One night on our river cruise there is an offsite dinner at a chateau in France. If we opted to skip this outing and stay on the ship that evening, would dinner service still be available?
Unless several other guests stay onboard, dinner will likely not be served in the main dining room but in Arthur’s as indicated. The menu is limited, however, and a bit too heavy for my eating habits. The soups are always lovely. Be sure to advise the cruise director of your desire to stay onboard.
I will say that we have always enjoyed the “gala” evenings out and the beautiful settings and entertainment.
You can always skip out on excursions. While the Rhone cruises tend to have a fair number of stops requiring no or short coach rides, there still will be some excursions that necessitate it. Certainly way less coach time than a land tour. Your option what you want to miss.
I do not recall the coach ride being that long, but I don’t mind bus rides while on tour. I do recall it being a very festive ride in anticipation of the evening ahead. You, of course, are free to decline any activity. It is your holiday. Let the cruise director know so you will be able to eat at Arthur’s.
Tauck tours are Tours. Whether land tour or river cruise, buses must be expected to get people to sites not exactly next to a hotel or ship. Some of the most interesting sites and life going on outside of those bus windows have been fascinating. Examples…three to four people on a scooter, cars passing by with chickens hanging out of the trunk, women making cow patties by the roadside, street markets, beautiful countryside…. If I don’t want to go on a bus, I book a vacation at a fancy resort and don’t leave it, but thr is not what Tauck is about.
I understood your choice to skip the activity but I think it’s a shame you will miss out.
During most bus rides through the Dolomites on Ultimate Alps & Dolomites tour we did years ago, I spotted and photographed a number of sites I thought interesting or possibly historical (while almost everyone dozed (the TD was quiet ) After we got home I researched them- my camera doesn't have GPS, so I used the time stamps on each photo to estimate distance and location on Google Maps. The process was fun. Here are a few examples:
This interesting hilltop, church, tower, castle(?) I filmed from the bus window turned out to be Burg Freundsberg Castle. It was constructed in 1150 by the lords of Freundsberg. Since 1948 the castle has been a museum where the history of the nearby city Schwaz and the silver mining industry in this region are documented.
I took this photo through the bus window because I liked the view of the jagged Dolomites, sky, and clouds. It wasn't until later I noticed something interesting in the lower right corner. Can you tell what it is? (hint: it is yellow)
On the way to Balzano, Italy we passed this castle. The road was fairly narrow and windy so it was difficult to get a good shot. Again, after we got home we discovered it was Castel Trostburg which dates back to the 12th century. It is now home to the South Tyrolean Castles Museum and offers an interesting permanent exhibition with true-to-scale models of castles of this region. It was not on the tour and unfortunately the walk up from the bus park requires a bit of time we did not have in our schedule, so we could not stop for a visit.
After leaving Balzano and while winding our way through narrow mountain valleys to the 12 mile long Flüelapass Vereina tunnel where our entire bus boarded a roll-on/roll-off train for a trip through the alps, we passed this substantial but unidentified castle ruin. Again, the internet came to our rescue. We discovered it is the ruin of Montechiarro/Lichtenberg Castle which is perched high above the town of Montechiaro/Lichtenberg near Prato/Prad at the Passo dello Stelvio/ Stilfserjoch Pass. It dates back to the 13th Century and was once the old stronghold for the Counts of Tyrol against the bishops of Chur (city near Davos, Switzerland). Today it is only a ruin, but the high walls of the palace and the well-preserved turret can still be seen. Some walls with entire frescoes were removed to a museum. (powerlines got in the way! )
I will admit there were a lot of things to see during the bus drives on this trip, but there is always something to interesting see out the bus window on most tours! (This little piggy went to market. )
Comments
Yes you can eat at Arthur’s. Which dinner do you plan to skip?
Unless several other guests stay onboard, dinner will likely not be served in the main dining room but in Arthur’s as indicated. The menu is limited, however, and a bit too heavy for my eating habits. The soups are always lovely. Be sure to advise the cruise director of your desire to stay onboard.
I will say that we have always enjoyed the “gala” evenings out and the beautiful settings and entertainment.
Yes but it will be a limited choice of menu. Its a night off for much of the crew.
We are considering skipping the dinner at Duchy of Uzes on the Savoring France river cruise as it necessitates a 45 minute bus ride each way.
You can always skip out on excursions. While the Rhone cruises tend to have a fair number of stops requiring no or short coach rides, there still will be some excursions that necessitate it. Certainly way less coach time than a land tour. Your option what you want to miss.
I do not recall the coach ride being that long, but I don’t mind bus rides while on tour. I do recall it being a very festive ride in anticipation of the evening ahead. You, of course, are free to decline any activity. It is your holiday. Let the cruise director know so you will be able to eat at Arthur’s.
Tauck tours are Tours. Whether land tour or river cruise, buses must be expected to get people to sites not exactly next to a hotel or ship. Some of the most interesting sites and life going on outside of those bus windows have been fascinating. Examples…three to four people on a scooter, cars passing by with chickens hanging out of the trunk, women making cow patties by the roadside, street markets, beautiful countryside…. If I don’t want to go on a bus, I book a vacation at a fancy resort and don’t leave it, but thr is not what Tauck is about.
I understood your choice to skip the activity but I think it’s a shame you will miss out.
Great venue that you can tour. Our dinner was out in the courtyard after a cocktail hour with a string quartet
During most bus rides through the Dolomites on Ultimate Alps & Dolomites tour we did years ago, I spotted and photographed a number of sites I thought interesting or possibly historical (while almost everyone dozed (the TD was quiet
) After we got home I researched them- my camera doesn't have GPS, so I used the time stamps on each photo to estimate distance and location on Google Maps. The process was fun. Here are a few examples:
This interesting hilltop, church, tower, castle(?) I filmed from the bus window turned out to be Burg Freundsberg Castle. It was constructed in 1150 by the lords of Freundsberg. Since 1948 the castle has been a museum where the history of the nearby city Schwaz and the silver mining industry in this region are documented.
I took this photo through the bus window because I liked the view of the jagged Dolomites, sky, and clouds. It wasn't until later I noticed something interesting in the lower right corner. Can you tell what it is? (hint: it is yellow)
On the way to Balzano, Italy we passed this castle. The road was fairly narrow and windy so it was difficult to get a good shot. Again, after we got home we discovered it was Castel Trostburg which dates back to the 12th century. It is now home to the South Tyrolean Castles Museum and offers an interesting permanent exhibition with true-to-scale models of castles of this region. It was not on the tour and unfortunately the walk up from the bus park requires a bit of time we did not have in our schedule, so we could not stop for a visit.
After leaving Balzano and while winding our way through narrow mountain valleys to the 12 mile long Flüelapass Vereina tunnel where our entire bus boarded a roll-on/roll-off train for a trip through the alps, we passed this substantial but unidentified castle ruin. Again, the internet came to our rescue. We discovered it is the ruin of Montechiarro/Lichtenberg Castle which is perched high above the town of Montechiaro/Lichtenberg near Prato/Prad at the Passo dello Stelvio/ Stilfserjoch Pass. It dates back to the 13th Century and was once the old stronghold for the Counts of Tyrol against the bishops of Chur (city near Davos, Switzerland). Today it is only a ruin, but the high walls of the palace and the well-preserved turret can still be seen. Some walls with entire frescoes were removed to a museum. (powerlines got in the way!
)
I will admit there were a lot of things to see during the bus drives on this trip, but there is always something to interesting see out the bus window on most tours! (This little piggy went to market.
)
👍