Thread: Travelling with Tauck?

I see that "Tauck Cruising" offers small ship as well as river cruising trips... looks interesting, has anyone travelled with this company before? I’ve seen some pretty good things about them online. I attached their webite: Cruise Travel .

Interesting! Thanks for posting the site!

travel2011:

I have traveled with Tauck 7 times. They are acknowledged by many as the best tour company in the U.S. When I was in the travel agency business years ago, our clients almost never traveled with any one else.

That said, I haven't ever cruised with them. However, their reputation for providing the absolute best is earned from all sides.

On the initial look-see, they appear high-priced. However, virtually everything is included, no matter which tour/cruise you're doing. Of course, alcoholic drinks are extra, but entry fees are generally not. On a tour, you are virtually always allowed to eat from the menu; you're not stuck with the rubber chicken group sit-down, where there's little or no choice!

Almost without exception, across the board, your bottom line with Tauck is always favorable.

I'll quote my observation from my first tour with them, in 2003. We stayed two nights at the Chateau Frontenac, the grande old dame of an hotel in Quebec City. The back-of-the-door notice said the room I was in ran CAD450 (approx. USD375 at the time).

When I got home and calculated all my charges, the entire trip had cost me all of USD200 per night. That shows the deals Tauck can get!

SWR

Tauck is a family owned and run business. As far as river cruising goes, they are considered one of the very best. High end of the scale for sure. I have met with Tauck representatives, and they are very helpful.

My experience with them is my first trip to Hawaii. A friend of mine (college roomie) had booked the trip for her husband and herself, but then decided to divorce him. So she invited me to take his place. They did take care of us, most of our meals were taken care of (included some nice restaurants, even though once my friend and I took advantage of the option to substitute the Polynesian Culture Center instead of a fancy restaurant on our second night in Oahu. Our guide was pretty knowledgeable.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'm still a little curious though, are you stuck with the group the whole time, or do they let you explore on your own occasionally? I’ve have travelled with NCL and Royal Caribbean in the past and am looking forward to trying a River Cruise for the first time. Tauck sounds like a good choice!

Again, can only speak about land tours, but on our Hawaiian tour, there were times that we were on our own. Usually on some of the afternoons.

travel2011:

On land tours, Tauck frequently assumes every one will participate because places to visit may be along your route from A to B.

As stated previously, I haven't taken one of their cruise tours. But, my gut says that if the group is to visit such-and-such cathedral, and you're absolutely bored out with cathedrals, you'll be free to do your own thing. Just be sure to let the Tour Director know, so he/she won't have a "hissy" wasting time trying to find you!

Tauck's Tour Directors are among the world's best, which also means the world's most accommodating!

Whatever Tauck adventure you're thinking about, I positively recommend it and know that you will never again travel with any other group travel agency!

SWR