My review of this new tour PART ONE
DESERT OASIS NEW TOUR FEBRUARY 2022
BKMD, No extra spaces due to size restrictions of a post.
This is a personal reflection and review of our experiences
We took an early flight from Philly to Vegas. Drama began when we failed to notice my ticket did not reflect my trusted traveler pre check, so we went to the TSA pre approval security line, Mr B goes through, I get challenged, no TSA approval, the agent tells me if I want to use the line I have to go back downstairs and get a new ticket, it wasn’t on my phone ticket either. I said I did want to go downstairs, show me where regular security was, it wasn’t obvious, it was round the corner. She mistook this for me wanting to use her line and got angry. Mr B doubles back, says I was with him. She tells me I have to pay for pre approval, I say I did. I give up and leave her, she follows me and again says to go downstairs. Mr B wants to follow me, he comes back, his ticket is checked again. I have to give up on that agent as I fear the next minute she will arrest me and speak to a more sympathetic security person and ask her to direct me to the regular security line where there is only a short wait anyway. Later, we find that my Trusted traveler number is no longer on my profile, I re-entered it.
We head for the Amex Centurion lounge, they want to see out vaccination cards to enter, that was new from just three weeks before. The lounge was not busy but really noisy with several big groups, all heading to Vegas no doubt for Super Bowl weekend and Valentines. Yikes!
We arrived at the Four Seasons hotel about 12-30pm and our room was ready. We were able to secure a couples massage for later. This hotel is on the top five floors of the Mandalay Bay hotel and they share facilities like the swimming pool complex. Their is no casino here. To get to the casino in Mandalay, you take an elevator down to floor C where this is a small lobby with a door that leads you straight into the casino. This is also a short cut to the Strip. You need your room key to re-enter through this door. We booked a dinner reservation in the nearby Mandalay Bay.
We arrived a day early but there was a Tauck envelope with an introduction to our tour director, a 35 year Tauck veteran who joined Tauck on leaving college! The Welcome Reception was to be at 5-30pm.
The next day we went to the very good but compact aquarium in the Mandalay. Several types of large fish on display that we had not come across before and large turtles and a Komodo Dragon….maybe we can cancel our Singapore Bali trip now 😀 Senior admission was $27 and it takes about an hour to stroll around.
We have been to Vegas before. Tip, do not underestimate how long the Vegas Strip is, it’s very deceiving. We spent most of the afternoon walking around, first getting the short shuttle and then walking the remainder of the strip over several hours. We stopped at Eaterley for a large gelato, yummy. There are numerous places to eat and browse.
Last time we visited Vegas was when friends had an Elvis wedding. we stayed at the Bellagio, so we went in there to admire the Dale Chihuly glass ceiling, worth a stop. Everywhere was very busy including the homeless and plenty of showgirls in skimpy costume and tall feathered headdresses asking if you wanted your picture taken with them. We saw a guy have his picture with them and refusing to give them a tip, an argument ensued, time for a quick exit!
The Welcome dinner was in a private room, nicely presented, with both a portion of chicken and beef and the trimmings. There are 21 people on the tour, several Tauck newbies, a few that this is their second tour and then us and another couple who are Tauck veterans. The dinner was thoughtfully scheduled to finish at 8pm so that if people wanted to go to a Vegas show, they would have ample time to get there since most begin at 9-30pm.
Comments
PART TwO
We departed for Zion National park the next day The scenery is wonderful. On the way we passed through the Valley Of Fire and stopped to see the red rocks and an area of petroglyphs, that involved climbing a steep metal staircase for the best ones.
We have been to Zion Lodge before but we could not remember what the rooms were like. They are pretty large, ours had a king bed. Two comfortable armchairs and foot stool, big flatscreen TV, hairdryer, coffee maker, everything you might want apart from a minibar. Meals were pretty good. Due to Covid and short staffing, you looked at the menu in the lobby, ordered there, were given a number to put on your table and your meal arrived almost immediately. Breakfast was buffet and a reasonable choice. There was no daily maid servicing of the rooms.
The scenery at Zion is breathtaking. The next day, we had a scenic bus ride and then a choice of an easy walk on a trail by the river, all on level sandy dirt ground, or a moderate hike including elevation up a rocky trail. We chose that one. It was suggested we use provided adjustable walking poles as there was chance of icy patches, everyone used one and they were useful. That trek took about one and a half hours and it was fun. The mornings were below freezing temperatures, so everyone dressed in layers and peeled off to one thin layer by the end of the walk.
In the afternoon, there was another scenic bus ride with stops and then free time. We chose to walk the river trail and saw mule deer right by the trail. We had seen big horn sheep already.
