A week in Portugal: Sept 30 -Oct 7th 2024. To much and not enough local. The hotels were beautiful 5 star, but when you check in at 5pm and have to leave at 8:30 you have to ask why am I leaving? I felt like we never got to really know Portugal. I believe it would have been better to slow the trip down and spend more time in the best towns. I wonder if Tauck ever plans trips that spend 2-3 days in each location? read more

We have taken 4 trips with this company in the past 7 years. They have meet or exceeded our expectations on all 4 trips. We have made lasting friends on a couple of these trips. In sharing the travel with then strangers, in multiple instances we have never laughed so hard. Good guides, and well balanced itineraries. read more

The Italy tour exceeded our expectations in every way and our guide, Christina, was absolutely phenomenal. We just got to airport in Rome and I miss her already! read more

This was our 6th Tauck tour, and in my opinion they are not what they used to be. The tour was poorly guided, too much time on your own. The special performances were mediocre, most meals also mediocre. At dinner received a bill for a glass of wine. Ridiculous at this price point, and always included previously. We will be looking for a new company. We are done. read more

As a private, family-owned enterprise, Tauck must be having financial problems according to most of the below reviews. When we signed up, almost a year in advance of an August 2024 tour, and even shortly before departure, their website for Land Journeys shouted in the middle of the page "One Upfront Price--No Hidden Costs." (The copy is still on my computer.) Yet days before departure, an email arrived with helpful tips and information which stated a tour director and a bus driver gratuity were expected and added $500 to the total cost--a surprise! We do not like hassles during our travels and travel with all-inclusive tour companies such as Abercrombie and Kent, Seabourn, and Road Scholar. We had researched Tauck and based on their website information they appeared to be luxurious and all-inclusive. (Why not add all your costs and charge that total price rather than nickel-and-diming your guests to prepare little envelopes as happens in the lower-cost tours?) The website promise is why we had signed up. The warning before the tour started was definitely a negative punch in the gut as our research had proved to be pointless. That was our first and last Tauck tour. As others have reviewed, Tauck does not deliver on their promises. read more

I have done 5 trips and they all were great. If you want a better than average tour then this is the one to choose.

We traveled from London to Paris then on the Seine to Normondy. Our guides, the ship/Sapphire, the staff on board were all spectacular. Our cabin was beautiful right even with the water with a french balcony. The entire experience was fabulous. I would caution medical professionals to take a stethoscope, aspirin, an epi pen, an albuterol inhaler, and nitroglycerin in case you are called to help in an emergency, as we were, and you find the emergency kit has nothing. read more

We had taken 4 Tauck trips in the past and decided to do Scotland and Ireland at the same time. All of our previous trips were wonderful. I made my airline reservation with them months in advance and it was stressful and awful. They were too busy to talk to me for 2 months for me to upgrade my air. The excuse was they were too busy with other people who had trips upcoming. I must have waited on hold for over 15 hours total trying to get ahold of someone in the travel department. By the time they agreed to look at my reservation, it was too late to upgrade. Then I went to check in and they had used my incorrect birthday. I would never book my air through them again. For both trips, they changed our hotels on us without letting us know. We went from staying at luxury hotels to staying at the equivalent of a Holiday Inn. We were in these hotels for 3 nights in each country. The reason was because they pushed our group to another hotel to make room for another group that had been rescheduled. We had to wait forever to get our rooms, didn't have clean towels or the room cleaned without calling several times, and the food at these hotels was awful. I sent a lengthy email to Tauck a few weeks ago and didn't get a response. I am so disappointed as we have another trip booked next year and are reluctant to spend the money. I hope the service we have come to expect from Tauck returns. So disappointed!!! read more

My family has been taking Tauck tours for decades. We've been on four Tauck tours, two river boat and two land tours. Unfortunately, Tauck isn't the company they used to be. We just came back from a Tuscany tour. Most lunches and dinners were on our dime and the hotels were 3-4 star. Years ago, they used five star hotels and paid for most meals. Also, our tour director was not up to Tauck standards. the price is still five star $$$$$ read more

