Itinerary changes
Has anyone heard about BIG itinerary changes on the July 17 Family Fun on the Seine River Cruise due to the impending Olympics ? Such as not seeing some of the major sights in Paris? Would appreciate your feedback if you have heard anything.
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Call Tauck. I recently learned the agents have the detailed daily schedules so they should know if changes have been made.
We are booked on a Tauck Tour that week. If you go early, be aware that the Olympic Torch is passing through Paris July 14-15, and it is their Bastille Day on July 14 with military parades and Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower that night also. The Eiffel Tower will be closed all day July 14, and not reopen until 2 PM July 15.
I found this out by calling Tauck, and they dug deeper for itinerary notes by departure date. We are now doing 2 pre-night stays to see some of the sights that were important to us. It’s my Granddaughters’s graduation trip. I was able to book lunch for us on 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower on July 13, directly through Eiffel Tower’s website. They have multiple options for early and late lunch and dinner to reserve in advance.
While our trip will substitute some changes, we are thrilled to be able to see the Torch relay, and the parade and fireworks and Bastille Day celebrations while we are in town.
You can Google for the Route of the Olympic Torch to see if your itinerary coincides with the torch at any location. For Instance, torch after Paris was going to be at Versailles on July 23 n it’s way back to Paris and the Opening Ceremonies.
We are taking this as a half glass full approach, and as I mentioned, doing our Must-Do activities pre trip in Paris.
Thanks for that info. Important to know. After talking with a Tauck agent, we found that day 2 will not go into Paris - missing many of the sights (Louvre, Eiffel Tower, etc) so it will be important to book your own that you might want to see.
Yes, but for the Bon Voyage family trip that week, Eiffel tour is closed on the 14th and most of the 15th of July (reopens late afternoon) for Bastille day fireworks, and the Olympic torch routes
Unless families are coming in 2 or 3 days early they may not be able to visit Eiffel Tower before the cruise portion of that tour
The funny thing is I booked Tauck as I thought they would make sure to take us to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Scavenger hunt. Due to the Olympics they advised no tours all July to Louvre. On day 3 our tour leaves Paris for Lyon. So they will not be showing us much of Paris at all.
I’ve instead canceled the tour, and am spending a week in Paris with my Granddaughter. We can see Paris at our leisure, and even spend a day at Versailles. We are excited to see the Olympic flame and the Louvre is free to visit on July 14.
I wish they would issue those updates before final payment. Had I not called and asked direct questions as to Paris updated itinerary effects from Olympics , we would not have known until too late to make alternative arrangements
Wishing you a fun time. I will definitely plan a future Tauck trip. Just didn’t work out for us this time
Does the Louvre even open on July 14th as it is such a big holiday? We have been in France on July 14th several times but in the rural areas and even in those areas it gets packed with hundreds of people especially if there are firework celebrations in the evening.
Sue, Bridges tours are geared to younger children in my experience, so even if your granddaughter is a highschool graduate, in my humble opinion, you would be better off on a regular Tauck tour.
Thanks for the advice on Bridges tour ages, British. Lucky we canceled.
Yes, the Louvre is not only open on July 14, it is free to the public that holiday every year! We are now planning on visiting the Louvre in the morning, while many are at the Parade. After we will head to one of the Olympic Torch route locations. We are excited to be in Paris during that week!
If visiting Paris, do your research early, several months early. The daily schedules for the museums, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, etc. are all different. On any given day certain options and displays at a site may not be open even if the site itself s open (this really applies to the Louvre and Versailles.) We actually saved a littIe money and had better flexibility by purchasing an annual pass at Versailles. If your schedule is predictable get your tickets as early as possible before going. The booking windows for Paris attractions differ, even among National sites- from less than 30 days to over two months in advance. While you can luck-out and sometimes get same day tickets for the Eiffel Tower by working with the concierge or going early and standing in line at the ticket office, I think you would be taking a big chance and wasting time. The tower releases tickets online one day at a time and all time slots for a given day can sell out in an hour or less. As a last resort you can sometimes book later thru a commercial outfit. You might be forced to buy a bundle for one or more places you don't care to visit, just to get see the one you want, e.g. Eiffel Tower and River boat excursion, etc. Again, do your research.
I agree with Alan. Definitely plan ahead for what you want to see and check each site for opening hours/days.
What I’ve discovered about tickets for the Eiffel Tower is that they’re released to the public 60 days ahead, but tour companies get access 90 days ahead…that’s why the popular times are sold out. We want to go up in the tower at night after dinner on day 2 of our river cruise while we’re docked overnight; we decided to purchase a 1.5 hour tour with Viator for $20 more p.p. to ensure we could do it. Easy walk from the ship.