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Holiday Magic: Danube Family River Cruise - Eastbound 2024

Operator
Tauck
Days
8
From
USD $4,490

Dates & Prices

Start Date End Date OffersBrochure
Land Price
Our PriceQuote
From
Saturday,
Dec 21, 2024
To
Saturday,
Dec 28, 2024
Call Us$4,490Get Our PriceGet Quote
From
Friday,
Dec 27, 2024
To
Friday,
Jan 03, 2025
Call Us$4,490Get Our PriceGet Quote

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Itinerary

Tour Itinerary

Both the young and young at heart delight aboard a weeklong Danube river cruise filled with European holiday festivities onboard and ashore... Your family will discover Europe's time-honored holiday traditions in historic cities and towns along the Danube featuring the sights, flavors, and music of the season. Sightseeing is designed for all generations to enjoy together – in Oberndorf, home of "Silent Night"… at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and magnificent Melk Abbey... in Old Town Bratislava with medieval games and a scavenger hunt… and in Budapest, "the Pearl of the Danube." And you'll toast the season during a Tauck Exclusive evening at a private palace in Vienna with dinner, a performance, and a waltzing lesson! 

Countries Visited

Austria , Germany , Hungary , Slovakia

Cities Visited

Bratislava , Budapest , Krems , Munich , Passau , Salzburg , Vienna

  1. Day 1
    Arrive Munich and embark in Regensburg

    Cruise begins: 5:30 PM, Regensburg or Vilshofen, Germany. A transfer is included from Munich's Franz Josef Strauss International Airport or Munich Train Station to your riverboat, docked in Regensburg or Vilshofen and all decked out for the holidays! Guests who enjoy a pre-cruise stay in Munich will receive a transfer from Tauck's hotel to the riverboat. Join your captain onboard your riverboat for a fun welcome reception followed by dinner this evening. Set sail for Passau.


    Meals:   Dinner
  2. Day 2
    Old Town Passau

    Dock in Passau, a picturesque city set on three rivers. Explore the narrow lanes and squares of Old Town dressed up with holiday decorations – a yuletide wonderland that will delight your family. You have a choice of activities. One is a walking tour of Old Town and a visit to a local café for a traditional sweets workshop. The family that owns the café has been making treats for the residents of Passau for four generations – and today they'll share some tips with your family. Another choice is to discover Old Town as you play a geo-caching game with a local guide. Or go on a guided hike with a holiday theme and interactive storytelling. Enjoy some free time in Passau before returning to your riverboat. As you to sail on to Linz in Austria, your Tauck Directors and Cruise Director have lots of fun activities planned for your family to share onboard ship, including holiday karaoke!


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  3. Day 3
    Oberndorf, Silent Night, and Salzburg

    Wake up early aboard your riverboat in Linz for your full-day excursion to Oberndorf and Salzburg. Mozart was born in Salzburg, and his family home is still there. The Sound of Music was set in Salzburg, and you might recognize a few locations from the movie. Have lunch at a local restaurant, and then you're off on a choice of afternoon excursions. One choice will have your family discovering the story behind one of the world's most beloved Christmas carols in Oberndorf, the town where "Silent Night" was born in 1818, and hear some stirring music. Alternatively, enjoy some additional free time in Salzburg to explore as you please. Reboard your riverboat, and cruise overnight to Dürnstein. 


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  4. Day 4
    The Wachau Valley – Dürnstein and Melk or Krems

    Early this morning your riverboat sails through Wachau Valley wine country before docking in Dürnstein. Disembark for your choice of shore excursions. One possibility is to visit Melk Abbey, a sprawling Baroque edifice high on a hill overlooking the Danube. Softly golden in the winter light, Melk Abbey is filled with centuries of treasures. It's been a beacon of learning for generations and is still home to a secondary school today. On a guided tour, your family will love imagining going to school in these magnificent surroundings. According to the abbey's Christmas legend, the Virgin Mary and the Christ child made a miraculous visit to the abbey, where a young novice juggled oranges and entertained the infant so much that he clapped for joy and Mary gave the baby to the priest-in-training to hold. Your family's other choice this morning is to go on a walking tour in the charming riverside Old Town of Krems, set against a striking backdrop of terraced vineyards. After lunch onboard your riverboat, enjoy some local wines at a tasting and learn about wine-making in the Wachau Valley. Your riverboat sails for Vienna this afternoon.