Rhine River here we come :). Cannot check in. Okay, this can be confusing, Tauck staff is on board, but the actual crew is from another company. The river was high during our trip so we had a lot of bus riding time since the ship could not reach some of the designated ports. I will say that this ship has the largest bathrooms of any cruise ship I have been on. 3 levels make this ship easy to maneuver. A dining room and a lounge on separate levels and casual dining with coffee and tea available until about 10 at the rear of the ship. read more

Tauck - Looking out balcony window - Travel Services Near Me

We have done 4 tours with Tauck - two land tours and two river cruises. The first three were excellent. The last one not so much. The first day the cruise director told us that we need to be flexible in the current environment - not a great way to begin. There were a lot of excursions requiring hours of walking. The second day of the cruise we were told that no one could remain on the ship that day - no explanation. When we returned to the dock after a long day of walking, the boat was nowhere to be seen. So we all sat on buses for an hour or so waiting for the boat. Still no communication from the captain or cruise director. We were booked on another Tauck river cruise a year in the future. Based on this experience we decided to cancel that reservation. The deposit was $1,800 non-refundable. I would have thought that they would show some understanding and flexibility, but no such luck - the person in guest relations told me they were sorry, bur we should have bought the insurance. What expenses had they incurred 12 months in advance of the trip? Our next cruise is on a cruise ship and, as always, the deposit is fully refundable until final payment. read more

I don't recommend using this company at all. Even when you are a refund they will do everything to never issue the refund. We had two hotels in France that had no AC and a motor coach with very little room. I would give them a zero if possible but no option for that. read more

I saw the low rating for Tauck and decided to do a little investigating since I have taken several tours around the world with Tauck over the years and my experiences are just the opposite of what I see here. What I discovered were many complaints which are mostly no fault of Tauck. First, meals provided by Tauck have to please the most people possible. Inevitably there will always be someone who doesn't like the food or it isn't what they get at home. All I can say is, get over it! You aren't at home anymore - you are out in the real big world where things are different. What did you expect? Several of the complaints revolve around the COVID time the last couple of years mostly about cancelled trips and lost travel insurance payments. I have bothered to read the information provided by Tauck and it clearly states that travel insurance once paid is NOT refundable. It is very very clear. Tauck is not responsible. You are!! Read the material and ask questions if you aren't sure. And who in their right mind thought that travel during COVID was a good idea? It has been a time of many constant changes in rules and requirements that I sure couldn't keep up with. It was clear that many trips would have to be cancelled or put on hold. Like most people I decided the prudent thing to do was to stay close to home and let things play out. Tauck has always been an excellent tour operator for all the trips I have taken. The tour guides are always top drawer and they work hard to make sure guests are taken care of. Accommodations are always high end while the food may seem strange to me at times - it is what people eat there. And the quality is always above average. I suggest for those considering a Tauck Tour make sure your expectations are well founded and real. That means really do your homework. Have a realistic idea of what you are getting into with any tour operator. Ask questions if you aren't sure. My experience is that disappointment in life almost always comes from having unrealistic expectations. read more

Last tour was a phenomenal disappointment. And when I called to provide feedback the woman wasn't at all interested in doing anything to rectify my complaint. Being on a bus for over 4 hours without stopping for a restroom break is UNACCEPTABLE. In Germany it's mandatory for them to stop every 2 hours to give the driver a 30 minute break which wasn't done. Tour director was totally unplugged and lacked minimal communication with guests. other tour directors except 1, were rude and unprofessional to us. Many had complaints about one woman in particular. Yet when I provided feedback to Tauck the woman wasn't at all interested in my complaint. High prices and sub-par service to boot. My money will find a better company. Cannot in good conscience recommend Tauck. read more

It has taken me a long time to write a review of this Danube River Tauck Tour for several reasons. The most important reason was that I was requesting from the Company compensation for the meals that they provide on the boat as part of the tour which they eventually provided a discount on their next tour. They should have provide us a partial refund instead. Sometime in early June 2017, we began our fourteen day vacation which included a seven night river cruise on the Danube River. Our journey started in Prague and ended in Budapest. This is without a doubt the best way to visit central Europe by far. The actual cruise, the staff, the tours, and the places in Europe we visited was fabulous. This Company is presumably one of the best in the business. It was a shame that the meals on the boat, especially the dinners were terrible. For what you pay, you should expect first class treatments for meals as well. read more

