Just got a brochure from Tauck

Lol, I received the same brochure today and looked up the price for an Egypt/Jordan tour ($$$$). Then I promptly threw the brochure in the recycle pile!

We love TAUCK and have been on 6 of their River Cruises . . . with 3 more booked. We especially love the Danube Xmas Market River Cruise.

Now we do book the cheapest time of the year and the cheapest category room that takes the price DOWN quite a bit.

We usually spend about $3200 for the Xmas Market cruises which are one week. And about $6000 for cruises that last 12-14 days.

The all inclusive part is fantastic. The unlimited top shelf alcohol and tips and port charges and excursions and airport transfers all make it fabulous. We have also cruised with Viking (3 star), AMA, Scenic, Avalon, and Uniworld. Tauck is by far our favorite. By the time you pay for alcohol, tips, port charges, airport transfers and excursions - the price isn't that different for a MUCH better experience. The service with Tauck can NOT be beat.

The Tauck website has a forum similar to this one where you can read reviews and ask questions. We love the Tauck land tours also.

You could also check out Scenic or Viking and compare prices. Both are good companies. We have traveled with Scenic and have no complaints. We like that Scenic is all inclusive and they don’t nickel and dime you when you are on the cruise. I agree that these are not inexpensive tours.

I’ve heard really great things about Tauck. I say- if it sounds good- go for it. Sometimes it’s so nice to get pampered I’m sure you will have an incredible time!

I'm sure it's a great experience, and I like cruising, but $2k/day for a couple just seems ridiculous. How much top-shelf booze can someone drink in a day? ;-)

Any thoughts?

Unless it includes a limo picking me up at home and a private jet ( or at least 1st class flights), it gets zero consideration from me.

The other thought is, they would not be advertising these tours if people were not buying them. That is what is as amazing as the cost.

My mom loved taking Tauck tours. She was one that liked to be catered to and it was a great fit for her. Yes, she also tipped quite handsomely.

It would feel like torture to me to be on a cruise or river cruise for even a couple of hours, but I’m happy that there’s a huge variety of options for people to travel however they prefer.

Back in my tour director days, my lady friend at the time had been a TD with Tauck. It's basically five star service the entire way. You won't be disappointed.

For those of you interested in a private jet tour, TCS World Travel offers a few "round the world" trips on a private jet. They last 24 days and you travel with about 50 other people on your own plane. Prices start at $125,000 per person, double occupancy.

You don't have to lug your own bags nor take part in a "buddy check."

Have y’all met Big Mike?

Pretty sure there’s a heavy dose of sarcasm here.

Sounds fine to me. As long as you get to keep the boat.

Tauck is rated an excellent River Cruise company. There are many. I ALWAYS compare with others.

Tauck is never near price competitive to others that I check.

We have found Gate 1 to be excellent and their prices are hard to beat. Yes, on some tours and cruises they have optional tours, but even if you buy all the optional tours, their price is way below others.

We did a two week tour of Egypt in January with two river cruises (both 3 day) and hotels in five star hotels. Air fare from JFK was included, cost $3500 pp.

Dick? Really? I'm from West Virginia. We made our own booze when I was kid.

Thank you for the (serious) replies.

Mary, yes, Viking and Scenic looks much cheaper, but as I understand the situation Tauck sets the standard for first-class treatment in all aspects of the cruise. Reviews indicate "details and little things" places Tauck at the top of the river cruise pile.

My wife, Mary (no relation), cynically asked if there were cheaper rooms below the water level. Let's just say I have more class and refinement than her.

Frank II, I added the private jet tour to my bucket list, which I keep on a Drive document being technologically sophisticated and all.

$9000 for 9 days, reasonable. Yikes! When I look at what we usually pay door to door on our travels I cannot find any of our trips that cost near that, for both of us. I am talking things like South Africa and driving Kruger for three weeks. And Scotland for three weeks. Those were two of our most expensive trips. That includes our airfare too.
This looks like the same sort of travel that has people paying $4-500 night hotel rooms and business class fares. I am glad people can do such things. In general RS forum people have way way more money that the general population. Plus, many are retired. I often wonder where that money comes from to travel like that.

We could go to Europe 3 times for that amount of money for 2 and probably have money left over.

