Tauck or Viking?

[swamom]

I'm looking at river cruises for next summer in Europe.  I've traveled with Tauck, though not on a river cruise, so I'm familiar with them and think they're tops.  I know Viking has been doing river cruises for many years so I'm also considering them.

I would like some input from someone who has experience with both Tauck and Viking telling me how they compare.

Thanks

SWA mom

[Daisi]

You may find this article helpful.  Haven't sailed on either so really can't voice an opinion one way or another.  

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2586

[notamermaid]

That is a very nice comparison by CC I find. I have not sailed on either but one thing I may add info to is the fleet comparison. On the standard rivers where Viking uses the longships, that is Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube that I mean here, Tauck has its two different types, the 110m and the 135m ones. swamom, I mention this as there are few variables when it comes to river cruising, that may matter to you. On the Rhine and Danube you can encounter low water which means the 110m ships fare a bit better has they have less draft. Also - that is anecdotal - Viking appears to encounter more problems with draft with their 135m ships, than others with the 135m ships. It is marginal but can mean you do a ship swap. That means you are on two ships in a journey, switching from one to the other. The other thing is balcony cabins. You may feel you need this or not, but bare in mind that you can raft with another ship where you cannot see any town or landscape then from your balcony. Another difference is the excursions. Tauck has a few more exclusive ones where you would not be mixing with many other river cruise tourists. That depends on itinerary and river. River is the important word here: if you have not made a choice yet, compare Tauck and Viking on the individual rivers. See what you may prefer and who does what, on a big spreadsheet.

 

One note on the docking locations mentioned in the article. Viking has mostly the better docking locations, which is no surprise as they have taken over the ones from KD (German company) in many cities. It is a historical thing from the time when river cruising was rare - before 1980, i.e. KD, not Viking. Viking came much later. I cannot tell you the individual ones, but you will very much find this on the Rhine and Moselle.

 

For the Seine, the article has not been updated to include the specifics about the docking location in Paris or LePecq. It may be a minor consideration for you.

 

Hope this helps.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

[Gourmet Gal]

The article is very comprehensive but an update would be that Tauck now has a brand new ship on the Douro built especially for that river.  Also another point is that there are 4 tour directors meaning it is possible that the tour groups are smaller than on Viking since the ship’s capacity is also smaller. I’ve never sailed Viking so perhaps someone else could confirm that along with comparisons of the food.

 

 

[swamom]

On 9/20/2021 at 11:59 AM, Daisi said:

You may find this article helpful.  Haven't sailed on either so really can't voice an opinion one way or another.  

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2586

 

[swamom]

a very informative and fair article.  Thank you 🙂

 

[ljandgb]

Search the forum for how each line deals with low water situations.  It seems like some are better than others as far as alternatives, compensation, etc.  We met fellow passengers this week who had to transfer boats on the Danube past a low spot while on a prior cruise (it sounded like one going upstream and one going down just swapped passengers), but had met people from another line at that time who had been in that port for 3 days while the ship "hoped for rain."

[Daisi]

12 minutes ago, ljandgb said:

Search the forum for how each line deals with low water situations.  It seems like some are better than others as far as alternatives, compensation, etc.  We met fellow passengers this week who had to transfer boats on the Danube past a low spot while on a prior cruise (it sounded like one going upstream and one going down just swapped passengers), but had met people from another line at that time who had been in that port for 3 days while the ship "hoped for rain."

 

This is one time Viking has a definite advantage, as it has so many ships on the rivers, they can run constantly in both directions.    

[notamermaid]

@Daisi As far as I remember it was indeed Viking that started this and has "perfected" it. Over the years, other companies have adopted this to some extent. Specifically for the Danube there is now a new strategy: avoiding the stretch that is most prone to drought. Both Viking and AmaWaterways have now adapted so that some cruises start and end in Vilshofen. Others may do as well. This of course does not apply to the Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary where you will have one ship ideally but in a very bad autumn could end up on three. But that is rare.

 

I keep thinking that we have had such a comparison question before and somebody answered having been on both. But I do not recall when that may have been.

