Other Options...

[Bobo912]

Thanks for all the great information! On the TB trips are there ever just couples? We are in our mid 30s with no kids and feel that the regular Tauck trips would skew a little old for us.

It's mostly families with kids, but on our first trip there was a couple (40ish I think) who wanted to do the World Discovery trip but the dates didn't work for them, so they did the TB trip instead. They said they really enjoyed the TB trip and the other families and were glad it worked out that they couldn't take the WD trip. They had done Tauck WD trips before and were the youngest in the group. On our riverboat cruise, I believe there were also couples, but it's hard to tell because it's a bigger group and everybody is all mixed up together, so there could have been couples that were part of a big extended family. I know there was a group of 3 adult women (mother, daughter and daughter-in-law) who were traveling together with no children. If you don't mind other people's kids, you would probably enjoy it. Tauck also has Culturious itineraries that are aimed at a younger clientele, but those are fairly new and there aren't as many destinations yet.

Maybe DisFan10 will chime in. He's taken several TB trips without kids.

 

[carpenta]

Thanks for all the great information! On the TB trips are there ever just couples? We are in our mid 30s with no kids and feel that the regular Tauck trips would skew a little old for us.

on our Italy tour there was a couple from Ca. that was in their 30's and did the trip because it fell right in their schedule and like you stated the other trips looked "too old'. They fit right into the group. After the second day the kids all bond and occupy the back of the bus. (Giving the adults THEIR vacation LOL)I think you will find you will be "adopted" by the group of adults.

 

[Rapunzellover]

What about solos? I was discouraged by Tauck from doing Ireland WD because I was too young (35). I assume TB wouldn't encourage solos?

 

[emilymad]

Thanks for your opinions! We would definitely prefer to be with families and kids than be the youngest people by almost double.

 

[Golden Rose]

We're new to the world of family luxury touring (new enough that we haven't done our first yet - we have ABD booked for Costa Rica for 2016,) and I love these discussions of different tour groups. We have been looking at ABD, Tauck Bridges, and Abercrombie and Kent Family. Our kids are 5.5 years apart; we've been traveling with a child under 6 for the last decade, and we'll be doing so another year and a half. We do a fair number of cruises and we take the kids on trips without a tour group pretty often (between me and my mom, we can manage basic Spanish, Italian, French, and German), but we have a very, very social 4 year old who is now about old enough that we're willing to consider group tours for her sake. Please report back on the Tauck Bridges! It's great to have comparisons of the different groups.

 

[sayhello]

We're new to the world of family luxury touring (new enough that we haven't done our first yet - we have ABD booked for Costa Rica for 2016,) and I love these discussions of different tour groups. We have been looking at ABD, Tauck Bridges, and Abercrombie and Kent Family. Our kids are 5.5 years apart; we've been traveling with a child under 6 for the last decade, and we'll be doing so another year and a half. We do a fair number of cruises and we take the kids on trips without a tour group pretty often (between me and my mom, we can manage basic Spanish, Italian, French, and German), but we have a very, very social 4 year old who is now about old enough that we're willing to consider group tours for her sake. Please report back on the Tauck Bridges! It's great to have comparisons of the different groups.

Hi! Just wanted to note that the minimum age for some ABDs is 6 or even 7 years old. Make sure you check the minimum age when you're considering an ABD.

Sayhello

 

[Golden Rose]

Hi! Just wanted to note that the minimum age for some ABDs is 6 or even 7 years old. Make sure you check the minimum age when you're considering an ABD.

Sayhello

Yeah, we know, it is why we're just starting to look at ABD now. She'll be 5 by the time we do the Costa Rica trip we have booked. She'll be 6 by the time we're first considering Australia and South Africa. The age limit is why we're doing Galapagos as a Celebrity Cruise instead of with ABD; we'd have booked that as our first ABD otherwise.

We travel a lot as a family; both my kids have been traveling since they were less than a year old. The question for us is not if we'll travel, it's how we'll travel. Right now we're at a stage where my mom and step-father are still healthy enough to travel with us, and my kids are about old enough to go wherever we want to go. We love taking multigenerational trips together, and we don't know how long we'll have the window of good health for all, so we're pushing it a bit for our daughter. We've done a lot of cruises, because they are easy with kids, but my step-father gets seasick pretty easily, and has said he really doesn't want to do any more cruises with us. (We've still got 3 cruises booked for the next year and a bit, but he's not coming on any of them except maybe Galapagos.)

