swoop. Tough decision! As you said, one can always skip a few excursions. The way DW and I travel, though, is to generally try and do as much as we can. Even with a road trip that I set up, the itinerary is locked in place with all hotels already booked along the way - so I approach a road trip more like a pre-set itinerary that one experiences in an escorted land tour. I know this sounds really weird, but I don't want the indecision of how far we're going to go each day and where we're staying at night, etc. By figuring it all out ahead of time, I can pre-decide how much time we want to spend at each attraction before moving on...usually works out really well. I do the same with cruises...having all excursions chosen and paid for well in advance of the cruise. I would never want to be one of those people all crowded around the explorations desk during a cruise trying to pick excursions. The downside to that, of course, is that I can't use OBC to pay for ship excursions.

 

Ahhh another control freak like me!!:D We do a lot of road trips in US as well and I do the same as you I make all the arrangements ahead of time. I leave room to change as we go along, but I would be very uncomfortable "winging it" as some do. I can appreciate the excitement of taking each day as it comes, I just can't deal with it!! As for your dilemma...I've done both trips and I can honestly say from experience that I think doing them separately is the better choice. Amsterdam to Budapest is VERY different from Budapest to Bucharest...and IMHO you would get more out of it if you had some down time to digest one before you take the other. Between Budapest and Bucharest you are visiting emerging countries without the infrastructure of the northern countries. There is a lot of poverty, war damage and not as much to see....this by no means implies it's not a wonderful trip....it is, I just think you'll get more out of it doing it separately. River cruising is very relaxing compared to ocean cruising but it's still exhausting with a lot of walking and not so much down time like "sea days". As for optional excursions there aren't as many as on ocean trips and the number of them depends on the line you choose. If you're going with Tauck you're going to find more excursions included than say on Viking. We go with Vantage, which is between Tauck and Viking, and have included excursions in every port, mostly acclimation walks, and many included trips to local places of interest..there will also be a few optional tours which generally include a chartered bus, admission to a special place (like Schoenbrun in Vienna) and often a restaurant meal. We usually take them because they're places we want to see and have never been disappointed. One thing you need to know about optional excursions: Unless it's for a performance (like ballet in Russia) you can usually book it on board without difficulty. If the tour will be a trip killer for you (ballet in Russia) book it ahead of time. If you purchase trip insurance from Tauck make sure the cost of pre-booked optional tours doesn't increase your premium, which is based upon the total cost of your trip + your ages.

[OnTheJourney]

Hydrokitty,

 

That is great information! Thanks so much! You pretty well have me convinced that splitting into 2 separate trips is the way to go. Funny you mention the ballet in Russia...we did that on our Baltic trip. It made for a LONG day but was so worth it. The performance was absolutely stunning. We saw Swan Lake. As to insurance, lately I've been getting our own. I price around and see what comes out best. I always used to get it through our TA...the name of the company eludes me just now...but what happened is that the price of it went up drastically due to our ages having moved into the next bracket...that is when I decided to look around.

 

Would you suggest October or May? The Amsterdam to Budapest runs more often than the Budapest to Bucharest. The latter is only available May-August, but I could get the former in October. We already have a cruise booked for February 2017, and so May is only 3 months out...a bit closer together than we usually book cruises. And yet almost everything is sold out for October 2016 already, so I may have to go into 2017 either way.

 

LOL about your car trips and the pre-planning. I thought only I was so obsessed with booking everything ahead of time. I just also would not feel comfortable with 'winging it'...the total pre-planning started when my daughter was quite young and I didn't want to have to worry about finding places to stay by the time late afternoon came along each day. Also, then we're free to just follow the schedule and KNOW where we're going each day!! Kind of like an organized land tour only for 2 people!! Oh well, smaller groups are nicer anyway....:)

 

BTW...how did you find the Moselle trip? My TA always used to tell me to try and include the Moselle on a river trip, that it is so beautiful...

