December 28, 2025 - January 4, 2026 Holiday Magic
Hello! We've got 5 adults and 2 kiddos (1 young teen, 1 under 10) booked for this sailing, staying on our own an extra night before and after. Would love to connect with other families on the cruise 🙂.
Also interested in any tips from those who've done this itinerary before.
We've done several river cruises, but this is our first time with family, and first with Tauck - looking forward to it!
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Definitely pack for the weather and the holiday spirit not fancy dress unless you just enjoy that. Its basically a week long Christmas party.
Thanks! We usually travel carry-on only, even in winter, and were trying to figure out how to cram a sport coat, fancy dress and extra shoes in there!
At the one evening the TDs mentioned dressing up I saw everything from warm sweaters (mostly Christmas themed) to fancy beaded dresses. I get the desire for carry-on only but unless you don't plan to do any shopping at the markets you might do better to bring full sized partially empty suitcases.
The family tours that Tauck do are always very casual and geared exactly to children of that age. Have a great time!
The winter RiverCruises are way more casual - no need for a dress or sports coat unless you just want to wear one. We take these cruises every other year - and everyone dresses for comfort & warmth.
Read the itinerary. We are on the same trip but departing 12/22 .There’s a Roaring Twenties night. My family of 10, 6 adults a 18, 15, 13, 11 haven’t been told this 'bad news' as it means additional attire!
Don't see that one in our itinerary... Sounds like something we'd skip, though 😅
The Roaring Twenties theme party has been mentioned a lot on the forum this year. From reading here, it seems that many do not dress up. Some have taken a cheap 20’s kit you can buy on Amazon and some have gone all out.
I got the impression it is part of a dinner evening, so skipping it might mean you have to eat at the alternative restaurant. Perhaps people who have been on a ship with one of these events could resurrect what it is like.
We had one of these parties on our Impressions of the Seine tour. We had purchased an Amazon 1920s accessories kit. The party was separate from dinner - it was in the lounge shortly after dinner so we didn't put our accessories on until it was time for the party. Not everyone participated and some people who participated didn't dress in the 1920s theme. It was low key - no pressure. There was dancing, music and a photo area. Actually, it was more fun than I anticipated.
Thanks for the information CVC. Although I’ve only taken one river cruise with Tauck, the 5 or 6 small ship cruises I’ve taken with Tauck, the after dinner entertainment has not been well attended at all. Is this difference on the river cruises?
British, I am probably not the best person to answer that question - we seldom attend the after dinner entertainment - the 1920s party was an exception for us.
😀
Grandmas, in our Final Tour document (emailed as a link to a PDF) the 1920 party is mentioned in a short paragraph just before the recommended packing list. You don't need to do anything. Most people on our cruise didn't. They provided some props and a photo booth if you want to use them.
Sounds good. I am firmly committed to carry-on only, and not purchasing single-use toss away merch 🤪. I might go enjoy the music and dancing as long as costuming is optional 😁. But the days sound pretty busy - I might just need the down time!
British - depends on what the entertainment/theme is as to how well they are attended, as well as the make-up of the guests. Been to both heavily and sparsely attended after dinner events on Tauck river cruises.
For those who've done the family cruises before, what are some examples of activities on board the boat geared toward kids? Are there separate activities just for them, or are the general ones adapted to include them?
Yiyak, basically the party is just in the lounge after dinner where the kitchen crew brought out a fancy cake. We had brought a few items that mostly we already owned and used the photo booth to get some nice shots. During the cruise they also handed out special Anniversary coins.