Our son is a fantastic traveler - we could literally take him anywhere in the world, and he'd be an easy companion. He's done well on flights (to as far as Europe and Hawaii) and roadtips to WDW. The biggest problem we run into is that he can be a picky eater. Our daughter is... less of a fantastic traveler. On the one hand, she'll try any food and she can sleep anywhere easily. She's adventurous and outgoing. On the other hand, she's an active 4 year old. She does well on road trips, but she was not great on our last long flight. We've got a series of trips booked that will require 3 to 5 hour flights in the next year, so we'll have another chance to see how she does before we commit to a really long flight. We would like to book something big for December 2016, but I'm hoping to wait until we see how she does on the upcoming flights... and I'm hoping to see how we like our first ABD.

 

[kaseyC]

We just finished our week long TB Ireland Forever tour. I don't know if anyone remembers but I posted on this board when making the decision between TB and ABD for Ireland. We had never done a organized tour before and I wanted something that was "just add water". We had an absolute blast on our tour with TB and enjoyed leaving all of the planning to someone else. We had a little under 40 people on our tour, 1 large multigenerational family group 6 adults and 4 kids, a number grandparents traveling with grandkids and parents traveling with their kids. Kid's ages ranged from 9-20. The majority falling in the 12-16 age groups. Loved the accommodations, Conrad in Dublin, Castlemartyr near Cork and Dromoland Castle near Shannon.

Our Tauck Director Brenna was wonderful and the local guides were outstanding as well. The kids all bonded very well and quickly. They were a great group of kids. We had a large number of well organized activities, my favorites: Dublin Scavenger hunt, cooking our Dinner at the Ballymaloe Cookery school, biking through Killarney NP, our "field day" where we learned the Irish game of hurling and the kids got to play in a match with a local youth team and dinner and Irish music at a sheep farm. Our favorite sights: the Book of Kells, Blarney castle, Killarney NP and Cliffs of Moher. We had fabulous weather the whole trip.

One thing I was very happy with was that we only had a couple meals that were pre-set. For many of our meals we could just order what we wanted off the menu as well as choose the time we wanted to dine. Brenna would reserve the time for us.

Our amount of time on the motor coach was limited since TB reserves first class seats on the train to get us from Dublin to Cork. Very nice. Also lots of little gifts and surprises through out the week.

If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Calfan]

We just finished our week long TB Ireland Forever tour. I don't know if anyone remembers but I posted on this board when making the decision between TB and ABD for Ireland. We had never done a organized tour before and I wanted something that was "just add water". We had an absolute blast on our tour with TB and enjoyed leaving all of the planning to someone else. We had a little under 40 people on our tour, 1 large multigenerational family group 6 adults and 4 kids, a number grandparents traveling with grandkids and parents traveling with their kids. Kid's ages ranged from 9-20. The majority falling in the 12-16 age groups. Loved the accommodations, Conrad in Dublin, Castlemartyr near Cork and Dromoland Castle near Shannon.

Our Tauck Director Brenna was wonderful and the local guides were outstanding as well. The kids all bonded very well and quickly. They were a great group of kids. We had a large number of well organized activities, my favorites: Dublin Scavenger hunt, cooking our Dinner at the Ballymaloe Cookery school, biking through Killarney NP, our "field day" where we learned the Irish game of hurling and the kids got to play in a match with a local youth team and dinner and Irish music at a sheep farm. Our favorite sights: the Book of Kells, Blarney castle, Killarney NP and Cliffs of Moher. We had fabulous weather the whole trip.

One thing I was very happy with was that we only had a couple meals that were pre-set. For many of our meals we could just order what we wanted off the menu as well as choose the time we wanted to dine. Brenna would reserve the time for us.

Our amount of time on the motor coach was limited since TB reserves first class seats on the train to get us from Dublin to Cork. Very nice. Also lots of little gifts and surprises through out the week.

If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

So glad you enjoyed your trip, and it's great to hear your very positive feedback about Tauck Bridges. We are planning to do this trip with TB in 2017. Really looking forward to it.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

We just finished our week long TB Ireland Forever tour. I don't know if anyone remembers but I posted on this board when making the decision between TB and ABD for Ireland. We had never done a organized tour before and I wanted something that was "just add water". We had an absolute blast on our tour with TB and enjoyed leaving all of the planning to someone else. We had a little under 40 people on our tour, 1 large multigenerational family group 6 adults and 4 kids, a number grandparents traveling with grandkids and parents traveling with their kids. Kid's ages ranged from 9-20. The majority falling in the 12-16 age groups. Loved the accommodations, Conrad in Dublin, Castlemartyr near Cork and Dromoland Castle near Shannon.