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  5. Day 5
    Discovering Imperial Vienna

    Disembark for a sightseeing tour of Vienna, taking in the elegant boulevards, palaces, museums, opera house, and other impressive buildings built during the days when today's capital city of Austria was a grand Imperial city – the home base of the Habsburg family whose Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled much of Europe. Your family can return to the riverboat for lunch or try a local restaurant or café. This afternoon is free for exploring Vienna as you please. Shuttles between your riverboat and downtown Vienna will run throughout the afternoon. Following an early dinner onboard this evening, have some family fun at the world-famous Vienna Prater amusement park, featuring over 250 rides and attractions to enjoy. You'll find the Riesenrad, a giant ferris wheel (which film buffs will recognize from the 1940s film noir classic The Third Man); "extreme-speed" rides, merry-go-rounds and go-carts tracks; haunted houses and a fun house; and more.

    Please Note: To preserve your sightseeing experience in Vienna and maximize our time there, we may rotate our activities on Days 5 and 6 on some departures.


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  6. Day 6
    Vienna by day and night

    This morning, enjoy a firsthand look at the Habsburg emperors' home life during your guided visit at Schönbrunn Palace, once their magnificent summer residence, boasting 1,441 rooms and exquisite gardens. This afternoon is free for exploring Vienna as you please; shuttles between your riverboat and central Vienna run throughout the afternoon. Then, it's time to dress up for a Tauck Exclusive evening at Palais Pallavicini, one of Vienna's few private palaces, where you'll enjoy a champagne (or juice) reception, dinner, a performance, and a waltzing lesson for a wonderful night of family fun.

    Please Note: To preserve your sightseeing experience in Vienna and maximize our time there, we may rotate our activities on Days 5 and 6 on some departures.


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  7. Day 7
    Medieval games in Old Town Bratislava

    Your riverboat arrives this morning in Slovakia's capital city, Bratislava. Head to Old Town to try your hand at some medieval games and enjoy an interactive walking tour with a scavenger hunt. Your afternoon is free. This evening onboard your riverboat, Slovak performers entertain your family followed by your captain's farewell cocktail hour and dinner.


    Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch   Dinner
  8. Day 8
    Budapest and your journey home

    Dock in Budapest this morning and disembark your riverboat for a tour of a city divided by the Danube River. Known for its stunning architecture as "the Pearl of the Danube," Budapest was once two separate cities, Buda and Pest. Your family will go on a walking tour through the castle district and take in the amazing views from Fisherman's Bastion. See elegant Andrássy Avenue, monumental Heroes Square, and City Park. Finish your excursion with a holiday candy-making experience at a private venue.  Tour ends: Budapest. A transfer is included from Kempinski Corvinus Hotel, Budapest to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. Guests should book an afternoon flight home to be able to participate in Budapest sightseeing. Families enjoying a post-cruise stay at Kempinksi Corvinus Hotel, Budapest will receive a transfer from Tauck's hotel to the airport. Please allow at least 3 hours for airport check-in.


    Meals:   Breakfast

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Inclusions

Both the young and young at heart delight aboard a weeklong Danube river cruise filled with European holiday festivities onboard and ashore...Your family will discover Europe's time-honored holiday traditions in historic cities and towns along the Danube featuring the sights, flavors, and music of the season. Sightseeing is designed for all generations to enjoy together – in Oberndorf, home of "Silent Night"… at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and magnificent Melk Abbey... in Old Town Bratislava with medieval games and a scavenger hunt… and in Budapest, "the Pearl of the Danube." And you'll toast the season during a Tauck Exclusive evening at a private palace in Vienna with dinner, a performance, and a waltzing lesson! 

  • TAUCK EXCLUSIVE - An evening at a private Viennese palace - with dinner, entertainment, and a waltzing lesson
  • Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors, and Tauck Cruise Director
  • Tauck's private shore excursions and distinctive inclusions valued at $2,065
  • Visit to Oberndorf, birthplace of the carol "Silent Night"
  • Time to explore Mozart's Baroque, alpine hometown of Salzburg on your own

Health and Safety Protocols for Tauck Tours

Traveling with Peace of Mind
Our commitment never wavers – to earn your trust by always doing the right thing. As we explore the world together again, this will be more important than ever as we adapt to living and traveling in the presence of COVID-19.

Tauck is 97-years young this year, and our ability to weather many storms over the decades is a result of our values and beliefs – as a family and as a family-owned and led company. In addition to the guiding light of these values, our extensive experience, local knowledge and global support network help to ensure your safety on every Tauck journey. Building upon our bedrock of award-winning guest care, we have worked tirelessly to prepare for your return following the COVID-19 hiatus in travel. With guidance from leading experts, including the CDC and WHO, together with our internal Global Response Team and, most importantly, with feedback from thousands of our guests, we have redefined how we will conduct our experiences as we resume travel.