Picking a tour or river cruise depends on a number of things:
1) Quality of product- how is the food, tours, service, boat
2) Price
3) Reputation

When I compare tours, river cruises or ocean cruise, I balance Quality vs. Price. If I have used a company before, then experience weights into quality. If no experience then reputation. Price is easy, what is the bottom line.

Some people fly Business Class or even First Class and pay 4 or 5 times what we pay in tourist.

We have stayed in 5 star hotels, but when in Europe or the USA prefer a Bed and Breakfast.

Or last tour of Egypt for two weeks with Gate 1 was 60% of the price that Viking charged for virtually the same tour. Viking is a very good company, but I won't pay that much more when our tour with Gate 1 was great.

Different strokes, different folks

Like anything in life........comparison with what others can afford (or choose to afford) is NEVER healthy. There is wayyy toooo much you do not know about other people, what sacrifices they have made for their wealth and what their priorities are vs. yours. So, set that aside...for your own mental health.

But, to answer the question re: river cruises and Tauck: Tauck will give you a very, very nice experience. What Tauck cannot control is the river levels in Europe (which I understand in recent years have sometimes been way too low or too high....both extremes can present problems for ANY river cruise (when tours typically transfer to buses and on/off other river ships for portions of the journey).

We have traveled with Rick Steves tours twice.....loved the experiences.

We have traveled with Tauck three times, and without pulling all our travel files/photos, both my husband and I think there may have been a fourth trip with Tauck. They are truly a first-class tour company. You are picked up at the airport (in Rome it was a Mercedes sedan) and returned at the end of your trip. Hotels are fabulous. The experiences you get are fabulous (there were 20something of us seeing the Sistine Chapel for a private visit for just our group) compared to being stuffed in there with massive numbers of people when we visited on our RSteves Tour). On our Holland/Belgium river cruise, we had a private lunch in a castle (I would have to dig out photos/files to recall the name). For our Amalfi tour, we visited the private home of a professor, overlooking the sea, enjoyed wine/nibbles on her terrace, and inside she told us about contemporary Italian society. In Hawaii, we had lots of intimate experiences and also took two different helicopter tours on two different islands,over hot lava and then along the Napoli (sp?) coast, seeing the waterfalls and whales in the sea. I could give many more examples. Meals incredible with some choices of group or individual and choice of venues, all included.

For river cruises, there is absolutely no out-of-pocket.....all shore activities are included.

If you knew how value-oriented we are, and how we really do live well below our means and always have, drive 15-year old vehicles, do all our yard maintenance, most home repair ourselves, have never had a maid (even when I worked 80+ hour weeks in the corporate world)........yet, we select Tauck for some of our journeys for a reason.....you get what you pay for.
Both of my sisters and their families, at our recommendation and others, are now very, very Tauck loyal...even my niece/nephew have taken solo journeys with Tauck.

Other providers we like are: National Geographic/Lindblad for expedition-type trips and Silversea for small-ship cruising.
We have also done an equal number of independent travels, with lots of research on my part to choose lodging, meals, experiences.

Would I travel with Rick Steves again? Absolutely. Would I travel with our other favorites again? Absolutely (although we would wait awhile before boarding a cruise ship during covid).

Happy travels to all......................................you only live life once, so make wise choices that work for YOU.

Oh, and I will add that I wonder from where in the world people get/justify the money to attend the Super Bowl, certain concerts, buy new cars every year or two, have boats, etc. (tongue in cheek). It is all a matter of choice. I add, seriously, it is just at matter of what fits your and my priorities. We only live once. We like travel to exceed our expectations and be as problem-free as possible......and we hold those memories dear.

Once I "cheaped out" on a now-defunct Haimark cruise thru Eastern Canada (it went bankrupt and passengers had a gawd-awful 10+ hour bus trip to the final destination)....thankfully TravelGuard rescued us in one phone call, as we quickly flew home from directly from where the cruise line dumped everyone.

...P.S. I forgot to mention that on the Isle of Capri Tauck had us all greeted with lovely antique convertible cars that took us on an island tour and then up to the professor's house for our visit. You just do not get that experience with other providers, and there was almost no way we could have organized that on our own.........yet the memories are precious.

If we chatted in person, I could take you thru enough photos to bore you to death of other wonderful Tauck experiences.

