Incredible Bridges Trip on the MS Savor!
Hello, All! My family and I just returned from the first Danube Bridges tour in almost three years and it was, in a word, AMAZING! We didn't know this would be the first sailing, and the crew kept talking about how excited they were to have kids on board again. I am happy to answer any questions folks have, but for some general impressions:
1) WAY more kid friendly than even what we anticipated! Everyone from the tour directors to the restaurant and bar staff were incredible. Even the captain got involved in water play on the sun deck 
The ages ranged from 6-16, with about 20 kids total. We all talked about how wonderful the older children were, always working to include the younger ones.
2) The boat had a capacity of about 120 passengers, but there were only 75 of us. Groups larger than 4 had tables reserved for them in the restaurant, but those of us with four or less could sit anywhere else. Towards the end, many of the children started opting to sit together.
3) Arthurs had snacks and continental breakfast only, but was always available for gathering/hanging out. Many of the older children started using it to play cards/games later at night.
4) I didn't check a bag--just a roll-aboard and a backpack--and I still overpacked. Only a few people "dressed" for dinner, the rest of us stayed in shorts or jeans.
5) For the palace dinner night, only a couple men actually wore jackets. Most of the women were in sundresses or capri pants. Keep in mind the palace does not have A/C, and it's currently around the high 80s F in Vienna.
6) If you want to go on the bike rides but are unsure, go for it! I hadn't been on a bike since 2008, and it was a blast!
Again, feel free to ask me any other specifics, but this was by far the best trip of our lives!!!!
Sincerely,
Amber
Comments
I’m glad you have a fantastic time. I always believe that children should be with other children, even teenagers on this type of vacation. Younger children look up to older kids. Older kids take care of or look out for the younger ones. It’s good socializing skills for later on in life. I hope you take other trips. These memories last a lifetime.
WVUGirl, so great you posted this. So few Bridges travelers post reviews. This will be useful.
I've been curious whether the dining room has more child friendly options on Bridges tours. I know some kids are flexible and/or adventurous about food choices but not all. I was a picky eater too and wouldn't have liked many of the foods I'm happy to try now on Tauck tours.
Claudia Sails, I also have a VERY picky eater, and she was fine! They have a buffet at every meal with more kid-friendly options (adults can partake, too, of course), or they are welcome to select off the menu. The dining staff was great! One night, the kid option was pasta with the sauce already on; a few kids mentioned they wanted just buttered noodles, and they magically appeared. My favorite was a server named Teodora. She tried to coax kids to eat vegetables so they could be stronger for the water fights
I will say, we also let our youngest nosh on whatever she wanted, without caring a whole lot about properly balanced meals since it was vacation. The staff would even take the kids to the buffet so the parents didn't have to get up, or bring them more food from it, so not having a parent doing it helped. My oldest is more adventurous, and a few times they brought her smaller portions of multiple menu selections so she could try them. Let me know if you have any more questions!
We don't have any little ones these days but your post will be helpful to those who do.
Picky eaters do often grow out of it. I have a niece who as a child lived on chicken mcnuggets and tater tots til college. Now she's a foodie married to a guy who's an adventurous and talented chef.
WVUVirl, it’s great to get a review for a Bridges tour. We have been Tauck travelers for many years and now the next two years we are taking Bridges tours for the first time. Both our children, spouses and grandchildren are all excited. Funnily enough ,the youngest grandson will eat everything from snails upwards whereas his sister is the picky eater. Even worse, when she can scrounge one piece of candy or chocolate, she makes it last forever, not exactly good for the teeth. Buffet may be a good thing!
My kids were better except my son would eat so slowly he once fell asleep eating dinner and his head fell onto the plate. Happy continued traveling !
Thanks for posting! We are going in the Paris to Normandy river boat Bridges tour in a week. Was wondering how people were dressing because the tour documents said not to wear shorts in the evening? I probably my would my but my teenage son probably would like to. My husband was debating on whether or not to bring a sport coat.
It can get cool in the evenings.
They may be more lenient with children but on regular Tauck river cruises shorts at dinner are frowned upon (ladies capris are ok). For normal nights at dinner my husband wears a collared shirt (knit golf shirt is fine), slacks, and leather dockers. Dressier nights a long sleeve dress shirt, slacks, and leather shoes. He might add a v-neck pullover. As British said it can get chilly even in the summer especially on the sun deck at night.
