Best Of

How about you sign with someone else's name, e.g. Greta Garbo? All this talk about COVID, quarantine, etc., etc. is so depressing. I just want to put my fingers in my ears (in my eyes?) and go, "Na na, na, na . . . . ." Ya pays your price and takes your chances.

I don’t know who is kidding and who is serious? I know there are Captains who never turn the seatbelt sign off cuz they are afraid of what might happen if they hit unexpected turbulence. And I have over twenty five thousand hours flying airplanes and I don’t know what an “air pocket” is. But, pilots and air traffic controllers talk to each other and have a pretty good idea where the rough air might be, so that is where we put on the seat belt sign or if we feel uncomfortable with the ride. The pilots are ‘always’ strapped in except when going to the Jon. You can hit a downdraft unexpectedly that may exceed five thousand feet per minute … that is roughly sixty miles an hour, and that is how fast you will be going when you hit the ceiling of the airplane … or the luggage compartment. As a passenger I never have the seatbelt off unless I’m walking about for whatever reason. Whenever you hear the Captain tell the flight attendants to strap in, you best be ready for an exciting ride … with your seatbelt fastened. I was once in uniform riding as a passenger and reading the paper during some bad turbulence. When it was over, the person sitting next to me said, “if you stopped reading the paper I was going to scream!”. .

P.S. A couple more ‘by the ways’. Air marshals will never reveal themselves unless they are going to shoot somebody, and the cockpit door will never open during a disturbance.

Yes, I think I’m getting way too cray about this trip. I’m trying some mindfulness to chill so I can enjoy. If I get quarantined, I’ll try to learn Hungarian. That will take at least 10 days….

I don't expect Tauck to be perfect all the time and this year definitely seems to be a challenge. However, I do appreciate honest reviews. Certainly better than the vague " they did me wrong" posts without enough detail to make a fair assessment If it's valid or they are a difficult crank.

If Tauck isn't willing to enforce the travel well pledge requirements then drop it.

I don't think travel - especially to somewhere like Europe - is more dangerous than at home, but the repercussions of a positive test are higher. Expense and hassle of staying longer, trying to meet the requirements to get on a plane, etc.

If I'm about to spend a large chunk of money on a tour and deal with any risks/inconveniences, I want to know what to expect from the tour as far as the TD, accommodations, food, sights, etc. Therefore I appreciate detailed reviews. Then I can pay my money and take my chances.

Ps- if a post bores you, don't read it. Plenty I skip.

Forewarned is forearmed. I scoured these forums ahead of our trip for what travelers are experiencing now so I could make the appropriate risk assessment for me. Currently on the trip, and the “elephant in the room” was discussed at the welcome dinner and then again as we gathered (tightly packed indoors) aboard the riverboat). Masking is based on the rules of the country you are in and a personal decision otherwise. We were told how many from the last cruise incurred the unplanned trip extension and what limited help our TDs can offer. International travel is not for the risk-averse right now.

Thomas: Please do not stop posting. I enjoy your posts and humor. There is always something to learn, positive and negative from all of these posts. Take what you like and leave the rest, I always say. We are all different people (which is great) with different expectations. You did nothing wrong. Covid has and continues to be extremely challenging with regards to travel. I hope you have a fantastic trip, I know you will. Please do post a review afterwards, it will be appreciated by many on this board. Safe travels.

Yes, Wildcat, that is one of the points the US Travel Association made in their 5 May letter to Dr Jha

Here's a link to it a pdf https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/5.2.22-dr-jha-final.pdf

I'd seen the letter but not the full list of signatories. Tauck is on the list.

Amen to both Alan S and the Sealord.