Best Of

The Eden Project was okay, but if you have experienced other Biodomes, especially those in Singapore, it's a bit of a let down. Despite being described as showing the interconnectedness of all living things, there was no discussion at all, merely descriptions of plants and some mention of their relation to fauna and other flora. The outside gardens were nice to walk through, but it's all done on your own with no naturalist anywhere. Maybe if we had been a larger group, Tauck would have arranged for a guide to show us around, but apparently few people on the tours before ours had wanted to go and no one else on our tour went. The gift shop was nice, but mostly things it would be difficult to take home when traveling.

As for the rating system being different than it used to be over the last 25 years or so, they've tightened it up a bit and some tours that used to have 2/2 type ratings are now rated more accurately so that travelers have a better idea of what to expect. We've encountered more people lately on tours where the activity levels and/or pace were too much for them. Many seem to think that Tauck can accommodate people who are not capable of doing the scheduled itinerary by finding alternative things to keep them busy. Tauck does often go the extra mile, but that can become difficult on a regular basis. It's always fine to skip activities so long as you plan on filling your time on your own and don't expect the Tour Director to make alternative plans for you.