 

For the Seine, I have had a look and the ship that Tauck uses, the MS Sapphire, is only 110m long. It has been mentioned here on CC that the Viking ships docking in LePecq are being phased out. If this is so then that will make Viking and Tauck equal for docking in Paris but leaves Tauck at an advantage for docking in Honfleur (Viking's new 125m ships are too long). I do not know if Tauck does so.

 

notamermaid 

 

 

[dodgerdoug]

I've been with both lines and each has their value. Tauck has 9 ships: 4 hold 130 guests, 4 hold 98 guests. The new one on the Douro holds 94 guests.  Vikings ships hold 190 guests. I like the ships that hold 98 guests as it seems more intimate, easier to make friends and smaller excursion sizes. We are going on a Tauck Paris to Lyon,etc in Oct. and considered a Viking Rhine. The greater value of the Tauck program swayed us towards them. Plus they are more inclusive. No tips or baggage handling, transfers to and from the airport regardless of who arranges the flights. The excursions are very exclusive and included in the pricing. Their hotels and excursion dining are 5 star. Outside the included Viking excursion your costs could rise well beyond the cost of Tauck. All this is strictly MHO. I like Viking (both river and ocean), but Cindy likes the pampering of Tauck. I will say this, Viking air is not their forte. I avoid that at all costs. 

[need2travel1]

Hi dodgerdoug,

Are you taking Tauck's Savoring France or French Escapade in October? We are booked on French Escapade next Summer but it was a tough decision as they both sound great.  

 

Swamom,

We've never done a Tauck river cruise either but agree with you-their land tours are fantastic!  We've done nine-they're just as addicting as river cruises.  

 

[dodgerdoug]

Hi Need2travel1,

     We are hoping to go on the Savoring France on 10-20-21. We've booked, but they are having to reconfirm Paris hotel and TGV to Lyon first. Hope they do, we already have air paid for. Nine land tours. WOW! They certainly do things right. I had been setting up our own travel: AirBNB, flights, tours, car rental. It's worn me down, looking forward to letting Tauck handle it all. Cindy's parents used them a bunch in the 70's. They inspire loyalty for sure. They are SO worth it. The best part of river tours is one unpacking and still seeing a broad expanse of a country. Kinda like cruises with a lot less people. My experience with river cruises has been wonderful, as has ocean cruises on the smaller luxury lines like Viking and especially Regent. I'll let you know how it goes if we get final confirmation.

[need2travel1]

Hey dodgerdoug,

I hope your trip is a go!  Everything with travel is so up in the air right now it's enough to make your head spin. Please let us know if it's a go, I've got my fingers crossed for you.   

Tauck really did inspire loyalty in us-our river cruise w/ them for next year was supposed to take place this summer (they canceled our departure) & we booked that after a canceled 2020 land trip w/ them.  We've done 4 river cruises (all w/ Uniworld) but we're finally able to give Tauck a try on the river.

 

[dodgerdoug]

Hi Need2travel1,

     We got our confirmation for the river cruise this morning, finally! Looking forward to this for more than one reason. Next year we will be on a Tauck land cruise: Spain and Portugal starting 9-21-22. It was one that fell victim to the onset of Covid in April of 2020 for us. So, trying again. We'll be off in just 2 weeks. Yippee!! I'm not a creature of social media but will let you know how things went when we return. 

[need2travel1]

Hey Dodgerdoug,

 

That's terrific, so glad it's a go for you!!  Please give a review here when you get back.

The Spain & Portugal trip looks really cool-we have our eye on it for 2023.  It's either that or a redo of Uniworld's Milan & Venice trip.  So many choices so little time & money....

