Tauck Tours

[bridey56]

We are interested in signing up for a Regent Cruise to the Baltics for 2009 and were wondering if anyone has done this through Tauck Tours? What are the advantages/disadvantages of booking with them? We are a couple in our early 50's, did our first Regent Cruise this year, and just have to book another one for next year.

[jhp]

Maybe check pricing? Not sure what Tauk includes. Any discounts? Included excursions? Tauk is a good outfit, they are just not my TA of preference!

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Tauck charters the ship. They are a tour company like Abercrombie and Kent or Insight or Perillo ...You book it via your TA that does Tauck Tours. Tauck takes the all inclusive of the ship and adds their guides for all the excursions, some group events, and some land before and after. I think they are terrific for land tours and probably for some itins.

 

If your TA (mine is a cruise only TA but also has some specialty land travel) is not a full service agency that sells Tauck Tours then you would go to a "general/full service" TA just as you normally would to book the ship if you were booking with Regent..

 

I've done a few land tours with Tauck and I have some friends going on the Voyager - repeat Regent Cruisers - but they booked via Tauck because of the tours and add on's - all first class - that Tauck is known for. They use the ship as their hotel and package their tour encompassing what the ship offers plus their own brand of touring - things like when you check into a hotel, your luggage is waiting for you - in your room - and the keys are handed to you from your transportation. They handle everything from the minute you are picked up at the airport to the moment of departure. We are very impressed with the Tauck Experience.

 

Just having returned from a Baltic Cruise, I wouldn't do the Baltics on a Tauck Tour. The known tour companies of DenRus, Red October or some others well spoken of here, do such a nice custom tour and many of the ports are easy to do on your own.