Bridges Bon Voyage: Itinerary Issue
Sharing this here in case it's helpful to others choosing between Bridges tours. We took this trip with our 13 year old daughter and 18 year old nephew. While we had a very nice trip and the staff was excellent, it is still not one I would recommend.
During our time in Paris, we were disappointed in the excursions and that the advertised private Monet Museum tour was substituted with a bus tour. However, the hotel, dinner entertainment, and our ability to make a few of our own choices still made that time great.
The reason I would not recommend the trip is the time on the Rhone. We had very limited time ashore in most locations. Further, the time on the boat was impeded by three things, all fully outside of Tauck's control:
1) There are 12 locks from Lyon to Arles. This meant that in 5 short days, we were going through locks 24 times. Often this was while sleeping and some were not quiet.
2) There are many low bridges, so often we could not be on the top deck while sailing.
3) There is a strong Mistral wind that blows up the river, so even if we could be outside, we often didn't want to be.
To be clear, the staff tried to make the time on the boat as enjoyable as possible and there were some fun parties and activities. It was an itinerary issue. We spoke to other families aboard that had done different Tauck Bridges tours and they suggested that the others they had done, including the Danube, were much better - more engaging and more to see along the riverside. I also suspect if the trip hadn't been so short and we could have stopped longer and sailed less each day it might have been a different experience, even on the Rhone.
Comments
Thank you for the honest review. We have taken two Bridges tours, Red Rocks Painted Canyons and Tanzania Safari. We enjoyed both. We do however think they are best geared to say younger to 13 year olds.
There seems ro be many reports this year of Tauck not being able to secure tickets for certain places and events. This rarely used to happen.
Sadly traversing locks at night is just a part of river cruises (except for the Douro where night time sailing isn't allowed). Inevitably there are some bumps, sounds from thrusters, etc.
One week river cruises have a fairly fast pace as they are trying to squeeze in as much as possible. That means limited time ashore in some locations. Longer cruises tend to have a bit more down time and time cruising during the day when you can enjoy the sundeck.
Our first river cruise was the Rhone and we didn't have any issues with low bridges or wind. We did have some light drizzles and cooler temps than expected in early July. Everyone's experience is going to be different.
I have a very different perspective of the Rhône River. I love sailing through the locks and the nighttime maneuvering and gentle bumps lull me to sleep. Although I prefer daytime viewing, the locks are engineering marvels and part of the allure of river cruising. I also think they would be very educational for children to learn about and experience. Merely my opinion.
The Mistral winds we experienced in the Camargue region were delightfully cooling and did not interfere with our enjoyment of the lovely lunch and hayride—minus the hay—we had at a family ranch.
Finally, the views along both sides of the Rhône are so very picturesque and bucolic, especially in the Provence area.
These observations were from a different Tauck tour and one I would do again. We all have different perspectives and experiences.