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August 16, 2015 Trip- any helpful hints? Must dos?
So excited for our first Tauck tour for our family. Any packing helpful hints? Any advice we have 3 children ages 10-15.
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Grand Canyon: take time to see the sunset it is gorgeous! Eat dinner at El Tovar, one of the most delicious meals will e had on tour. Do not let the fine dining scare you off, we went in shorts and were just fine. Kids ages 5-16 enjoyed the meal too. Plan to get up at 5am to see the sunrise, you will not regret it. We hiked to sunrise lookout point for better view. Kids enjoyed the fossil hike and we also hiked about 20 minutes down the mule trail.
Lake Powell/Glen Canyon: Flightseeing trip is wonderful! We did the one that was included. private cruise and rafting trip are fantastic too! If your kids want to go into the Colorado River while on the rafting trip, suggest they wear their bathing suits with shirts for trip and pack dry clothes to leave on bus to change into afterwards. River is very cold (47 degrees) but kids did not mind as it was hot and they wanted to say they jumped into the Colorado River!
Bryce Canyon: suggest hiking one of the trails either before or after dinner. We hiked the trail near sunset lookout point after dinner and it was a great hike, about 1.3 miles. Bring flashlights if going after dinner as it got dark toward end of hike. All of the kids said this was one of their favorite hikes on the trip. The horseback/mule riding is a must do! One of our favorite activities on the trip and the scenery is breathtaking.
Zion: if you can, get early dinner reservation and then hike the trail to see the waterfalls. Bring flashlight as it got dark on way back. Upon our return to the lodge, there were tons of deer on the lawn...kids loved seeing them up close as they are not spooked by people. In the morning, suggest grabbing an early breakfast and taking the bus to the Temple of Sinawava trail that leads to the narrows where you can walk on the river rocks down the Virgin River. super fun and beautiful scenery. We wore our sneakers to hike and packed our river shoes and changed to do the river walk. Lots of sticks at River walk entrance to use!
Las Vegas: suggest going to the dollar store before you leave for your trip and purchasing tubes to use for the lazy river at Mandalay Bay. The charge $18-22 for tubes. We set up at the Four Seasons pool as it it peaceful, relaxing and you have great service at the pool and would walk over to Mandalay Bay to enjoy the lazy river and wave pools. We had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris Hotel...it was delicious. Request table by window to people watch or if not too hot, sit on patio.
Pack lots of sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes. Dress on trip was casual, even in the restaurants. Enjoy!!!
The way it usually works with Tauck for the meals unless it is a group meal, is that you do a 'Dine Around' so you have a choice of restaurants at the resort, your Tour guide will walk around the bus, either the day before or the day of, ask you where you want to dine, what time, and whether you want to dine with others or on your own. We have taken the regular Tauck Canyons tour and this is how it certainly worked then. Time to get up? Cannot help, but bare in mind, on this particular tour, you will certainly benefit from getting up before dawn to go and see the scenery and color as the sun comes up, that will probably include a hike or some walking too, not to be missed! So you may be awake way before you are required to start the tour for the day.