Our Tauck Director Brenna was wonderful and the local guides were outstanding as well. The kids all bonded very well and quickly. They were a great group of kids. We had a large number of well organized activities, my favorites: Dublin Scavenger hunt, cooking our Dinner at the Ballymaloe Cookery school, biking through Killarney NP, our "field day" where we learned the Irish game of hurling and the kids got to play in a match with a local youth team and dinner and Irish music at a sheep farm. Our favorite sights: the Book of Kells, Blarney castle, Killarney NP and Cliffs of Moher. We had fabulous weather the whole trip.

One thing I was very happy with was that we only had a couple meals that were pre-set. For many of our meals we could just order what we wanted off the menu as well as choose the time we wanted to dine. Brenna would reserve the time for us.

Our amount of time on the motor coach was limited since TB reserves first class seats on the train to get us from Dublin to Cork. Very nice. Also lots of little gifts and surprises through out the week.

If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Sounds like a great trip! We did ABD Ireland way back in 2007 (I think)--it was our first ABD--and loved it. But I have to say the day on the coach was really long. I would have much preferred first class train tickets. That might be reason alone to do Tauck. We did ABD before they switched the Rock of Cashel to Blarney Castle--not sure what other changes they have made to the itinerary. I'd have to go back and look.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Blarney Castle did not replace the Rock of Cashel. They are both on my ABD itinerary for July.

 

[kmc33]

We did the Ireland ABD in 2013, our first ABD and we loved it. We went to Rock of Cashel and Blarney Castle. I remember looking at both ABD and TB at the time; there was very little difference in the price and we decided to go with ABD... maybe in part because I knew so much more about ABD from reading these forums.

We really enjoyed Rock of Cashel, Killarney Park Hotel, and three nights at Dromoland Castle on the ABD, but on the other hand, I would love to go to Kinsale and the train ride sounds better than the coach on TB. I guess with all the itineraries there are differences between Tauck and ABD, but everything is good, just some differences because they have to make choices since you just can't fit everything into one week!

kaseyC, thank you for your feedback on the TB Ireland trip. That sounds like a wonderful trip too and since we are going to book the TB Italia Bella for 2016, it is great to read about your great experience in Ireland.

 

[kaseyC]

We did the Ireland ABD in 2013, our first ABD and we loved it. We went to Rock of Cashel and Blarney Castle. I remember looking at both ABD and TB at the time; there was very little difference in the price and we decided to go with ABD... maybe in part because I knew so much more about ABD from reading these forums.

We really enjoyed Rock of Cashel, Killarney Park Hotel, and three nights at Dromoland Castle on the ABD, but on the other hand, I would love to go to Kinsale and the train ride sounds better than the coach on TB. I guess with all the itineraries there are differences between Tauck and ABD, but everything is good, just some differences because they have to make choices since you just can't fit everything into one week!

kaseyC, thank you for your feedback on the TB Ireland trip. That sounds like a wonderful trip too and since we are going to book the TB Italia Bella for 2016, it is great to read about your great experience in Ireland.

I was undecided for quite awhile between TB and ABD. They were both very similar in terms of itinerary and price. what swayed me was there seemed to be less free time on TB (a plus for me), activities that appealed more to my girls... The pottery and Celtic jewelry making in Kinsale (so fun and Kinsale is gorgeous) and the Ballymaloe cooking school (which was fantastic) and the gratuities being included.

We also lucked out with a week of absolutely perfect weather. No rain and few clouds.

I have to add that me and my DDs are total fans of organized tours now. I loved just going with the flow and planning little things for our free time. Looking forward to trying ABD as well. I'll be back asking questions about itineraries once we get home from London next week.

 

[angelinaxox]

It is great reading the comparisons here between ABD and TB and to hear nice things about TB. My husband and I are traveling with my brother's family on the Red Rocks and Painted Canyons tour. My brother had a hard time deciding between TB and ABD but I was hoping he chose the TB because I thought the itinerary was a little better, including an extra day at the beginning and the price was definitely better. I am really looking forward to it. The forums at Tauck aren't as active as here, but I have been fortunate to have several people answer all my questions pretty thoroughly.

 

[RSM]

This past summer we did the “Spanish Salsa” family tour with Trafalgar. Although the itinerary was similar to the Spain ABD there were some differences that we preferred with the Trafalgar itinerary. In terms of addressing the market, Trafalgar and ABD are at completely different price points. When we compared what we actually spent with Trafalgar to what we estimate we would have spent with ABD’s Spain tour, we saved about 50%.

First, I’ll say that our overall experience on Trafalgar’s Spanish Salsa tour was every bit as good as any of the ABD’s that we have done. But there are differences and depending on how important these are to you will determine your satisfaction. So, what are the differences?

