Best Of
Re: June 14 2025 trip
@MPSchaaf how fun there will be more kids around the same age in the group! My crew (14 boy 16 girl)is coming from the greater San Diego area and my parents from MD and brother &fam( younger boys) from VA. Some of us have been to Africa before and for some it’s the first time but all are excited :-) looking forward to meeting you and your family.
hey101
Re: extra days
If you can find a way to get there, you might consider Ostuni. Our tour director said it was a beautiful place to visit but was not on the Tauck itinerary due not being large enough. Subsequently a friend went there and really enjoyed it.
Wan
Re: Week in Ireland Luggage Question
I was on that tour in the fall. I had a medium bag, a carryon as well as a rollator and there was no problem to accommodate these. On the small group tour you still get a full size bus ! At least we did.
RGM2
Re: “Impressions From The Seine” Trip Review April 8 – 17, 2024 (Part 3)
Hi Claudia. Thanks for your comments. Expectations can definitely cause some issues. This was actually my 4th Tauck Cruise. My first cruise was cruising down the Rhone from Paris 10 years ago. It was a fun cruise, but definitely not my favorite. I think my favorite was the 2nd trip Budapest to the Black Sea on the Danube. I also enjoyed the 3rd trip Amsterdam to Basel down the Rhine, which was my Husband's first trip, so perhaps your logic about the first trip does make sense. LOL.
This recent cruise from Paris to Normandy was actually a good one, I loved the itinerary. I just think there was a cascade of little issues, the Tauck transport situation at the Airport, hard bed at the Hotel, broken tooth, jet lag, extreme crowds, etc. that snowballed into creating a negative atmosphere. Of course, being docked 1 hour outside of Paris was really the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, when all of the Paris excursions took place within the City Center for the first couple of days. That was enough to put anyone in a bad mood. The River Gods are in control of the River, not Tauck.
In hind sight, after being home and looking back at the cruise, we both agreed that we had a great time, once we were out of Paris. LOL. Tauck does a great job and I am sure we will travel with them again. They make it easy for you and everything is included and I love all the little surprises thru the week that may not have a large dollar value but make you smile. All of the meals, on and off the ship were spectacular. The wines were wonderful and the D-Day and Giverny excursions were beyond fabulous. All of the supporting staff did a fantastic job, especially the servers and housekeeping. They always had a smile on their faces.
Sometimes life just throws you a curve to mix things up a bit and keep you on your toes. If everything was perfect, we wouldn't have all of our interesting travel tales to talk about and that's part of the joy of traveling.
Re: Essence of South America Trip Review (10/15/23 - 10/28/23)
The reports above are comprehensive and were much appreciated.
We took this trip in late January 2025. Weather in Rio was hot and humid. We had a very congenial group of just over 20.
Our group had lunch one day at the Cultural Center in Rio which was delicious. We regret not staying afterwards to see more of the Center as the entire afternoon was free.
In Rio our taxi driver recommended Satyricon in Ipanema where we had a delicious seafood lunch in a lovely garden room with excellent leisurely service.
Highlights for us were Iguazu Falls and the Vik in Chile. Buenos Aires is a lovely city.
The walks at the Falls are easy. For the helicopter you need to be fit enough to climb up and in but it’s not hard. Belmond Hotel is beautiful. We enjoyed the tasting menu dinner, others said the buffet was good and the buffet is quicker if that matters to you. The offsite dinner at a chef’s home was entertaining as well as delicious. The bird sanctuary was fascinating. The local guide suggested a movie, The Mission, which was filmed in Foz, for later viewing.
The rooftop bar at the Alvear Palace was open and we had a light dinner there one evening. One weekends there is a local crafts market a couple blocks from the hotel. The trip through the countryside to the estancia was very interesting with two good stops. The estancia experience was relaxing and very enjoyable.
The Vik Winery was a unique and interesting experience. We enjoyed the cooking class; the wine tasting group was adjacent and seemed to have had a great time too. Would have been good to do both. The kitchen garden at this venue was very nice. The hotel is very interesting, each room is indeed different. Food was good. The trip to Vik Winery from Santiago was accompanied by commentary by the local guide and was interesting. The orchards and the homes and slices of local life were interesting to drive through.
If you are a history buff someone recommended the book, The Real Odessa by Uki Goni, a journalist. There is also a YouTube video by the author.
There is a lot of free time on this trip so do some research beforehand as to what is available to see that interests you and do take a swimsuit.
Augrl
Re: Please help with shoes for Classic K and T
Mine is retiring soon after knowing him for over forty years. I dread having to find a new one.
kfnknfzk
Re: Paris, Dordogne & Bordeaux
I, too, am delighted to see extended hotel stays and look forward to reading critiques of this tour.
kfnknfzk
Re: The Rhine and Moselle 5/58/2025
I would love to read your thoughts of this tour. Please consider posting a review afterwards.
kfnknfzk
Re: England, Scotland and Wales
I've done the tour in the past and given how I pack for most tours these days I could do it with one pair of well broken in walking shoes ( probably sneakers) and a nice pair of flats to wear in the evening. A second pair of walking shoes in case of rain maybe as a backup. I pick my wardrobe, especially colors, to minimize shoes due to weight. Its tough as I love shoes.
Re: Reflections of Morocco
Essouaria is enchanting! I spent three nights there on a post Moroccan tour with another company. You can ride a horse or camel on the beach if you are so inclined!
