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A few questions if you have been on Switzerland Crown Jewel tour
My husband and I are going on Switzerland crown Jewel Tour in a couple of weeks. I would appreciate some help from anyone whose done it in past few years:
1) Did you ever have laundry sent out to be done at any of the hotels? If so, when and where? I don’t see much opportunity in this tour to wash clothes.
2) I am confused about how exactly we are supposed to be able to hand over the tips ? Carry the cash with us till the end ?What did you do ?
3) looking at the on tour itinerary some one else posted from July - I see ‘smart casual’ for dinner a lot. How were most people dressed at dinner? Just wondering as we will be hard pressed to fit additional ‘nice’ shoes and clothes in our luggage.
TIA
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Tips are given at the end of the tour to the Tour Director. The TD usually makes guests aware when will be the last time they will see the bus driver. Can't help you with laundry. Smart casual says it all.
It's a wonderful tour - did it last summer.
We are also going on this tour, our first Tauck tour. It appears looking at older posts that tipping in US dollar is fine. Wondering about the weather as it’s been a warmer than usual summer wondering how that will transpire into mid sept.
Who knows the weather question. Look at the ten day forecast just before you go.
Either U.S. or local currency for the gratuities.
To adapt to weather fluctuations, we find that a versatile, mix and match wardrobe works best. Merino wool and cashmere are lightweight and provide exceptional warmth. A light rain jacket, preferably one with a removable lining and hood should suffice for the higher elevations. Sturdy footwear with good traction, too.
I recommend checking the ten-day weather outlook as your trip approaches and adjust your packing as needed. Enjoy your first Tauck tour!
This was our first Tauck tour, back in 2019. It was wonderful. We did not need laundry services. We wore smart casual for dinners. We used an ATM during the tour and withdrew local currency for tips. Enjoy.
LSJX3 at the end of your tour you will get a comment card. If you feel strongly, please write in that you would like to have a reasonably priced and convenient laundry option for all Tauck tours. I am hoping Tauck can work out a deal with hotels where we can hand over a bag of laundry for a set price, lower than the individual pricing. Laundry is not an issue so much for a 7-10 day tour but can be for longer tours or for those of us who extend our travels. Thank you.
Just got back from this tour. It was difficult to pack for since some days are in higher elevations where it can be cooler, and some lower (like Lugano) where it can be quite warm. Layers. We had unseasonably warm weather at all elevations except Jungfrau, so ran short of cooler clothes. Your mileage may vary.
I checked out options for laundry. The hotel prices were ridiculous. 12 CHF for a pair of socks, and since you'd likely have to pay 50% over that for same day, that's about $22 to wash one pair of socks. None of the hotels that we stayed at had self-service machines. We stayed two nights in Grindelwald (most tours stay in Interlaken) and there are three self-service machines inside Laundry & Game Lounge Grindelwald is located inside the Hotel Kreuz & Post, at Dorfstrasse 85, very near the Grindelwald train station. But that doesn't help if you are staying in Interlaken, though you may find a laundromat in Interlaken. There are two laundromats in Lugano, but both about a 15-20 minute walk which I didn't want to do with a bag of clothes. For myself, I made sure I had enough underwear and socks for the whole time, but short-sleeve shirts I ended wearing 2-3 days each, and observed most of the others did too.
Regarding smart casual, there was only one restaurant that I thought had potential to give you an ugly look if you weren't in smart casual and that was Hotel Splendide Royal Lugano. Even there, there is NO need for tie or jacket for men. Just a dress shirt and chinos and shoes that aren't flip-flops or sneakers. Don't stress over the smart casual.
As for tips, I was not going to carry that kind of money in cash the whole tour. We pulled a couple hundred CHF from an ATM in Lausanne upon our arrival. It turns out we used credit card (especially with Apple Pay) for all incidental expenses, so we then withdrew the balance of what we needed for tips in Lucerne (at least two outdoor ATMs very close to where you'll be walking around in Lucerne). Ask for two envelopes at the hotel front desk. Pick a good time at the farewell dinner to hand over your tips to the tour director and bus driver (i.e. don't hand it to the bus driver while he is driving).
Hope that helps!