Tauck Rhine River cruise review

[PK227]

Returned recently from our Tauck Rhine/Mosele river cruise. Here's my review (have never done one before, so please be nice or ask questions, ok?). Trip to Basil Switzerland was LONG. Missed our connection in Paris (hung up in Atlanta) and it ended up taking about 27 hours to get there from Arizona. We were very tired. Keep forgetting to stop someplace along the way on these long trips, rather than attempting to do it in one day.

 

The ship. The Diamond. Don't have much to say because Tauck is no longer going to use this boat. It was charming, old and had very little cabins. Since they have chosen to not contract with this boat again, there's not a lot of point in discussing it further other than to say that the crew was amazing. They knew it was the 3rd to last cruise with Tauck and couldn't have been more accommodating, fun, helpful, etc. Food was great. Service was wonderful. Hats off to all of them.

 

The people. I was frankly surprised. The average age was probably around 70. The time of year might have been a factor since it was Sept when the kids are back in school. Nice people but usually total silence in the lounge at about 9 pm. Overwhelmingly American with a few Canadians and Brits thrown in.

 

The locks. Maybe I'm the only person who didn't know about them, but there were, reportedly, over 40 locks on this trip. Not a big deal, other than being stuck sitting around occasionally while waiting for other boats to clear, but we were surprised nobody mentioned them. We were told that there are 72 locks on the Danube trip. Wow. The only negative was going through the locks at night with the window open....phew.

 

Tauck: We had a travel coordinator and 3 Tauck guides with us on the boat (about 100 people on the boat). Generally did a great job. The off-ship luncheons were in very nice places.... first class castles, chateaus, etc. Tauck does a really nice job. Coaches were on time. Everything was on time. All tours and gratuities were included. Very nice. Cost of drinks, etc. on the boat were reasonable and free wine, beer and soft drinks were included with meals (well, maybe not booze at breakfast...never asked). Felt we got a lot for our dollar. Hotel, transfers, etc. were handled flawlessly.

 

Tours: Most stops were small villages (charming). Travel on the boat was mostly at night and tours started somewhere between 8 and 9 am. Either coaches would be there or it would be a short walk to meet the local tour guides...who were the usual local tour guides. Some good some not so good. Tauck provided earphones which helped a lot on the tours. There was a LOT of walking which is interesting considering the average age on the ship (but most were in great shape). Our group of 6 was quite a bit younger and got pretty tired of walking after about 10 days. Most tours ended so that people could return to the ship for their free lunch. We usually stayed in town and skipped the free lunch. Beautiful scenery, pretty towns.

 

Dress: The brochure said for men to bring a jacket. Totally not necessary. Dress was casual. No sloppy, but casual. We brought too many things for dinner and not enough warm clothes (had a little cold snap for a few days). Comfortable walking shoes are critical.

 

Don't have a lot more to say. We all enjoyed the trip. Probably wouldn't go on that particular boat again (walked into our cabin and said to hubby...."where's the rest of it?"). But it was fine. We were able to find places to put things but it was certainly no place to spend any amount of time. Hope this fills some of the void of reviews on Tauck Riverboat tours. They did a great job (as Tauck does). We did notice, however, that often Viking had better docking places. It appears they are the "big dog" on the Rhine. But Tauck, being Tauck, made sure that buses dropped people as close as possible to the boat. I know nothing about the prices for Viking or if they have the "everything included" package that Tauck does. Please let me know if you would like more info.

[mushroom]

You have done a fine job of presenting Tauck. Thank you for hitting many of the points I was curious about. We had been on Uniworld and loved it...but were wishing we had windows that would open. However, your point about having the windows open in the locks helps me get over the disappointment of no open windows. ( We did all 70+ locks, some during the day and many at night. ) I know that Tauck is fairly new to the riverboat business - compared to Uniworld and Viking, so it makes sense that the docking might be a little less desirable. However, it's good to know that they handled the land operations with their characteristic excellence. I'm glad you enjoyed your adventure! Thanks for sharing it with us.

[kftw]

Thank you for your review. I really appreciate you taking the time to write one. We haven't taken a river cruise yet as we're still in the learning process.

 

k

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thank you for posting your trip report. It was very good. We have only taken Tauck land tours before and they have been wonderful. We have taken 2 river cruises--one on Viking about 4 years aog, down the Danube and Rhine. We loved it. Last April we took Uniworld for the tulips and windmills cruise. Loved it too! someday we hope to do a Tauck River Cruise. I think their company is top notch.

Thanks again.

micked10

[ddschur]

Thank you very much for your assessment!

 

We will be taking our first river cruise with Tauck next year so your insights are appreciated!

 

We have taken Tauck land tours and found them to be outstanding...thus, the reason for choosing Tauck for the river cruise.

 

Only concern I had was Tauck's not being primarily a river cruise company like Viking, Scenic Tours, GCT and others.

