extra days in Paris
We are considering the Family cruise 8/2. As we would like to spend 4 night in Paris, can we either opt out of the 2 day hotel stay or get a good rate for 2 extra days at the The Hotel du Collectionneur Arc de Triomphe...which seems a little pricey for the location and age of the hotel
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It all depends on what you want out of the trip.
In Amserdam I was moved to hotel out of center. When it happened I was upset, but looking back I realize I saw a part of the city I would not have seen otherwise.
If I am travelling to an overseas destination to join a Tauck trip, I make sure I arrive in the target location at least 5 days prior to the Tauck departure date ... if that location is my first port of call overseas. I discovered years ago it wasn't a very bright idea for me to waste the first week of a trip wandering around in a fog of jet lag. That's a terrible way to waste money and for me, waste a good part of the experience. If I arrive early I can totter around on foot, visit some art galleries and museums and generally get acclimatised for the Tauck experience to come. This means that I have to make my own pre-stay arrangements because Tauck can only offer to make reservations at their tour hotel (& rate) for 2 days, possibly 3. It's also complicated by the Tauck airport collection service, which only delivers you to the tour hotel. If I'm not staying at the Tauck hotel I can still use that service, but I then have to take a taxi on to my hotel.
If I'm already in, say, the States and my tour leaves from a couple of states away, the above issue isn't an issue at all, since I'm hopefully over the jet lag and can time my arrival to deal with the number of nights Tauck can book for me.
I've had a mixture of experiences over my Tauck years. Sometimes I stay at the Tauck hotel but choose to make my own reservation, perhaps using points. I've done this when the group isn't actually staying at the hotel, as is sometimes the case with a river cruise. Sometimes I've stayed at a nearby hotel and moved on to the Tauck hotel when I could get a room at the Tauck rate or when the tour starts. I did this often before the airport transfers were included. I do appreciate these transfers as it saves me the effort of arranging them from the other side of the world. The downside is that the transfers will only deliver me to where they want to go, not necessarily to where I'm going! The upside is they will collect me even though I arrive a week early!
And you know, sometimes it's just easier to stay put. Moving hotels for a couple of nights only, after a tiring trip, can be the pits. And as Crackers says, there's always the surprise of the new. All part of life's rich travelling tapestry!
Cheers,
Jan