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21 June 2021 Tauck Update
I am so delighted that my November 2021 river cruise is a "go." Equally exciting is for entry to Iberia, I only have to show my CDC vaccination card. No COVID testing required. Spain does require an on-line affidavit/health questionnaire that has to be completed before departure from the U. S. I haven't looked at it yet. Come November, it might not be required. If returning to the U. S. from Spain, a negative COVID test is required; however, this is not required if returning from Portugal. This is as of today, so things can obviously change. Tauck even contacted me today to advise that my flight departure from LAX has a time change...a five minute time change! They are the best!
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Woo hoo! We were booked in 2020 and that did't go, so we're now booked in April 2022. Please post a review of your experiences and any restaurant suggestions in Madrid and Lisbon. We hope you have a wonderful time and leave some Port for us.
Thanks, AshvEd, for the kind post and well wishes. I will certainly write a review of my experiences. I have many restaurant suggestions for Madrid, but I'll hold off until I see if they are still in existence. The Spaniards eat their supper at around 2200 (10 PM). Your best bet will be tapas bars in the afternoon before they shut down until dinner. I'll write more when I return. If you have any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to attempt to answer them. Yes, I will leave some port for you, but I can't promise the same for vinho verde! Warm regards.
I was mistaken about the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing upon leaving Portugal. It is a requirement. Because it was listed under the "Spain" section, I thought it was only their requirement. Tauck arranges for the test, but the traveler is responsible for the charge. An antigen test is an acceptable alternative. Hopefully this will be a moot point in the near future.
After my April tour was canceled for obvious reasons, I chose the last 2021 date (11 Nov) because that was the only departure whereby I could secure the cabin category I wanted. To that end, does anyone have direct experience with being on a final Tauck river cruise of the season? A friend keeps telling me that the quality of service declines on a final cruise since the crew and directors simply want to have time off. Her experience was based on a land tour, not a river cruise. I am not concerned but was wondering if anyone had direct experience with this. Thanks in advance for any insight you can share.
I would hope that would not happen with Tauck. But personally, I would not want to go T that time of year because of the weather.
kfnknfzk,
That is an interesting question about the last tour of the season. A few years ago we were on our 2nd Tauck river cruise, which was a Christmas cruise on the Rhine and it happened to be the last cruise of the season. We noticed that the tour director and one of the Tauck directors just didn't seem to have their hearts into their job.... grumpy throughout the trip. We were always being fussed at and warned not to be late for the buses which really made me anxious to even leave the bus. One of the guides discouraged us from leaving the ship one evening for a night tour, threatening that if we were late they would leave without us. So we stayed on the ship.
The wines on the ship were not up to the standards of our previous cruise which may be the nature of that particular cruise but many of them you can buy in the states at grocery stores which was not the case on our first cruise.
We probably would not have thought anything of any of this except that we had been on a 2 week Danube cruise two years before and that staff on that trip could not have been more pleasant and the wines were local and wonderful.
I am trying not to be negative as we have loved almost every minute of our two Tauck trips and these are just observations..
I am curious as to other people’s experiences because we have a cruise in Oct that happens to be the last tour of the season.
On a different note, thanks to everyone who writes on this message board, it has kept my dream of our next tour alive and certainly has been educational!
Thanks, Birder49, for your post. I am sorry you had a bad experience. Did you have a negative experience with the ship's crew as well?
My November tour will be only my third river cruise, but I have been on many land tours and have never been disappointed. Actually, we love Tauck so much that we simply would not travel with any other touring company.
Thank you, again, for sharing your experience. Pleas be sure to post a review after your October trip. Enjoy and stay safe.
You are welcome. The crew was wonderful on both cruises and are always willing to please. Like you, we will only do Tauck.
Birder49 -- Was that perchance the cruise that departed Basel on Dec. 8, 2019? I was on that cruise (my first Tauck river cruise) but don't think it was the last one of the season. The ship (the MS Grace) and the crew were wonderful, but the Tauck employees were not up to the usual level.
We've had one cruise late in the season (Rhine/Moselle) where the cruise director was heading home after our cruise though it wasn't the last of the season. She seemed more focused on what she was doing when she got home than on our tour. The communications between her and the TD's was frequently missing which caused confusion - they'd say one thing, she'd say something else. Actually had her as CD on a different cruise a few years later and she was fine.
The ship's crew - Scylla employees - are different. In general I find they are very glad when Tauck customers are on board - the no tipping means they can count on what they'll receive versus the ship being used by a different tour company that may not do the same.
We've never had a problem with the crew. They always bend over backward to provide service. Also, their work schedule is different than the Tauck employees since Scylla uses the ship for more than just our cruises. They also park the ships at particular locations kind of like mobile hotels for special events.
So, it might be Tauck's last cruise of the season but doesn't mean every else is done for the season.
MCD, It was Dec 10, 2017 from Basil. We were on the Inspire. I am positive it was the last tour of that year because I remember the crew was so happy when we disembarked at the end so they could begin their holiday. My husband tells me the ship was going to be subleased to another group the next week. Please don't misunderstand my post, we really enjoyed the cruise and cant wait to go again.