 

After reading some of the comments on the comment boards regarding some of the river cruise companies it appears that Tauck is a good choice and you have validated that decision!

 

Thank you again

[Emma Chisit]

Thanks, appreciate the review as Tauck doesn't seem to be reviewed much. Defintely considering a cruise with them sometime, depending on itinerary.

[newlondon]

Thanks for the review of Tauck. We will be on the Swiss Saphire next August, and I have been looking for info. Obviously, this will be a much newer boat and owned by Tauck, but if your experience was so good ours hopefully will be better because of the bigger cabins and continuity with Tauck. Could you please comment on the dining experience at dinner. We are Regent and Silversea cruisers and prefer eating as two. My understanding is this is not possible. Are there lines at dinner as suggested in other reviews on this board?

[klncpa]

I did a Tauck Black Sea to Budapest trip on the Swiss Sapphire in June of this year (2008). Meal times are pretty strict. If breakfast is 7:30-10:00, you'd better be done by 10:10 because you'll be asked to leave. I believe the Restaurant Manager told us that under their contract with Tauck ("they" being the company from whom Tauck leases the boats) that there are 2 hours allotted for dinner. There are no lines, the dining room can seat all passengers in one sitting. Our particular trip was about thirty passengers below capacity, so it was possible for some solo dining at dinner.

 

I'm 43 and I was travelling with my 73 year old mother. Other than a couple of teenagers travelling with their parents, I was clearly the youngest person on the boat. While older than me, most of the other passengers were in fabulous shape (some better than me), and I found it absolutely fascinating to talk with them about their past travel experiences (3 conversation starters on any Tauck trip...have you travelled with Tauck before, where was your last trip and where is your next trip...these draw some really interesting info about places I've been or like to go). We usually prefer to eat alone but made fast friends with some other folks and spent most nights enjoying their company at a table for six.

 

The Tauck Tour Directors were all fabulous. Everything was on time and if there were any logistical glitches, they were invisible to us.

 

This was our first riverboat trip and first Tauck trip, and we were very impressed. The Sapphire is a beautiful ship. The food is great. You'll enjoy it very much. We experienced a few problems with the ship staff, mostly related to the fact that the ship and crew had only been running for two months. Tauck seemed to be a top notch operator. With a great ship and tour company, you should be in for a fabulous time!

 

Happy cruising!

Karen

[newlondon]

Karen, Thank you so much for your reply. I have heard nothing but positives about Tauck and so was not dismayed to pony up the extra $$ for this trip. You give me even more reassurance.

[kerryblue]

I too thank you for your review. I'm hoping you all can give me some more help.

 

We planned to do a Rhine/Moselle trip on Viking in October (have already gotten the air). I should have done my research first but I didn't. Now I'm reading a lot of negetive comments about them and also about Uniworld (which I thought I'd transfer to). Some of the comments said the food was mediocre with rushed service, tour groups were large, and there was a lot of pressure to "stay with the group" rather than explore on one's own.

 

Like another member, we too are Regent/Seabourn cruisers. What we liked about them was basically excellent food served slowly enough to enjoy getting to know new table companions, and excellent service. I know riverboat cruising is an entirely different thing but am still hoping to find one that has these qualities. Then I read about Tauck and am wondering from all of you who have taken one of their cruises if this would fit the bill for us. (We did take a Deilmann cruise about 5 years ago and although it had it's faults, we would do them again if they had the places we wanted to go.

 

One of the negatives about Tauck is that there are only twin beds which cannot be put together.

 

What do you guys think? This is probably are last trip to Europe so I hope everyone (who is as picky as we are :) and who's been on this cruise will let me know which way to go. Thanks!

[Acrusa]

Thanks for that wonderful review.We recieved the Tauck brochure and are planning to do there Amsterdam to Budapest for July or August for 2010. We are allready booked this summer for 14 day Med cruise on Oceania. Would like to read your review when you get this summer NEWLONDON.

[pacmom]

Kerryblue,

 

There is a role call for the Viking cruise for the 19th of April. If you post on that we will give reviews and honest assessments. Have been on both Uniworld and Viking--never found food mediocre. We have owned a restaurant and are "picky" eaters. Don't want to hi-jack the thread, so why don't you start a new one--am sure you will get good responses. Pat

[loum140]

I notice that you took a Viking River Cruise on the Rhine and Danube in 2004. Was it Amsterdam/Budapest or the reverse? We are booked on this itinerary for next June and would love to hear your impressions. How were the tours?

 

We took Viking's round trip Vienna/Black Sea in 2003 and really enjoyed it. Thanks in advance.

[kkbay]

In response to the negative feedback about Viking - here is my opinion. We just returned from the Danube Christmas Market Tour with Viking. While the food was fine, there was not the variety found on large cruise ships. There was ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE to stay with the tour groups. In fact, we left the group many times and had fun on our own. The rooms were very clean, as was the entire ship. The staff was very nice and easy to work with. We had a wonderful time, and I'm sure you will, too.

