Detailed destination itinerary
We are soon to leave on our 5th Tauck tour. I wish Tauck would send us an email of the detailed itinerary prior to our arrival at our destination. I have gotten information at the Welcome Reception on other trips that would have been helpful to prepare for the trip.
Pleas do not suggest Tauck’s website or links. I have been there and have the general information.
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The problem with sending out detailed daily schedules ahead of time is that they can and often change, and drastically so. Prime examples, on Classic Italy, our schedule for all three days we spent in Rome were completely changed- the TD and we only learned of the change a day prior to arriving that due to the Vatican management, the day and hours of our visit to the Sistine Chapel, museums, etc. were changed. That impacted schedule for all three days. If we had booked a private excursion for Rome we would have had to cancel. During Peru and Galapagos, our on-tour (commercial) flight from Cuzco to Guayaquil was cancelled due to fog. Our TD and Tauck HQ got us on later lights to Quito and since it was very late, lodging near the Quito airport. The following day, we flew from Quito to Guayaquil then on to the Galapagos.
If you call Tauck they can often give you more detail for a particular day, etc. than the preliminary itinerary, but still not as detailed as what you will get from the TD on the first day of the tour. Often when the preliminary schedule says, "After lunch you will have time to relax, explore on your own, etc. the Sales agent will be able to tell you rough times, e.g. "The coach should arrive back at your hotel (or ship) at approximately 2:30." Again, that can be subject to change, but in any case your time to "explore on your own" may be less than you anticipated. As you probably know, the schedule you receive on the first day of the tour, may be for just a few days, and even it can change.
FLEXIBILITY is the name of the game!
The problem with FLEXIBILITY is that Tauck's trend has been to include less in their tours, and offer more free time. Many sights/events require timed tickets. That's why we need to know.
And as Alan wrote, call Tauck for specifics. I've done that for days with significant free time.
I haven't experienced significant free time on the trips I've taken with Tauck. I've always been able to fill my free time with sights/sites near the hotel or dock. And I've rarely gotten a timed ticket ahead of time, unless it was for the Gift of Time day.
I agree with BKMD, less and less included meals and tours. I once booked an extra thing prior to a tour during what was supposed to be free time and it wasn’t. Now we hardly ever risk this. Also, some Tauck hotels these days are nowhere near the center of cities, especially Four Seasons. We have been as much as a half hour ride to get back to the action.