Thoughts on Go/No Go deadline for Impressions from the Seine River Cruise on April 2

I leave for my river cruise on 3/31 and while I am not yet in a panic about traveling to France, I do have to wonder what the deadline is for Tauck canceling a cruise.I have traveled many times prior with Tauck and I do have confidence that they will make the right decisions with regards to canceling a tour, but I am curious as to what the go/no go deadline would be. Can it be a day before? I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced a last minute cancellation of a Tack Tour. I find it interesting that the CDC has not issued even a level 1 travel warning on their sight for France, yet, there are warnings for Japan and Hong Kong and they have less new cases on the virus than France. I have been following various sites with regards to news about France and The Connexion Site (news about France) has a story where France has issued a stage 2 for the COVID-19 Virus and is possibly contemplating a level 3 (highest level) warning soon. If this is so, why no warnings from the CDC ? There is also a restriction of 1000 people to various sites in France. I don't want to call Tauck at this point in time as things are changing too quickly and the trip is still 3 weeks away and they probably haven't made a decision yet. I hope the cruise will not be canceled and that we will be able to see all of the sights on the itinerary, but I have to say I am a bit rattled. Any other thoughts from other travelers?

Comments

  • Did you get the email from Dan Maher on their policy it laid out how they handling these cancellations. I would call them if it busy you can leave a call back number.
    By the way did this tour a few years ago Monets gardens were beautiful and Normandy memorable.
    I am on the April 13th Rhône River cruise 🤞🏻No word yet.

  • CATSOOS: Yes, I did receive the email from Dan Maher. The only issue there is that I did not purchase my airfare or trip insurance with Tauck. The travel insurance I purchased with an outside company covers all scenarios except for an Epidemic. It is not a CFAR policy. I didn't really think about that when I purchased the policy, it never really crossed my mind that we would have an epidemic. So, if I cancel the trip it appears Tauck will credit the trip portion towards a 2020-2021 journey, however I will lose quite a bit of money on the airfare. If Tauck cancels the trip, I will receive a full refund on the trip portion and it may be possible to get a refund from the Airline since I would no longer have a reason to proceed with the flight. If the Airline doesn't refund my airfare, I may be able to negotiate with the Trip Insurance Company due to the circumstances, not sure. Actually, I don't really want to cancel the trip, I was just wondering how far in advance Tauck will let us know if they will cancel the trip or change the itinerary. From reading other posts, it appears to have been 3-4 weeks before departure for the Italy and Israel itineraries. I am sure Tauck will notify me of any changes as soon as they know, I am just a bit impatient. Hopefully, I will hear something soon. I hope your Rhone River Cruise goes off without a hitch.

  • You won't hear if your trip is a go unless you call within a day or so of your flights. I can't say when you will hear if it is canceled, but it most likely depends on conditions and how quickly they are changing in the particular country or area. For instance, no cancellation decisions have been announced on the 15 Mar or 22 Mar Jordan & Egypt departures- the first is in just 5 days (only 3 days until the flight). I can't see much impact of a cancellation being announced two weeks, 10 days or one day before the person with the earliest pre-stay date and flights departs from home. Impatience and last minute disappointment maybe, but little monetary difference.

  • I am also booked for 3/31. I get the sense that people are hedging their bets hoping that Tauck will cancel as that has a greater $$ benefit. Looks like there have been several cancellations as reservations are opening.
    KLM/AirFrance announced that they are waiving change fees if you book a new reservation for travel before 5/31/21. That may help your air if you booked with them. I’m thinking of rebooking for 2021 to get all the available benefits with AirFrance and Tauck.

  • Thank you Alan S and RexRex1022 for your input. I have waited a year to go on this trip and I really don't want to re-book, unless Tauck cancels the trip. So, therefore, I will continue to monitor various sites and wait for any updates from Tauck or Lufthansa. I agree with you that there have been cancellations for this trip. As of today, Cat 6 and 7 have availability and Cat 1 and 3 have limited availability. I did check the Lufthansa site and they also have waived re-booking fees. I have copied the notice below.

    Lufthansa Possibility to re-book existing bookings:
    "The new waiver policy for existing bookings applies worldwide for tickets purchased before 5 March with a travel date up to 30 April 2020. Passengers can re-book to a new date up to 31 December 2020 without any re-booking fee – regardless of condition of the original booking fare purchased. "

    I agree with you that if there is any doubt about taking this trip, we do have an option of re-booking the tour and air fare without penalty. This is a good thing. I also checked The Connexion Site (covers news about France) and as of today 3/11, they made the following announcement about moving from the current Level 2 to a Level 3 COVID-19 Alert.

    "Director general of health, Jérôme Salomon, said: “The passing into stage three [of three] is expected to happen in the next few days.”
    Stage three denotes a full-blown epidemic and is likely to mean more stringent restrictions will be put in place across France, including the closure of schools and workplaces, a reduction in public transport services, and the cancellation of most sporting or cultural events."

    There are still no official warnings from the CDC. Interesting. The US Embassy and Consulates in France advised the following as of today 3/11.

    "No travel restrictions have been implemented by the Government of France in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. At this time, airport operations in France are normal."
    France has confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its borders.
    Since January 24, 2020, there have been 1784 confirmed cases in France. There have been 33 confirmed deaths.
    The French government has reported cases throughout the country. Five “clusters” of concentrated cases have been identified in l’Oise (communes of Creil, Crépy en Valois, Vaumoise, Lamorlaye et Lagny le Sec), Haute Savoie (commune of La Balme), Morbihan (communes of d’Auray, Crac’h, Carnac and Vannes), Haut-Rhin (Mulhouse), Aude, Calvados, and in Corsica (Ajaccio)."

    So, in summary, I will keep on keeping on and hope for the best.

  • I just received an e-mail from Tauck, my trip to France (Impressions from the Seine) for April 2 has been canceled. All tours and cruises from 3/17/20 thru 4/14/20 have been canceled. Travelers who are affected will receive an e-mail. Dang. I am disappointed, however, I am happy about the decision considering the circumstances.

  • We’ve rebooked for October 2021.....hoping things calm down and there is a vaccine by then. Vive la France.

  • Yes, I am still thinking about the re-booking. I haven't decided yet. I also looked at the October 2021 trip but it is such a long way off. I will make my decision in a couple of days, but I am leaning towards just getting a refund for now and use it to travel locally this year after everything calms down.

  • My travel companion and I are both in healthcare and we decided on Oct hoping for a milder winter 2021 outbreak and a vaccine. Tauck made it pretty easy. We are looking at something this fall to fill in the gap....

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