Some men do wear a sport coat and tie especially if there is a fancy dinner off the ship like a palace in Vienna. I looked over your itinerary and it looks like the only dressy nights are the welcome and farewell aboard ship. My husband would not pack a sport coat just for those. He definitely wouldn't if the paperwork said a sportcoat was optional.
Arthurs should be operating for dinner on you cruise and it's a more casual venue though the menu is more limited.
Best wishes on your cruise.
I am so sorry I am unable to find this information anywhere, but can you share if there is a decent fitness room on this tour? We are leaving tomorrow and I know I’m overpacking, but I also have brought lots of exercise clothes that I wonder if I’ll use. Looking forward to this trip!
You will not need a lot of exercise clothes unless you plan on wearing exercise clothes during the day ad part of your attire. Just hand wash as needed. There won’t be time anyway. I never found the time unless I woke up at 5:”” and that wasn’t going to happen on my vacation. We were on the Savor a couple of months ago and the fitness room is indeed tiny. I noticed people walking on the deck for their exercise.
KHinshaw - The river boats are small. The exercise room is very small with a treadmill and maybe one or two other pieces of equipment. Definitely not a gym. Not sure a lot of exercise apparel makes any sense.
I've used the gym a few times usually by myself. I tend to wake earlier than my spouse so I either go to the gym or Arthurs.to let him sleep in
One pair of Capri length workout pants and a t-shirt (likely one already worn for sight seeing) along with the sneakers I brought for walking were plenty. Some tours have the chance for bike rides and hikes not always listed on the published itinerary.
We just returned from a Bridges cruise on the Seine, and yes, there were many kid-friendly food options which included a buffet at mealtime of typical food that appeals to kids. One night they met the chef in Arthur's to make and then eat their own pizzas. The last night they ate in Arthur's while the adults ate in the dining room. So kid friendly all the way around.
Both my grandkids have food allergies ( 1 severe peanut) and the staff was super careful and asked just what the kids liked and could eat. The chef left the ship at one point to buy egg-free pasta and prepared a special birthday 'cake' for one of them. At each meal, someone would brief the kids and their mom about what was safe. They also passed along this allergy info to the restaurant where we ate the 1 meal we had off the ship. Not knowing just what to expect,, my daughter baked and baked prior to the cruise and we all brought tins of food in our suitcases for the kids but not needed!
Re- Dress.... my annoyance was being told about 'dress code' and then it never happened on the ship. Initially we were told it would be announced when the day came but never did. My family was prepared though and we decided on the last night we would all dress up to have some nice family pictures. some other families did too but not many. I would say, on that night the men wore casual pants - some with golf shirts, some with nicer shirts and a few others with long sleeved shirts with tie. No sports coats at all. I will say, after a long day in Normandy, everyone just wore to dinner what they had worn touring since we returned to the ship and pretty much rolled into dinner.
Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as our kids and adults did!
Hi, All! Even the grown men and women were wearing shorts to dinner on our Bridges tour--most people didn't change after the days' events, and the children definitely didn't. Only two men actually wore a sport coat to the palace dinner, and they were removed almost immediately upon arrival (no central A/C). I didn't pack anything but nice flat sandals, Chacos, and tennis shoes, and I felt perfectly dressed. The welcome dinner and farewell slide show were not dress-up events on our Bridges cruise.
The fitness center is VERY small. I packed three workout outfits and didn't use any of them once the cruise started. (I did use them during our own pre-stay.) The cruise itinerary started pretty early--9am at the latest, usually more line 8--so it would be hard to get in a workout unless you are an earlier riser. Given the walking involved and other activities like bike rides, I felt like I was getting enough exercise. (We were averaging 15,000 steps a day.) I will say that I wore my sports bras during the heat wave because, as someone mentioned, they are easier to rinse out and more comfortable when the temperature heat 98 F by noon.
A few people raved about the masseuse on board the Savor, and the prices were very reasonable.
Happy sailing!
Thanks for your comment Tutu Maui! We go on the same tour on the 18th. I’m going to tell my husband to forget the sport coat.
How early did Tauck get you to CDG for departure home? I know they mention 3 hours in the documentation but I’ve been reading horror stories about it taking longer than 3 hrs to get through on some days.
On 7/15 we arrived at CDG at 12:20pm. Check-in, bag drop, immigration, cross terminal train, and security check then 2E Airfrance lounge at 2:20pm. Good two hours...