We did Tauck for Alaska in 2018 (our kids were only 10 & 8 at the time but loved it). At that time we had not done any ABD trips but have since done 2. I would say they were are highly comparable with the one caveat that Tauck uses one guide instead of 2. They also seemed more "flexible" about things. You went to dinner at any time at the hotel restaurants for instance and ordered whatever you wanted off the menu (including alcohol). Not many "dinners on your own" but that may be because it was Alaska and not many options at various places but the on your own was really any time you wanted. We would not hesitate to do Tauck again if the itinerary was better than ABD.
Other Options...
- Thread starter It's always cold
- Start date
We did Alaska on our own in 2021 (when it seemed like the entire world was in Alaska for big wide open spaces during the second summer of COVID world). No company had an itinerary that matched what I wanted, which I will admit was relatively unique. (I didn't want a lot of bus time or distance between locations, due to some back issues with in our party, so I traded out Denali for experiences closer to Anchorage. It was not the standard trip to Alaska, but we had a wonderful time and did a lot of different things.) So we did Seward/Whittier/Alyeska/Anchorage/Mat-Su Valley.
Good luck finding what works for you.
On a separate note - we are booked on a different sort of group travel experience. We are going to Dublin with Big Game Travel in September to watch our NFL team play a game. We will be there for a week and as part of the tour there is a day trip out to Galway/Cliffs of Moher, then some planned activities in Dublin (like visiting Guiness and Jameson, when in Rome, after all). But also appears that we will have a good amount of time on our own. Still waiting for more information on the itinerary to really figure our what we want to do. But should be interesting.
Good luck finding what works for you.
On a separate note - we are booked on a different sort of group travel experience. We are going to Dublin with Big Game Travel in September to watch our NFL team play a game. We will be there for a week and as part of the tour there is a day trip out to Galway/Cliffs of Moher, then some planned activities in Dublin (like visiting Guiness and Jameson, when in Rome, after all). But also appears that we will have a good amount of time on our own. Still waiting for more information on the itinerary to really figure our what we want to do. But should be interesting.
Dis_Yoda
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We enjoyed Ecoventura so much we went twice. The ship we sailed on (Letty) has been sold off, so I can't comment on life aboard the larger ones but they were great to work with and the guides were wonderful.
Dis_Yoda
DIS Veteran
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- Apr 26, 2008
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If anyone wants to read about the Tauck tour to Provence, I have it in my fall trip report here on the Dis.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/y...-2025-travel-adventures-update-10-16.3972272/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/y...-2025-travel-adventures-update-10-16.3972272/
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We are a month out from our Egypt trip with Archaeological Paths and they sent out an email letting us know they switched us for the Nile portion from MS Le Fayan to the Steinberger Senator. It LOOKS like a nice upgrade, but there are no reviews online to speak of... only 16 suites means we might have a very small group! Can't wait!
Hey there! Since it's been about a month, any chance of a trip report or review?
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- Jul 7, 2010
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Absolutely but we are still on the trip! We ended with a few days on our own in Jordan. Hiked all over Petra this morning and are heading to Wadi Rum next. We’ll be back home next week!
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Our trip with Archaeological Paths was amazing, exhausting, enriching, and exhaustive of our wants. They have even longer versions if the 10 night misses some hits for you, but we only had so much time as we wanted to go to Jordan after as well. That was not with a tour, so won't be reviewed unless you want me to. I'll try (and fail lets be honest) to be briefish since this isn't a full trip report...
Pre trip:
I had a hard time getting this company to tell me anything about the timing of things on certain days, which was my only gripe pre-trip. My husband was upset that he saw pyramid view rooms were available at Mena House but not through AP ahead of time. Any other questions were promptly answered by email or telephone if I wished. We were given the option of paying our balance by wire transfer or credit card with a 3.9% fee. Annoying, but common compared to other companies we've booked other tours with.
Ahead of departure they made certain we knew about obtaining required passports, visas, inoculations, etc, and provided us with confirmation of our hotels and such before departure as well. Three months prior to departure we were offered a slate of upgrades if we wished. Adding hotel days before and after was possible, as was an extra day at the end to visit Alexandria (I wish we had done/had made time for this), or add on days for Jordan or Jerusalem (we went on our own as the cost was very high and Jordan doable OYO). There were also hot air balloon rides, a visit to the Valley of the Queens, private tomb entries, room upgrades (not a pyramid view at Mena House specifically though they have them which is why my husband was annoyed), a visit to the bazar in Cairo (included on ABD), behind the scenes of Abu Simbel, etc. We booked several of the private tomb entries though the price made my eyes bleed on some of them. If anyone wants specifics I can answer them. Then a little over a month out we were informed our ship was switched from the MS Le Fayan which they normally book to the MS Steigenberger Senator, with the option to hand select rooms if you wished for a fee. At the time I was not sure what to think... they claimed it was an upgrade but... I found very little online about it so we were a little worried.
