Feb 2022 tour canceled
Just got word that our February 2022 Grand Australia and New Zealand tour has been canceled. I’m not surprised. We’ve got ESW scheduled for July 2022, so we’re pondering what else to do. Several of our other bucket list trips are booked so we may just wait until 2023.
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GA&NZ is a wonderful trip and hope that you get to explore those two countries before too long. It's a shame it was cancelled however it is an adventure definitely worthy of rebooking. We did the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb in our free time and it was a blast.
That's my favorite of all of my Tauck tours. Definitely rebook it!
Dottie D - there are several other great tours to pick from that can be as epic as GA&NZ while you wait for that one to be a go. It all depends what type of tour you like. If you like adventure tours then a safari or the Galapagos are tops in my book. For exotics that aren’t adventure tours, then any of the Asian or MidEast/Africa trips are epic. I recommend the following: China; Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand; India; Israel/Jordan/Egypt ( any combination ). All of those, I think can come close to matching what you’ll get from GA&NZ.
I want to see more of New Zealand!
A friend who spoke with a Tauck reservations sales agent a day or so ago, was told "all Australia/NZ trips are cancelled for the first half of 2022."
British I agree. I would like to see more of New Zealand. While the entire Grand A-NZ tour was amazing, I was delightfully surprised that I enjoyed the New Zealand portion more. Looking at the current itineraries, Tauck now offers a more focused NZ tour. I would be interesting is signing up for this one. This tour may be a bit more focused than the previous spotlight tours offered.
Yes, we looked at that four too.
We deliberately took the New Zealand and Australia tours separately….several reasons….we did not want to go to Australia in their summer, but we did want to go to New Zealand in their summer. The three week tour was too long at that time of our lives….but also so we could add on days ar either end of each tour, so we saw more of Wellington and Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.
Without Covid in the picture, we would have scheduled New Zealand for early 2022, but now we have to catch up on posh ones tours
We picked Australia/New Zealand in late February/early March because since we retired to southwestern Colorado last year, we learned that you get pretty tired of snow by then. We added ESW in July because our tour begins on the day that the Open Championship at St. Andrews end. We’re hoping to snag tickets and go early. So we may just let that trip be it for 2022 and try Aus/NZ again in 2023 or perhaps to Peru and Galapagos or B, SA & Z or Jordan/Egypt. (We did K&T a few years ago.). Those are right now topping the bucket list. We hope to throw in another European trip or two. I’m watching the reviews from those now traveling. So hard to decide.
If you'll be in Edinburgh from 5 August to 27 August, you'll be able to see the Military Tattoo. Great show. Tauck adds it to the tour during that time. At least, it used to.
ndvb - What do they remove from the tour to accomodate the show, or was it just free time?
It was just on the schedule. It is an evening activity and took place after dinner, if I remember correctly. I'd have to look back in my travel files but after three moves since I took the trip, who knows where that is. I'll try though.
Call Tauck. You'll probably get the information quicker.
Itinerary description of the second day in Edinburgh says the Tattoo is covered from 7 August-28 August.
A sightseeing tour of historic Edinburgh with a local guide is the perfect place to begin any Scotland and England travel; enjoy an introductory tour to this city of cobbled streets, Georgian architecture and trendy lifestyles. Your tour includes a private visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland (if Her Majesty is not visiting), and a tour of famed Edinburgh Castle, built into rugged rock above the city skyline. Following a free afternoon in Edinburgh and lunch as you please, join us this evening for a journey through the aromas and flavors that lead to the perfect Single Malt Whisky. At the “Scottish Whisky Experience,” you’ll learn the history of Scotland’s most famous export, hear the stories behind the craft, and enjoy a tasting and dinner. Journeys departing August 7 – 28 will attend an outdoor evening performance of the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
On the tour with the Tattoo, you don't get the Scottish Whiskey Experience. We had dinner in the hotel before heading to the castle for the Tattoo. I thought it was a wonderful experience and would recommend it to anyone who is able to be in Edinburgh at that time.
Tall travelers (I'm 6'6" tall) beware of the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh. When I attended in 2008, the stadium, which was packed, had the least amount of leg room of any stadium I'd ever been in. Fortunately I was able to trade seats to get an aisle seat where I could drape my legs into the aisle. The show was fun, but the seating was far from comfortable.
Another caution- weather- be prepared!!! August in Scotland is not like August in most of the lower 48! If you search the forum archives you'll find a couple of posts where people nearly froze during a very cold and windy, and sometimes, rainy Tatoo!
If you wonder what it will be like, there are a number of videos on YouTube.
Sam - Word of warning - if you're ever in NYC and see a "Broadway" show, avoid the theatre at Lincoln Center. It was the most cramped seating I've ever experienced, and it's not that old a theatre.
Agree with Alan on the weather issue. We were there in early August and it sure got cold. Fortunately, it didn't rain. The night before there were many showers. Make sure you wear long pants and have layers. Gloves also were a good idea. Our tour director gave each member a scarf with different Scottish tartans. It helped with the dampness and the cold. One attendee across the aisle had her feet in her carry on bag for warmth!
We were there in August 2019. It was cold a little windy and damp. Seats were uncomfortable. Other than the military band that marched in at the beginning and then marched out at the end we thought the Tatoo was mediocre at best. Just our opinion,
We were there just a few years ago on a trip to Edinburgh.When we lived in England, the Tattoo was shown every year on TV and we thought it looked a big bore. But we did not want to miss being with our group, so we got tickets. We thought it was excellent. There was even an American regiment, sorry not very good with how American military are divided, but this group threw sharp swords at and between each other and that was awesome too. I believe the Tattoo now has guest appearances every year. There was also a laser light type show.
Anyway, if you do the ESW tour and get tickets included with the Tauck tour, I would recommend going.
When the Tattoo canceled for the 2nd year in a row, all of a sudden 2022 dates that included the Tattoo were Sold Out. So, we went ahead and booked for 2023! We have wanted to see it even though the rest of “A Week in Scotland” is a repeat for us.
We decided to use our canceled Australia/New Zealand deposit for Peru & Galapagos in 2023. Our thinking is that we should go ahead and do the more strenuous trips on our bucket list while we are still able. Am I right that this one is fairly strenuous?
Also we went with Isabella instead of Silversea because (a) Silversea is not open for 2023 yet and (b) I wasn’t sure the $4k per person cost difference was worth it. Thoughts?
Dottie D - We've taken the same approach - doing the more strenuous or adventurous trips sooner rather than later. I didn't find the Peru and Galapagos tour any more strenuous than other tours, it's just more adventurous than most with the daly snorkeling in the Galapagos. Another point is that there is a fair amount of high altitude activities in Peru. When we did this tour we were on the Isabella and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ship only holds 40 passengers.
This tour is our second favorite Tauck tour, slightly behind the Kenya & Tanzania Safari tour. The marine and wildlife you'll see in the Galapagos is unbelievable.
You must understand that Sam's idea of strenuous is making it through the buffet line from salad to desert in one pass.
We have’t been to Peru, but have taken two Tauck Galápagos tours on the Isabella 2. The first time, the tour was a day longer on the ship than the second. We visited totally different sites apart from one day which was the same.
The key thing, is to have the correct footwear. Chose a time when the temperatures may be less and pratice getting in and out of zodiacs 😀
The Isabella is a basic expedition ship, but we love it. The crew are wonderful.
There are no keys to the rooms. If you throw a sweater on the bed, when you come back, it will be nearly folded!
Would return to Galápagos in a heartbeat.