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Re: Walking with a cane on excursions
Beach_Travel1219:
I was on this tour in April of this year. I have to say that since I didn't need to stop and rest during the tour, I didn't really observe if there were places to rest along the various excursions. You may want to reach out to Tauck and perhaps there is a way to be put in touch with a Tour Director to address these concerns.
I think that most of the excursions on this tour are not extremely taxing and provide possible places to rest for a few minutes. However, the two excursions in Paris to the Opera Garnier and The Pantheon involved alot of walking/standing and many staircases. The Opera Garnier tour wasn't terribly long and I believe there were some places to rest in the main public areas. I believe it does have handicap access so hopefully there is an elevator to the 2nd floor. The Pantheon tour was much longer and I have to say that I became quite tired at the end. There were many staircases and you were on your feet for quite awhile. I don't recall if there were benches along the way, it seems like we were constantly on the move. The Pantheon tour could be challenging for your Mom and you may want to sit that one out.
The Chateau des Versailles, while huge, had benches around the estate and gardens to rest a bit as did Monet's Garden. The D-Day sites on Omaha Beach don't involve alot of walking unless you wish to wander. You will walk and stand for about an hour at the American cemetery, but I believe there are places to rest. The pace is slow. There is not that much walking on the Les Andelys area tours. You are seated while listening to the presentation at the Farm visit and you drive up to an overlook for the Chateau Gaillard. At the Gothic Cathedral Notre-Dame in Rouen, you are in a church so plenty of opportunity to sit while the Guide speaks. You will will take a short tour down the main street of Rouen, but you are on your own after the tour, so you can wander at your own pace or walk back to the ship with the guide.
I hope this helps some and that your Mom will be ok to travel.
Re: Walking with a cane on excursions
Beach_Travel1219,
If you don't already do this, go online to your airline's website and arrange for a wheelchair to take your mother through security and to the gate. If traveling business class, they will also take you to the lounge and will pick you up and escort you to the gate. Do this for all legs of your trip. Before landing at your destination, remind the flight attendant that you arranged for a wheelchair. She/he will check the roster to confirm. Sadly, our experience with wheelchairs at U.S. airports can be slow, but we have always received fast and efficient service in Europe, especially at Charles de Gaulle Airport. If Tauck arranged your airfare, call them and they will gladly assist you.
All the best to you and your mother. Please consider posting a review after your journey.
kfnknfzk
Re: Walking with a cane on excursions
Have you thought about getting her one of those canes that folds into a seat? Amazon lists quite a few so it might take some research to get the right one. But it would let her sit and listen to the guide or take breaks as needed. Just a thought.
Re: Small"er" Group Tours??
Alan. A smaller group is 15 people. It was published about that in the past couple of months. To me it’s not worth it especially as you spend so much time on your own on that particular tour. Buy your wife a nice diamond instead with the difference 😀
British
Re: Just Returned from Zambia, Botswana and South Africa
No one slept outside on the Pans last night. It was much too windy. I thought our glamping tent would blow away! We did see the Meercats in the late afternoon.
Re: Just Returned from Zambia, Botswana and South Africa
cuzin GJ
3:51PM
AlanS - thx for flight ideas. those work well, as we start at TYS (Knoxville) to ATL. Great photos by British ! thx to all.
You are welcome. We started at RDU.
Additional notes- If anyone plans to take the microlight flight over the falls, the cost for the photos was extra. I don't remember how much, but it was worth it to us. It was fantastic and much better than a helo flight IMHO!!! We took the long version- it flies up river for about 15 additional minutes. Still photos were taken with a wing-mounted GoPro set to take an exposure every few seconds. To make sure you get a photo of yourself waving, you must look and wave at the camera and hold that pose for 5- 10 seconds. 
The pilot will position the plane and let you know when are the best times. You are not allowed to take anything of your own on the flight- no lose clothing like a scarf, bags, cameras, etc.- they don't want anything to come lose that could damage the propellor. They give you an SD card or thumb drive at the end. Have a great trip
AlanS
Re: Just Returned from Zambia, Botswana and South Africa
cuzin GJ
10:45AM
. . . . Anyone have any preferred flights into Livingstone ( from Atlanta ) ? Would late June be a good time for this trip ?
This is nearly identical to what we flew to B,SA,Z several years ago, except we needed feeder flights from our local airport to ATL.
Delta non-stop ATL to JNB. Dep ATL 9:30 pm on an A350-900; arrives JNB 7:00 pm local (we spent the night at the airport Intercontinental- nice hotel just outside terminal- 2 min. walk) then late the next morning departed JNB on Airlink (a regional carrier but same Delta PNR) at 11:00 am, flew non-stop and arrived LVI at 12:45 pm. Return departs CPT at 9:30 pm, flies direct CPT to ATL, again on an A350-900 and arrives ATL at 7:35 am.
Pretty simple and direct, avoids layovers, plane changes, etc. at Heathrow, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfort and other euro airports. Overnight rest in JNB was our first ever overnight layover- but was most welcome and won't be our last. We were rested and ready to start pre-tour activities as soon as we arrived in Livingstone, which we did with afternoon microlight flights over the falls and river.
AlanS
Re: recommended insect repellant for August - Picaridin vs Deet
I sprayed my clothes and wore a mask and gloves while spraying. The small disappears almost immediately . There were not that many mosquitos at all at Victoria Falls and I am a mosquito magnet. I was just at the Falls last week. I’m at the Pans now and since it’s 5:30 in the morning, I’m dressed like an Eskimo because the mornings are cold. Layer, layer and layer your clothing. It is currently extremely windy. I also have an extremely lightweight solar lamp by Kizen (Amazon) which has come in very handy especially and only for this camp.
Re: Walking with a cane on excursions
We took a different Tauck Seine River cruise in Apr 2023. My 90+ year old husband did fine, but he cannot walk for long periods of time either. The best advice I can offer is to let the tour directors know your concerns. They strive to ensure every guest can participate, but they cannot provide special one-on-one treatment. I know he stayed on the ship for one excursion and he was fine with that. There were two ladies who stayed behind also and when we returned to the ship the three of them were playing Scrabble and just having a grand time.
Typically, one tour director will ask that those guests who would like a more leisurely walk stay with her/him throughout the tour. They have a knack for taking shortcuts and finding places to rest. Sometimes, however, she might have to sit at an outdoor cafe while the rest of the group explores. Based on our experience, there are always others who will relish the thought of sitting, enjoying a latte and people watch. If your tour includes Monet's Gardens, there are plenty of benches as well as a lovely cafe. Don't pass up the gift shop for quality products reasonably priced.
I hope this helps. I really see no need to cancel but you, of course, need to be the judge of that. My husband did so well that we actually returned to Europe the same year for a holiday market cruise. He was 99.
kfnknfzk