Any feedback from a past guest?

I am considering this itinerary for my family next year and would appreciate any feedback from someone who has been on the trip. My son will be 12 next summer, so if you have kids around that age, I'm especiall interested in hearing from you. Did you have to dress for dinner on any occasion? Getting dressed up for dinner when I'm on vacation is not my favorite thing.

Comments

  • Pack your bags....We just returned from our cruise August 16th. My niece was 12, nephew was 14. There were both younger and older kids. My niece and nephew didn't want to leave, they can't stop talking about the cruise.

    You don't have to dress up, I was in jeans almost the whole trip. You will want to dress up for your dinner at the palace which was awesome.

    It's the trip of a lifetime.

    Let me know if you'd like more information.
  • Thanks so much! I would love to hear anything you can tell me about the trip. What were you neice's and nephew's favorite part? When you go on shore excursions, did you stay with the same Tauck Director throughout the trip? I've traveled with Tauck before and have the "Gift of Time" offer, so I'm thinking about pre/post nights. We're you able to take advantage of that?
  • I could talk about the trip for days. :) We had 7 travelers, Mom, Dad, 2 kids, grandmother and myself and my husband. Never had any issues. There were many highlights that my nephew and niece enjoyed. The fresh water river rafting, bicyling in Durnstein with a stop for ice cream, Ferris Wheel at the amusement park, and believe it or not they loved the dinner at the palace. Actually I never heard anything negative during the trip.
    We did stay in Budapest the first night, that was part of our package. Beautiful city. If possible arrive in Budapest the day before, gives you a little time to unwind. We stayed at a Gausthaus in Munich and not their hotel.
    The shore excursions are broken down in smaller groups and it's not the same tour operator each time, but all of ours were great. That's another thing we loved about the trip. EVERYONE was so nice, helpful, etc. All of the crew members interacted with the travelers great, especially the kids. Food was awesome. There was always something for parents and kids to do.
    What other Tauck cruise have you been on? We definitely want to take more of the cruises.
    Guess I've ranted on enough. But let me know if you want any other information. I have lots of pics too if you're interested.
  • Thanks again, beanlm! I booked the cruise for next summer. I'm sure we will love it. This will be our first cruise with Tauck, but we have been on the TB Majestic California trip, which was a fantastic.
  • Beanlm:

    We are going on the August 2012 Blue Danube trip. Can you tell us how "adventurous" the white water rafting is? We aren't particularly athletic...and in our '50s! Just wondering about how rough the waters are???

  • runnergirl wrote:
    Beanlm:

    We are going on the August 2012 Blue Danube trip. Can you tell us how "adventurous" the white water rafting is? We aren't particularly athletic...and in our '50s! Just wondering about how rough the waters are???


    We just got back from the cruise and the white water rafting was very disappointing IMHO. The whole trip was very disorganized and you only spend a total of 3 two minute "runs" on a man made course. It is quite difficult since they regulate the water flow and the course if riddled with large rocks and besides you don't raft alot. After you finish you have to carry your raft up a 20 degree hill for about 100 yards. The local guide don't speak english very well and our guide gave non understandable commands and when nobody understood he got really mad. If I knew then what I know now I would have skipped the whole thing and stayed on the ship. This coming from a young 50 yr. old who has done some rafting in northern New England as well as the Pacific Western U.S.
  • Hello grand isle joe,


    Thank you for your feedback.

    We pride ourselves on exceeding our guests’ expectations in all aspects of the Tauck experience. It is therefore all the more disappointing for me to hear that you had disappointments with certain aspects of their trip. Your feedback has been shared with the Product Manager.

    Sincerely,
    Emily
  • We just got back from the cruise and the white water rafting was very disappointing IMHO. The whole trip was very disorganized and you only spend a total of 3 two minute "runs" on a man made course. It is quite difficult since they regulate the water flow and the course if riddled with large rocks and besides you don't raft alot. After you finish you have to carry your raft up a 20 degree hill for about 100 yards. The local guide don't speak english very well and our guide gave non understandable commands and when nobody understood he got really mad. If I knew then what I know now I would have skipped the whole thing and stayed on the ship. This coming from a young 50 yr. old who has done some rafting in northern New England as well as the Pacific Western U.S.




