Excursion advice, please!
Our first Tauck trip is in April! We are wondering if we should choose the Tauck Classic Shore Excursions or the alternate choice? Is there an advantage to the Classic Shore Excursion? ALSO, heading to Amsterdam one day early, should we be planning to go to Keukenhoff Gardens? Thanks for any advice/help!
0
Comments
Diane815,
I have been on the Rhine River cruise with Tauck but not the Moselle. The best thing to do is to read the excursion choices and make your decision based on your interests and activity level preference. Many times, the alternative tour involves a bike ride. I was 75 the last time I opted for a bike ride along the Rhine and had no problem. Other times, the "classic" choice involved an all day excursion while the alternative was a trip to a museum or, perhaps, a winery. The Riesling is glorious!
April is the best time to see the tulips, so a trip to the gardens would be beautiful.
No matter what your choices, you will have a great trip. Please be sure to post a review. Safe travels!
If you are in Amsterdam in April, do not miss Keukenhof Gardens. It is generally the peak month to see tulips! Absolutely the most glorious gardens at tulip time. We would love to go again…breathtaking in artistry and design.
Isn’t Holland having that special omce every ten years Garden festival, who”s name escapes me this year and in April?
Diane, we took this cruise (also southbound as you seem to be) back in 2015. The itinerary is pretty much the same but some changes which all seem to be improvements. I'm not sure what you mean by "Tauck Classic Shore Excursions". Tauck has been adding options to tours with things like bike rides instead of walks. That's purely a personal choice. Some of us like them as an opportunity to work off all the good food and drink we're consuming.
Here is some feedback based on your itinerary and what I'd do:
Day 2 - we've done the Tauck visit to the Rijksmuseum twice so I'd definitely chose one of the other options depending on you personal interests. The museum is interesting but if you really want to get something out of it, stay longer on your own.
Day 10 - Boppard is a small town right on the river so you can walk on/off the ship to see everything. Not a whole lot there to see other than a small bit of roman ruins. What we did enjoy there is taking the chair lift (Sesselbahn). It was a short walk from the ship, inexpensive and had fantastic views of the town and river. If it's open and the weather is good, I highly recommend it.
Day 12 - we didn't get a choice that day - just a bus trip to Baden Baden which I thought was a bit boring. We were there so early in the day that not much was open. It's big thing is the spas and casino. We were given time to visit the spas but Tauck didn't offer to cover the cost. If you want to go to the spa I'd recommend it, otherwise Stuttgart might be more interesting.
Day 14 - Basel is a nice town but by then you'll have seen plenty of cathedrals, buildings, and cobblestone walks. We went to the falls last year on a visit to Schaffhausen (my grandfather emigrated from there). The falls are amazing but the boat ride is basically a short ride from the shore to just under the falls where you bob around for a while getting sprayed by water. Schaffhausen itself is a nice little town. It has a cobblestoned pedestrian area with shops and restaurants.
Some of our favorites on this cruise were the Moselle river and the towns on it, Heidelburg, and Strasbourg.
Hope this helps.
We took this tour in August 2019… I just looked at the 2022 itinerary. Interesting but they now call the Excursion choices “Classic Choice Excursions”, exactly what Diane815 said! We chose those excursions…truly the rest were Bike Rides and we are into castles and walking around the towns! Great trip! Loved Cologne, Strasbourg…all the towns. Especially liked the Moselle and the opportunity to see Luxembourg. We had a WWII veteran in our excursion group…to see his emotional response to the American Cemetery is unforgettable. No dry eyes…very special! He served in the Battle of the Bulge! The Florida’s 2022 is on day 2 of your trip…this is what British was referring to. Don’t miss Keukenof Gardens!
Ah yes Nancy, Floriade!
I agree that you need to read the descriptions of the trip options and choose based on your interest and often activity-level preference.
Also to me- Keukenhoff is a MUST SEE! If you go you need to go as early in the morning as possible. The buses will be arriving and dropping off hundreds of people!
Oh my gosh!!! Your responses are beyond fabulous!!!! I can't thank you enough for all the advice. I wish you were each going on the river cruise with us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Cruising during September was ideal; so glorious, the steep vineyards on the Moselle River are breathtaking along with the charming, casual villages.
Cruising with Reisling wine and cheese plates on the upper deck was pure pleasure!
Their selection of art museums were great, and the guide in Amsterdam was outstanding.
Basel was a quiet, yet bike friendly city; the hotel on the river was so lovely.
Highly recommend.
1putqueen - We were on the same trip and had lunch, dinner and drinks with you many times. It was a wonderful trip. We are Noreen and Mike from Tucson. I am attaching a photo which also includes Dave and Marian from Phoenix.