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Tauck is not what it used to be.Luxury river cruise from Lyon to Provence was a disappointment. Try a different luxury cruise line for your river cruises read more

We worked with Tauck tours in 2020 and the tour was canceled due to covid. We were told that a $1,200 deposit would remain on file with them for future bookings. When we came to rebook this year for next year the $1200 was gone. Their program is called "dreamsaver" but it should be called "dreamkiller". At a time when several thousand Americans are dying every day from covid one company stands out as being the most evil of the bunch. It is Tauck tours. read more

I just spoke with customer service. The most horrible service ever. I have never been on a cruise nor do I have any desire. Yet I continue to receive junk mail on a regular basis. I have called to have my name removed several time and it does not good. Customer Service has no follow through. I would never recommend this company as they are killing our planet by sending junk mail daily. DID YOU KNOW: * 5.6 million tons of catalogs and other direct mail advertisements end up in U.S. landfills annually. * 44 percent of junk mail is thrown away unopened, but only half that much junk mail is recycled. * The average American household receives 848 pieces of junk mail, which equals 1.5 trees every year and more than 100 million trees for all U.S. households combined. That's the equivalent of deforesting all of Rocky Mountain National Park every four months. * Largely due to deforestation, junk mail manufacturing creates as much greenhouse gas emissions annually as 3.7 million cars. read more

Currently on Portugal tour. Deeply disappointed. Was told that they were a luxury brand on par with Abercrombie & Kent. Not even close. Hope fully rest of week will improve but so far very poor. Terrible hotel with terrible service. read more

Tauck sells a Guest Protection Plan (GPP) it states is intended to protect the customer in the event that the customer decides to cancel a trip. What they don't tell you is that they will keep the premium paid even if Tauck chooses to cancel your trip. If Tauck cancels a trip, they will maintain the amount paid in an account for a limited period of time. If the customer does not use those funds on another trip at the expiration of that time, Tauck declares the customer's money lost and refuses to refund it. Most notable is the fact that Tauck is the only entity we dealt with throughout the pandemic who did such a thing. All others refunded all monies in full, including "insurance" premiums paid to them, when the company cancelled trips and cruises. Those are the companies who truly understand the importance of doing the right thing. Don't be fooled by Tauck. read more

Tired of unwanted promotional mail. The contact for Tauck is Vacations to Go. When I ask to be taken off the mailing list, vacation to go says they don't send the mailings. Thus, once on a list, always on a list. read more

We took a Tauck tour for the first time recently to Italy, and let me tell you, it was worth every dime. I'm not sure what we appreciated more: the excellent hotels and service, the very organized and thoughtful itinerary, the fact that we NEVER had to touch our luggage when transporting, or our wonderful tour Director, Sofia. The entire experience was unforgettable and I feel strongly that it was because Tauck seems to have such an eye for detail and quality. We toured Tuscany and Umbria areas and it was spectacular. We fit a LOT into a week (Tauck definitely does a nice job of providing you with some "on your own time" to explore but packs in a ton of sights/tours, etc.). The local guides hired were extremely knowledgeable, and everything was top of the line. We will definitely tour with them again in the future. read more

I dd the Tanzania Tour with my neighbors. Our guide Shireen was awful, unorganized and more interested in playing than looking out for us. Everything else was incredible. The Safari guides, the hotels, etc. It's a shame that whenever I get together with my friends, we always talk about how awful Shireen was. Tauck was not very responsive to our complaints. It was very expensive. read more