    Thanks for the input; we'll certainly rethink going on the white water rafting. Any other tips you have from your experience -- things to make sure to do....things to avoid. Thanks!
  • Hi Grand Isle Joe and Runnergirl,

    The Product Manager has informed me that they are currently looking for an replacement activity in Bratislava to provide a better experience for the next departure in August and moving forward in 2013.

    Best,
    Emily
  • Emily my family was specifically looking forward to the rafting. Why not fix the problems instead of replacing one of the more interactive and challenging excursions.
  • bencarlin wrote:
    Emily my family was specifically looking forward to the rafting. Why not fix the problems instead of replacing one of the more interactive and challenging excursions.


    Having lived or rode through this event it was not up to the standards you expect in a Tauck tour. It was on a concrete man made course not the Snake river. For the amount of time and effort and about 6 minutes of riding it was tough to defend. For some reason I had an image in my mind of the Colorado rides but when we showed up it totally erased that belief. On our trip one woman was thrown out of raft and ended up going to the hospital then returned with a broken shoulder. She was no flunky either. In our raft a 14 yr. old girl was tossed right out and dragged across the rocks and crawled out the side. Believe me it wasn't too much fun. Head to Montana and have a great river experience.
  • I agree with grand isle joe about the rafting. I knew from the website that the course was man-made, but had no idea it would be a 3 minute ride followed by lugging a heavy raft up a hill to do the same course over again. We've been rafting many times, but my son had never been on class V rapids, so he was really looking forward to it. He enjoyed it anyway, but it wasn't like rafting on a river and I found it disappointing. On the other hand, everything else on the trip was great and there were a lot of fun activities for the kids that aren't listed in the itinerary. The rafting turned out to be a minor disapointment in an otherwise fantastic trip.
  • Hi Grand Isle Joe and Runnergirl,

    The Product Manager has informed me that they are currently looking for an replacement activity in Bratislava to provide a better experience for the next departure in August and moving forward in 2013.

    Best,
    Emily


    Thanks, Emily, for the update. There is absolutely no way we would participate in the white water rafting on this tour. We are thrilled that Tauck is looking for a safe replacement activity. Thanks, again.
  • Hi Grand Isle Joe and Runnergirl,

    The Product Manager has informed me that they are currently looking for an replacement activity in Bratislava to provide a better experience for the next departure in August and moving forward in 2013.

    Best,
    Emily

    Is there an update on what has been selected to replace the rafting?
  • joko3630,

    The rafting trip was on Day 2 after the scavenger hunt in Bratislava. I compared the 2013 itinerary with our trip (this past summer) and the replacement is free time in Bratislava. There is also a cookout on the ship that night, which we didn't have. We had a regular dinner in the ship's dining room that evening. BTW - the food on the ship is great.
  • I see that 2014 trip has replaced the rafting with a trip to Devin castle, knight games, fencing, dancing, etc. Is this going to be added on the 2013 trips as well or do we just get more free time in Bratislavia?
  • beanlm wrote:
    I could talk about the trip for days. :) We had 7 travelers, Mom, Dad, 2 kids, grandmother and myself and my husband. Never had any issues. There were many highlights that my nephew and niece enjoyed. The fresh water river rafting, bicyling in Durnstein with a stop for ice cream, Ferris Wheel at the amusement park, and believe it or not they loved the dinner at the palace. Actually I never heard anything negative during the trip.
    We did stay in Budapest the first night, that was part of our package. Beautiful city. If possible arrive in Budapest the day before, gives you a little time to unwind. We stayed at a Gausthaus in Munich and not their hotel.
    The shore excursions are broken down in smaller groups and it's not the same tour operator each time, but all of ours were great. That's another thing we loved about the trip. EVERYONE was so nice, helpful, etc. All of the crew members interacted with the travelers great, especially the kids. Food was awesome. There was always something for parents and kids to do.
    What other Tauck cruise have you been on? We definitely want to take more of the cruises.
    Guess I've ranted on enough. But let me know if you want any other information. I have lots of pics too if you're interested.


    Go on the Amsterdam to Basel Rhein/Mosel Tauck tour. It was absolutely FABULOUS!!!!!!
    We spent a week in Amsterdam prior to the trip (just the right amount to see everything - and everything is either in walking distance or can be reached by public transportation), and 10 days afterwards by car through Switzerland & Germany. - Saxon Girl
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