Jerusalem, the Red Sea & Petra
I got an e-mail from my travel agent today alerting me to the fact that my March trip has been cancelled. Disappointing, but not surprising. The website says that Tauck expects its other Jordan tours to go forward beginning in March, but the "Jerusalem, the Red Sea & Petra" was cancelled due to "other considerations." My TA told me that Tauck told her that they're still training the people involved with the tour and could not offer the best Tauck experience, so it was better to cancel the tour. I would not want to pay Tauck's prices for a tour that wasn't up to their usual level of service, so I'm okay with it. I wonder whether the issue was with TDs, local guides, or accommodations, and whether the delay in training was Covid-related. If anyone hears something, please post.
Comments
MCD - I wonder if your tour would have proceeded if there wasn't an Israel leg involved. The Covid requirements for entry to Israel are much different than those for Jordan.
MCD-I'm sorry your tour was cancelled. I'm on the same page as Sam. I wonder if the cancellation is due to the Israel portion of the itinerary. IMO, the in-country guides do most of the leg work in regards to making sure we have a great experience of the places we are visiting. The TD, while knowledgeable about the area, kind of takes a back seat.
The only tour I was on where the TD knew as much about the country as the in-country guide was the Baltics and Russia Glories land tour. The TD had studied Russia extensively and was awesome. She provided most of the commentary on the coach as we drove from place to place.
I'm glad you're not too disappointed. Glass half-full attitude--you want to experience and pay for the best Tauck can provide and if they're not confident they can do that at this time, it's best for everyone that they cancel.
Sam and PureLuxury -- The website still says that "Israel and Jordan" is going to resume in March, so whatever the issue is, it seems to be specific to this tour -- though the inability to "train" could be Covid-related. Whatever the issue, the result is the same. Next step is to book for next year, and try to reschedule or get reimbursed for my flights (which I didn't book through Tauck...I know...I know).
We are in another country right now. Have not seen any emails about our March Israel and Jordan tour being canceled. We just paid the balance for the tour, Sunday, before we left the US and got confirmation emails from Tauck. In fact, Israel has literally just opened back up to American tourists with a test on arrival and less than a twenty four hour quarantine until your result comes back.
I’m going to keep checking our email to see if our tour gets cancelled. If it doesn’t and if my memory serves me well, the Jerusalem Red Sea Petra tour was a new tour offered only after we had booked our Israel and Jordan tour, and I wonder if it actually ever went live before Covid hit. We may have chosen that tour if it had been offered. If Tauck call us on our home number instead of emailing us, which they have done in the past, then we are not going to know for two weeks.
So sorry you have the cancelation, there are openings in !arch on our tour.
I better check the Tauck updates now.
I just checked the Tauck website and the Israel and Jordan tour is not cancelled. Your tour is cancelled until May, and then it resumes….but who wants to go when it’s so hot!
British Safe Travels & Have FUN!