Buyer beware. Tauck cancelled the Christmas Markets trip to Germany and Austria leaving Dec 6, 2021 for my daughter and me. I did NOT cancel.  Tauck is keeping $1,400 of my money. Again, they cancelled, not me. I spoke to Courtney their guest relations representative. She was curt and refused us a refund. Tauck's motto is that they leave the porch light on. In our case, we were left in the dark with our pockets picked. Courtney told us we were "nobody special." My daughter and I waited a lifetime to go. Her late father and I went to the markets when he was stationed in Europe during the Cold War. She grew up with my stories. While I understand Covid is not Tauck's fault, my many reassurances from the company within 3 weeks of our departure that the trip was proceeding has caused me to lose a considerable amount of money on train tickets and other aspects of this trip. Lufthansa is refusing to reimburse our airfare and, of course, Tauck will do nothing to help. I am disappointed and shocked that Tauck would attempt to keep almost $1,400 when we have hung in there with them for 2 years. They cancelled it in 2020 too. We attempted to book the SAME cruise for next year but ALL THOSE CHRISTMAS MARKET TOURS ARE BOOKED. They want us on a different tour on different dates. This doesn't work for us, but they don't care. If you purchase a trip from Tauck and THEY cancel, you will lose money. A lot of it. And don't expect email replies or kindness. read more

Excellent way to travel, staff, planners, schedules. They arranged everything and made it all happen flawlessly every time‼

My wife and I began a much awaited tour of Scandinavia on May 30, 2022. Our touring CCompany, Tauck, came highly recommended. Part of our tour package was purchasing their travel protection insurance, which was a costly added expense. Through no fault of their own, we encountered air flight delays resulting in lost luggage and later, damaged luggage. My wife had to shop and purchase clothing to wear due to her luggage being delayed for 5 days. Our tour guide reassured us Taucks insurance would cover this cost. Several days later on a connecting flight from part of our package, one of our pieces of luggage had its wheel knocked off. Again, our Tauck tour guided reassured us the travel insurance would cover this expense. June 23, 2022, after receiving the necessary forms from Taucks insurance company, LiveTravel Travel Insurance, all forms and receipts from clothing and suitcase purchases was mailed to LiveTravel. Since that time, I have made numerous telephone calls to LiveTravel and Tauck representatives regarding my refund. Tauck has since told me they have nothing more to do with the matter, I have to deal with LiveTravel alone. Even though this is Taucks personally backed travel insurance which they highly recommend travelers purchase for unforeseen problems such as we encountered. Rest assured, we will continue to follow up on our claim. Also, rest assured, we will never travel again with Tauck. LET THE BUYER BEWARE!!!! read more

We reserved with deposit of US $ 3000.00 through AMEX in May 21. for Iceland Cruise of Aug. 22. At the time of deposit, with Covid terms, it was refundable until final payment. Subsequently we were informed that they reverted to pre-pandemic terms. According to this change, they would not return the deposit of $ 3000.00. However, if we buy ravel protection plan for $ 1399.00, they would return $ 3000.00, we were advised. This was very unfair as the terms were different at the time we reserved. They cannot go on moving the goal post according to their convenience. They virtually got 'Ransom' of $ 1399.00 paid and got back our initial deposit, unbelievable and unfair. we will never book with Tauck , hopefully others will recognize this type of rip-off Rajagopals read more

we as l hotel rooms. poor food. some very beautiful excursions. some very weak choices. failed to provide adequate food when issues with caterer arose. Tauck failed to make accommodations to my payment as I requested for several disappointments. I have been on several tauck tours. Ireland was great. Nortter italyband Lake Cuomo great. Bridges Alaska a great disappointment. read more