Tauck is Prepared for the Unexpected
For decades, Tauck has operated in over 70 countries in all 7 continents. Over this time, our staff and network of supplier partners have always been there to support our guests and team on the road. Our guests travel with a comprehensive, built-in support system that starts with the care and local knowledge of our Tauck Directors and extends to our network of partners around the world, including hoteliers and transportation companies.

At the core of our ability to quickly and effectively respond to the unexpected is our Global Response Team - a group of over 50 employees across all departments who stand ready to spring into action around the world. This team has plenty of experience, from weather events, high and low water on rivers, earthquakes, volcanic ash, civil unrest and work stoppages. They have also dealt with past virus outbreaks including the SARS and Zika viruses.

The Tauck Travel Well Pledge
Before we operate tours and cruises, all Tauck employees, our supplier partners and our guests will take Tauck’s Travel Well Pledge.

As a company, we will follow our enhanced protocols with diligence and rigor; review them frequently as the landscape changes and always make common-sense decisions grounded in purpose and pride. We embrace these new and necessary measures to combat COVID-19 and will do our very best to provide the Tauck care we have been honored to deliver for 97 years.

OUR NEW HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Consistent with our commitment to the well-being of our guests, we are implementing enhanced health and safety protocols. These protocols may vary by geographic regions and will certainly evolve over time, as science and society respond to new realities:

Tauck Staff
Prior to interacting with guests, each member of Tauck’s field staff is trained in enhanced protocols and participates in a personal health screening.

Once on tour, our Tauck Directors and supporting staff are responsible for maintaining these protocols with a special focus on cleanliness and physical distancing. They will relay critical information regarding requirements, advise when protocols are mandatory – such as wearing a face covering in group settings – and help facilitate guest care through communication with appropriate parties should a guest become ill on tour. All Tauck staff will adhere to the same requirements.

Guest Responsibility
When joining a Tauck journey, every guest is responsible for their own health and, in turn, the protection of their fellow travelers, the Tauck staff, our suppliers and the places we visit. Guests will pledge to follow the direction of the Tauck staff and adhere to health and safety protocols.

Guests are expected to wear face coverings in all group settings, to wash their hands frequently and to adhere to supplier and government regulations. While supplies of face coverings, gloves, and hand sanitizer will be available, guests are asked to bring such personal items for their own comfort.

Small is BIG
For many years, Tauck has emphasized and invested in more choices of activities, resulting in smaller groups for activities like sightseeing and events. This is consistent with our mantra that “Small is Big” – small groups and smaller ships with fewer guests.

We initially focused on these elements to improve the guest experience. Yet today they take on an additional dimension; small group experiences and more personal space are critical in providing the peace of mind our guests expect. Accordingly, we are offering even more small group experiences and limiting guest numbers across all of our journeys.

We have been working diligently with our partners to be prepared to welcome you back when the time is right.
Tauck has worked meticulously with our global supplier partners to plan for every itinerary following the hiatus in travel. All partners, whether they be a hotel, museum, small ship/riverboat, restaurant or other partner, have been thoughtful about how to provide a Tauck experience in this environment.

And while it's impossible to list all of the enhanced health and safety protocols for the hundreds of Tauck partners across the globe, we would like to share a representative sample of what you can expect:

Hotels
Our hotel partners all have world-class health and safety protocols. However, these guidelines may vary depending on local situations and regulations. Here are some typical examples:

  • Upon-arrival, health questionnaires and temperature checks may be required. Some hotels may even require daily temperature scans.
  • Social distancing may be required in public areas, bars and restaurants.
  • High-touch areas such as railings, door handles and elevators will undergo enhanced cleaning.
  • In-room measures may include removal of tent cards and magazines. Common use items, such as coffee makers and minibar amenities may be on demand.
  • High-touch areas, such as light switches, thermostats, remote controls and door handles will be subject to enhanced and frequent cleaning.
  • Guests will have the option to determine housekeeping frequency.
  • All hotel staff will undergo daily health screenings.

Ships and Riverboats
We have worked closely with our cruise partners to ensure the best possible health and safety protocols and to ensure the care and service you expect from Tauck:

  • Guests on cruises and river journeys will be required to complete a health questionnaire and will undergo a temperature check prior to boarding. In some instances, our ship partners will conduct daily temperature checks.
  • Face coverings and physical distancing will be required in most public spaces for guests and crew alike.
  • Meals may be offered at staggered times and self-serve buffets will be eliminated.
  • In-cabin measures include removing common use items. Coffee makers, minibar amenities and housekeeping will be on demand at guest discretion.
  • Ship staff will undergo daily health screenings.
  • All vessels will have medical staff onboard.

