Gourmet Gal posted in another thread that the COVID-positive test rate at the end of her Savoring France trip was at least 15%, with many guests visibly or audibly ill. That's pretty alarming. My wife and I are scheduled on that trip next month. It would be great to hear from other recent travelers such as Nancy or CATSOOS on the test results at the end of their voyage, signs of illness aboard the ship, etc.
You may have to press the CD for the stats. Ours was very reluctant to share the info until we insisted. Hopefully this latest surge will begin to wane by next month but be careful anyway.
When we traveled in January, the all boosted group, 20% were positive and had to stay behind and quarantine. Most were not wearing masks all the time as asked….so quite frankly, it served them right. The hotel even forgot to bring them food some days I heard. If you do your very best to protect yourself, it can help minimize risks
Agree. Interesting that those the most vaccinated felt less vulnerable. That’s human nature but the tour company needs to be vigilant in reminding people to be careful.
Just got home Friday night from this trip. Nothing bad to say about staffing or trip in general. Did have to wear mask in hallways and when not eating. Also on buses was not a big deal. Lunches and breakfast were buffets but guests were instructed to wear masks. Of course we had some entitled guests choose not to wear masks most of the time. They complained about everything. The staff were great even though many were doing double duty (housekeeping and servers). In Tauck fashion on Easter Sunday the pastry chef had a great table of treats. Also there was a bad of chocolate eggs at our door.
Thanks again Tauck for another great trip ready for #13 next year
Someone complaining about covid restrictions and Tauck tried to post a comment yesterday. It was so bad 5 flags did it in. I was the fifth. They were saying Tauck needed to stop all this or customers would go elsewhere to companies who don't have requirements. Before hitting the flag I was sorely tempted to tell them the rest of us don't want to travel with them anyway.
We just got back from visiting our grandkids in Chesapeake, VA- went to 3 outdoor sports activities, outdoors yes, but very crowded, no social distancing- two B-ball games and one swim meet. The number of people we saw masked at events and restaurants probably didn't exceed 24 total for the entire weekend!!! Not sure what this means other than it shows how those who are not traveling internationally are approaching COVID and masking.
Returning to the topic, can you, CATSOOS, offer your thoughts on the excursions? This tour was one of many favorites, and it is always beneficial to compare notes. Thanks in advance.
While buffets are the pits, unacceptable, and breeding ground for covid (I mean this is not a princess cruise) , I will be really, really, really disappointed if I can't eat meals in Arthur's if I choose. That is a big selling point for us. For what Tauck charges for these cruises if the can't get the ships properly staffed to provide services at the level they are charging for then they shouldn't run it. I remember cat 7 you could get breakfast in your room, did they drop that also?
Breakfast in suite was not available on the April 1 cruise. Seems illogical if there should be more social distance during meals but it may well could have been a staffing issue and hopefully temporary. I can only speak to this one cruise at the very beginning of the season so perhaps things will improve as the season progresses.
I dislike buffets, but I have seen them done safely on my tour of Costa Rica in January, but it was not a Tauck tour and it was a land tour. The servers were completely separated from us with very high plexiglass, apart from a small gap at the end where they handed us the food. They were masked, we pointed to what we wanted and they put it on our plates.
I’ve only taken one river cruise, at that time, I could not really see the attraction of Arthur’s, it was mostly empty, a dark and smoke smelling room. Just off Arthur’s was a door to the outside which was the official smoking area and it was mostly kept open. There were obviously several smokers on the tour and to us, it was disgusting. We were on the Inspire for the Rhine Enchantment.
I saw the comment you mention Claudia, but later in the day, I went back to spout my piece but it was gone. I was going to point out to the person that Tauck was one of the last companies to insist on customers being vaccinated. Before they did insist, I was surprised that they held out. Now they are holding out for the five to twelve year olds, which shows they might put more importance on attracting any customer, rather than the gold standard of safety.
Unfortunately, I’m wondering if they may change that for certain travel locations. Look at this change…last week, we were in NY to see two Broadway shows, both demanded vaccine cards and masking, one-of the shows, the ushers were extremely strict about policing masks. In a month, we go back to see two Broadway shows and we have already had notification from one theatre that the vaccines policy has been dropped, we just have to wear masks! I hope it is policed well, it’s going to be packed, tickets are hard to come by for Funny Girl if you have specific dates in mind in the upcoming months. So if you go to see Broadway shows and you don’t believe masks are effective, be aware of these changes.
British, your experience with Arthur’s does not match my own at all. It is a small venue but I’ve never noticed an issue with smoke. I find it a nice alternative. The remodeled ships have added a better kitchen facility so meals are even better.