 

[dodgerdoug]

Need2travel1,

    We are back and everything went very smoothly. Tauck is definitely a cut above. NO nickel and dimeing. The quality of food and level of drink was excellent. The only negatives we had, and would probably only pertain to this venue, were that the excursions all neccesitated bus rides. I got weary of them after a while. But, they were necessary to get to some fabulous events. It is more a function of the river not being near sites unlike the Rhine or Danube. Also, "Savoring France" is very much about eating and drinking your way through. Wine, the preferred libation, was available morning and night in whatever quanity you could endure. Good food was right behind it. The temptation was hard to resist and has necessitated a bit of fasting upon arriving at home. It'll be a week, at least, before I entertain a glass of wine at dinner again. And I love my wine. Staying at the Grand Paris was a treat. Right next to the L'Opera. We are in a quandry on how we will navigate the packing and transferring form location to location during the land tour in Portugal and Spain next September. Almost like living out of your suitcase. Any tips on how to ease that situation would be welcome. Unpacking once for the river cruise was a most welcome aspect. You will enjoy your cruise!

[gnome12]

32 minutes ago, dodgerdoug said:

We are in a quandry on how we will navigate the packing and transferring form location to location during the land tour in Portugal and Spain next September. Almost like living out of your suitcase. Any tips on how to ease that situation would be welcome. Unpacking once for the river cruise was a most welcome aspect. You will enjoy your cruise!

Packing cubes are the way to go. I used them for the first time on a land tour of Andalusia, and they were a godsend. On my last trip, I had single nights in almost every stop. I had pants in one cube, long sleeve tops in another, 3/4 length tops in another, underwear in another and socks in another. One had my electronics. When you need something, you take whole cubes out of the suitcase, and only open the one you need. You never throw individual items out of the suitcase when searching. They make a HUGE difference.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, gnome12 said:

Packing cubes are the way to go. I used them for the first time on a land tour of Andalusia, and they were a godsend. On my last trip, I had single nights in almost every stop. I had pants in one cube, long sleeve tops in another, 3/4 length tops in another, underwear in another and socks in another. One had my electronics. When you need something, you take whole cubes out of the suitcase, and only open the one you need. You never throw individual items out of the suitcase when searching. They make a HUGE difference.

Love packing cubes! They seem to be the gift I have given everyone!

[dodgerdoug]

Wow! Sounds like cubes are the way to go. I guess it's like a bureau in your suitcase. A super tip I thank you heartily! I believe even I can manage using them without getting frustrated. YEA!

[Coral]

1 hour ago, dodgerdoug said:

Wow! Sounds like cubes are the way to go. I guess it's like a bureau in your suitcase. A super tip I thank you heartily! I believe even I can manage using them without getting frustrated. YEA!

I like these at ebags. I would be curious what brands others like. Ebags usually has good Black Friday specials. I also buy the smaller ones from Travelon for cables and smaller items. I get them at Eddie Bauer. I always get $10 coupons at Eddie Bauer and buy these (and also gift these).

 

[gnome12]

What you want is different sizes for different items, and sets of different colours for different people. I found mine on Amazon; one a set of 4, the other of 5 including a shoe bag.

 

[knoxclone]

I'm a huge fan of the ebags packing cubes.  Have several different sets, in various sizes and colors.  I use one for all my med bottles and the shoe bag is perfect size if you have a travel CPAP machine. 

[sharkster77]

Another thing you can do with packing cubes is use them to hold entire sets of clothing.  For example, wife and I each pack 2 packing cubes each containing an entire change of clothing.  In our carry ons we each pack of of each (one mine, one hers) in the event that our checked luggage is misplaced, we have 2 changes of clothes for each of us.  

[ljandgb]

I love my packing cubes also, and inadvertently ordered ones that have a zipper compression system to make more room in your suitcase.  I assumed all packing cubes were like that until later.  I like the compression system.  We frequently travel carry on only, but you do have to be careful with weight.  More things in a smaller area means it's easy to get heavy fast.

[lcand1923]

I’ve used different systems with packing cubes but have found for the “one night here, one night there” system that packing a full day worth of clothing in each cube works best.  I then have an extra large cube that I use for the dirty laundry.  I strongly urge you to practice with the packing cubes prior to your trip.  You may want to have two colors, one set for the days worth of clothes and another set with the extra underwear, etc.  Look at Ebags and LLBean.  My LLBean cubes are about 25 years old and still in use for electronics and dirty laundry.