Grand European River Cruise
Leaving Amsterdam on 7/14/2024 Grand European River Cruise , will be my first trip with Tauck. Anyone else out there who has either has taken this tour or will be joining me ?
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Leaving Amsterdam on 7/14/2024 Grand European River Cruise , will be my first trip with Tauck. Anyone else out there who has either has taken this tour or will be joining me ?
Comments
Hi Susan! Thank you for telling me about Corrie ten Boom. I read her book THE HIDING PLACE and then watched the 1975 film of the same name starring Julie Harris. What an amazing and inspirational story. I'm sure you will enjoy your visit to the house/museum in Haarlem. See you in 50 days!!
Another good read is "Three Ordinary Girls" by Tim Brady. Its a remarkable story of three Dutch teenagers who repeatedly risked their lives as members of the Dutch resistance cell during WWII.
RetiredVAN and JeffreyMoore - Please consider posting a review of your respective experiences after your trip. When the time comes in which I need to curtail my travels due to age/mobility (hopefully a long way off), I plan on taking this final cruise--in both directions. That's my goal!
Have a glorious adventure.
Thank you GM for the recommendation. I have ordered the book today.
kfnknfzk, I'll happily share my thoughts on my Grand European River Cruise experience. I'm SO looking forward to both my first river cruise and Tauck tour. I have great expectations!
I do not think you will be disappointed at all. After our very first Tauck tour over thirty (30) years ago, we became loyal customers. I look forward to your review! Warm regards.
For JeffreyMoore, each Tauck tour has a suggested reading list you can find on the tour page for that tour. One of my favorites - and top of the list for the Grand European Cruise - is Russell Shorto's, "Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City". Very interesting read including his interview with a woman who knew Ann Frank and who's family went thru some similar experiences.
Thank you for that information Claudia. I just downloaded the book and look forward to the reading it. I'm new to this Tauck Travel Forum, since booking my first Tauck Tour in February. I have read many, many of your posts with great interest and appreciate all of your contributions. Your insights and experiences are a great help to "the community" and I thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise.
You're very welcome. When I read that book, the Tauck pretour hotel for that cruise was the Sofitel. I was reading this one story about a priest hiding in a building in Amsterdam and realized it was right next door to that hotel. Definitely made me feel we were right in the historic part of the city. So much see in Amsterdam.
Best of luck on your cruise. We have friends who only did one river cruise - that one though with Viking. She said she figured she'd never get her husband on another river cruise so picked the longest one she could find. Lol.
Thanks to everyone for suggesting reading material prior to the cruise , I have read the book THE HIDING PLACE and will be traveling to Haarlem on the Saturday prior to the trip to visit the Corrie Ten Boom House . I will be looking into reading the books suggested here .This is my first trip with Tauck and my first river cruise , very excited about all the excursions that they offer .
I'm on the July 4th departure. On the "Before You Go" information it mentions the countries who use the euro and the ones that don't. Also stating that the ones that do not use the euro, credit cards are not widely accepted....this includes Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. I've never been to these countries....the stops we are making I'm thinking are normal tourist stops for other river cruises and merchants would be more accepting of credit cards. Has anyone been to these locations for further information..???
We have been to Hungary and Romania, never used local currency.
I've been to all of those countries on the Black Sea to Budapest tour. I got Romanian Leus and Hungarian Forints before leaving the US, because I would be spending extra time apart from the Tauck tour in those countries. I used the local currency for a cab ride and tips for guides for walking tours that I took independently, for small purchases such as postcards and crafts at a local fair, and to pay incidental hotel charges. If you're just going to be doing the Tauck activities and don't plan to make small purchases, you will be fine with a credit card (Visa or Mastercard; Amex is not widely accepted).
Geer: I went on the Budapest to Black Sea Tour in 2016. Back then, I had a Bank where I could pre-order various foreign currencies, although you are charged a fee for this service which was about $20.00 at the time, I believe. If I remember, I only used the currency for small purchases like post cards, gelato, local stamps (which I also collect), etc. I concur with what MCD mentioned in her post that you probably don't need the currency if you are just doing Tauck activities. The currency is so colorful and interesting, I consider it as a souvenir of my travels and include it in my scrapbook of memories. I think I only purchased perhaps $10-$20 US dollars' worth of each currency. You are going to love this portion of your trip, it's a good one.
Get your foreign money at the airport after you land. You will get a better rate and no fees
Pf606590, just be careful as some airport atms have very high fees.
I know a lot of people choose to do as PF606590 suggests. For me, it's worth the $7.50 fee from my bank not to have to worry about finding a working ATM at the airport. Each to his or her own.
I agree with MCD. I receive competitive rates without fees through my financial planner/investment institution. Besides, upon arrival I am on a mission to collect my luggage and begin my travel adventure. Having had one of my accounts compromised, I avoid all ATMs no matter where they are located.
Please report back. I just booked aug 2025. Especially currency
Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. I went to my bank and got a little monies for each country. My mind will be spinning at airport arrival. One less thing I have to think about.! This is my 6th trip with Tauck.... I wouldn't consider anyone else.
Geer, we will see you on July 4. This should be an amazing trip. It is our 18th Tauck tour (4th riverboat) and we have never be disappointed.
We also will be on the July 4 sailing. I have been reading on Cruise Critic about the terrible flloding on the Rhine and Danube in the past few weeks. Things seem to have stabilized so here's hoping for easy sailing. Looking forward to next week.
We are on the July 4 cruise, also. Seasoned Tauck travelers.
Good to hear the rivers have stabilized. Really looking forward to the trip.
We are on the July 4 trip. Looking forward to revisiting places and seeing new ones too! Should be a great trip and am looking forward to this interesting journey!