British, I was the fifth person to hit the flag button and watched the comment disappear.
I was surprised on our two land tours to Europe last year that all the hotels had buffets much as they did pre-covid. Breakfast is the one meal I prefer buffet. I don't eat a big breakfast, seldom have hot items like eggs and want to be able to pick my fruit. Otherwise I tend to leave items uneaten. I hate food waste.
Yes, we were so disappointed about that experience, there were a fair number of smokers on that tour. They were smoking as we stood in line ot get on the bus etc. I had been reading so much how Arthur’s was good. Since I had to live with basically a chain smoking mother who surprise surprise, died of COPD, I just have always hated smoking. Though the one perk as a kid, if we needed anything, my mom always had enough cigarette coupons to chose something from the catalogue. When she ran out of money to buy cigarettes, I used to loan her from my post office savings account until she got her weekly housekeeping money from dad, and then I charged her interest! Funny how things form the past pop up in your mind!
I ate lunch most days in Arthur’s on Savoring France 2019. Quiet and intimate setting. Great individualized service. I don’t recall anyone (crew or guests) ever smoking… even at/near the tables outside. The smell of cigarette smoke ruins a dining experience. I am counting on Arthur’s as an option for the Douro cruise in June. Should be available unless lowered to pass under a bridge. Hopefully not at lunch time!
We had smokers on the small veranda outside Arthur's on MS Joy in 2018 during at least one lunch. The area was right by the outside door. It was bearable until people started coming in and going out. A few times I got up to push the door closed faster or make sure it closed all the way.
We were on the Grace for our last trip on the Rhine in 2019 and never had any issue with smokers near Arthur's. We treated our adult children on that trip and my son and I were very frequent Arthur dinners. regardless of what was on the menu up front your could always get a decent steak and a drink in a quiet un crowded location until late. As long as the boat wasn't changing location we would sometimes venture out on our own locally and stay off the buses (I am not a bus fan, especially since covid). Anyway... I hope they get the kinks ironed out before the May 8 trip. I really hate the idea of having to be the squeaky wheel on the trip. But based on what Gourmet Gal reports that level of service is not what we paid for and I for one will not just roll with it.
I just spent the past weekend in New York City, I wore a mask in the airport and in the plane when not eating, there were not many people with masks at either place. Masks had to be worn in the theatre. I'm not comfortable yet not wearing a mask in crowded places.
Back to the thread topic - I do hope some guests on spring 2022 Tauck river cruises post reviews regarding current onboard dining options…. buffets or sit down order off menu ? and also is Arthurs available as a breakfast and lunch option? Some have reported Arthurs closed possibly due to staffing shortages.
We had dinners mostly as sit down off menu, breakfasts, lunches were mainly buffets but staff all wore masks only entitled guests did not wear masks only a few. Most wore masks during going to buffets. Don't know about room service but Arthur's was only open for sitting down and have tea/coffee and cookies. They did have an early morning and smaller selection of breakfast in the Panorama lounge.
Excursions: Lyon I did City Tour & Beaujolais tour they were both great, Viviers Excursion Grignan & Truffle farm great samples/wine. Arles: Walking Tour of Arles & Camargue Tour & Lunch so much fun seeing horses and bulls on a working farm. Avignon: Mini-Train was great I'm not great walking hills.
Roussillon & Chateauneuf-du-Pape so beautiful even in light rain. Tain L'Hermitage I skipped excursion but heard from others that the Wine tasting and cooking event were great. I walked around the area great walkway by ship small town.
I did not do biking events but heard they were fun and no one had any issues. We had good weather with the exception of a few raining mornings.
Smfxterr - Yes it did happen. How many murders in Florida, California, Wisconsin, etc? The problem is not New York . The problem is the availability of guns and assault rifles to people who clearly shouldn’t even have table forks.
Catsoos, sounds like you had a nice time. I must say the Chateau Neuf du Pape wine tasting was a weak spot for us. The winery was very commercial, in town and the tasting was not well conducted. The wines were not great, either.
Patrice-we were on the Savor for Holland&Belgium last week. We had a buffet for the first night and another night following a long excursion day. Other nights were plated. Breakfast and lunch were buffets. This was my first Tauck river cruise so I can’t compare quality to pre-COVID, but I thought the food was quite good. Arthur’s was used only for coffee and tea, card playing, etc.
Comments
Yes, my error for typing too fast. I corrected my post. Thanks for catching that.
Yes, Gourmet Gal! The Camargue ranch was a treat.
