I have always tried to keep this about my opinions on the travel I have taken. I try not to chastise others who may have different opinions unlike some on here. I try not to lord over others thinking my way of travel is superior. I put up with a lot - but don’t insult me because you don’t like what I said.
When I checked in, I was told right then that I could cancel if I left that day. I didn't consider this because I thought that if necessary, Tauck would modify the tour. Also, the cruise director said the insurance would not cover the cancellation. Because I did not even consider cancellation, I did not read the paper I was handed at that time. I quote, "You may cancel your river cruise and return home, and you will receive a full refund from Tauck for the unused days of your scheduled itinerary. Please note that, per our normal policies, we will be conducting a full review of your cruise following its conclusion, and any decisions regarding possible refunds or other compensation will be made by the staff at Tauck's home office at that time." Is this contradictory?
I agree with Ben. I like free time and prefer two meals a day. I always have leftovers in my hotel fridge & a piece of fruit or gelato is enough lunch after those lovely breakfast buffets. I've been on tours where TD has encouraged us to pack up leftovers; all the wasted food does not leave a good impression on our hosts. I rarely spend the lunch money; I remember a Natl Geo tour in Japan where I never needed a cash machine.
"Is this contradictory?" Not really although possibly confusing based on what you were told by CD when checking in.
I read what you posted here as insurance will not cover the cancellation but Tauck will, except it will be prorated. So, if you elected to "cancel" and stayed the night in the room booked by Tauck and then left the next day, Tauck would give you a refund for the price of the tour less the value of one day - whatever that may be. Or, if you said "no, I'm cancelling" and walked away at the sign in desk without signing in and checked out of the room you would get a full refund from Tauck. That's my understanding based on the document and what you were told.
In either case, my read based on what the CD said, Tauck's insurance carrier is not going to cover the guests because Tauck is starting the tour with or without you.
JaneP - My comment was not directed at anyone in particular. I should have said:
On my various 18 Tauck tours, many people complain that there is too much food and too much time wasted on lunches. So if Tauck is reading comments like this on the Hope and Trust forms and taking action by reducing the number of included meals, it is giving people what they asked for. I guess it would be best for one to stick to cruises where all meals and excursions are included, if that's what matters most to a traveler.
I have traveled with Tauck on numerous river cruises (12 in total) and I have consistently seen a true degradation in the service from Tauck when they turned over the company to the current executives. For me, it started almost the date of the change. The only thing that has remained constant is the good tour directors and cruise directors on the river cruises. I have had amazing directors on my trips and I am sorry they are having to adjust to poor management from Tauck. I truly hope the family realizes the mistakes they have made with the current management and understand that people travel with Tauck because of the fabulous Tauck history. I do continue to travel, but have exhausted my river cruise market and mostly do small ship cruises. There are good cruise companies in that market. I feel for the travelers that are experiencing the pain of traveling with Tauck today. I just hope that the Tauck family upholds their family legacy.
kfnknfzk Thank you for pointing out the policies that I was advised of were on the website. Please help me as I cannot find the policy that states they are not obligated to refund the parts of itinerary they cannot provide due to weather or the policy that states those in a double occupancy room will be refunded at 1/4 the rate of on individual in a solo occupancy room. Can you help me with a link? I would feel a lot better about my ignorance if I could see this
I looked at the cancellation fine print for the cruise you were planning and it is all spelled out there carefully, including the policy regarding cancellations for low or high water. (It did not mention "interuption", as I recall.)
It does seem odd that this was not cancelled before the trip started. If you find an answer to that question, please let us know.
With apologies to kfnknfzk, I don't see this as a Dr. Phil show at all. I think the key message here is to raise awareness about reading the fine print before we book. I really appreciate that the moores has brought this to our attention.
Tauck in general offers very fine products. There are many clear advantages to traveling with Tauck. But most of my friends are not willing to pay their prices, even if they can afford it. It makes sense to comparison shop before you book a trip. Just like you would with any other expensive product you buy. It doesn't mean that Tauck is a bad choice. It just may not be the best choice for an individual depending on their travel goals and budget.
BTW I am not good at fine print but I just looked at the Viking River Cruises cancellation policy for "cancellation other than by you" and it seems to be similar to Tauck's policy.
(Another rabbit hole for a different discussion maybe: I'm just back from Italy and even though it was not as warm as Paris in the past week or so, it was a lot warmer than usual. I don't know if travel companies have started discussing how to deal with rising temperatures, but this would be a good time to start. For our recent trip we did have some free time in the afternoons for which I was very grateful, as the hotels had nice swimming pools.)
Goddess, Shoulder season has been important and tour prices have reflected that for some years. Though that was mostly because people didn't want to go to Europe when the tourist crowds are the heaviest.
Wan, Good points. We probably all need to be more vigilant about reading all the details.
Comments
I have always tried to keep this about my opinions on the travel I have taken. I try not to chastise others who may have different opinions unlike some on here. I try not to lord over others thinking my way of travel is superior. I put up with a lot - but don’t insult me because you don’t like what I said.
