Tauck's new European river cruises offer lavish castle or palace dinners

[Host Jazzbeau]

New article on Seatrade Cruise News:

Tauck's new European river cruises offer lavish castle or palace dinners

[notamermaid]

Thank you for the article, made me wish for a win in the lotto. Here is the equivalent article from travel weekly: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/tauck-reaches-new-heights-with-expanded-european-rivers-programme

 

Both feature the photos well-chosen by the cruise line of Schlosshotel Kronberg. I have been there! Okay, only for a short guided history tour with coffee and cake. Well worth seeing. What I find interesting about the reporting with that building is that the focus is on US history - Eisenhower. That is normal for Tauck of course. I know Kronberg as the retirement home of "Princess Vicky", aka the Empress Friedrich of Germany.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Gourmet Gal]

Nice article but it’s business as usual for Tauck and very typical.  I’ve had several palace, winery and ranch meals with them.  It’s something they do rather well.  My favorite special meal was at the bull ranch in the Camargue.  Wonderful hospitality from the family, great meal, music and then a hayride tour of the pastures to see the beautiful horses and bulls.

[notamermaid]

Yes, Tauck have always had specials and I have read of exclusive events along the Rhine no one else offers. They all sound good in the article. Not sure that they are all new events. But a nice bit of extra marketing for a combination of old and new events never hurts...

 

About Kronberg, the first link mentions Empress Victoria Friedrich of course. What has not come across either in the article or in my comments is the fact that the Schloss was built for her when the Emperor died and she had to leave Berlin, seeing that her son had taken over reigning over Germany from his father. According to our guide she never liked Berlin and was glad to get away, the Prussian court was glad to see her leave.

 

notamermaid

 

[reeves35]

What country/language does Tauck target for its key sales?  I notice their website offers AUD pricing but I never see any advertising or travel agent promotions for them here.  Their pricing looks high so I assume they are targetted at the ultra-premium end of the market against brands such as Uniworld rather than more mainstream brands like Scenic, APT and Viking.

 

[LibertyBella]

We have stayed and dined in S. Kronberg several times.  It has been our choice hotel if we arrive in Frankfurt and we are renting a car, as it is a bit outside of the city.  When we stayed there, the prices were quite competitive with modern hotels.  It is a very pretty estate, but not the most beautiful castle/palace/chateau/parador we have ever stayed in.

 

Even more than cruising, we love to do driving trips and stay in these famous and historic hotels.  Each one is memorable and wonderful, full of quirks.  A great guide for Europe is the Relais & Chateaux organization (now online).  I have been perusing their hotels for about 40 years now!  There are other similar organizations around the world that also offer stays in special places.

 

Of course, I would never turn down a river cruise, especially with Tauck, but in the past it has been a bit cheaper and more adventurous to drive and stay. 

 

 I recall when we stayed at Burg Hornberg, the baron himself carried in our suitcases!  

Edited April 20, 2023 by LibertyBella
typo

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, LibertyBella said:

Of course, I would never turn down a river cruise, especially with Tauck, but in the past it has been a bit cheaper and more adventurous to drive and stay. 

Yes, but one of you has to do the driving and miss the sights along the way.  And you have to find parking spaces before you can visit a city.

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 hours ago, reeves35 said:

What country/language does Tauck target for its key sales?  I notice their website offers AUD pricing but I never see any advertising or travel agent promotions for them here.  Their pricing looks high so I assume they are targetted at the ultra-premium end of the market against brands such as Uniworld rather than more mainstream brands like Scenic, APT and Viking.

Tauck targets Americans.  They are considered the top river cruise experience [until we get reviews of Riverside sailing the ultra-lux ex-Crystal ships].  Their pricing is high, but I would include Scenic in that high-priced group [at least for Americans, maybe their AUS prices are cheaper].

[Canal archive]

Only joking but it took an Aussie to rank Scenic with Viking!

[pontac]

32 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

Only joking but it took an Aussie to rank Scenic with Viking!

 

Indeed you are joking, because you've never cruised on Viking. I travelled with both Viking  and Scenic last year and I rank them together. Some ways Scenic had the edge, in more ways Viking did, and they are in the same price band.

 

My future booked  cruises are with Viking which says how I rated them overall.

 

I hope your trip next week with Scenic lives up to expectations. I shall be Viking at the same time. I look forward to reading your trip report. Don't forget to keep an eye on the magic breakfast Champagne.......

[Canal archive]

Pontac I have absolutely nothing against Viking especially because how the treated my all time best friend when her husband was taken ill on one of their cruises I will always have a special place in my heart for that crew and the company. I’m just comparing  - and okay I’m generalising here - the overall rankings of river cruise companies. You I must admit seem to have had a strange cruise with Scenic and I’ve never had a Viking cruise but I have met with quite a few who have and have cruised both companies and their comparisons do in no way compare with yours.

[LibertyBella]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Yes, but one of you has to do the driving and miss the sights along the way.  And you have to find parking spaces before you can visit a city.

 

 

Yes, Jazzbeau, I do love sailing slowly and peacefully on the river, but every once in a while it is an adrenalin rush for my DH to hit the autobahn at over 100 mph and still have to be in the slow lane.  I also have become an expert map/sign reader in multiple languages!  But I promise, we will never give up cruising.

[Canal archive]

French for keeping your scooter well away from this piece of road - chassis de ferme - wrong spelling no doubt but we soon learnt, great big holes in the road!