@Henrypoon I looked at A&K when booking this tour because they were once a reputable company and on my last Asia trip I went with their competition Travcoa (sadly now a private jet tour co.) and it was fabulous. While reading online reviews it is obvious that A&K has been bought out and has terrible reviews like their trust pilot 2-star rating https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.abercrombiekent.com Yes they stay at top properties but if you do just a modicum of due diligence you will realize the risks of traveling with them. While this will be my first Tauck Tour to Asia I have been with Tauck on many trips and have had an entirely different and better experience than you describe on every one of them.
You have to read between the lines! Some of weaknesses mentioned are what I considered strengths. Love" jam packed itinerary with time for pool and massage". If you are a fit, flexible,sophisticated, seasoned traveler, you will get more out of A&K. If you want more hand holding and pampering, Tauck is a better choice. I absolutely don't mind riding in a Chevrolet if it gets me into places without parking for the big bus. I can be dropped off at a site without a guide and travel and tour at my own pace.
By the way, Tauck skipped Fushimi Inari Taisha due to its challenging logistics and guest's physical ability. So glad I went! Was it difficult, yes!!Is it suitable for any one? No!!!
Are you concerned about reading some of the reviews regarding Tauck on TrustPilot?Did you read what Lisa and Anabel wrote? Both situations happened to me.
The views about Tauck’s Japan tour were very poor a few years ago, I think it has been changed since then.
I had been to Japan before, so the Tauck tour was not long enough or Japanese enough for us. It all depends on what people want, which might be ease of pace, the food, the sites, quality of hotels, length of tour or price. For some tours.although I love Tauck, I’ve found other choices, plus Tauck doesn’t go to some countries I want to visit.
I thoroughly enjoyed Essence of Japan. Yes, Tauck takes care of everything for you, but isn't that why people go on tours to begin with? It all depends on your comfort level being alone in a foreign country, where you don't speak the language, and they use 3 different alphabets that are all alien to us. Since the 2020 Olympics, more signs are in English but you can't count of finding English everywhere.
There were times when we went ahead of the group to see more of a site at a faster pace, and met back at the bus at the designated time. We also left the group to see sights that were not on the itinerary and returned to the hotel on our own. In our free time we always went off on our own. We saw a baseball game, went to a kabuki play, dined in train stations, and explored the cities. If you feel comfortable going it on your own, no one is going to stop you. It is easy to get around the cities by taxi. Just carry the hotel's card with you so you can show it to the driver, as most taxi drivers do not speak English. The train system is very good if you are comfortable navigating it yourself. There are information offices in every station and you can usually find someone to point you in the right direction.
The hotels were top rate and the food was great. My only caution is that travelers need to have the physical ability to keep up with the pace. This is not a leisure trip. You will be on the go every day.
Comments
@Henrypoon I looked at A&K when booking this tour because they were once a reputable company and on my last Asia trip I went with their competition Travcoa (sadly now a private jet tour co.) and it was fabulous. While reading online reviews it is obvious that A&K has been bought out and has terrible reviews like their trust pilot 2-star rating https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.abercrombiekent.com Yes they stay at top properties but if you do just a modicum of due diligence you will realize the risks of traveling with them. While this will be my first Tauck Tour to Asia I have been with Tauck on many trips and have had an entirely different and better experience than you describe on every one of them.
You have to read between the lines! Some of weaknesses mentioned are what I considered strengths. Love" jam packed itinerary with time for pool and massage". If you are a fit, flexible,sophisticated, seasoned traveler, you will get more out of A&K. If you want more hand holding and pampering, Tauck is a better choice. I absolutely don't mind riding in a Chevrolet if it gets me into places without parking for the big bus. I can be dropped off at a site without a guide and travel and tour at my own pace.
By the way, Tauck skipped Fushimi Inari Taisha due to its challenging logistics and guest's physical ability. So glad I went! Was it difficult, yes!!Is it suitable for any one? No!!!
To LisaAshley,
Are you concerned about reading some of the reviews regarding Tauck on TrustPilot?Did you read what Lisa and Anabel wrote? Both situations happened to me.
The views about Tauck’s Japan tour were very poor a few years ago, I think it has been changed since then.
I had been to Japan before, so the Tauck tour was not long enough or Japanese enough for us. It all depends on what people want, which might be ease of pace, the food, the sites, quality of hotels, length of tour or price. For some tours.although I love Tauck, I’ve found other choices, plus Tauck doesn’t go to some countries I want to visit.
Agreed, well said.
I thoroughly enjoyed Essence of Japan. Yes, Tauck takes care of everything for you, but isn't that why people go on tours to begin with? It all depends on your comfort level being alone in a foreign country, where you don't speak the language, and they use 3 different alphabets that are all alien to us. Since the 2020 Olympics, more signs are in English but you can't count of finding English everywhere.
There were times when we went ahead of the group to see more of a site at a faster pace, and met back at the bus at the designated time. We also left the group to see sights that were not on the itinerary and returned to the hotel on our own. In our free time we always went off on our own. We saw a baseball game, went to a kabuki play, dined in train stations, and explored the cities. If you feel comfortable going it on your own, no one is going to stop you. It is easy to get around the cities by taxi. Just carry the hotel's card with you so you can show it to the driver, as most taxi drivers do not speak English. The train system is very good if you are comfortable navigating it yourself. There are information offices in every station and you can usually find someone to point you in the right direction.
The hotels were top rate and the food was great. My only caution is that travelers need to have the physical ability to keep up with the pace. This is not a leisure trip. You will be on the go every day.