Gourmet Gal posted in another thread that the COVID-positive test rate at the end of her Savoring France trip was at least 15%, with many guests visibly or audibly ill. That's pretty alarming. My wife and I are scheduled on that trip next month. It would be great to hear from other recent travelers such as Nancy or CATSOOS on the test results at the end of their voyage, signs of illness aboard the ship, etc.
You may have to press the CD for the stats. Ours was very reluctant to share the info until we insisted. Hopefully this latest surge will begin to wane by next month but be careful anyway.
When we traveled in January, the all boosted group, 20% were positive and had to stay behind and quarantine. Most were not wearing masks all the time as asked….so quite frankly, it served them right. The hotel even forgot to bring them food some days I heard. If you do your very best to protect yourself, it can help minimize risks
Agree. Interesting that those the most vaccinated felt less vulnerable. That’s human nature but the tour company needs to be vigilant in reminding people to be careful.
Just got home Friday night from this trip. Nothing bad to say about staffing or trip in general. Did have to wear mask in hallways and when not eating. Also on buses was not a big deal. Lunches and breakfast were buffets but guests were instructed to wear masks. Of course we had some entitled guests choose not to wear masks most of the time. They complained about everything. The staff were great even though many were doing double duty (housekeeping and servers). In Tauck fashion on Easter Sunday the pastry chef had a great table of treats. Also there was a bad of chocolate eggs at our door.
Thanks again Tauck for another great trip ready for #13 next year
Someone complaining about covid restrictions and Tauck tried to post a comment yesterday. It was so bad 5 flags did it in. I was the fifth. They were saying Tauck needed to stop all this or customers would go elsewhere to companies who don't have requirements. Before hitting the flag I was sorely tempted to tell them the rest of us don't want to travel with them anyway.
We just got back from visiting our grandkids in Chesapeake, VA- went to 3 outdoor sports activities, outdoors yes, but very crowded, no social distancing- two B-ball games and one swim meet. The number of people we saw masked at events and restaurants probably didn't exceed 24 total for the entire weekend!!! Not sure what this means other than it shows how those who are not traveling internationally are approaching COVID and masking.
Returning to the topic, can you, CATSOOS, offer your thoughts on the excursions? This tour was one of many favorites, and it is always beneficial to compare notes. Thanks in advance.
While buffets are the pits, unacceptable, and breeding ground for covid (I mean this is not a princess cruise) , I will be really, really, really disappointed if I can't eat meals in Arthur's if I choose. That is a big selling point for us. For what Tauck charges for these cruises if the can't get the ships properly staffed to provide services at the level they are charging for then they shouldn't run it. I remember cat 7 you could get breakfast in your room, did they drop that also?
Breakfast in suite was not available on the April 1 cruise. Seems illogical if there should be more social distance during meals but it may well could have been a staffing issue and hopefully temporary. I can only speak to this one cruise at the very beginning of the season so perhaps things will improve as the season progresses.
I dislike buffets, but I have seen them done safely on my tour of Costa Rica in January, but it was not a Tauck tour and it was a land tour. The servers were completely separated from us with very high plexiglass, apart from a small gap at the end where they handed us the food. They were masked, we pointed to what we wanted and they put it on our plates.
I’ve only taken one river cruise, at that time, I could not really see the attraction of Arthur’s, it was mostly empty, a dark and smoke smelling room. Just off Arthur’s was a door to the outside which was the official smoking area and it was mostly kept open. There were obviously several smokers on the tour and to us, it was disgusting. We were on the Inspire for the Rhine Enchantment.
I saw the comment you mention Claudia, but later in the day, I went back to spout my piece but it was gone. I was going to point out to the person that Tauck was one of the last companies to insist on customers being vaccinated. Before they did insist, I was surprised that they held out. Now they are holding out for the five to twelve year olds, which shows they might put more importance on attracting any customer, rather than the gold standard of safety.
Unfortunately, I’m wondering if they may change that for certain travel locations. Look at this change…last week, we were in NY to see two Broadway shows, both demanded vaccine cards and masking, one-of the shows, the ushers were extremely strict about policing masks. In a month, we go back to see two Broadway shows and we have already had notification from one theatre that the vaccines policy has been dropped, we just have to wear masks! I hope it is policed well, it’s going to be packed, tickets are hard to come by for Funny Girl if you have specific dates in mind in the upcoming months. So if you go to see Broadway shows and you don’t believe masks are effective, be aware of these changes.
British, your experience with Arthur’s does not match my own at all. It is a small venue but I’ve never noticed an issue with smoke. I find it a nice alternative. The remodeled ships have added a better kitchen facility so meals are even better.
British, I was the fifth person to hit the flag button and watched the comment disappear.
