Grand New England

Aug 5,2013
Completed 11 day tour on July 31. In summary, it's a nice tour ,although short on excitement.Our guide was a native
New Englander with a lot of wit,wisdom and local knowledge given freely and appreciated by all.
In my opinion Maine is the high point of the tour,although MA,VT and NH have much to offer.On the upside,Tauck
puts you in the best accomodations in any given area and their policy of ordering a la carte whatever one wishes is
quite generous.That plus dining at leisure eliminates any chance of "Mess hall eating".
On the opposite side of the coin, there is too much bus time for my likeing (it is,however, a bus tour in all fairness).
As is always the case with Tauck,there is very little free time to relax,shop or explore on one's own. I get the sense
that Tauck doesn't want their guests bored but makes you feel as though you're in kindergarten and need to be led
around full time.By nature and destination this tour attracts a very sedentary,older tourist.Take that into account when
you choose your trip.
Alan Peikin

Comments

  • I have not taken this tour but I have heard that there is a lot of time on the bus. Living in the Northeast I have driven much of this area on my own. I know that you spend quite a bit of time on the road as the places that you want to visit are not close together. I, however, disagree that Tauck gives "very free little time to relax, shop and explore on one's own." As I learned on one of my early tours, it is a tour and they are trying to give you the most from an area. I have also seen that over the years, there is more and more free time being included. Also when you stop in an area on most tours, one is given suggestions of things to do, but I have never felt that I am being treated as if I am in "kindergarten and need to be led around full time."

    Everyone is entitled to an opinion and it is mine that after 20 tours, Tauck has always treated me as an adult and the only time there has been extensive time on the bus is when you need to travel between locations to visit.
  • edited October 2013
    Hi Alan,

    Glad to see that you are back to your feisty self after that nasty mishap at Logan on the way home. As a fellow traveller, I was much relieved to see that time constraints and other commitments were set aside when you were in such need of assistance. Everyone still on the coach was very concerned for you, while being relieved that Kevin, our wonderful driver, and Denice, our ever fearless and resourceful leader, were both there to assist you and Sharon.

    Best wishes to Sharon, too. She was a trooper throughout. It's just wonderful to know that Tauck can & will accommodate travellers who need ... just a little more consideration and TLC ... than the rest of us, increasingly decrepit though we are. (Speaking personally, of course!! ;)))

    I'm sorry you were left with the impression that you were in a kindergarten. Still, when it really counted, help was always at hand for you both. And as for a lack of excitement, you gave the rest of us more excitement than we really needed!

    Good health to you both. I hope you are on the mend.

    Cheers,

    Jan

  • edited August 2013
    We are taking the Grand New England tour in early October. For anyone who has traveled in this region in October, I would appreciate having suggestions of what clothing to bring. We are coming from California and early October here can still be quite warm. I really didn't want to dig out too many winter clothes yet, but we do want to be comfortable. Any advice would be appreciated.

    Did anybody take the hot air balloon ride? How was that and was it worth your while? I'm just wondering if it's worth taking that kind of chance.

    We have been on several Tauck tours and find them to be the easiest and most convenient way to travel. It takes all the headaches out of travel for us. We have found varied ages on our tours but most are around our age group (mid 60's). I have to disagree with one post that implied they for the elderly. The elderly would have difficulty on some of the Tauck tours we have taken previously. You need to be in reasonably good health to take one of these tours.
  • As this trip gets closer, I hope we'll hear from someone who has taken it. It's supposed to be one of the best.
  • New England can be cool in October. You will probably not need winter clothes but I would definitely bring a jacket and sweater. Most of the trip might only have highs in the low to mid-60s but it will be cooler at night. Maine could even get into the upper 30s at night and maybe only the 50's during the day. I am not sure from what part of California you are traveling, but it will not be "quite warm" in New England. I hope this helps some. The weather in the Northeast during the change over into fall is tricky as there are still some days when it does get warm yet.
  • I was trying to reply to Kathy and somehow it didn't go through. I just wanted to say thank you for your help. The info. on Maine was especially helpful. We are above Sacramento and the temperatures at that time can vary from mid-80's to over 100 degrees. However, the 100 degree ones usually don't last long thankfully. Again, your help is appreciated.
This discussion has been closed.