 

We have similar items on the bucket list...although I have my heart set on a land tour of AU / NZ....same problem...the one I like is 28 days. And to split THAT trip up means so much money AND time for air travel. Better to do both in one shot.

Edited December 29, 2015 by three4rd

[Hydrokitty]

We did Amsterdam-Budapest late August-Sept. and Budapest late June-July (a couple of years later) Both times the weather was wonderful and perfect for touring being not too cold nor too hot. There were days on the first one when we sat on deck in shorts and tee shirts and there were days on the second one where it was a little too warm but not oppressive.

 

I mentioned the ballet in Russia because when I booked the trip I told them to include "Swan Lake" in St.Petersburg and if it was necessary, I would change my dates. Funny thing is they were still selling tickets to that ballet the morning of the performance! Wasn't it just breath-taking?!

 

The Rhine-Moselle was just beautiful and we loved it! We got to go through the Danube Gorge, where all the castles are, for the second time (you'll do it on your first one) and this time was even better because I knew what to look for, I wrote down the name of all the castles as I photographed them and I was able to get a picture of the Lorelei statue that I missed the first time! Another illustration of how the optionals work: we booked two of the three optionals on this trip, Luxemburg and Speyer Cathedral, but passed on the Black Forest cake making trip because a) we were going to Baden-Baden the next day and driving through the Black Forest b) I already knew how to make the cake and c) I wanted to spend the day in Strasbourg which I heard was very beautiful. After spending the morning in Strasbourg I was done, so when we got back to the ship for lunch I asked TM if we could still go on the Black Forest trip...."of course you can" says she and it turned out to be one of the best excursions of the trip! The drive through the forest was very different from the drive to Baden-Baden, the chef's cake was about 10x the calories as mine and the shopping was great! The point is, even if you didn't book an optional before you go, don't hesitate to ask if you can go at the last minute.....chances are you can because there's always room on the bus.

[Got2Cruise]

Even though it might seem "good on paper" to go from one end to the other, you might end up with sensory overload, and in the end all the magnificent experiences blended into one. Also, as previously pointed out, you might not enjoy a river cruise as much as you imagined. A better idea is to add pre and post cruise stays on either side of your river cruise.

 

Then next time, you can either do a long one, two short ones, or even a river cruise and an ocean cruise together.

[OnTheJourney]

Even though it might seem "good on paper" to go from one end to the other, you might end up with sensory overload, and in the end all the magnificent experiences blended into one. Also, as previously pointed out, you might not enjoy a river cruise as much as you imagined. A better idea is to add pre and post cruise stays on either side of your river cruise.

 

Then next time, you can either do a long one, two short ones, or even a river cruise and an ocean cruise together.

 

Great advice! Thanks. I really needed to come here for some good suggestions.

[OnTheJourney]

Hydrokitty,

 

Funny about mentioning that there is always "room on the bus"! We were on a RCL excursion in Latvia and actually got left behind by our tour group leader. She left with the rest of the group and went back to the ship! Unbelievable! I made enough noise about that until I finally got some OBC towards our next cruise. Otherwise, they would have done nothing even though we made mention of it several times during the remainder of the cruise. We wound up going back to the ship with another tour group that had 'room on the bus'. Still...it was a bit alarming. We were not pleased that she did that. All day long during the excursion she NEVER counted her group members. Our guide in SPB (we used Alla Tours) was fantastic and ALWAYS counted his group members. Thanks again for more great advice. It sounds like perhaps October might be just a tad late in the season.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Hydrokitty,

 

Funny about mentioning that there is always "room on the bus"! We were on a RCL excursion in Latvia and actually got left behind by our tour group leader. She left with the rest of the group and went back to the ship! Unbelievable! I made enough noise about that until I finally got some OBC towards our next cruise. Otherwise, they would have done nothing even though we made mention of it several times during the remainder of the cruise. We wound up going back to the ship with another tour group that had 'room on the bus'. Still...it was a bit alarming. We were not pleased that she did that. All day long during the excursion she NEVER counted her group members. Our guide in SPB (we used Alla Tours) was fantastic and ALWAYS counted his group members. Thanks again for more great advice. It sounds like perhaps October might be just a tad late in the season.