Do you have another cruise planned in the immediate future?
Birder49 -- No cruises booked, but multiple land tours.
I have been on 1 river cruise (Romantic Rhine) and 1 small boat (Japan- Land of the Rising Sun) plus 5 land trips. I found that the TA’s on the ‘water’ develops a different relationship with guests than those on land tours. Part of the reason (IMO) is that on land, you have the same group of guests with the solitary TA throughout whereas on water, the groupings of guests are rearranged as are the assignment of the teams of TD’s.
NancyCohen,
I wholeheartedly agree with you. On land tours we have always appreciated the tour director getting to know us and our names. This simply was not the case on the two river cruises we took. Nonetheless, we had marvelous times, especially on the Savoring France tour.
I also believe that because of the no tipping "policy", the tour directors have no incentive to go above and beyond. I have left gratuities, however, with certain crew members at the end of the tour. Their faces just beam with delight when thanked for their graciousness!
Tauck appreciates feedback on things like this. Most new TD’s begin their time with Tauck on the river cruises where there are other TD’s to help them learn the ropes. It’s hard to get to know other people on the tour because of all the mixing up of the groups. It’s sad that so many people have to rely on tips for a day’s work but sadder still that it’s assumed you won’t give your best unless you are tipped well.
When we go on a cruise I tip ‘attentive’ employees at the beginning of the cruise rather than the end … even when tips are included. I never need to flag down a waiter … they know us, our preferences, and our names within 24 hours. Our tips are always included on Windstar, but I make a list and provide a little extra along the way. We have done enough cruises with them, that we are normally known when we first step aboard. On our last cruise we had the same cabin steward as the previous cruise six months earlier, and the first person we saw upon boarding was an old friend. The people we have cruised with before always recognize us. I’m not giving away a lot of money, but the little bit extra is appreciated. We also make a point of remembering their names, and they are given credit in our post cruise reviews. It is pretty normal for us to know ten or more crew members on any given cruise.
MCD, we were on the Grace cruise that ended in Basel on 12/8/19 and it was the next-to-last one, so just prior to yours. The tour directors were fine but not as peppy as we were used to. I think they were tired and ready to go home for the holidays. But things ran well and it was a great trip. So much so that we’re booked on the Danube Christmas Markets this year and the Yuletide one in 2022.
I have been in many river cruises and all TD's have been wonderful, always ready with little surprises just like the land tour TD's.
Thanks to everyone who contributed herein. I'll do another update on COVID requirements for this trip as they are released. And a special thank you to Tauck for keeping us informed every step of the way.
Just a brief note to frequently check Tauck's "Travel Updates" section if you have trips planned this year. There are now testing requirements before entering Portugal, probably because of the recent spike in the Delta variant there. Requirements are so very fluid, hence it is imperative to check the website frequently. Thanks again, Tauck, for keeping us informed! You have had a monumental task through all this, and I sincerely appreciate your efforts.
Watching Tauck updates is not sufficient, even they ask you to check the CDC websites and rules of each country. They put the responsible on you to keep up to date, not them.
Perhaps I have missed something. Please direct me to the section within Tauck's site wherein they ask me to check with the CDC and rules of each country before traveling with them. Thanks.
I respectfully disagree with your belief that Tauck places the onus on their guests to keep up to date on specific tour requirements. One of the many reasons I travel exclusively with them is because they have our safety and collective well being in mind at all times, as evidenced by their regular updates, letters and webinars during this horrific global tragedy.
Nonetheless, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Warm regards.
Their last update is headlined June 10th. I know there is more up to date info if you dig further, but it’s not obvious. When it comes to health and vaccines! Tauck has always deferred to government websites and your own doctors. They cleanly state that if you don’t have the correct paperwork for entry into a country, it’s on you and not them.
I’m finding the country updates on the Points Guy the most useful from the travel websites I read. I’m a loyal customer of Tauck, but they do occasionally give incorrect information, our most recent was saying there was no problem changing one of our flights to travel through Germany and it was incorrect.
Here’s just an example about their info
If my tour does operate, what will the travel requirements and health protocols be?
Health and safety protocols vary county-to-county, state-to-state, and even town-to-town. Tauck and our suppliers are committed to following local mandates and requirements. Because the guidelines can change quickly, often without notice, it is not possible for us to provide detailed protocols for your itinerary.
Here is another example
Researching and complying with vaccination entry requirements for the countries visited on this itinerary is the responsibility of the traveler and not Tauck. Tauck is therefore not responsible for any expenses incurred or disruptions to travel caused by improper or incomplete vaccinations, or by the failure to provide proof of required vaccinations.
If you do not obtain the necessary vaccinations and proper documentation, you may be denied entry into one or more countries, or temporarily quarantined until the necessary vaccinations are administered, or until proper documentation is provided.
All common sense, boilerplate information copied and pasted from U. S. tours, African tours, et al. I will continue to support and applaud Tauck for their efforts in keeping us apprised of specific COVID requirements. Hopefully by fall, it will all be a moot point.