Hotel transfer tipping?

Hi fellow travellers on The Best of Ireland departure on July 17, 2012. We are excited to meet and travel with you. We are going 2 days early on the gift of time and wonder if the transfer to the hotel, which may be by cab not bus, requires a tip to the driver.

Comments

  • If you let Tauck know when you will be arriving, they will arrange your transfer to the hotel and take care of the cost and tip.
  • Thanks, Nial. We are arriving tomorrow morning, July 15, via Aer Lingus flt. # 134, due to arrive in Shannon at 6:10 AM from Boston. It's my understanding that we will be met and transferred to the hotel by Tauck, but I was uncertain how to handle tipping. From your response I understand that Tauck will handle that as well. At this moment we are in final preparations for our trip and excited to begin our tour.
  • Have a great trip!! We arrive in Shannon, from Manchester, on 3 September for the tour starting on the 4th. I don't know how I got that avatar stating I am a "Tauck Expert," since I've only been on one other Tauck Tour. But, they did take care of all the transportation to and from the airport on that trip.

    We are piggybacking this trip with the England, Scotland, and Wales (16 August) trip that ends in London a few days before the Best of Ireland trip. We, too, are looking forward to the trips. We enjoyed our trip in the Aegean last year and expect this to be the same--well, maybe not weather wise.

    Enjoy.
  • Hope you will share some of your experiences from the Best of Ireland trip you just returned from as we are taking this tour the end of August and looking forward to it. Any tips you have to share will be most appreciated.
  • edited August 2012
    We got back from the "Best of Ireland" last Monday and it was an absolutely Wonderful Adventure!
    Only thing I can tell you about is your Clothes!!!
    I only wore Shorts on One Day!!! All other days were a bit on the Lower 60's side!
    Also, be prepared for a bit of Rain!!! Not a Lot, but if you don't have something that can be used as a Rain Jacket you might be uncomfortable!

    Men make sure you bring a bit of Formal Clothes! Dress Shirts and an occasional Jacket besides the Welcome Formal!! There are a few more Formal Like conditions for the Hotel Restaurants on this Trip!

    Beautiful Scenery and Landscapes! Make sure you bring Enough Memory for your Cameras! I've seen a few people hunting around for Camera Stores looking to purchase more Cards!!

    You will have a Blast!!!

    Dingle Marina!
    © 2012 Mark G Photography
    BTW, that Expert and other "Traveler" names are not for how many trips you take!! That's for how many "Posts in the Forums" you make!

    Travel Bug: We were also on the July 17 Trip!!! hehe

    7709561038_ded5d9b26c.jpg
    Dingle Marina by mad_1_spider, on Flickr
  • edited August 2012
    Not4wood wrote:
    We got back from the "Best of Ireland" last Monday and it was an absolutely Wonderful Adventure!
    BTW, that Expert and other "Traveler" names are not for how many trips you take!! That's for how many "Posts in the Forums" you make!

    Last year I had the very great privilege of travelling to Cape Cod with a gentleman who was taking his 137th (if I remember correctly) trip with Tauck. He was a real sweetheart and the nicest of travelling companions. What travel stories he had to tell. I think he'd have had the A-Z of every Tauck Tour Director at his fingertips, too! What a privilege that he still chooses to vacation with Tauck.

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • travelbug wrote:
    Thanks, Nial. We are arriving tomorrow morning, July 15, via Aer Lingus flt. # 134, due to arrive in Shannon at 6:10 AM from Boston. It's my understanding that we will be met and transferred to the hotel by Tauck, but I was uncertain how to handle tipping. From your response I understand that Tauck will handle that as well. At this moment we are in final preparations for our trip and excited to begin our tour.
  • I was told that I need to pay for the transfer to the Tauck hotel on my own as I am arriving 2 day earlier that the tour. I am on the August 11th, Castles & Kings. Who should I contact regarding this? I am also departing 2 days after ther tour in Paris.
  • Contact Tauck office. I have never paid for hotel transfer and I don't get the hotel add on through
    tauck.
  • Hi Fullersloane,

    What crackers said!;) I have often arrived 5-7 days before departure and have never had a problem. I make my bookings directly with Tauck, from Australia, via either their toll free number or via email. Contact Tauck directly with your booking reference if your travel agent is messing with your head!