Good walking shoes are really important for this trip, my tip would be to avoid white shoes or ones you care about as they get quite dirty and dusty. You need a good tread to avoid slips and falls.
That evening, we had a lecture from a young man who told us all about the challenges and history of climbing in Zion. It was extremely interesting.
Zion was also really quiet, few people around, so different to when we were there in a summertime. There is a good gift shop in the lodge.
There is a change to the original published itineraries for the tour…..instead of flying to Death Valley, where the airport is now in poor condition for flights, we were bussed to the town of St George where we took a scenic flight over the Grand Canyon, about one and a quarter hours. We landed at North Vegas airport and proceeded on to Death Valle, the bus had gotten there by road.
On to Death Valley. I’ve always wanted to come here and it doesn’t disappoint, it’s spectacular!
We stopped at various scenic points into the area. The next morning we had a scenic bus ride and stopped to hike into the Painter’s palette area. We also stopped at Badwater, which is 238 feet below sea level. We could walk out onto the dry salt flats. Then on to The Devil’s Golf course, another huge salt area. We stopped again to walk a trail by an old Borax mining area. It was extremely windy, enough to almost blow you off your feet. At this point, a dust storm we had been watching in the distance caught up with us and visibility was almost nil.
The afternoon trip was almost canceled, but the dust cleared enough for half the group to go out. We headed for a natural spring area where there was a broad walk, by the stream. It’s about a half a mile there and then the same back. We managed to see a small shoal of endangered Pup fish, quite a scoop apparently…Tip, look under the edge of the broadwalk where there is more shelter and the water is more still. The fish are about an Inch long and almost colorless, not really anything impressive.
Then we went to an area of sand dunes. We could walk to the dunes and appreciate their shape and size. The lodge at Death Valley is very unique and comfortable. Great large swimmingly pool.
About one mile away there is an area called the Ranch where you can get simple food and a few stores. We did not go, but others were not impressed.
There is a long day of riding the bus to get to Joshua National Park, but it is broken up including a stop at an old small town with a nice museum and another one with an old rail station. There is an opportunity to walk a trail between the rocky formations of the Park. I would say it was at least a mile of walking between rocks and sandy trail, quite slippy in places. We all took the Tauck walking sticks.
Palm Springs did not disappoint, we are staying two extra days.
A tour of the outside of the Sunnylands estate and a two hour tour of the town and all it’s mid century architecture is included on the last day with some free time in the town. Not really possible to see inside Sunnylands, here is why
British - I read your post, as it wasn't overly long with no spading. I also LOLed it, just to prove that I didn't flag you. It must be the usual forum misanthrope taking care of that.
Yes, Mandalay Bay is the bottom of the Strip. I prefer staying mid-Strip (Caesars/Bellagio), which allows you to cover half the Strip on one day, and the other half the next day, if you aren't on tour and have time for that kind of thing.
From a gambling perspective, Vegas is the worst place in the country to gamble. The odds on their games are set to fleece the tourists quickly. For example, 6:5 blackjack and triple zero roulette. Simply disgusting.
My goodness, why would somebody flag a legitimate review of a new tour!
I’ve decided it mist be someone who is registered on the forum but never posts.
British - just someone that has nothing better to do, I'm enjoying your reviews
Great pictures British, enjoy !!!!
British - Wonderful review and great pictures!
Superb description of the tour and great photos. We were at Palm Springs and Joshua Tree a couple of years ago and had a superb view the the park
A minor point (and clearly not your fault), the sign at Badwater Basin should say 85.5 meters, not 855 meters.
Please send more info as you get it, ignore the scammers.
The decimal is there, it is just faded.
Above are views from the entrance to the Ritz Carlton hotel. We knew it was way out of town, beautiful but a big disadvantage otherwise. It is a $20 Uber ride into town and about a half hour with the traffic.
The tour ended last night. Today we have been to the Art Museum, modern art, we really enjoyed it. Then the thing to try is a date shake, too thick to use a straw, it’s like a huge ice cream in a large plastic cup, it was certainly lunch. We have an early dinner with relatives tonight, that’s another Uber ride, we walked along the long Main Street, lots of restaurants, but not really any galleries to browse.
Going to post more pics, they are in reverse order of the trip, but it will give you an idea, just snaps on my iPhone
Gorgeous pics, British.
British - More than half of your pictures could have been taken within 3 miles of my house, based on the fauna and flora.
Next new tour will be the Smiling Sam's house! Hope the food is good...