Mike, give it "a go" then you can decide if you want to travel with them again.

“ Like anything in life........comparison with what others can afford (or choose to afford) is NEVER healthy. There is wayyy toooo much you do not know about other people, what sacrifices they have made for their wealth and what their priorities are vs. yours. So, set that aside...for your own mental health.”

Well said, Maggie! There’s a lot of wealth at nearby Lake Coeur d’Alene, including celebrities. How we each decide to spend our vacation dollars is a personal priority choice. My husband & I rent a boat each year and otherwise just use our kayaks. You all know where I like to spend my vacation dollars!
; )

If you can afford it and you want to do it, got for it. What does it matter what anyone else thinks. You only live once.

dplaunderville, my wife has shown some interest. It is all-inclusive and I am enthralled by the first-class treatment My big question is the quality of the liquor.

I don't get these prices. Yes, I understand Tauck treatment is first class. Yes, I know someone who raves about a land tour she took with them. However, on a river cruise you have the same space restricted cabin for the entire trip. At least on their land tours you stay at different five star hotels with lovely grounds and other amenities. Like someone else said, I would enjoy excellent meals and unlimited drinks, but I can only consume so much of that in a week. River cruises in general don't appeal to me at this time. Their land tours are too rich for my blood also, but if someone invited me and paid for the trip I would love to give it a go. Maybe I would like to try something a notch below Tauck such as Odysseys Unlimited.

You can get different and lower prices by choosing different dates and staying in lower-end cabins. Even the lower-end cabins are VERY NICE. Plus, you are only there to sleep and shower. All time is spent in town, on the sundeck, or in the panoramic lounge. If you are unsure - take a cheaper one like the Danube Xmas Markets - it's one of our favorites and I bet you will be hooked.

My big question is the quality of the liquor.

BigMike, from what ChinaLake said in her first post, it's all top shelf liquor.

Mardee, that's right. Thanks.

ChinaLake67, yes we look at that option. It would be nice for just once to see the first-class people live, just for a week or so. I'll probably have to buy a nicer suit than the ones I have, and study up on sophisticated behavior at dinner and so forth.

Mike, Tauck people are normal. No need to buy a new suit....really...no need....who wants to drag suit on vacation?? The dressiest my spouse has ever been on Tauck's land tours is a navy sports coat (the old one...gosh it is well over 30 years old... we call his "travel sports coat," which we do not worry as much about), a pair khakis, and loafers.....and I do not recall taking a tie on a Tauck river cruise trip. That apparel would be for nicer restaurant choices in the evening. No way would he wear that touring during the day. For a river cruise, you could even drop the sports coat most of the time, unless there is some off-river-ship special evening somewhere that requires one. For dinners on a Tauck river cruise, depending on season (hot/mild/cold), I would typically wear ballet flats, a little plain black skirt, and a long-sleeve t-shirt of some color (dressed up a smidge with a choker necklace or a scarf). If chilly, I might drape a shawl (that can double as a scarf) over my shoulders. No one notices I wear the same skirt over and over. Other nights I might wear leggings and ballet flats (and...giggle...yes some sort of shirt). Your wife would not even need a skirt...slacks are very common.

For day touring, leggings, t-shirt, light jacket (if cool), big hat, and the most comfy, casual shoes I own. If raining, my hair goes under a ballcap and my (packable) rain jacket hood up. Most of the men wear ballcaps or travel hats during the day.

We travel light, and fellow tour-goers (no matter how long the tour is or where traveled) and even the main tour director will typically ask us where the "rest" of our luggage is (when luggage gets grouped for transport to the next location or for final flights home). It is always just the one Rick Steves (old style) rollaboard for the two of us, and then each of us has a canvas Orvis carry-on bag (for cameras/toiletries, etc.) For cold weather, we might have a rollaboard each.

Please do not paint a "stuffy, little finger lifted" type group of people in your mind.........far from it......very down-to-earth, well-traveled, kind fellow travelers on Tauck trips. The groups skew older (as in late 50s-80s), but I would guess the average is late 60s, which may vary by location. Granted there may be a lot of wealthy individuals in the group, but they are not going to stand out as usual....just normal people wanting to enjoy seeing the same thing as the rest of us.