    Have a great trip,

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • Hi Fullersloane,

    I'm not sure if you're an Australian but if you are then Tauck's Australian agent is still up to their old charlatan tricks. Like Jan I will be booking my 2014 Tauck holiday with them direct. We too arrived early and had booked our own air but Tauck were there to pick us up at the airport. All we had to do was let them know of our flight details and arrival time a couple of weeks before we left Australia.
  • I always book direct! Ever since the time the not-to-be-mentioned people created havoc for me with airfares to no-where-useful-now and a "not now available" tour. Thank heavens for Tauck. In desperation I called Tauck and the lovely people in Head Office sorted everything out. Now I go straight to Tauck!

    Because of agency agreements, I understand all Australian travel agent bookings go via the no-to-be-mentioned people. My travel agent, (nothing to do with the horror booking) who is a treasure, is trying to live with my decision. After all, she has my picky air transport requests & accommodation bookings & expedition trips to deal with. Wouldn't want to send the poor woman totally insane!

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • I hate to burst any misconceptions out there but I am a travel agent taking my own trip paid trip with my granddaugher & was stiil given this information from Tauck.I plan to just meet the group at their hotel & begin the trip with them at that point. I will use the Uber app ( which I love ) to get me from my hotel ( the Goring ) to the group hotel.
    I will do the same in Paris. Uber will take me from the group hotel to Le Bristol hotel & I have arranged my own transfer to the airport.
  • Sure, fullersloane. Nothing stopping you from doing what you want to do. The previous conversation was about Australians and the choices they can make regarding their Tauck travel reservations.

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • edited June 2013
    My understanding of Tauck transport from the airport to the Tauck hotel of choice (either booked through Tauck or booked on one's own) as well as back to the airport (Tauck hotel, booked through Tauck or on one's own), are provided, and included in your tour price. If you opt to stay, either pre or post tour, at other properties, Tauck transport is not provided. The transfers are provided regardless of how many days earlier you arrive or depart. Tipping is paid by Tauck, so no additional tip is necessary when using their airport transport.

    Please correct me if I am mistaken, but this is what I was told by both Tauck and our TA. I would imagine these rules apply regardless of whether you book here in the US, or Australia, or any other country where you can book Tauck travel.
  • Hi nyfeds,

    I agree with your post. We even stayed at Tauck's Paris hotel for an extra night using our American Express points and they picked us up and took us to the airport. We are going a day earlier on our upcoming trip and the docs just came and it says they will pick us up and take us to their hotel.

    Sheila
  • Within the last year, we've had two different transfer issues that Tauck took care of very well.

    Last month, when we arrived in Vancouver for our Grand Canadian Rockies tour, our transportation from the airport was not there (our reservation got tied to friends who were coming in the next day). A quick call to Tauck and it was resolved in two minutes. They had us get a cab and get a receipt. When I saw our tour director (Greg . . . great guy!) at the welcome dinner the next evening, he had already received a call from the "home" office. I gave him the receipt and he took out his wallet and reimbursed me on the spot!

    Last year, after our French Waterways and Vineyards tour, we stayed a few extra days in Lyon . . . not at Tauck's hotel. I had tried to arrange transportation from the dock to the hotel, but was having difficulty making contact. I asked one of our tour director's if he could help arrange transportation, and he had a cab waiting at the dock when we arrived. I fully expected to pay for the cab myself (as the documents state this is not a Tauck expense), but Tauck picked up the cost.

    These are just a few examples of why I choose Tauck.
  • Hi rabo,

    I had heard the same in regard to Tauck being quite good with reimbursing their guests when a taxi was used for the circumstances you stated.

    Hi Sheila! Good hearing from you on this forum! Hope all is well and good in your corner of the world!
  • Hi nyfeds,

    Thing are good here and hopefully will stay that way. When we were in Bucharest last summer, we arrived several days early to explore that city. Four of us went to the People's Palace and toured on our own. Several days later, it was on Tauck's itinerary. Since we didn't want to repeat this tour, our Tauck guides gave us taxi money to get to a fascinating folk museum. We were also given taxi money to meet the group for lunch before boarding the ship.

    Sheila
This discussion has been closed.