[Oceans&Rivers]

I did a Tauck Black Sea to Budapest trip on the Swiss Sapphire in June of this year (2008). Meal times are pretty strict. If breakfast is 7:30-10:00, you'd better be done by 10:10 because you'll be asked to leave.

 

I hope passengers were notified of that before the first meal. Customarily, posted times are times of entry to the dining room, meaning the latest you may enter the dining room would be 10:00 if times are 7:30-10:00, but you'd then be able to finish in more time than a ghastly ten minutes. :eek:

[kerryblue]

Pacmom,

 

I've love to hear your assessment. I'm new to this...how do I get to the Viking roll call page? Thanks!

 

Kerryblue

[pacmom]

Kerryblue,

 

The roll call for the Apr 19th sailing is on this page. Title: Treasures of the Rhine Apr 19. Also try the search engine, it is supposed to be updated. Still have had only one bad meal on a river cruise and that was in Egypt. It is difficult to make shoices for others. Good luck. Pat

[newlondon]

Having been unable to post due to a week+ without power in our ice storm, I'm just catching up. We did not hear or see anything about beds not being pushed together. In fact if you go to the Tauck site and drill down to the article on the Saphire the pictures look just the opposite. Acrusa we'll post our impressions next Sept. if the stock market doesn't tank even further.

[shoshona2]

Hi newlondon,

 

After your river book cruise with Tauck, would you please post here and on the Tauck board since we are booking the same cruise for 2010. Love to hear your comments. Which way are you doing -- North or South?

 

Sheila

[newlondon]

We are going South. Assuming the stock market doesn't do another negative 40% will review upon our return.

[shoshona2]

To newlondon,

 

Thanks.

 

Sheila

[2travelers]

I hope passengers were notified of that before the first meal. Customarily, posted times are times of entry to the dining room, meaning the latest you may enter the dining room would be 10:00 if times are 7:30-10:00, but you'd then be able to finish in more time than a ghastly ten minutes. :eek:

 

WOW - Someone finally said something a bit negative about Tauck.

We toured with them several years ago for the first and last time. This was an extensive and expensive (as are all Tauck tours) trip. From day one we were treated like 6-year-olds. Of the 42 in the group there were only 8 of us who did not arrive two days earlier to overcome jet-lag. No accomodations were made for us. Although the guide kept saying how sorry she felt, she told us that the the rest were in the majority and that they needed to get up and go. That was fine, we have traveled enough to know what to expect. When we were told to meet the bus at 8am the following morning and at 7:50 we lost our bearings leaving the hotel, we were met by a condescending, nasty tour guide who told us that this "better not happen again because we were holding up the rest of the group". When I mentioned that we still had 5 minutes - she informed me "that was NOT the way Tauck did things". The entire trip was like that - there could be no diviation from what Tauck wanted...and they constantly brainwashed people by continually ccommenating how Tauck was the best. Since we had traveled with many tour groups before, I did not find them any better than some of the others. I did find 3/4 of the group clicky (which Tauck encourages) and obnoxious. Also - FYI - The repeat travelers call themselves "Tauckies" So, let the buyer beware. Although I have never done a River Cruise with the comapny...and I have no intention of ever doing one - you may have wonderful accomodatons and excellent food - but you will be back in grade school and under strict supervision before you know it.

[newlondon]

2travellers experience certainly does not sound like fun, but maybe necessary. I have toured with other groups as well-not Tauck yet- and I can tell you that I would prefer a strict regimen rather than a laid back approach. If there is no discipline then those who abide by the rules are at the mercy of those who don't or don't care. I have had tours held up to the point that the itinerary was not completed. I have had groups slowed by less mobile folks even though the description warns of difficult terrain--etc. I agree that cliques are regrettable, but in my opinion a fact of life. Once again I'm sorry you had a bad time. I do ask friends who have done Tauck for their opinions and we are going because they were unanimously 5 star.

[Louise22]

2travelers - just for your information, I made a negative report back in November on this board. So, some do complain about Tauck. I was treated very rudely also but if you can get by that everything else was fine.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Sorry I did not see your post before this. Got caught up in the Xmas rush!!!

Our Viking cruise was from Vienna to Amsterdam. We did the rhine, Danube and Main rivers. It was a wonderful cruise. The food was good to excellent. Tour guides very informative, except for one, who gave way too much architectural information. The group was split into very small groups for the city tours and any bus trip that we took.

The ship was spotless and the staff very helpful. You could break away from the tours if you wished to or complete the walking tour and then stay in town and go your individaul way or have lunch etc.

Everything was well organized and the group we traveled with mixed well and we met some very interesting people. You will enjoy Viking (IMO)

micked10