Excursions
This will be my first river cruise and first experience with Tauck. I have been on an organized tour before and, while I enjoyed it and got to see lots of things, it was kind of exhausting. Bags out by 7:30am, breakfast at 8:00, and on the bus by 8:30. Wondering if Tauck is the same way with the excursions on the cruises or if it's maybe more relaxed? Just trying to set my expectations. Thanks for any insights.
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We haven't been on this specific cruise, but 'up', 'eat', and 'go' times can vary widely from cruise to cruise and port to port. There are often choices of excursion, but in general they all depart at the same time which is usually early. The main reason for this is your group may be competing with groups from other tour companies. Tauck likes to get you places early so you can tour when crowds are less. You always have the option of skipping an excursion and staying aboard the boat. At least on a cruise you don't need to worry about bag pulls.
Thank you, Alan, for the info. I get it. Was just kind of hoping it wouldn't be quite so rigorous. I do like to see the sights, though, so will buck it up, set the alarm, and enjoy!
Having done several land tours and river cruises with Tauck I'd say the cruises definitely have a less demanding pace. I looked thru the catalog and could only find 2 river cruises with a Pace level of 3. Shorter cruises like this one might have a slightly busier itinerary than longer cruises where it isn't unusual to have a half or full day of just cruising the river.
As Alan said, you aren't dealing with baggage ready times except leaving the hotel if you have a pre-cruise stay and the last morning on board it will depend on your flight times. Breakfast is available in both Arthur's bistro (early morning continental) and Compass dining room (usually 7-9 for full breakfast). Excursion departure times will vary from day to day and activity to activity. I'd say on average 9am is the most common time.
You can call Tauck and they have to tell you the day to day schedule including start and end time so you can plan the day if you want to "go private" and sign up for special excursion or meet with friends living in that country for coffee or dinner.
That's common courtesy. I wonder if Tauck is offering that.
Will be heading over on a different boat.
The Tauck agents willingly give you the detailed daily schedules if you call them. They don't publish those because of the vast number of things that can impact the schedule which Tauck can't control. Things I've seen cause changes - a river cruise ship from another company hitting a lock and putting it out of business for weeks, traffic congestion from accidents, tourist sights changing their schedules, special events in the local area, snow storms, etc.
You are free to try and plan other activities, just be sure to be on board at the designated all aboard time. The captain will leave on time. River cruise ships book their time slots for locks and docks ahead of time. Failing to meet those times causes a domino affect.
Henry, if you hate Tauck that much GO AWAY.
We are doing this tour in 36 days. This will be our fifth river cruise with Tauck. Having not to deal with luggage everyday or every other day is huge. You will be surprised how much time this will save you and how much later you can start your morning. In addition, breakfast is quick and efficient. With only a couple of exception, most of the bus loading times were between 830 and 915 on our previous tours(Salzburg on the Danube and Normandy on the Siege.) On this trip I am guessing that it will be similar with the exception of the day in Amsterdam. If you opt for the countryside tour, it will be an early start and I would guess that it will be 730 ish or maybe a little earlier. The only other possible early start is if we have to dock overnight in Antwerp rather than Ghent secondary to weather, which will add some bus time. Regardless, the pace is very manageable and there are ample opportunities in the day for some downtime.
Ben's comments are correct. Typically, excursion start times are staggered to avoid all passengers arriving at a site at the same time. Unless Tauck has arranged a pre-opening tour—such as at Keukenhof Gardens—you will be off the ship at approximately 0900. Then it will be back on board for lunch, then off again for an afternoon excursion (possibly), and back on board in time to prepare for dinner. You may have an off-ship lunch and or dinner at times. Regardless, river cruising is much more relaxing but still filled with memorable outings. Have a magnificent journey and please consider posting a review afterwards.