We participated in a TAUCK tour in the New England states in October of this year. It was our first TAUCK experience. and we had heard that though TAUCK was expensive compared to other tour venues, that everything to include lodging and meals and tour guide support would be absolutely top notch and of the highest quality. Unfortunately, our experience could not have been further from that expectation. Many of the rooms we stayed in were very small and had numerous issues with plumbing such as in the shower facilities, low water pressure, and very uneven floors, which when wet in the showers were unsafe. It seemed that the rooms which were booked for us were the furthest away from the front desk, main entrances and dining rooms and we had to walk considerable distances to get to our meals and to the bus. The food was not of the highest quality we expected. One time we had to pay extra just to get bread and many of the items were not included as well. We had to walk to one restaurant in the dark on uneven sidewalks where there were no streetlights and the first night we were chased down by the server as we were leaving in an embarrassing scene because we were not told by the guide that we could not charge drinks to our room numbers. One day we had salmon and chicken for lunch and only the same options again for dinner. Many meals were not included, and the guide offered unhealthy snacks like moon pies while we were traveling. The worst part of the trip was that the guide was not prepared to lead us on what should have been a much smoother and more enjoyable excursion. She was unknowledgeable of many of the places we saw, put out incorrect information about them and when reading much of the narrative on her cell phone she was speaking too fast and in too low a voice to be understand. The bus driver had to point out some of the things like Fenway Park which he said that she had forgotten to mention on previous tours. She did not know how to use the radio transmitter/receivers and after the first day never used them again. We were updated in a timely manner about the scheduling and the times for some meals were changed at the last minute which resulted in some of travelers to just skip them altogether. The most egregious thing the guide did was make comments about her personal life as a single Mom who apparently was not helped to raise her children and comments of a political nature which obviously had a very liberal slant. She said over the speaker on the bus that people from New Hampshire were stupid because they didn't require motorcyclists to wear helmets. One of the travelers was from New Hampshire and many of us were from Florida and Texas which also don't require helmets and a very vitriolic discussion ensued which was very disconcerting. Time and again her comments were inappropriate and out of line to the point of being offensive. The most alarming thing that happened was that although we told her and indicated in writing that we did not want our email address to be shared she did it anyway. We told her that we had problems with identity fraud and that we had already given our emails to some of the people we met on the trip, but her response was not supportive, and she acted disappointed that we wouldn't share the email addresses. As a general observation it seemed that TAUCK has developed a very close familial type of relationship with their vendors (hotels, restaurants, tour venues) which was mentioned often by the guide, and it seemed to us that the emphasis of the TAUCK experience as one being a family one took precedence over the quality of what was being provided. One time we got off of the bus to see some waterfalls and the guide got us together and told us to do what Ken Burns said which was not say anything and just take everything in silence. She got a lot of weird looks from this and of course everyone just went on and started talking anyway. Perhaps cult is too strong a word to use to describe this emphasis on the Burns videos and the TAUCK family, but it is a word that comes to mind, nevertheless. In our written feedback we said that we would be available for further details and no one from TAUCK reached out. We had to contact them about our concerns about our email being compromised and they basically offered us a very nominal voucher for future trips that we will most likely never take and the condescending advice to change our email passwords (of course we do that routinely) The organization doesn't appear to want to get negative feedback or make improvements. It is interesting as well that almost all of the participants were older, people like us, or were repeat customers. The last thing we would like to mention is our belief that it is no longer appropriate or helpful to use COVID, or the recovery from it as an excuse or reason for a service that is far less than what it should be. If you are considering spending this much money and that much time as a first time TAUCK tour participant read more

I have taken 6 trips with Tauck and recently took my last. The trip was to Central Europe. The food was pedestrian at best: flavorless and tough meat. The rooms used to be deluxe or superior and are now standard with views of the garbage or buildings that are being renovated. The worst part is the lack of common courtesy of sick guests who were coughing and hacking without using a mask, distancing and using their arms or nothing to cover the spread of germs. By the end of the 16 days more then have of the 27 guests were sick. Oh, did I say 27? Yes there were supposed to be a max of 24, but they packed a a few more sardines in the can. I called Tauck guest relations while still on the trip to ask for private transport for my friend and I and they said they have no policy in place to even ask other guests to be courteous and wear a mask of use tissue. The tour director agreed that guests were being rude, but refused to even ask them if they wanted a mask or tissue. My friend and I finally just distanced ourselves, and paid for our own food and transport to stay away from the sick masses. read more

I spent over $100,000 to bring my family of 12 to Tauck Alpine adventure. Tauck guide failed to get us to the correct train at the correct time and we missed the Alpine Express, which was really the prime event of the trip. They're offering me no money back and just act like that it's not a problem and I've never been more disappointed or felt less concern. If something goes wrong they really don't care. There are many other nice groups that stand behind what they sell and offer more for the money and a better experience. Avoid Tauck! read more