 

When we belonged to a hiking club, the leaders always joked that club rules allowed them to lose up to 10% of the group. Maybe your RCL guide was following those rules! :D

[TravelerThom]

...The Rhine-Moselle was just beautiful and we loved it! We got to go through the Danube Gorge, where all the castles are,...

I think you are referring to the Mittelrheintal, aka Upper Middle Rhine World Heritage Site, aka Rhine Gorge. What is usually referred to as the Danube Gorge is upstream from Kelheim to Welterburg Monastery, and is not accessible to stay aboard cruise boats.

 

Thom

[Hydrokitty]

I think you are referring to the Mittelrheintal, aka Upper Middle Rhine World Heritage Site, aka Rhine Gorge. What is usually referred to as the Danube Gorge is upstream from Kelheim to Welterburg Monastery, and is not accessible to stay aboard cruise boats.

 

Thom

 

I've done them both Thom and when you're right, you're right and you are right! :D

Edited December 29, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[Hydrokitty]

Hydrokitty,

 

Funny about mentioning that there is always "room on the bus"! We were on a RCL excursion in Latvia and actually got left behind by our tour group leader. She left with the rest of the group and went back to the ship! Unbelievable! I made enough noise about that until I finally got some OBC towards our next cruise. Otherwise, they would have done nothing even though we made mention of it several times during the remainder of the cruise. We wound up going back to the ship with another tour group that had 'room on the bus'. Still...it was a bit alarming. We were not pleased that she did that. All day long during the excursion she NEVER counted her group members. Our guide in SPB (we used Alla Tours) was fantastic and ALWAYS counted his group members. Thanks again for more great advice. It sounds like perhaps October might be just a tad late in the season.

 

There's pluses and minuses to both May and October. In May it can still be cold and the river levels can be high due to snow melt....in October can be cool and river levels can be low due to lack of rain....it's a crap shoot, pick the one that works and don't think about it any more!!! :D

 

Your story about the tour guide blows my mind!!! I know they all threaten to do that just to hopefully get the habitually late....but they always waited....at least on the river cruise and out TM told me they cannot leave anyone behind...the most they can do is send the bus off with everyone else and then they go back and search for the missing person until they either find them or have been advised that they're on board. Makes you wonder how they did the job before cel phones! With an ocean cruise I'd never take a chance because in Greece our captain delivered the passengers' passports to the port master and we left!!! He'd already waited over 30 minutes, so IMHO he'd waited more than long enough and apparently they have a much tighter schedule.

[bubbulz]

Hi,

 

For years DW and I have been looking at the Tauck Grand European cruise that goes all the way from the North to Black Sea. It looks great except that I'm a bit hesitant to go on that long a trip at around 24 days total.

 

The trip is essentially a combination of the Amsterdam to Budapest and Budapest to Black Sea cruises. I could split it up into two separate trips, except that the eastern portion (to Black Sea) is only around 12 days. I really don't care to pay to fly to Europe for less than 2 weeks. The advantage of the Grand cruise is that I'd only pay airfare once rather than going back over again later for whichever part of the entire journey that I skipped.

 

The Grand cruise is a great itinerary, but I just don't care for being away from home that long due to pets being in the kennel and just things that need doing around the house. I typically try to limit our trips to around 2 weeks or less, and yet this cruise that goes all the way from Amsterdam to Black Sea looks like it'd be really nice. Another thing is that I've never done a river cruise and so am thinking that doing a shorter one might not be a bad idea. I'm wondering if it could actually start to feel a bit long and a bit repetitive at around 3 weeks in length. Given that river cruising is quite port intensive and thus quite busy, I am also wondering if 3 weeks of it could get a bit exhausting. We recently did a 2-week Baltic cruise that involved seeing a different port each day, and while everything we saw was great, by the end we were really tired. Not sure I'd want to do a 3-week that is very port intensive. Yet another concern is that several people here report that the sailing from Budapest east is not near as nice as some other trips.

