To Mary Wills
We loved the Danube river cruise. It was our first, and we especially liked the combination of easy access to land travel along with the convenience of staying in one “hotel” room, so to speak, all the time. The service was outstanding, as we expect from Tauck, and the food was consistently good and interesting. You could not ask for a better staff or tour directors.
We enjoyed the places that we visited. Prague, Budapest, and Vienna were all we expected, and the little villages were charming. In Vienna, be sure to choose Schonnbrun Palace as your excursion. You can see the other options in your spare time. Skip the horses. We were never rushed, but neither did we have wasted time.
We went in mid September. The weather was lovely, but often chilly. Take a light jacket. You also need several dressy outfits...a sports coat, tie not necessary, for the gentlemen...for the special dinners. All vey entertaining.
We are sold on riverboat traveling, and we will depart for Brussels and Holland in the Spring in mid April. Cheers for the tulips!!!
Have fun on your trip. If you choose the Blue Danube, I think you will have made a good choice.
Nancy
Mary Willis - our trip began on May 18, 2015. We were EXTREMELY unlucky with the weather. It rained every single day (but not ALL the time), until Budapest, which was lovely. But oh what a difference a day can make. While we were in the airport I was talking to someone who was on the Viking trip - they said weather was perfect! Turns out they were one day behind us the whole way. The Danube also was too high and we couldn't get on the boat at the normal stop and had to be transported down river by bus. Just really, really unlucky. And when it rains most of the day, every day, it does affect things. But we were prepared with raincoats and layers - I had to wear a lightweight puffy coat several times for added warmth - cold and damp does penetrate.
I doubt if you will have this problem. May really should be a lovely time to go. None of us control the weather, so you just have to make the best of it. We were lucky we got to bike along the Danube once. Plus the rain drove us into the cafes in Vienna - but how bad is that? Coffee and pastry? Yes, please.
Most of Northern Europe does not have a ‘ rainy season ‘ it’s pretty much evenly distributed throughout the year and hard to predict in advance. When we were in Budapest last September on a Tauck land tour, I think that is when we got most of the rain. Unfortunately, I decided to use an hotel unbrella in our free time of site seeing and it was stolen at our first stop, a cafe, so we just ran through the rain to our other planned stops and had a great time just giggling and getting wet. Most others just stayed in the hotel that afternoon. We made the best of it, I do admit that when it rains it can color your perspective of a place, but then you can plan to go again and hope for better weather????
How many wish Tauck could, would start running the old Egypt and Jordan, Timeless Treasures, Ancient Lands- especially with the new museum and recent discoveries?!?! If it could only be done safely! I know a few operators are still running tours there. Maybe just stay away from the lower Sinai?
Wouldn’t that be wonderful! That’s the one I hope they bring back as soon as possible.
Doesn’t Tauck offer an Israel and Jordan tour now. Our tour director on the Vienna, Prague Budapest and Krakow tour runs that one and its sounds wonderful and is a safer trip. Egypt is one of those places we never had interest in seeing, I think it is all the endless study of the Egyptians and all the mummies we went to see in the city museum when we were kids, we are kinda Egypted out.
Doesn’t Tauck offer an Israel and Jordan tour now. Our tour director on the Vienna, Prague Budapest and Krakow tour runs that one and its sounds wonderful and is a safer trip. Egypt is one of those places we never had interest in seeing, I think it is all the endless study of the Egyptians and all the mummies we went to see in the city museum when we were kids, we are kinda Egypted out.
British - Yes, they do have an Israel and Jordan tour and I highly recommend it. Like others, I kept hoping they would bring Egypt back and we could do an Egypt, Jordan, Israel. We finally gave up on that. I still have a romantic vision of someday taking a dahabeah down the Nile. You never know.
To British
I live in Dallas where we are not used to cold temperatures. When the temp drops below 60, I reach for a jacket. Patagonia is the classic example of layering. I took lots of warm clothes but never wore them all at once except the day we went to see the big glacier. The temps in Santiago and BA were in the high 80’s, low 90’s. Other places varied from 50’s and 60’s. I think. We went in February, 2015,so I really don’t remember exactly. All of our pictures in Patagonia show us in caps, jackets. It is always windy, though, so it can seem colder than it is. Although I did not care for this trip except for the glaciers and BA, my husband really enjoyed it. No matter what, we met great people and had fun on the trip. I just wouldn’t go back. I hope you enjoy it.
Comments
We loved the Danube river cruise. It was our first, and we especially liked the combination of easy access to land travel along with the convenience of staying in one “hotel” room, so to speak, all the time. The service was outstanding, as we expect from Tauck, and the food was consistently good and interesting. You could not ask for a better staff or tour directors.
We enjoyed the places that we visited. Prague, Budapest, and Vienna were all we expected, and the little villages were charming. In Vienna, be sure to choose Schonnbrun Palace as your excursion. You can see the other options in your spare time. Skip the horses. We were never rushed, but neither did we have wasted time.
We went in mid September. The weather was lovely, but often chilly. Take a light jacket. You also need several dressy outfits...a sports coat, tie not necessary, for the gentlemen...for the special dinners. All vey entertaining.
We are sold on riverboat traveling, and we will depart for Brussels and Holland in the Spring in mid April. Cheers for the tulips!!!
Have fun on your trip. If you choose the Blue Danube, I think you will have made a good choice.
Nancy
I doubt if you will have this problem. May really should be a lovely time to go. None of us control the weather, so you just have to make the best of it. We were lucky we got to bike along the Danube once. Plus the rain drove us into the cafes in Vienna - but how bad is that? Coffee and pastry? Yes, please.
Wouldn’t that be wonderful! That’s the one I hope they bring back as soon as possible.
British - Yes, they do have an Israel and Jordan tour and I highly recommend it. Like others, I kept hoping they would bring Egypt back and we could do an Egypt, Jordan, Israel. We finally gave up on that. I still have a romantic vision of someday taking a dahabeah down the Nile. You never know.
I live in Dallas where we are not used to cold temperatures. When the temp drops below 60, I reach for a jacket. Patagonia is the classic example of layering. I took lots of warm clothes but never wore them all at once except the day we went to see the big glacier. The temps in Santiago and BA were in the high 80’s, low 90’s. Other places varied from 50’s and 60’s. I think. We went in February, 2015,so I really don’t remember exactly. All of our pictures in Patagonia show us in caps, jackets. It is always windy, though, so it can seem colder than it is. Although I did not care for this trip except for the glaciers and BA, my husband really enjoyed it. No matter what, we met great people and had fun on the trip. I just wouldn’t go back. I hope you enjoy it.