Please sign in to post.

Booking for 2019 Tours

We are first-timers! Looking at 14 Day Best Of Europe, September 22-October 5, 2019. We want this specific one because of Oktoberfest. How fast do the tours fill up? Should I be booking?

Posted by
6265 posts

Tours whose dates cover a popular event, like Oktoberfest or the Keukenhof Gardens, tend to fill quickly. Other tours, such as Village Italy, are wildly popular and start filling up almost immediately. Call the RS office. They will tell you how many people have signed up, and how quickly the tour is filling. The staff members are very friendly and helpful.

Posted by
2339 posts

That tour/date combination for this year still has slots, so maybe it's okay to wait? Of course that doesn't mean anything about next year.

Rick Steves has quite generous policies about canceling/changing his tours, so I wouldn't hesitate to book as soon as I decided on a tour.

Posted by
882 posts

I have it on good report that when "sign up" turns into "filling fast" there are fewer than five slots remaining.

Posted by
34 posts

As long as you sign up before the end of November you could get $100 off for each person that signed up. It doesn't seem to be as popular a tour as some others so waiting might be fine. On the other hand, you never know when a large group/family may decide to sign up for a particular tour.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you all for your input. Looking forward to our Retirement Celebration Vacation!

Posted by
8261 posts

It really depends on you and your comfort level.
Pros: It only takes a deposit of $400 per person to sign up for a tour. You will know that you are going those dates and be able to watch airfare/flights and feel comfortable purchasing for specific dates when the time seems right. You will get the $100 per person discount on the total price of the tour. For many, a pro is knowing that the trip is really happening and all the anticipation that goes with that.
Cons: It is a long way off... Your deposit is refunded no questions asked for the first 30 days. After that, Rick Steves tours may allow you to put it toward another tour if this one no longer works for you, but you will not receive a refund.

Posted by
4 posts

My husband and I want to do that tour/date also! But I won’t know if I will get the vacation time approved until November, so we are waiting to book it. Fingers crossed!! Hope we get to be tour mates!

Posted by
528 posts

My husband and I went on the Best of Germany, which included Oktoberfest date, last Sept. It was an added tour, meaning all the other tours had sold out and RS decided to add an additional tour. This new tour was not only completely sold out, it was sold out quickly. There are lots of folks that are interested in tours with seasonal activities.

Posted by
8378 posts

If you know you want to go, book it. No advantage to waiting. RS pretty good about changing to a different tour if conflicts arise.