Seat Rotation
There seems to be some interest in hearing if Tauck is doing (or on how many tours) coach seat rotations during Covid. So as opposed to diverting existing discussions I thought I'd start a new one.
If people that have taken a Tauck tour since they have resumed could you please post the following:
Name of Tour, Number of Tauck guests, Seat Rotation on Coaches utilized Yes or No. I'll be the first
Iceland: Land of Fire and Ice Tour, 70 Tauck Guests, no seat rotation on any of the coaches used for excursions
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Comments
HI Sam!!
Switzerland: Europe's Crown Jewel, 22 Tauck Guests, YES to seat rotation.
Treasures of the Med. Isles: Small boat, 28 guests, no rotation. On the river and small boat trips we have done, I don’t think any used seat rotation on the relatively short rides involved. On our land tour they used seat rotation.
Sealord - Generally I agree with you, but Egypt: Jewels of the Nile is designated a Land Journey, but I think they indicated there was no seat rotation. Therefore during Covid have things changed universally with respect to seat rotation or just on some tours.
Switzerland: Europe's Crown Jewel, 17 guests, daily seat rotation.
Yes, Sealord is correct. Only land tours have seat rotation.
In Freedom's Footsteps- 30 people, October 2021- daily seat rotation- same as many previous land tours.
Yes, Sealord is correct, but apparently not all Land Tours are now, during Covid, doing seat rotations. At least per the Egypt trip report recently posted. The intent is trying to determine if the lack of seat rotation, on Land Tours, is limited to one tour, one area of tours, or what?
I’m wondering if it’s not the TD on individual tours that’s making the seat rotation decision. I’ll be unhappy if it’s not done. Going in February…
Best of Hawaii land tour - 33 guests -- seat rotation. Adriatic Treasures land tour - 19 guests - seat rotation. (Thanks for starting the new thread, Saml)
I suspect it's the TD.
One of my least favorite TDs was too lazy to put our names with stickies over the seats. By the time the tour was over, I knew most of them
Cathy - The seat location likely only makes any difference on long coach drives. In those cases, seats that have clear access to windows, versus support bars allow people better visibility, especially for photo taking. For the ship based tours, the seat locations are irrelevant because the rides tend to be short and their only purpose is to get you from the ship to the nearby attraction. On long rides of land tours clear access to windows helps pass the time. So for those long rides, it isn’t just getting to the destination, but what you’re able to see along the route.
For me, being 6’6” tall, I usually move to an unaccompanied row, allowing more leg room and better visibility. We almost always go on the small group tours which increases the odds of empty rows.
America's Canyonlands, September 2021, 14 Tauck guests, daily seat rotation. I like seat rotation. On a tour with lots of scenery you don't feel guilty when you have the front row seats, and you don't have to worry about folks hogging those seats either.
Same Switzerland tour with Kathy0529 - 22 guests with seat rotation. Also we could only enter and leave the bus from the back door.
Normandy Brittany - 9 guests - seat rotation.
On both tours at least one row left empty between guests.
Never had seat rotation on any river cruise. Too hard with multiple buses.
Normandy, Brittany, Paris & the Loire Valley, 15 guests, yes seat rotation. Our TD said she was following the instructions from Tauck corporate. We also had assigned seating at included dinners (tables of four to six) until the last two dinners on the trip.
Assigned seating stops everyone rushing to be first on the bus. How about being stuck near the bathroom all the time, people in and out of the door. How about being always last off the bus and therefore last in line for the bathroom so you haven’t got time to shop at the rest stop.
Being at the front is such a treat when there is fantastic scenery, you don’t miss what is on the other side. For me, it’s a great advantage having seat rotation. You only have to go with a tour company that doesn’t do it to know the disadvantages.
Some of my favorite times are in places like India and Vietnam watching real life go on as you pass by that you don’t see at the tourist spots.
On Best of Ireland- in addition to assigned seats we switched sides of the bus midway through the Ring of Kerry drive so everyone had a view of the water and hillsides.
Our Tauck tour in March, 2022 in S. Africa had seat rotation daily with a row placed between each couple/twosome. Worked great.
