I've been struggling with this trip report. Through no fault of Tauck, our river cruise only lasted one night, and then turned into a bus tour for the rest of the week.. Another boat had damaged a lock on the Danube the day we departed from Vilshofen, and we were unable to proceed on the river after our first stop in Passau. I would have never signed up for a coach tour because I have problems with my legs swelling and sitting for hours on a bus is (and was!) not a good thing for me. Tauck did offer to assist anyone who wanted to leave the cruise, but our family chose to stay. And, I'm glad we did.
I have to say that Joyce, our CD, and Kris, Patricia, Felix and Raluca, our TDs, did everything humanly possible to provide a great experience for everyone, despite the impact caused by the damaged lock. We remained aboard the boat, MS Savor, outside of Passau, for three additional nights, with bus tours and activities at most of the advertised locations. All of the fun activities aboard Savor took place - the kids loved being wrapped like presents by their families, the pizza party, and the other games and contests arranged by the TDs. On the shore tours, the medieval games and cookie making took place as planned. We did not take the tour of Melk Abbey that we had planned, because almost 5 hours on the bus for a one hour tour of the Abbey was not going to work. I ended up remaining aboard the boat, relaxing and having a spa appointment while the rest of the family enjoyed a tour or Regensberg.We all celebrated New Year's Eve aboard Savor with a gala dinner evening, complete with fireworks (and snow!) at midnight.
The next day - New Year's Day - after a late morning, we were transferred by bus to hotels in Vienna (we were at the Park Hyatt) for two nights, then to the Hotel Kempinsky in Budapest, via Bratislava, for the final evening. Between the damaged lock, and it being New Year's Eve - I'm sure hotels were full - I believe we had the best experience possible under the circumstances. I was extremely impressed with everyone's efforts! In addition, everyone received funds for meals not taken at the hotels, voucher discounts for future travel, and a reimbursement for the nights not spent aboard Savor. I thought this was very generous, considering what the hotels must have cost. I understand that a few other companies on the same itinerary simply canceled the remainder of their cruises after the lock became inoperable, and I appreciate Tauck following through the way they did. Our family truly enjoyed our time together on our "cruise" because of their efforts.