British. Love your review and pictures. I have lived in Las Vegas for the past decade and was fortunate to get a local bus tour a few years ago from Las Vegas to Palm Springs to see Sunnylands. On that local bus tour, we were also able to get a tour of inside the home; quite beautiful with some amazing scenery and visitors who stayed there at one time or another (e.g. Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, et. al.). The Annenbergs had numerous wealthy and celebrity friends (TV guide magazine was one of the businesses he owned). I know why the inside of the house was not offering inside tours for awhile, but they will eventually get around to doing so there and well worth a second visit, if so inclined, to go back to get the inside house tour when offered.
Tomh, We are on our journey home, in Phoenix right now waiting for our next flight. When we were at Sunnylands, we did get to see a film about the house and family.
This tour is the first we have ever been on when two couples failed to turn up at the time we were supposed to leave for Sunnylands. We left them behind because we would have been late for the film arrived by taxi I think, but them we had to wait longer than planned for them. It meant we were short on time for our time in the town. ot
We had to quickly find a lunch venue and then was short on browsing time. Of course, one couple were the ones who never wore masks either, their first time with Tauck
A note on a couple of things..We knew the Ritz Carlton was way out of town and it was in a wonderful. The drawback was the Uber rides into town, which at dinner time were $50 one way.
Uber rides to the cable car were $36. Tip, be there when the cable car opens. We were there at Presidents’ Day weekend, there was no online ticket purchase. It opened at 8am instead of 10am. The Uber ride is about 35 minutes. We had to wait 90 mins once we got our tickets. Views up there are worth it but of course it’s very cold with snow on the ground. It was extra busy, by the time we left, the cable car wait was three hours.
British Nice review...thanks for sharing. Safe Travels home.
British, many thanks for your meticulous notes and many lovely pics. Glad all went well after the airport. I'm an Eataly fan; Eaterley is a name change worthy of serious consideration.
Without detracting from British's great review of her tour, Eataly would make a great new thread. They are popping up everywhere!
British, one interesting room inside the mansion where Frank Sinatra and his then wife Ava Gardner stayed there is a mark on the wall, I believe, where Ava and Frank got mad at each other and she threw something at him which left a mark on the wall (or that is what the guide told us had happened there. LOL. :-) )
Great pictures British !!!!
British,
Thanks for the detailed review. Happy to hear there are a number of opportunities to go hiking. We are scheduled to go on this trip in two weeks. We have traveled to Zion on a previous Tauck tour and loved it. Have not yet been to Death Valley, Joshua Tree or Palm Springs.
Hope you get Charlie and John the driver. There was another TD learning the ropes for this tour who tagged along, she has worked for Tauck for a long time too, Nancy. You will be in good hands.
As I’ve reported, my only concern was so many people were not wearing masks on the bus. I did not say anything to Tauck because the TD is such a lovely guy and he mentioned it several times but those inconsiderate people who only care about themselves ignored him, several were first time travelers with Tauck. . There were the most number of people from the Southern US than I have ever encouraged on a tour too. More Covid around in the South and less mask wearing.
I’ve come to the conclusion thst as no one needs to be tested before a US tour, it actually puts you at more risk of contracting Covid from fellow travelers than taking a foreign tour where testing is needed before travel. . We tested ourselves after the last day as we were going immediately to see an elderly relative.
We had the pleasure of traveling with Charlie on Life on the Mississippi River Cruise in November. The cruise line required us all (including the crew) to be vaccinated and also tested the day before boarding the ship. Tauck (and Charlie) handled this flawlessly, from making the test appointments to walking us a couple of blocks to the testing site. This definitely gave us a level of comfort. We all tested negative and on we went with our adventure. This trip was pre-omicron. Masks were not required on board the ship. Whenever one of the sites we visited on shore required masks, the entire group put on masks without complaint. Not all of the sites required masks at that time.
One of Charlie's little extras was an evening walking tour of Bourbon Street on Halloween. Those of us who took him up on his offer, thoroughly enjoyed it. Would love to travel with him again. We had a driver named John on the Spirit of the Desert tour several years ago. He was one of our favorites. Hope its the same person on this tour. This will be Tauck Tour #12 for us. We have thoroughly enjoyed all of the trips and have found the TD's and local guides to be some of the best we have ever encountered.
If it is the same Tauck "Charlie," I had him on a Tauck Mississippi River boat/New Orleans criuse a few years ago, again on a Tauck Kentucky Derby Event, and on a Christmas Markets on the Danube river boat cruise back in 2017. He was great on all of those Tauck tours. :-)
Thank you for the detailed review, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had actually never considered this tour until now. I had always felt confident traveling on my own in US. But thanks to your report I see now what an advantage it would be to travel US with Tauck.
Great Pictures by the way. And your formatting doesn't bother me in the least.