French Escapade Excursion
While we prefer land tours, the allure of not needing to unpack every two nights had us sign up for this trip. This was our third riverboat cruise. We thought the food was superior to the other cruises (Rhine and Danube - the Danube was our favorite) and we loved the Intercontinental Hotel in Paris (a great location).
In Cannes one of the two excursions is to Nice and Monte Carlo. It is a bit misleading. When we got to Nice we walked to the market to use the bathrooms and were given 20 minutes to do so. Then it was back on the bus to go to Monaco and Monte Carlo. We did not sign up for just a potty break in Nice so we stayed behind, spent the day, and then took the train back to our hotel in Cannes. In talking with people who had continued with this excursion everyone seemed to be disappointed and felt that they never had enough time at any one spot. With only a 15 minute stop in Monte Carlo men were unhappy that there wasn't any time to try their hand at gambling.
I wish this trip stayed in Nice and then there wouldn't be a problem. But, please be aware that if you sign up for this excursion that you shouldn't expect to see Nice. Solution: get off the bus and stay in Nice like we did, taking a train or taxi back to the hotel in Cannes or come in to Nice a day or two early - there is much to see - and then you could also include the Ephrussi Rothschild Villa and its gardens, the village of Eze, or St Paul de Vence.
Comments
I’m very surprised by this report. We did this tour in April of 2023 with a very different experience. We only had an hour or so in Nice due to the fact that there were going to be protests that day, so we got there very early, had a walking tour, then the bus was able to get us out before the city was shut down. Not the fault of Tauck, the TD’s were prepared and made us aware of what was happening.
We then had nearly a full day in Monaco. We were able to spend time touring the city, then drove to the casino where we had more than an hour.
I wonder if there were reasons that the excursions were limited. Perhaps others who took this tour could comment about their experiences.
I haven't taken this specific tour, but I do agree with mfrancis that it does appear there were probably some extenuating circumstances since the excursion choice for Nice/Monaco indicates all day--nine (9) hours.
I have been to both places, albeit not recently, and can attest that there always seems to be something going on in that area--film festivals, car races, celebrity events, et al.
There have been a couple of threads recently where people have reported less time than stated at certain venues.
My question is, is it in any way related to people in the group not being as physically fit to partake in the intended amount of walking, so that the TD has to reduce the actual visit time to allow the extra time required to keep on schedule?
I have never had a tour director shorten any planned group activity because of the mobility/stamina of a guest. To the contrary, our tour directors have always offered options to those who may not wish to partake in the entire planned activity and/or have arranged for a taxi to take them back to the hotel/ship or meeting place for the bus--probably at the guests' expense.
We took this tour in June 0f 2023. I agree with the Moores. Nice and Monte Carlo visits were very short. We spend more bus time getting there. It was a very disappointing start. However, once we got on the boat, the trip was fantastic.
I have been on a couple of tours where the TD definitely catered to mobility/stamina guests. The Athens and Aegean Sea tour was the most extreme. The TD was on crutches and there were numerous guests that had mobility/stamina issues. At times if we walked any slower, we would be walking backwards. The pace was excruciatingly slow and as a consequence we would have less time at the site.
Yes, Nice needs several days. I was glad to return last year for A Week in The French Riviera, Provence and Paris, wanting to erase my memory of the city in rubble during tram construction. Still, Tauck's two nights on this tour are barely enough to catch the must-see Matisse Museum (Tauck does include the Chagall) and true to my name, I had to visit the market for savory tourte de blettes (Swiss chard tart, also made in a sweet version) and the famous chickpea socca, I agree it's best to add a day or two, whichever tour of the region you choose. Bon appétit!
To loves2 travel2
I took the Athens and Aegean Sea trip with another company and was glad I did. You don't want to be slowed down by the mobility and stamina limited. The other company's itinitary was solidly packed with frequent start time at 7 and end time at 5 for certain days.They even have medical professional/ paramedics to accomany on one very challenging excursion. You don't want to slow down and miss certain sites. We were very fortune that out of 152 passengers, there were at least 10-12 20 to 30 somethings.
I was told by my TD from the Adriatic Sea cruise that the Cinque Terre trip has to be significantly altered due to severe complaints from the mobility/stamina limited group and budget issue. Same wth some of the sites in Essence of Japan tour and the cancellation of Golden Eagle Express.
Tauck/Windstar was at certain sites for a number of days. You will hardly see them in the afternoon.