First night/first morning -Versailles
What is the schedule in Versailles - especially as to when luggage is picked up in the morning before going to Chartres? Will there be time for a decent night's sleep in the Trianon Palace?
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We haven't been on this one yet, but typically, on land tours, morning goes can be quite early. A late morning- breakfast from 0700-0730, bus departs at 0800-0830. Depending on the hotel staff availability, to ensure all the bags are picked up and loaded on the bus, bag pickup is usually around 6-6:30. To avoid getting up early, we put PJ's toiletries, etc. in our day bag.
Someone who has taken this tour recently will need to weigh in about that particular morning.
A "decent night's sleep" is sort of subjective, but in general I've never had a problem on Tauck tours with time to get luggage ready, eat breakfast, etc before time to board the bus EXCEPT on the morning at the end of the tour when departure depends on flight times and airport security delays.
Will you be able to stay late at the bar, sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, etc etc - no.
That is why I always shoot for an 11:00 am or later flight! : ) So far my record has been pretty good. However, we are leaving Capetown at 11:00 pm flight! It was either that or fly a different airline. Darn, we will need to figure out what to do for just a few hours.
We were promised breakfast to go from the hotel, but apparently nobody told the restaurant staff. They were barely putting out the cold breakfast foods and the poor waitress could only find bottoms for the take-out containers.
The only time I have know Tauck have us leave for the airport shorter than the usual ‘ be at the airport 3 hours before’ the big group of us were stuck in a traffic jam and then the security lines were huge. We were able to go to priority lines but most were not. I still to this day don’t know whether they made their flights. I like it be at the airport early, it just saves stress.
Doesn't look like anyone whose done this tour has read or will reply to this thread so Ill do the best estimate I can based on prior tours and the fact that our Seine river cruise started at this hotel.
Day 1 of your tour starts at 6PM with the welcome reception and dinner at the hotel. Figure about an hour for the reception (introduction to the TD, the other travelers, information briefing by the TD which will include things like the detailed agenda for the next day, etc) followed by dinner which is likely to be over by 8 or 8:30. So yes a fairly early evening.
I don't think breakfast will be available earlier than 6. For us it was a buffet served in the special event room where the Treaty of Versailles was signed. I know it wasn't earlier than 6am. I wouldn't expect departure earlier than 7. Baggage pull will be at least 30 minutes before departure.
However, we are leaving Capetown at 11:00 pm flight!
When will you be in Capetown?We will be there July30-August 2 AFTER our Great Migration trip to Tanzania and Kenya. Our time there will be on our own, since it will be an extension of our Tauck trip. We arranged for a private guide for 3 days with some touring on our last day (maybe wine country) and then drop off at the airport with dinner at a good restaurant or airport restaurant before our 11 PM flight.