 

Has anyone done the Grand cruise or for that matter either segment? And if so I'd love some feedback or suggestions. The other thing is when they are offered. The Grand cruise is only April through the summer, whereas Amsterdam to Budapest is offered much more often. I like the idea of going in fall rather than spring - much less work around the house and property, etc. It seems like the most popular of the two segments, by far, is the Amsterdam to Budapest. I'm not new to cruising, but have never done a river cruise before.

 

Thanks,

Keith

 

We have many similar concerns, so what we did on our first cruise this year was do a week on the boat, from Amsterdam to Basel, after spending several days in Amsterdam on land. At the end of the trip, we spent several days in Lucerne and then flew home from Zurich. Getting around via rail was simple, inexpensive, and convenient, and we were able to go at our own pace. Our entire trip was a bit over two weeks.

 

We're doing something similar for the next one: A week on the boat, from Vienna to Nuremberg, after flying into Budapest and spending several days there. Then at the end of the trip, we'll take the train to Munich for a few days, and then fly back home after a last night in Budapest. Again, the whole trip is just 15 days.

 

We own a vacation home in the Caribbean and although we go there frequently, we rarely stay more than a couple of weeks. Thankfully the airfare there is a lot less than going to Europe! :cool:

[OnTheJourney]

In looking at these trips some more, it really boils down to the grand cruise only being 9 days longer than the shorter (Amsterdam to Budapest)...26 total days versus 17 (I am figuring in both a pre-day and the overnight flight date for either trip). So, for the sake of only 9 more days and being able to save the airfare to fly over there to complete the additional 7 cruise days from Budapest to Bucharest, I'm thinking maybe just go for the entire trip....have to look at the 3 itineraries (Grand, Amsterdam to Budapest, and Budapest to Bucharest) to really see how they compare.

[pacmom]

We did this trip in 2004 with Uniworld. It was really 2 btb. I would encourage you to go from east to west--Bucharest-Amsterdam. We never found the pace overwhelming. Cruising the Iron Gate area was wonderful.

 

We did spend extra time in Amsterdam and discovered that 3 weeks is our limit, so we have never traveled more than that since. Go and enjoy!!! As others have said May or October weatherwise is a crap shoot. Pick the one that fits your needs best. Pat

[Hydrokitty]

In looking at these trips some more, it really boils down to the grand cruise only being 9 days longer than the shorter (Amsterdam to Budapest)...26 total days versus 17 (I am figuring in both a pre-day and the overnight flight date for either trip). So, for the sake of only 9 more days and being able to save the airfare to fly over there to complete the additional 7 cruise days from Budapest to Bucharest, I'm thinking maybe just go for the entire trip....have to look at the 3 itineraries (Grand, Amsterdam to Budapest, and Budapest to Bucharest) to really see how they compare.

 

Best bonus for me for splitting is you get to spend twice as much time in Budapest, which is one of my favorite cities!! When you put it that way it doesn't seem so long...it's not my cup of tea, but I know on my Budapest to Bucharest cruise there were about 10 couples who started in Amsterdam and I have to admit none of them were complaining!! You're the best judge of what works best for you ...I have a hard time getting DH to stay away for more than 15 days....I on the other hand have suitcase, will travel and anywhere HE is is home for me!!! :D

[OnTheJourney]

Thanks for the additional thoughts! Pacmom...that encourages me to go for the entire journey. On the flip side, Hydrokitty....that IS a great advantage in splitting the trip up..to add extra days in Budapest. I have another cruise in February 2017, so the May grand cruise is so close to the other one. If I could move the 2017 cruise out to 2018 (there are dates available for that...not sure about the cabin availability though), that would work out well. Oh well...the planning (and sometimes juggling things around a bit) is half the fun anyway!