As another poster mentioned if you look at some of the Tauck tours, you will see a a section that is somewhat like the RS Forum, where people can ask questions, share experiences, etc. You can look at photos people have posted of themselves or others while on tour..............all tours might not include such photos, but click around and you will find some ........prove me wrong on how THEY look.......comfy, casual, and low-key.

Maggie, excellent insights. Much appreciated.

dplaunderville, good food for thought right there buddy.

Mike, I should add that I FAR PREFER the Tauck land-based tours over the river cruises (granted we have only done one river cruise). I like the diversity of staying in fabulous (often historic) hotels with incredible rooms with knockout views (whereas it is the same room pretty much each night on the river ship and ceilings are low, since two-three decks of a river ship need to be able to fit under those old river bridges). Also with a river cruise, you might dock in a city, have a fabulous view out your window only to wake up the next morning and have another river ship docked smack-dab next to you, such that you could talk to people in the other ship...they tie down on each other. In fact, in one stop, we walked thru the lobbies of two other river ships to get ashore (gave a quick glimpse of the other brands' lobbies, but I missed my morning view).

But, if you think you may only experience Tauck once in your life, I would definitely do a land-based tour...Italy, France, or somewhere you have not yet been in Europe. They do US-based tours, but it seems to me those attract a really aged group and you do not get the fabulous European hotels. British Columbia, Canada would likely come close.

The river cruise we took with them was the Belgium and the Netherlands and only because the Floriade (international garden-related show, which happens once every decade...and I am a garden geek) was happening, and it was the perfect time to visit Keukenhof (which was incredible..I seriously could have stayed there two days). I melted with delight when we first spotted the fields and fields of tulips in bloom as we approached that general area. Then later at Keukenhof, one of our fellow tour-goers saw me and said (in a very deadpan way), "I am surprised you are not down rolling in them." I died laughing...everyone could tell I was LOVING all the flowers....again, I am a garden geek, big time, 15-year member of the Botanical Garden Committee at our local botanical garden, master gardener, and on and on. Belgium was also a pleasant surprise, and it was nice to arrive in the little cities/villages by river. And, yes, it is traditional to have french fries with mayonnaise. I "think" it was in Bruges, we all loaded up on a private barge trip and were served tea or a choice of a liquor and some sort of cake that was a queen's favorite, and the crew told us the president (or whatever he is called) of Turkey had just been on the same barge the day prior. It was an incredibly beautiful antique barge, perfectly restored.....the kind you might see and think "it would be cool to go inside that." We did :)

With Tauck, you will have a first-class time, with experiences you will remember for life. Would we do another river cruise? Absolutely, IF the itinerary were exactly what we wanted. It is cool going thru the locks on a river, but once you have done one, you've done them all (overstatement, of course).

BMWBGV, for comparison, how much is a Viking cruise for the same itinerary?

Stan,
There is no comparison. We have taken 3 Viking River Cruises and 6 Tauck River Cruises. While Viking is considered 3 star, Tauck is 5 star. Now, that said, you are in Europe, so it is a great trip either way - but once you go with Tauck, it's hard to go back to Viking. Now, we have gone back to Viking for the right itinerary, but we go knowing what the differences will be.

Tauck is truly all inclusive-- including unlimited top-shelf wine, beer, cocktails, all tips are prepaid, all port charges are paid, and the excisions and tour guides in the towns are the BEST. You will learn and see so much more than with Viking, Avalon, Gate 1, AMA, etc. And there are lots of great surprises and treats along the way.

The 'so called' included Viking excursions in the towns are not the same level as the excursions you will get with Tauck.

Sometimes with Viking, the excursions are simply a walk thru town, pointing out a few things, and handing you a map.

With Tauck, you are divided in small groups with a local guide and you spend a couple hours learning about the area, entering castles and cathedrals, hearing amazing organ concerts, sampling the local cuisine, etc - then there is ample time to explore on your own before going back to the boat.

The food is also better with Tauck with amazing regional cuisine, other choices if you like more traditional, and another restaurant onboard that has fresh pastas, sandwiches, burgers, soups, etc.

They also bring local singers and dancers onboard for nighttime shows and you'll find a 'local treat' in your stateroom many nights.

When comparing Viking to Tauck, it's really hard because you can't really compare because they offer such different experiences. The airport pick up alone is VERY different and the PRE and POST hotels are VERY different.

