USA TODAY International Edition
Don’t fret, Tauck cruises take care of it all If you go
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – An elegant reception is underway as Gail Pipal, 61, of Arroyo Grande, California, arrives at a gilded hall within Yusupov Palace.
The retired architect and her companions on Tauck’s St. Petersburg and the Baltic Sea cruise already have explored the famed St. Petersburg attraction’s outrageously ornate public rooms on a private after-hours tour. They also got a peek at its crypt-like basement, which notably was the scene of the 1916 assassination of Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin. Now they’ll kick back with a glass of champagne while awaiting a private ballet performance in the palace’s gold- and fresco-lined theater.
For this one evening, the normally crowded site is their private playground.
“This is amazing,” says Pipal, taking in soaring spaces once gazed upon by Russian czars. “This sort of exclusivity is why we chose Tauck.”
Long known for its upscale land tours in Europe and other destinations around the world, New England-based Tauck in recent years has been carving out a position at the top of small-ship ocean cruising, too, with combinationland-and-sea trips that are more intimate, exclusive and all-inclusive than those offered by most other companies.
In addition to private events such as the evening at Yusupov Palace, Tauck cruise tours are full of excursions that often include special access to sites and unexpected touches.
Kicking off with a two-night hotel stay in Stockholm, the 11-night Baltic trip includes a private, behind-thescenes tour of the city’s majestic Royal Swedish Opera House led by an opera singer. In St. Petersburg, Tauck guides take passengers into the famed Hermitage Museum a full 90 minutes before regular visitors are allowed to enter. The
visit includes a private display of the museum’s Peacock Clock in operation – something few people ever get to see.
“They’re always doing things like that,” says Skip Mixson, 74, a retiree from Lakemont, Georgia.
Pausing to talk near the Hermitage’s ground-floor cafe, Mixson and his wife, Betsy, 71, bring up another hallmark of Tauck tours:the company arranges every detail of the experience from the moment you land until you depart. Private transfers from the airport, precruise hotels, post-cruise hotels, guided tours and almost all meals on and off the ship –it’s all part of the package.
As Betsy puts it, “They greet you at the airport, and then you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
Among the unusual aspects of a Tauck cruise tour is the presence of several full-time tour directors who serve
as guides, problem solvers, organizers and traveling companions.
Like other cruise operators, Tauck contracts with local guides to lead tours during most port stops. The tour directors also accompany passengers on outings, assuring a seamless experience.
During a walking tour of the historic town of Tallinn, Estonia, one of the directors interrupts the local guide to offer everyone locally roasted almonds, which he had just bought from a local stall. After a morning tour of Copenhagen, the same director offers to pay admission to the National Museum for tourgoers who want to visit in free time.
As is the case with most of Tauck’s small-ship cruise tours, the cruise portion of its Baltic trips takes place on a vessel operated by Ponant, an upscale French line. Tauck doesn’t own its cruise ships but fully or partially charters Tauck’s 11-night St. Petersburg and the Baltic Sea tour combines seven nights of sailing the Baltic with two-night hotel stays in Stockholm and Copenhagen, Denmark. Offered in June and July, the itinerary starts at $8,990 per person, double occupancy, including almost all meals; tours; airport transfers; unlimited on-board drinks including wine, beer and spirits; charges and gratuities.
Information: 800-468-2825; tauck.com. vessels for departures from Ponant. On this sailing, the cruise portion of the trip is on Ponant’s Le Soleal, a stylish vessel that holds up to 265 passengers.
In partnership with Ponant, Tauck is in the midst of a major expansion of its small-ship cruise offerings. The company is increasing its capacity by 40 percent for 2019 and adding five itineraries.
A key difference for Tauck is its allinclusiveness. Every excursion and event on Tauck is included in the fare. Tauck also includes unlimited complimentary beverages including wine, beer and even name-brand spirits in its fares – a relative rarity in the cruise world. In addition, gratuities and airport transfers are included. So much is included, in fact, that the line doesn’t even bother to swipe credit cards.
All of this comes at a price. Fares for Tauck’s Baltic trips start around $750 per person, per day — higher than the Baltic itineraries from competitors. Still, few are complaining.
“It’s on the expensive side. But you get what you pay for,” says Alan Readinger, 80, an estate lawyer from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, who is on his first Tauck trip along with his wife.
Readinger says he’s already thinking about where he might go next.
“It’s going to be a good family discussion on which Tauck trip we do next.”