British, we were discouraged from using the bus facilities. They were available but frequent stops were usually made.
Magic of Morocco, March 2022, 14 guests, yes to seat rotation. With so few guests, there was an empty row between people.
I've been on land tours (non-Tauck) that didn't use seat rotation. It's a mess with people trying to get on first to get the seat they want - usually in front. I've seen people go out to the bus 30 minutes early and just sit there to get the seat they wanted.
The seat assignments and rotation that Tauck uses is MUCH better.
February 20th Jewels of the Nile trip- no seat rotation, 18 guest. Luckily, everyone was considerate and accommodating of each other. No problems
Last Non Tauck tour we did was apparently supposed to have seat rotation.
The same group of women got on the bus very early every day and sat or put their bags on the seats and got off the bus again. Finally, on the last day, I just had to say something, and as I walked by said, it would have been so nice to get a turn to sit at the front of the bus, to which they of course said, you could have asked us. I felt the TD should have made it clear but I guess he was worried about how it might affect his tips from them. Never mind, one of them got Covid instead….wow, I’m starting to get mean when it comes to Covid, but they never wore masks even though we were all supposed to on the bus….so the 80 year old stayed behind in a subpar room for a week where the hotel forgot to feed the Covid people some days.
We've never really cared where we sat and on river cruises usually head for the door at the back and a seat near it. Easier to get on and off fast. In Ireland we took a Viator tour of the Boyne valley. Originally there were three couples in our group but 1 canceled last minute. When we got in the bus at the meeting point there were just two 2 person seats left. Turned out a trio traveling together were each taking a full seat for their own. They did that the whole day. Every one else had to share.
Sadly the same thing happens with people who always want to be first in line, go to the front to see a sight of take a picture, etc. The rest of us just have to wait.
When you go on vacation where the scenery is spectacular, it’s wonderful to be at the front of the bus. At the sides of the buses these days, there tends to be a lot of reflections that can make site seeing quite a challenge. When you visit countries where real life happens right at the side of the road you are traveling, seating can be great anywhere. I’m thinking places like India,Vietnam, China
The front seat in the bus, for me, has only been advantageous when driving around one of the big cities. I like to take videos of the craziness of the traffic out the front window of the bus. Got some very entertaining videos from Hanoi, Saigon, and Mumbai (some from the front seat and some from the sides, but the front seat ones are clearly better). In each of those tours seat rotation was utilized.
On our recent J&E with 19 pax, we were supposed to rotate, but, by mistake, our TD made multiple copies of the same seating chart. So from the second day onward we sat ourselves. We mostly stayed in the same seats. Except for Jordan, most bus trips were very short so it didn't matter.
My most favorite remembered bus seating experience is when years ago we had Rob White as our TD. along with seat rotation every day, he put postcards with our names on over our seats on the isle. It was both useful so we weren’t seat counting as we got on the bus AND it helped you remember the names of the people you were sitting near. Most TDs take seat rotation very seriously. You only have to be on tours that don’t experience seat rotations to see how many people put themselves first. Being on time for departure is also important. Theses things help a smooth touring experience for all.
I enjoy the front seat but it freaks my husband out. You really get a close up view of the driving. One of these days I'm afraid he's going to start "backseat" driving.
Rob is becoming a legend at Tauck. We have had him on two of our tours, and on our recent Antarctica we had Bill for the second time. Bill was our first TD in Africa and he was ‘pushing’ the Antarctica trip even then. I can’t remember how many times he said he had crossed Drake’s Passage, but it was many.
On our recent J&E trip seats were not rotated. The same people took the front every day. Unless we are in the front rows, we prefer the seats closest to the side door. It's much quicker to get on and off the bus. This is particularly important if it's a restroom stop. I'm not patient about waiting behind people while they dig around in their bags for something while everyone behind them waits.
I also really like the postcard names. It's a very quick way to learn everyone's name.
Oh dear, I hope they do seat rotation when we take our Israel and Jordan tour next year. Though this is yet another tour that may be in jeopardy due to the current unrest. Was Mark the Tour Director?