All that said, there is a new 12 day Xmas Market Cruise that Viking just posted that I am looking into because I like the itinerary.

We actually like Uniworld and AMA better than Viking. We have also done GATE 1, which was just OK for us - again, you are in Europe seeing amazing towns, but the actual experience and SERVICE and all-inclusiveness is VERY different.

By the time you add in the tips, port charges, alcohol, airport transfers, TRUE excursions, the price isn't that different.

Our friend is a Travel Agent at AAA and she books for all the lines and she cruises them all = she has done a spread sheet for us and the price wasn't that different. She has many complaints from her customers with Viking and the flights that Viking books. She had many issues with Uniworld for COVID refunds. Again, she cruises them all and books them all, but Tauck is also her first choice when people ask her.

I think if Viking is more what you are looking for, or Gate 1, or whatever - GO FOR IT. The rivers in Europe are amazing and it's a great way to unpack once and see several parts of Europe with a guide and nothing to worry about.

I certainly wouldn't go into debt to go with Tauck if you can't afford it.

I do agree with who posted above - I like the LAND tours the most, but the River Cruises are easy and a great way to see a lot and not have to unpack every few days. Again, the Danube Xmas Market River Cruise is a GREAT way to start - but they book and fill up a year in advance.... esp if you like the cheaper rooms like we do.

Maggie and Stan, Viking is clearly cheaper, although Tauck seems to set the standard for elegance and quality. They are in a league of their own.

As for those suggesting one can't eat and drink enough to equal the cost, I say, "Hold my beer and watch."

edit: Now I'm curious about the opposite end of the spectrum. What are the bargain basement budget cruise lines? Like the basic economy version of flying? Or steerage like on the Titanic.

My wife and I went to a presentation last week for a new cruise line starting up this summer called Explora Journies. It appears to at the same price point except excursions aren't included. We're curious and it would be fun to try, but we're not sure if we would. We have the money if we wanted to prioritize luxury occasionally, but typically we make our splurges on the experiences and not the luxury of a ship or hotel that we wouldn't likely spend much time in. But priorities change and maybe we'll do it one day. Experiences that top my list for splurges include a Safari, Antarctica, and the Giraffe Hotel.

We look forward to your Trip Report Big Mike, keep notes in case you do drink your moneys worth.

Allan, I saw the TV feature on the Giraffe Hotel and sooooo want to experience that. I had randomly checked its web site, and it was all-but sold out for most days. Book ahead (for next year, even). Please do a trip report when you DO check that one off the travel list.

@ Big Mike- question about cruise lines. In general MSC and Carnival can come in at lower prices. However, it is about the "search" when it comes to cruising. Prices can vary greatly and at times you can get great prices on almost any cruise line if the conditions are right.

I'm a solo traveler so I really have to hunt for good deals since often the cruise lines charge for two people whether there are two people or not. You also have to check out what is included and what is not as gratuities, internet and special packages can make what looked like a bargain add up quickly.

I'm going on cruise to Alaska on Princess at the end of May. It was a good bargain for me. $25 train fare to get to Vancouver BC. $954 for the cruise including, food, lodging, entertainment, wifi and gratuities for a 7 night trip solo in an ocean view cabin and a transfer to Anchorage Airport. Also included was $200 in on board credit which I am using for select shore excursions. $148 flight from Anchorage to Everett (Paine Field) which is about 5 minutes from my house. This works because of the low cost to and from the cruise and the bargain fare.

You could pay thousands more for the same cruise. It is all about how you shop! I recently saw a deal that I almost jumped on and talked myself out of it. Azamara cruise with a "sticker price" of 19,000 that went from Turkey, into the Black Sea to several ports and then on to Greece. Last minute solo cruising price? $1400. Still wondering if I should have talked myself into it........

Carol Now Retired -
Another benefit of Tauck for singles is there is NO single supplement on the River Cruises. You pay the same price as everyone else - you do NOT have to pay for a Double Room as most other lines make Singles do. We have a single friend who has been on 2 Tauck River Cruises with us. You do have to book a Category 1 room to get this deal- but those rooms are still super nice. If you are ever interested in a River Cruise - def look at Tauck if you travel as a Single.

