TauckReviews of tauck.com

My wife and I recently took a trip to Italy, a 14-day Tauck Classic Italy. The trip was wonderful until my wife fell and could not continue on. Although we had issues with the travel insurance company, Tauck stepped up and agreed to reimburse us for the expenses we had because of some communication issues when we left. I will definitely be scheduling more trips with Tauck. They are a first-rate company who understands the value of dedicated customers.

After 16 trips with Tauck, this was my last. The overall trip was BORING, on and off the bus, packing/unpacking after 1 or 2 days in each hotel, dull sites. Their choice of hotels has deteriorated considerably. One of the "hotels" was less than 1 star. But the worst part is their customer service. Apparently they could care less about keeping customers. Maybe ignorant first-timers will keep them going for a while. Doubt it.

More than a year ago we signed up for the Switzerland: Europe's Crown Jewel tour for September 2023. One of the featured items on the website and in brochure was a trip on the Glacier Express glass-domed train through the Alps. About a week before departure, Tauck sent an email saying that they couldn't get tickets so they substituted for a regular train, a very long bus ride, and a tour of a cheese factory. Getting train tickets is their core business. They knew the dates. We booked more than a year in advance. We questioned them and were told that they would not be providing any compensation because they provided an alternate excursion. The basement of a very small, stinky cheese factory was not a suitable alternative to the world-renowned Glacier Express. During the trip, we learned that some couples got cash back - when we protested to Tauck, they offered a voucher if we booked a future trip. I feel that this was a bait and switch. This was our third Tauck trip and I question whether I will ever use their voucher. Otherwise, this trip had way too much bus time. The meals were good. The hotels were average. Pace was geared to people 70 plus years old....we are 60 and were the youngest people on tour.

Tauck does it best! This was my 8th Tauck Trip and it was wonderful. Well planned and excellent experiences. Would highly recommend Tauck. They are the best!

First time Tauck Tour, Essence of Japan. It will be my last. Spent more than 45k and they handled flight booking. They booked international layover outbound with 40 min window. Not surprisingly my bags, clothes and medicine didn't arrive for 30 hours. They acknowledged their fault in email but Guest Relations tone deaf. They offered small cash refund and future credit on next tour. Won't be a "next tour ". It was once a great brand but they have lost their feel for customer retention. If you use them, book your own travel and save money and aggravation.

First time Tuack Tour, Essence of Japan. It will be my last. Spent more than 45k and they handled flight booking. They booked international layover outbound with 40 min window. Not surprisingly my bags, clothes and medicine didn't arrive for 30 hours. They acknowledged their fault in email but Guest Relations tone deaf. They offered small cash refund and future credit on next tour. Won't be a "next tour ". It was once a great brand but they have lost their feel for customer retention. If you use them, bookyour own travel and save money and aggravation.

Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That’s Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done on the cheap by Tauck, yet cost me thousands of dollars extra as a solo traveler on a special small-group tour. 5-star hotels switched to 3 and 4 (without any compensation or explanation)… many more meals “on your own”… lots of “self-guided” tours of museums and chateaux and castles we knew nothing about… airline quality “rubber chicken” dinners, not in hotel restaurants, but in sad and isolated business convention spaces… poorly-trained newer Tour Directors (like the one on this tour) with limited experience traveling outside her tiny Canadian village or dealing with people from diverse backgrounds. She even confessed that this was a second gig job that took her away from her own business back home! You get what Tauck pays for, but unfortunately, not what YOU pay for. Speaking to a “Guest Relations” agent was comically pointless. She tried to make everything my fault, which I now understand is par for the course with the “new” post-Covid Tauck. Please reconsider spending huge amounts of your hard-earned money on a tour company that has lost its way and no longer delivers.

We have taken two tours with Tauck, one to California and one to Italy, both in 2022. We have two tours scheduled this summer. We originally scheduled our tour to Italy in 2020. When everything shut down, we received a credit for a future tour, that included the price of the insurance. If you book another tour, and cancel THE DAY BEFORE the tour you are signed up for, you get 100% of the money applied to the new tour. You pay for insurance, so that you get your tour price and flights refunded. Not everything goes perfectly. This grousing and complaining on this site is shocking. If you buy the insurance, and don't take the trip, without booking another tour, you don't get the cost of the insurance back. That is clearly spelled out in the travel documents. If you don't want to pay for travel insurance, then don't pay for travel insurance. But, to say you canceled, and to complain that you didn't get your premium back, is just ridiculous. I have traveled with the constant complainers, and those who have something negative to say at every stop. Most people are wonderful, and thrilled to be on their journey. However, you will never satisfy everyone. Go with Tauck, if you want a top of the line experience. Top hotels, access, skip the line access, etc. Great local guides. Private after-hours tour of the Uffizi gallery was fabulous in Italy. We have had a bad meal here or there with Tauck. Did it wreck the trip? No. Where there some things I would have changed a bit? Yes. Did it wreck the trip? No. I would think that those able to afford a Tauck trip would realize how blessed they are. Stop complaining and realize that you will never get a perfect trip. I will continue to travel with this company and I will tell you why. We were supposed to leave for a trip on Tuesday, May 16th. On May 15th, my son was hospitalized. The rep took care of me, and guess what? I already have a full refund, less the cost of the insurance. Today is May 18th, and I already have my money back. This is a good company that cares about its guests, so I recommend them. I have made some unbelievable memories with my family. I have been lucky to be able to go to places I have only read about. An occasional so-so meal or an imperfect itinerary cannot lessen the impact of the travel unless you allow it to do so.