This is our first day on the Small Group, 1 week Tauck tour of London and Paris. Extremely disappointed in our hotel room in London. We booked the tour as a college graduation gift for our daughter. We spent $18,000 for the 3 of us on this 1 week tour. She is sleeping in a small portable bed wheeled into the room that can barely fit 2 single beds. See picture. Melissa the reservation supervisor at Tauck told us that if we wanted a real bed for our daughter we would have to pay for another room at an additional cost of $2,580 for the week. That is unacceptable! Tauck - You are charging us almost $3,000 a day for this tour and our adult daughter doesn't have a real bed to sleep in for the week. How is this consistent with your philosophy that "our journey be extraordinary" when you have not even meet our basic requirements for sleep comfort? Extremely disappointed and what a rip off! read more

Tauck - Extremely Disappointing. Tiny room for 3 Adults with the third bed a fold away cot. - Travel Services Near Me

Our recent Grand New England trip was a huge disappointment from the quality of services provided by our Tour Guide, the quality of Hotels and services provided by them and food services at hotels and optional sites. This was our first and last experience with Tauck. Their management was advised in detail of our complains and their response was a verbal apology and a certificate for a $250 discount on future Tauck tours as an incentive to use their services again. I'm pretty sure they knew we would never book a tour with them again so they really offered nothing to compensate for their failure to provide a high quality trip that warrants the prices they charge for services provided. This company is seriously relying on repeat customers and the reputation they had in the past. If you want a 1 Star travel experience, book with Tauck! read more

My trip was cancelled in 2020 due covid, but Tauck encouraged me to leave my deposit with them to apply to another trip. Fast forward, 3 years received a phone call out of the blue that I had to rebook right then or receive a refund. I wanted to rebook but was at work when I received the call and couldn't do it right then. Rep said nope had to get a refund. The credit card was long closed and the rep said no problem, he could issue a check. I waited 6 weeks and received nothing. I called Tauck back and learned it had been credited to the closed account. Customer service said there was nothing more they could do including reversing the credit to the card. Left me to start a hunt to figure out which card I had used, which I frequently change due to incentive programs. Sadly, I really enjoyed my tour I took previously but the customer service I received for this experience was so poor, I will not be booking any future travel with this company. read more

Tauck partners with Aon for travel insurance. You buy the insurance through Tauck. After a positive Covid test just before our trip, we had to cancel the trip. Now the insurance company doesn't want to pay and Tauck now says we don't want to get involved. Terrible customer service. Beware! read more

Tauck tour has been the Best tour my husband and I have ever taken. I've been on 3 Tauck tours and will not go with any other! They take very good care of you, especially when going over seas. Would highly recommend Tauck Tours. read more

Dear Tauck management, I have a trip booked with you. I have called numerous times to get some information or to book airline tickets. You made me wait over two hours each time. The people who answer the phone are very polite, that is if you have the time and the patience to wait until the phone is answered. Every time I call, I hear the same thing, the management is aware of it and they are hiring more people. This is to the management, by the time you hire more people, you will lose all your customers. You charge top dollar for your trips and you need to provide service that matches that top dollar. I am extremely disappointed with your service and how you absolutely have no respect for customers time. It is really a shame and truly disappointing. read more