Sightseeing and Local Activities
Many of our experiences are exclusive and/or private and that’s important in taking care of you. Whether it be a guided tour, a visit to an iconic museum or private home, a musical performance, or any other special Tauck activities, we are applying the same rigor to health and safety protocols:

  • Tauck listening devices will be sanitized thoroughly and frequently.
  • Sightseeing is being adjusted to ensure proper physical distancing.
  • Admission times at venues may be altered to ensure no crowding.
  • Paper tickets, handouts and the like may be eliminated.

Dining
Tauck has always been known for a la carte dining; having more freedom to decide when and with whom to dine now has more value than ever. Additionally, our partners whether they be hotels, ships, special venues or restaurants, are raising their already rigorous hygienic standards. Here are some examples:

  • Waitstaff will likely be wearing face coverings and gloves.
  • Seating will be adjusted to accommodate physical distancing.
  • Self-serve buffets will be eliminated. Common use menus will no longer be used unless sanitized.

On-Tour Transportation
Keeping on-tour transportation safe is a major focus of our team who has worked with hundreds of partners to ensure continuity in health and safety protocols:

  • On motorcoaches and other on-tour ground transportation, such as airport transfers, guest should expect physical distancing and will be required to wear face coverings.
  • Prior to each trip, our motorcoaches, vans, airport transfer vehicles and on-tour aircraft will undergo a deep sanitizing process.
  • Luggage may also be sanitized at each movement.
  • Drivers will wear gloves and face coverings during all guest-facing interactions.
  • Drivers will frequently clean handrails, door handles, arm rests, tables, seats, air conditioning/HVAC units, restrooms and overhead storage areas.

Our Supplier Partners are ready for you
Tauck is proud to have worked closely with our partners around the world, many of them for decades, to deliver the quality, comfort and safety you expect. Whether it be hotels and resorts, riverboats and small ships, restaurants, event venues or transportation companies, their meticulous health and safety protocols reflect their leadership and well-earned respect in the travel industry. The following are some select health and safety protocols. We will update these on a regular basis.

In addition to our supplier partners, we have also been actively engaged with global travel organizations to standardize health and safety protocols throughout the travel industry. TourCare is one example:

TourCare are health and sanitation guidelines developed by the tour industry's major global associations: the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) and the European Tourism Association (ETOA). Tauck, and our supplier partners, meet and exceed these guidelines that require members to adhere to the highest standards in the industry.

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Accommodations


ms Joy

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Questions & Answers

Question: How many suitcases can I take with me on my trip?

Each person is allowed one "check-in," and one "carry-on." Remember to take all valuables with you as "carry-on", because electronic equipment, cameras, laptops, jewelry, business documents and money are not covered by the airlines' liability, so always carry them aboard with you.

Question: Is Airfare Included in the Price?

Airfare from your point of origin to and from the trip is not included in the land price.

Tauck Tours Customer Reviews

Overall Rating
4.5
Accommodations
4.4
Itinerary
4.6
Professional Staff
4.7
Repeat with Operator
4.4
Value for Money
4.2

Ratings based off 900 reviews about Tauck Tours - currently showing 15 reviews with comments only

Always enjoy traveling with Tauck, this trip was no different. Our tour leasder was one of the best we have encountered. Weather cooperated very well for a perfect trip.

Can't go wrong with Tauck...outstanding!

We were very impressed with Tauck Tours and would book with them through you again!

We spent more money on this Tauck tour than a Luxury Gold trip to Spain and Portugal (top of the line) which required international travel and was for a longer duration. Also, I've said this before about Tauck. Although a good company, there is too much food offered and too much time spent sitting down to a meal when we could be sightseeing.

Our goals were met and exceeded by Affordable Tours.

Wonderful Tauck Tours..we will travel with them again..thank you for the suggestion..

This is our 7th Tauck tour/river cruise and they have never disappointed.

Our trip was amazing and we had to he most amazing guide Leah she went above and beyond

Ms Lawren Farias was our agent. She went out of her way to make sure that everything went smoothly and it did I would defiitely use her again. She was outstanding.

Maya was absolutely wonderful! I only want to book with her for any future travel.

The Tauck tour exceeded our expectations.Our tour director was exceedingly well informed and organized.She was the best.

The tour was one of our best. Tauck's attention to detail and covering nearly 100% of our costs or fees and booking 5* hotels is why we liked the trip.

Fantastic vacation! Exceeded all our expectations! Trip of a Lifetime!!!

Tauck delivered as promised and more. The tour director was very helpful and knowledgeable. We wouldn't hesitate to book with them again.

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