Very limited excursion choices?!
We (11 of us) will be on Bon Voyage! France Family River Cruise July 5, 2022. Time to sign up for our excursion and it seems like the choices are VERY limited. There are only two choice for Paris & Avignon (sightseeing or bike). And for the rest of the time, it seems like everyone will be doing the same tour (no choice). Is this normal? Or a COVID problem? Thanks!
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I can't speak for the family cruises, but I think two and sometimes three excursions are normal. And yes, some days have just one excursion. How fun (I think) to travel in a group of eleven! Have a great time. We don't see very many reviews of the Bridges Tours, so please post a review if you can. Thanks!
We've done 4 river cruises with Tauck and it isn't unusual to have days where there aren't alternative excursions. When there are alternatives it's usually because there's a lot to do in that locale (Paris) or giving those who want more exercise an alternative ( bikes and hikes). Also the basic itinerary doesn't include everything that may be offered. There will be additional activities like games, ice cream on the sun deck, demostrations, lectures, etc. On shorter cruises like this tour you're usually kept pretty busy.
Keep in mind that Tauck doesn't charge extra for excursions like some cruise lines do.
Originally, you had two choices, take it or leave it. It is only recently that Tauck offers options. This was presumably to keep up with the competition.
Yes, options are a fairly new conception, our Iceland cruise was the first year options were given. It actually means we saw less and spent too much time on the ship.So,e of us wanted to do the other choice in the afternoon, we were happy to pay extra but they would not allow it. There are even choices on some land tours now.
I personally don't like options. I want to see and do it all!
Depends on the options, Alan. For example, if it's going to Jerash or staying back for a spa day, it's a no brainer (for me).
Re Paris, can't you arrange your own excursion?
BKMD,
Yes, you can opt out of any Tauck excursion. We have done this when we have already been to a certain city and don't want to repeat Tauck's excursion. You must let the tour director know, of course. I never miss the opportunity to repeat a museum or food market, however!
They will also reconfirm them with you at the start of the cruise in case you change your mind. I do think the exercise options are nice to have especially for longer cruises where the standard guided tour around a town might get old.
Dear all, thanks for your reply.
The original itinerary list "a choice of sightseeing & a scavenger hunt in Louvre". The excursion choice are "Paris sightseeing in a motor coach for 2hrs" it didn't mention any stop or visit to the Louvre. The 2nd choice is bike ride along the Seine. Our group (four 75+, two 11yrs and rest of us 40+) have very diverse interest and capability (mobility & language). We will have 3 days after the cruise to spend in Paris, I guess we will go to Louvre by ourselves then.
The Louvre takes hours to go round. If you went with Tauck, it could only skim the surface. Definitely buy tickets on line in advance.
cwc,
On day two you have a morning choice of the drive or the bicycle ride. The scavenger hunt at the Louvre occurs after lunch, schedule permitting, according to the itinerary. This is clearly outlined in the day-by-day description. Enjoy your tour.
Hi kfnknfzk, hmm according to the day 2 description....: Following lunch, enjoy some free time to pursue what interests you most. No mention of any organized activity. I guess we will know more when we gets there.
Can't wait for July!
Cindy
BTW, any idea how are they going to fit all 11 of us in the dining room? Also, will there be different menu between Arthur's and Compass Ross?
The online itinerary is often incomplete and vague. If you need better info now to make plans for a private activity, give Tauck a call. They will be able to give you more detailed info and often hour-by-hour timing. Otherwise, you should wait until you are sent the email about excursion options- it will have more detail. The same can be said, but to a lesser degree, about the itinerary in the eGreen Book you will receive 30 - 60 days prior to the tour.
You will not all sit at the same table- there are none that will accommodate that many people. Arthur's is more casual and much, much smaller. While there may be some items in common, they do not have the same menu, not even close. Check out this Tauck thread from 2021: https://forums.tauck.com/discussion/14987/lets-talk-food-on-the-river-cruises-arthurs-vs-main-dining-room or the Cruise Critic article at this link: https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=775&pgtype=dining
A simple Google search will give you a lot more.
cwc,
Hi. It doesn't matter at this point, but I'm looking at your tour on Tauck's website regarding the scavenger hunt at the Louvre on day two. Regardless, it sounds like a fabulous excursion for the youngsters and a great way to expose them to the arts.
Regarding seating for large groups, some of the boats do have a large round table that might accommodate your group, but it would certainly be cramped. You will discover that Tauck has amazing powers to make things happen, however!
Enjoy your family adventure!
Having just spent the week on the Emerald, Arthur’s was not open for meals, just am juice, coffee and cookies all day. The oval dining table is comfortable with 8…11 wouldn’t be ideal…but the rounds are 5-6 easy and grouped in 2-3 clusters. 11 would be a good fit. The Emerald holds 96 so slightly smaller than perhaps the other boats…all are great ships! BTW,our food, menus, service were excellent!
OH I have no idea about this eGreen book thing. I got an email ~90days before our departure to ask us to make our excursion selection. I guess we will see when the 60days mark hit
Don't think we want to eat together every night, just wonder if there is a table can accommodate all of us or I will "warn" the parents please don't plan to have family dinner every night (good excuses) 
One way to fit a large group is using the set of 2 and 4 person tables on either side of the buffet area where one side of the table has a chair(s) and the other is a built in bench seat. There's seating for 12 that way. I'd recommend not pushing all the tables together though just so you have some space for the bench seaters to get out if needed. The link below is to Usatodays photos of the Emerald from 2018 when it had just been remodeled.
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/cruises/2017/10/19/cruise-ship-tours-taucks-emerald/106805168/
Good thinking about not being locked into every meal always eating together. Even when we're on a tour with a group, we enjoy meeting others. My husband and I were on a land tour years ago which had a 3 generation family group of 8. Other than the grandmother they pretty much just kept to their group and one night caused some resentment at a dinner when some of us got moved from the table we had planned to sit at so that group could be together.
Hope you have a great cruise.
The eGreen Book as some call it is pdf document containing all tour info. It used to be a small spiral bound green colored book that Tauck mailed out, now you follow a link in an email.
As to your Day 2 itinerary, you are correct- Day 2 shows a tour (usually a bus tour) of city sites or a bike ride in the morning, then a free afternoon. A few posters here were reading the 2023 itinerary which is different, and includes a visit to the Louvre for a scavenger hunt “schedule permitting.”
As I mentioned above, the itinerary can change from what it shows on the website, your excursion selection, and in the eGreen book which you should receive 30 - 60 days befor the tour, but it can also change once you get on tour, due to circumstances beyond Tauck’s control. You need to be careful making any hard private bookings for “free time” you thought you were going to have- it is best to do that kind of stuff before or after the tour,
cwc- My apologies. I did not realize the day-by-day description was set at 2023. Nonetheless, for the sake of the children, I hope the scavenger hunt occurs.
Good news! Got my "green" pdf today and it said on day 2 " This evening enjoy a private visit at one of the world's most famous museums, the Louvre, during a memorable scavenger hunt!" YEAH!!!! Any one done this scavenger tour before?! So excited! Private! Wow that will be fun to have the Louvre all to ourselves!!
We sort of did on our Normandy/Brittany land tour but had to share it with another Tauck group from a river cruise. Still it was great!