I was surprised on our two land tours to Europe last year that all the hotels had buffets much as they did pre-covid. Breakfast is the one meal I prefer buffet. I don't eat a big breakfast, seldom have hot items like eggs and want to be able to pick my fruit. Otherwise I tend to leave items uneaten. I hate food waste.
Yes, we were so disappointed about that experience, there were a fair number of smokers on that tour. They were smoking as we stood in line ot get on the bus etc. I had been reading so much how Arthur’s was good. Since I had to live with basically a chain smoking mother who surprise surprise, died of COPD, I just have always hated smoking. Though the one perk as a kid, if we needed anything, my mom always had enough cigarette coupons to chose something from the catalogue. When she ran out of money to buy cigarettes, I used to loan her from my post office savings account until she got her weekly housekeeping money from dad, and then I charged her interest! Funny how things form the past pop up in your mind!
I ate lunch most days in Arthur’s on Savoring France 2019. Quiet and intimate setting. Great individualized service. I don’t recall anyone (crew or guests) ever smoking… even at/near the tables outside. The smell of cigarette smoke ruins a dining experience. I am counting on Arthur’s as an option for the Douro cruise in June. Should be available unless lowered to pass under a bridge. Hopefully not at lunch time!
We had smokers on the small veranda outside Arthur's on MS Joy in 2018 during at least one lunch. The area was right by the outside door. It was bearable until people started coming in and going out. A few times I got up to push the door closed faster or make sure it closed all the way.
We were on the Grace for our last trip on the Rhine in 2019 and never had any issue with smokers near Arthur's. We treated our adult children on that trip and my son and I were very frequent Arthur dinners. regardless of what was on the menu up front your could always get a decent steak and a drink in a quiet un crowded location until late. As long as the boat wasn't changing location we would sometimes venture out on our own locally and stay off the buses (I am not a bus fan, especially since covid). Anyway... I hope they get the kinks ironed out before the May 8 trip. I really hate the idea of having to be the squeaky wheel on the trip. But based on what Gourmet Gal reports that level of service is not what we paid for and I for one will not just roll with it.
I just spent the past weekend in New York City, I wore a mask in the airport and in the plane when not eating, there were not many people with masks at either place. Masks had to be worn in the theatre. I'm not comfortable yet not wearing a mask in crowded places.
Back to the thread topic - I do hope some guests on spring 2022 Tauck river cruises post reviews regarding current onboard dining options…. buffets or sit down order off menu ? and also is Arthurs available as a breakfast and lunch option? Some have reported Arthurs closed possibly due to staffing shortages.
Smfxterr. You can’t have been to NY recently, it is as safe/unsafe as any other big US city
SMFXTERR - I won’t be flagging your post so others can see just how ridiculous it is!
People, stop flagging posts, what’s wrong with offering a different opinion! I thought we lived in a country with free speech!
We had dinners mostly as sit down off menu, breakfasts, lunches were mainly buffets but staff all wore masks only entitled guests did not wear masks only a few. Most wore masks during going to buffets. Don't know about room service but Arthur's was only open for sitting down and have tea/coffee and cookies. They did have an early morning and smaller selection of breakfast in the Panorama lounge.
Excursions: Lyon I did City Tour & Beaujolais tour they were both great, Viviers Excursion Grignan & Truffle farm great samples/wine. Arles: Walking Tour of Arles & Camargue Tour & Lunch so much fun seeing horses and bulls on a working farm. Avignon: Mini-Train was great I'm not great walking hills.
Roussillon & Chateauneuf-du-Pape so beautiful even in light rain. Tain L'Hermitage I skipped excursion but heard from others that the Wine tasting and cooking event were great. I walked around the area great walkway by ship small town.
I did not do biking events but heard they were fun and no one had any issues. We had good weather with the exception of a few raining mornings.
Smfxterr - Yes it did happen. How many murders in Florida, California, Wisconsin, etc? The problem is not New York . The problem is the availability of guns and assault rifles to people who clearly shouldn’t even have table forks.
Catsoos, sounds like you had a nice time. I must say the Chateau Neuf du Pape wine tasting was a weak spot for us. The winery was very commercial, in town and the tasting was not well conducted. The wines were not great, either.
Did everyone test negative upon departure?
SMFXTERR - Agree. We should discuss trips.
Looks like there has been some forum censorship going on, seems to be some post missing? Did I miss something
SMFXTERR ??
Patrice-we were on the Savor for Holland&Belgium last week. We had a buffet for the first night and another night following a long excursion day. Other nights were plated. Breakfast and lunch were buffets. This was my first Tauck river cruise so I can’t compare quality to pre-COVID, but I thought the food was quite good. Arthur’s was used only for coffee and tea, card playing, etc.