Allan, I'd love to do Antarctica. Looks like I'll go down another rabbit hole looking at those tours.

Carol Now Retired, we did a Carnival cruise and didn't like it. A colleague at work said he thought about warning me of the quality of Carnival, but didn't want to rain on my parade. But yeah, you really have to do your homework to find the deals. I spend too much time reading reviews. It can lead to a paralysis of analysis.

If only my 403b wasn't going down the drain...

Comparing Carnival to Tauck would be like comparing Two Buck Chuck to Chateau Lafitte Rothschild. They're both wine, they're both drinkable but.........

ChinaLake67 and BMBGWV, I wasn't asking about comparing Viking vs Tauck as if its a choice I'm having to make. I just want to know, relative to the original question, how much $$ different it is. If you tell me Tauck is within XXX dollars of Viking I could judge better whether it was worth it. Relative cost, not absolute cost.

I am fully aware of the difference in quality - I have friends who've done Tauck, cruises and land tours. And I believe it's a mistake to focus on cost as the primary factor in making decisions. Curiosity makes me ask.

Big Mike, I think everyone should travel first class at least once in life.

You can see the prices on the website for each company. It's just hard to truly compare though because NONE of the tours are identical - they each do different itineraries - so you can't truly compare - but you can go to the websites and see the prices. Just know you aren't comparing apples to apples that way because the itineraries are different.

To quote a podcast host, “You can either fly first class or your kids will……..”. Don’t get me wrong. I fully appreciate the kind inheritance my parents left me. I only wish they had spent more of their money on themselves and some splurges.

It's so funny, reading through all the replies I didn't see anyone mentioning what I was going to mention -- until the very last comment (now the one prior to mine).

Given the drought in Europe, there is no way I would be looking at a river cruise for this year. They were having enough problems last year; I can only imagine it will be worse this year.

BigMikeWestByGodVirginia, if you can plan your travel to coincide with a Global Warming Summit someplace in the world, then you can often pick up an empty seat on a private jet at a reasonable cost.

as far as the low water levels, we have taken over 13 River Cruises and have only had to be on a MotorCoach for 2 days. We do tend to book in December for the Xmas Markets (which are rarely an issue due do rainfall in the Fall), or in the early Spring when snow is melting off or when they get rain. We do avoid the HEAT of the summer because that's when the droughts tend to be AND that's peak season when it's the most expensive to go. We like the cheaper, off season times. Just know if you are on a Motor Coach for part of the trip - it is done 5 star - we actually were VERY impressed - lots of extras were thrown in, our hotel was amazing, we did get a partial refund, and we didn't miss a thing - we were back on the boat by day 3. They catered to us so well and no one felt they missed anything - but, yes, the water levels are always a risk.

As my wife and I are getting older (yes, I know, so many are not), we occasionally consider a river cruise.

But we probably will not do that in Europe. Part of our trips is eating locally in local restaurants. Not on a cruise boat.

We may visit our son in Vietnam, and may take a cruise there.

Mister E, no sacrifice is too great, but some people are more equal than others.

We were talking about river cruises the other day. They're expensive but everyone we know enjoyed them and felt they were worth the money.

I've been on one guided bus tour. I'll never go on another because they took us to lots of places I'd have happily skipped and skipped places I'd prefer to have visited. I learned a lot about tour lingo on that trip. "See" isn't a synonym for "Visit" or "Tour", it means you will literally see a site - likely as not from a distance - nothing more.

I've also been on a handful of cruises, but never on a ship's excursion. I've either gone on my own (walking, public transport or taxi) or hired a local guide for specifically what I wanted to see most. I've never found a ship's excursion to be a good value.

To me the question is, would you choose the included excursions for yourself? If they're what you really want to see, great. If you'd rather do something else, you're wasting money skipping their tours. Taking the excursion when you'd prefer to see something else might be a poor use of your limited travel time.

"I learned a lot about tour lingo on that trip. "See" isn't a synonym for "Visit" or "Tour", it means you will literally see a site - likely as not from a distance - nothing more."

This is where you need to know your tour company as well. Some companies such as Rick's and Road Scholar don't really use those shades of meaning and are pretty up front about what you go in to. I appreciate that approach as it helps me figure out if an itinerary is what will work for me.