Arrival:
We were not met plane-side, but were greeted before customs and their representative walked us through the process, cutting us into the line and meeting us on the other side. We then went to get our visa - $25 in cash - and the officer handed him our stickers and he put them in our passport books for us. I guess they all know and trust each other... ^^; He then attended to us with our luggage which took a loooooong time to show up, maybe 45-an hour as well, and then walked us to our private car for the trip to the hotel. There was a driver and a guide who chatted with us on the way. It was a long drive, and our first experience with what the chaos that driving in Cairo is like. At the Mena House these reps also departed and we met our tour coordinator who was with us for the rest of the trip at the front desk of the hotel. He gave us our final itinerary which was VASTLY different than the original! I was so glad we had not tried to book anything extra at this point and understood why they couldn't or wouldn't answer my questions before departure on timing! Both he and the front desk agent seemed irritated with each other as both were vying for our attention at the same time - my husband was also very distracted trying to upgrade our room to be fair which was a bit of a dance as he and the clerk bickered a bit about which room specifically. Once that was all done we were off to our room, which was just lovely. I'd stay here again in a minute and we had a great view, well worth the extra $. ABD stays at the Ritz Carlton and has a dinner here on their pyramid day as well, so you do get to see this historic hotel /palace either way. Dinner was included so after a very brief freshen up we went to the huge buffet and then to bed after a long travel day from London on top of the long day before getting to London. Had we arrived a day early we could have had an optional add-on of extra museums in Cairo (Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Tahrir Square and National Museum of Egyptian Civilization) or the Presidential Abdeen Palace, but we arrived in the evening and did not have the option.
Day 2:
Now our tour began in earnest! We met up after breakfast for the customary overture and were given hats, umbrellas, notebooks and pens, and our whisper devices for the duration. As in the original itinerary we immediately departed to Memphis, Dahsur and Seqqara. This day does not exist on the ABD itinerary, and is one of many reasons we did not book with ABD. If you want to see as much as possible of Ancient Egypt on your trip I cannot recommend skipping ABD enough. They hit the most world renowned sites, yes, but skip some real bangers!
We would be totally wasting our proximity to the great pyramid complex and visit them at the end of the trip. They did not specifically say why things were altered this way, nor do I know how often it happens as we did not ask. Presumably it was to accomodate our speakers' schedules. I did inquire why our ship changed, and was told it was because they always seek out and take upgrades whenever and whereever possible for the ship.
Our first stop was Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt, where we wandered the site of Meet Raheena and saw our first of many statues of Ramses II. Some may not actually be Ramses but I guess back in the day you just scrubbed out a cartouche or two to replace with yours and bingo, now its you!
While driving we saw evidence of a new rail line being put in; this will be a huge benefit for folk who travel outside the city to visit relatives. It will change the life of our guide as he currently can only visit if he takes all weekend - once this is complete it will be possible to visit for just one day.
We could have entered three pyramids but were all easily dissuaded from attempting the bent as it is a very difficult climb in and out for little reward. Though they mentioned it on the additional charge sheet they did not call out the price for entering the Steppe Pyramid which we did visit for pictures and wandered around outside - I'm not sure if its unavailable at this time or what. Skipping the bent left our legs fresh for the next two and I'll be honest, even though we're both in decent shape (I run a 5K 3x a week), we were SORE the next day. Regular aerobic exercise does not prepare you for the amount of crouching and scrambling you do getting in and out of the tight passageways. Some elderly folk were doing so on hands and knees to save their backs, and several folk skipped out entirely. Apologies for the butt shots but they show the contortions the best and keep in mind I'm only 5'6... these tunnels and ramps were LONG! Travel while you're young!
Red pyramid:
On the ramps going backwards was easiest, though you still had to hunch halfway over. I banged my back several times. It was also two-way, so you were passing other people much of the time.
Pyramid of Teti:
From here we went to lunch at an old resort called the Sakkara Palm Club which has given up being a resort and is now just a restaurant and pool though they had no takers on the pool area. I would NOT recommend eating here if given the chance, as I saw the waiters picking spilled food back up into the serving trays and knocking food off the spoons that had gotten cold back into them as well. Unfortunately it was after we'd already eaten (barf) and more tour busses arrived when we had finished also..it's so gross. This was the only meal where I had serious reservations - litertally every other meal was great, though to be fair other than this and the meal at the GEM we ate either aboard the ship or at the hotels we were staying at. Period. After seeing this... I can see why they do that.
I'm already out of space for pics, more to come!
Pre trip:
I had a hard time getting this company to tell me anything about the timing of things on certain days, which was my only gripe pre-trip. My husband was upset that he saw pyramid view rooms were available at Mena House but not through AP ahead of time. Any other questions were promptly answered by email or telephone if I wished. We were given the option of paying our balance by wire transfer or credit card with a 3.9% fee. Annoying, but common compared to other companies we've booked other tours with.