When I checked in, I was told right then that I could cancel if I left that day. I didn't consider this because I thought that if necessary, Tauck would modify the tour. Also, the cruise director said the insurance would not cover the cancellation. Because I did not even consider cancellation, I did not read the paper I was handed at that time. I quote, "You may cancel your river cruise and return home, and you will receive a full refund from Tauck for the unused days of your scheduled itinerary. Please note that, per our normal policies, we will be conducting a full review of your cruise following its conclusion, and any decisions regarding possible refunds or other compensation will be made by the staff at Tauck's home office at that time." Is this contradictory?
I agree with Ben. I like free time and prefer two meals a day. I always have leftovers in my hotel fridge & a piece of fruit or gelato is enough lunch after those lovely breakfast buffets. I've been on tours where TD has encouraged us to pack up leftovers; all the wasted food does not leave a good impression on our hosts. I rarely spend the lunch money; I remember a Natl Geo tour in Japan where I never needed a cash machine.
"Is this contradictory?" Not really although possibly confusing based on what you were told by CD when checking in.
I read what you posted here as insurance will not cover the cancellation but Tauck will, except it will be prorated. So, if you elected to "cancel" and stayed the night in the room booked by Tauck and then left the next day, Tauck would give you a refund for the price of the tour less the value of one day - whatever that may be. Or, if you said "no, I'm cancelling" and walked away at the sign in desk without signing in and checked out of the room you would get a full refund from Tauck. That's my understanding based on the document and what you were told.
In either case, my read based on what the CD said, Tauck's insurance carrier is not going to cover the guests because Tauck is starting the tour with or without you.
JaneP - My comment was not directed at anyone in particular. I should have said:
On my various 18 Tauck tours, many people complain that there is too much food and too much time wasted on lunches. So if Tauck is reading comments like this on the Hope and Trust forms and taking action by reducing the number of included meals, it is giving people what they asked for. I guess it would be best for one to stick to cruises where all meals and excursions are included, if that's what matters most to a traveler.
I have traveled with Tauck on numerous river cruises (12 in total) and I have consistently seen a true degradation in the service from Tauck when they turned over the company to the current executives. For me, it started almost the date of the change. The only thing that has remained constant is the good tour directors and cruise directors on the river cruises. I have had amazing directors on my trips and I am sorry they are having to adjust to poor management from Tauck. I truly hope the family realizes the mistakes they have made with the current management and understand that people travel with Tauck because of the fabulous Tauck history. I do continue to travel, but have exhausted my river cruise market and mostly do small ship cruises. There are good cruise companies in that market. I feel for the travelers that are experiencing the pain of traveling with Tauck today. I just hope that the Tauck family upholds their family legacy.
kfnknfzk Thank you for pointing out the policies that I was advised of were on the website. Please help me as I cannot find the policy that states they are not obligated to refund the parts of itinerary they cannot provide due to weather or the policy that states those in a double occupancy room will be refunded at 1/4 the rate of on individual in a solo occupancy room. Can you help me with a link? I would feel a lot better about my ignorance if I could see this
I am not sure I understand your questions. You can call Tauck for guidance. Good luck.
Goddess - I was actually referring to the obnoxious Dr Phil comment.
I looked at the cancellation fine print for the cruise you were planning and it is all spelled out there carefully, including the policy regarding cancellations for low or high water. (It did not mention "interuption", as I recall.)
It does seem odd that this was not cancelled before the trip started. If you find an answer to that question, please let us know.
With apologies to kfnknfzk, I don't see this as a Dr. Phil show at all. I think the key message here is to raise awareness about reading the fine print before we book. I really appreciate that the moores has brought this to our attention.
Tauck in general offers very fine products. There are many clear advantages to traveling with Tauck. But most of my friends are not willing to pay their prices, even if they can afford it. It makes sense to comparison shop before you book a trip. Just like you would with any other expensive product you buy. It doesn't mean that Tauck is a bad choice. It just may not be the best choice for an individual depending on their travel goals and budget.
BTW I am not good at fine print but I just looked at the Viking River Cruises cancellation policy for "cancellation other than by you" and it seems to be similar to Tauck's policy.
(Another rabbit hole for a different discussion maybe: I'm just back from Italy and even though it was not as warm as Paris in the past week or so, it was a lot warmer than usual. I don't know if travel companies have started discussing how to deal with rising temperatures, but this would be a good time to start. For our recent trip we did have some free time in the afternoons for which I was very grateful, as the hotels had nice swimming pools.)
Shoulder seasons will become more important and pricing will reflect that.
Goddess, Shoulder season has been important and tour prices have reflected that for some years. Though that was mostly because people didn't want to go to Europe when the tourist crowds are the heaviest.
Wan, Good points. We probably all need to be more vigilant about reading all the details.
Yep - but now they'll be more in demand and more expensive...........................................