1.) Group size and Children: There were 48 on our tour. There were 24 adults and 24 children ranging in age from 7 to 20. Much like an ABD, within a couple of days almost all the kids had bonded and hung out together. It was actually great. We would see the older kids (18-20 y/o) hanging out with the younger kids. One night all the kids started a dance party in the hotel lounge (our guide spoke with the hotel manager and got an open ballroom for us). We hadn’t experienced all the kids bonding like this on an ABD (typically the younger kids hang out, the older kids hang out, but there is not a lot between the different age groups).

2.) Group Mix: The make up of the group also differed from a typical ABD. Of the 48 in our group, probably 40% were from the US and 60% from other countries (Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa). I should say that 48 is a large group, but it never seemed like we were delayed or it never felt that large. For most of the tours, we split into 2 separate groups and we had whisperers for all guided excursions.

3.) Hotels: Probably the biggest difference is the hotels. In general, ABD stays at 4 and 5 star hotels very centrally located. On this trip we stayed in 3 and 4 star boutique hotels generally located a bit outside the city center or main tourist area. That being said, our longest taxi ride was about 10 minutes to the main area (10-12 euro). As we’ve travelled over the years, the size, amenities, and location of the hotels we stay at has become less important. Cleanliness remains important and we had no issues with our hotels.

4.) Excursions: When we compared the excursions between Trafalgar and ABD for those cities in common, they were nearly identical. The difference is that all excursions are included in the ABD, but some of the excursions on the Trafalgar tour were options which you had to pay for. On one hand this provides flexibility and more on-your-own time, on the other hand, some may not appreciate having to pay for some excursions as a part of a package tour. That being said, we did 6 of 8 optional excursions and the cost was still significantly less.

5.) Meals: Breakfast was typically buffet style in the hotel very similar to ABD. We had 3 dinners (really good) and lunch was on our own each day. So, in general there were probably fewer included meals than on an ABD.

6.) Guide/Tour Director: We had one tour director for the 48 of us. Trafalgar tended to rely more on local guides than ABD. Obviously, not the same level of personal interaction with the tour director as she was pretty busy. But I will say, whenever someone needed something she seemed to get it done. For example, one family was staying in Barcelona after the tour and wanted tickets to La Pedrera (a Gaudi house). The guide arranged this and other activities for then and a number of other families.

7.) The Coach: This was the one thing that was the most irksome to us. We had assigned seats on the coach and rotated each day. I think they do this so that the same people aren’t always at the front/back of the coach. This may be needed for some of the tours skewed towards an older average age, but from our ABD experience the kids like to sit at the back of the coach. Eventually, we all just started to sit where we wanted and probably drove our tour director crazy.

Overall, if you are looking for a lower cost guided tour, I would highly recommend a Trafalgar family tour. There are differences, but for us the differences were not that big a deal.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Thanks so much for posting about your experience on Trafalgar--I love having other companies to add to the mix. Sounds like you had a great time, and saving 50% is pretty impressive. The size of ABD groups has been getting progressively bigger--our add on had 49 people--so that sounds like a wash to me.

 

[carpenta]

On some Tauck trips they do not charge a single supplement charge.......

 

[sayhello]

What's worst, though, is the ABD River Cruise. The single supplement for the ABD Danube river cruise is 100% of the per person cost. This is the same as DCL (but NOT the same as the DCL ABD add-ons!) The only reason I even considered doing the river cruise is that for a limited time after the announcement, they offered the Category C cabins with "only" a 50% single supplement, which I snagged. I'm pretty sure that unless they continue to offer that, if I want to do any river cruising after this one, it's going to be with Uniworld, who offer several cruises with no single supplement.

Sayhello

 

[carpenta]

What's worst, though, is the ABD River Cruise. The single supplement for the ABD Danube river cruise is 100% of the per person cost. This is the same as DCL (but NOT the same as the DCL ABD add-ons!) The only reason I even considered doing the river cruise is that for a limited time after the announcement, they offered the Category C cabins with "only" a 50% single supplement, which I snagged. I'm pretty sure that unless they continue to offer that, if I want to do any river cruising after this one, it's going to be with Uniworld, who offer several cruises with no single supplement.

Sayhello

I have heard good things about Uniworld. We have looked at Uniworld just for the reason that we are "three" and we would get a double room and a single. At a triple price. No single supplement. Tauck we have sailed with before and they offer triples. Even as I have posted before ABD does not offer triples on some of their trips instead a double priced room with a single supplement for the second room. Expensive is one thing....ridiculous pricing is another.

 

[carpenta]

I want Portugal...haven't really found the right itinerary elsewhere.

I agree with that. I have been once and found Portugal much like Croatia and Serbia, undiscovered by the masses with a great historical and welcoming populous.