The Tauck tour is the "Savoring France: Paris, Lyon and Province" 2022 Classic. The tour spent 2 nights in Paris followed by 7 nights cruising on the Rhone river on the Swiss Emerald. The Paris portion of the tour was marred by an inferior room at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel that was situated above the ballroom. On both nights of the tour there was a wedding reception in the ballroom that made it impossible to get any rest. On the second night, I demanded a different room. The room we were moved to was much more spacious than the room that Tauck originally provided to us, and it also had higher end amenities. Since Tauck tours are quite expensive, it was a disappointment to not have been provided with better accommodations initially. The second major problem in Paris is that the Tauck tour director dropped the ball in arranging for the train ride to Lyon to board the Emerald. The result was that our group had to stand for several hours in the heavy rain on the street because we had to put out our luggage and vacate our hotel room early in the day. The train ride was initially slated for much earlier, but Tauck made no effort to help fill our time and no apology for the failure to book us on the earlier train as per their itinerary. Fast forward to Lyon and the Emerald. Our basis of comparison for this trip was a previous Tauck riverboat cruise on the Danube. The ship then was the Savor. Both ships are fairly identical. Compared to the Danube cruise (by the way we were provided with a wonderful room at the Ritz Carlton in Budapest on that tour for comparison), we found that the Rhone cruise was lacking in many ways: portions of food were definitely smaller. In asking waitstaff for the wine list, it was handed to me and then no one returned to take my wine order until I was halfwav through my meal and had to specifically call the waiter over. It seemed clear to us and to other passengers that we sat with that we were being discouraged from ordering the more expensive wines that were on the wine list. The sommelier on our Danube trip was very involved with the guests, offering special wine selections, greeting us at dinner, and even toasting grappa with us. The sommelier on this cruise was almost invisible except for his once a day required presentation of the white and red wines he had selected for each days dinner. Most of those wines, as well as the brandy served once with dinner were quite inexpensive. Some of the riverboat waitstaff were stone faced and devoid of personality. They appeared uncomfortable in their role. This was in striking contrast to our prior experience. On one occasion at the bar I ordered a French coffee. It's a simple concoction of coffee, Grand Marnier and sugar. It was served with some type of inferior whiskey that was not Grand Marnier. On a second occasion, it was made properly. The man who did the daily picking up of our cabin did a good job overall, but he inexplicably would never leave plastic cups in the bathroom (a real annoyance when you brush your teeth or get up in the middle of the night and want a sip of water). I adjusted by bringing a glass from the bar at the end of the evening, but the next day he would remove the glass and still not leave a plastic cup. Our Tauck tour director seemed quite unfocused at times and disconnected from her responsibilities to insure the quality of the guest's experience (she's the same person who failed to get an earlier train to Lyon and caused us to stand in the heavy rain.) She conducted an onboard wine tasting that was more poorly organized than just about anything we've experienced on a tour. There was barely any wine to taste, a couple of tiny pieces of some cheese and she did not bring enough brioche to serve everyone. In addition, her presentation was only marginally adequate (why didn't the sommelier make that presentation?) For a tour that was supposed to highlight the food and drink of the region, most of the wine and cheese tastings were not very informative or creative. There was supposed to be a cheese tasting onboard one day in the Compass Room restaurant. A number of very excellent cheeses were simply put on a plate at the head of the buffet table with small signs identifying them. No one bothered to provide a single word of introduction or share any more detailed information about them. A highlight of this tour was a dinner at the Duchy of Uzes. Following the cocktail hour there was supposed to be a tour of the castle. Since the tour director was nowhere to be seen, no one knew where to go, so people simply followed each other and eventually ended up in the right place. The bottom line for us is that we are simply not willing to continue to pay top dollar and not get a top dollar experience. We are hopeful that Tauck is able to get its act together and regain their status at the very top of the heap. As of now, their online reviews are not good. Until that day comes, we will be hesitant to tour with Tauck. read more

We've done 5 land tours & 1 river cruise with Tauck & all were fabulous. We choose the small group tours which have been less than 24. The river cruise was enjoyable, but our lest favorite due to the number of people. Alway have had excellent directors that were very knowledgeable. I have NEVER waited longer than a couple of minutes when calling Tauck. Our trip to Peru & the Galapagos involved 5 flights on the tour. The director handled everything, we arrived on time & no one lost luggage. All the other trips were to various places in Europe. We canceled a trip in 2021 due to Covid & rebooked the same trip for 2022 with no issues. I've even changed dates with no problems, so I find it hard to believe all these negative reviews. We're booking a trip in 2023! read more

I was on hold for over an hour yesterday in hopes of booking a trip. Someone finally answered and then I got cut off. No call back. I called back again same day, having to hold for almost 2 hours. The info I provided was not uploaded on my account, so we had to both contact IT. It was resolved the next day, but still no phone call or way to pay for my trip and ask a few questions. Have left messages, but no call back. I was hoping to add airfare now, but am unable to get through. Wish this could be handled on-line. They must be having issues in the staffing center, but this is by no means a luxury experience. read more