Ahead of departure they made certain we knew about obtaining required passports, visas, inoculations, etc, and provided us with confirmation of our hotels and such before departure as well. Three months prior to departure we were offered a slate of upgrades if we wished. Adding hotel days before and after was possible, as was an extra day at the end to visit Alexandria (I wish we had done/had made time for this), or add on days for Jordan or Jerusalem (we went on our own as the cost was very high and Jordan doable OYO). There were also hot air balloon rides, a visit to the Valley of the Queens, private tomb entries, room upgrades (not a pyramid view at Mena House specifically though they have them which is why my husband was annoyed), a visit to the bazar in Cairo (included on ABD), behind the scenes of Abu Simbel, etc. We booked several of the private tomb entries though the price made my eyes bleed on some of them. If anyone wants specifics I can answer them. Then a little over a month out we were informed our ship was switched from the MS Le Fayan which they normally book to the MS Steigenberger Senator, with the option to hand select rooms if you wished for a fee. At the time I was not sure what to think... they claimed it was an upgrade but... I found very little online about it so we were a little worried.
Arrival:
We were not met plane-side, but were greeted before customs and their representative walked us through the process, cutting us into the line and meeting us on the other side. We then went to get our visa - $25 in cash - and the officer handed him our stickers and he put them in our passport books for us. I guess they all know and trust each other... ^^; He then attended to us with our luggage which took a loooooong time to show up, maybe 45-an hour as well, and then walked us to our private car for the trip to the hotel. There was a driver and a guide who chatted with us on the way. It was a long drive, and our first experience with what the chaos that driving in Cairo is like. At the Mena House these reps also departed and we met our tour coordinator who was with us for the rest of the trip at the front desk of the hotel. He gave us our final itinerary which was VASTLY different than the original! I was so glad we had not tried to book anything extra at this point and understood why they couldn't or wouldn't answer my questions before departure on timing! Both he and the front desk agent seemed irritated with each other as both were vying for our attention at the same time - my husband was also very distracted trying to upgrade our room to be fair which was a bit of a dance as he and the clerk bickered a bit about which room specifically. Once that was all done we were off to our room, which was just lovely. I'd stay here again in a minute and we had a great view, well worth the extra $. ABD stays at the Ritz Carlton and has a dinner here on their pyramid day as well, so you do get to see this historic hotel /palace either way. Dinner was included so after a very brief freshen up we went to the huge buffet and then to bed after a long travel day from London on top of the long day before getting to London. Had we arrived a day early we could have had an optional add-on of extra museums in Cairo (Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Tahrir Square and National Museum of Egyptian Civilization) or the Presidential Abdeen Palace, but we arrived in the evening and did not have the option.
Day 2:
Now our tour began in earnest! We met up after breakfast for the customary overture and were given hats, umbrellas, notebooks and pens, and our whisper devices for the duration. As in the original itinerary we immediately departed to Memphis, Dahsur and Seqqara. This day does not exist on the ABD itinerary, and is one of many reasons we did not book with ABD. If you want to see as much as possible of Ancient Egypt on your trip I cannot recommend skipping ABD enough. They hit the most world renowned sites, yes, but skip some real bangers!
We would be totally wasting our proximity to the great pyramid complex and visit them at the end of the trip. They did not specifically say why things were altered this way, nor do I know how often it happens as we did not ask. Presumably it was to accomodate our speakers' schedules. I did inquire why our ship changed, and was told it was because they always seek out and take upgrades whenever and whereever possible for the ship.
Our first stop was Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt, where we wandered the site of Meet Raheena and saw our first of many statues of Ramses II. Some may not actually be Ramses but I guess back in the day you just scrubbed out a cartouche or two to replace with yours and bingo, now its you!
While driving we saw evidence of a new rail line being put in; this will be a huge benefit for folk who travel outside the city to visit relatives. It will change the life of our guide as he currently can only visit if he takes all weekend - once this is complete it will be possible to visit for just one day.
We could have entered three pyramids but were all easily dissuaded from attempting the bent as it is a very difficult climb in and out for little reward. Though they mentioned it on the additional charge sheet they did not call out the price for entering the Steppe Pyramid which we did visit for pictures and wandered around outside - I'm not sure if its unavailable at this time or what. Skipping the bent left our legs fresh for the next two and I'll be honest, even though we're both in decent shape (I run a 5K 3x a week), we were SORE the next day. Regular aerobic exercise does not prepare you for the amount of crouching and scrambling you do getting in and out of the tight passageways. Some elderly folk were doing so on hands and knees to save their backs, and several folk skipped out entirely. Apologies for the butt shots but they show the contortions the best and keep in mind I'm only 5'6... these tunnels and ramps were LONG! Travel while you're young!
Red pyramid:
On the ramps going backwards was easiest, though you still had to hunch halfway over. I banged my back several times. It was also two-way, so you were passing other people much of the time.
Pyramid of Teti:
From here we went to lunch at an old resort called the Sakkara Palm Club which has given up being a resort and is now just a restaurant and pool though they had no takers on the pool area. I would NOT recommend eating here if given the chance, as I saw the waiters picking spilled food back up into the serving trays and knocking food off the spoons that had gotten cold back into them as well. Unfortunately it was after we'd already eaten (barf) and more tour busses arrived when we had finished also..it's so gross. This was the only meal where I had serious reservations - litertally every other meal was great, though to be fair other than this and the meal at the GEM we ate either aboard the ship or at the hotels we were staying at. Period. After seeing this... I can see why they do that.
I'm already out of space for pics, more to come!
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