Try two trial issues of The Atlantic with our compliments. Book Cheap London Theatre Tickets to all West End Theatre and London Shows plus Theatre Packages & Special Offer Theatre Tickets from LOVEtheatre. Tauck Tours Review: Spain and Portugal. We took this tour in May of 2. We did back- to- back tours, starting with . Hopefully this page will be helpful to anyone considering taking these Tauck tours, or for those who are booked and are curious about the details. The two weeks goes by fast, but was a good length of time to discover Spain and Portugal. They also do not make stops at places that are clearly shopping stops thinly disguised as sightseeing. The Tauck reputation as a company helps them attract top- notch tour directors. Unbiased review and tips about the Spain and Portugal tour with Tauck. This will be helpful to anyone considering the trip, or who has already made their reservation.Tauck is a generous company. In early October 2. I bookmarked Tauck's web page for Spain and Portugal tours, and checked it literally every day, anxiously waiting for the 2. Subscribe to our newsletter for recipes, tips and ideas from our hot new chefs and shows. She gets us literally the best prices available (not only with Tauck, but on our cruises also), and has booked many tours and cruises for us. I have no hesitations recommending her if you are considering booking a tour with Tauck. Here's how to reach Mindy. Here is the information Mindy needed to relay to Tauck order to book our reservations: Tour name. Departure date Traveler names (exactly as on our passports) Traveler’s mailing address Traveler’s phone number(s) Emergency contact name and phone number Interest in purchasing Tauck’s travel insurance Interest in pre- or post- trip hotels Interest in Tauck air arrangements. Pre- and post- tour flight numbers, times, and connecting city, if making our own arrangements. I gave her the information, she called Tauck and made the booking, and called me back within the hour with details. It also stated the check- in time, cancellation policy, confirmed that it was prepaid as part of my Tauck package, noted that buffet breakfast was included in the room rate, and instructions to present this confirmation letter at check- in. For earlier arrivals, luggage may be checked with bellman, and use the time to explore. Emergency/Late Arrival Contact Information — Provides the transportation company name and phone numbers, to call if there is a flight delay, as well as Tauck phone numbers to call if a substantial delay will cause you to miss the start of the tour. Travel Documents Required — For entry into Spain and Portugal, U. S. It must be valid for at least six months after the date of completion of travel. A visa is not required for U. S. They recommend carrying a photocopy of the first page of your passport with you on your travels, and leave another copy at home. Airline Security Measures — TSA requires that name on passport exactly matches name on airline ticket. Check TSA limitations on carry- on items. Plan your airport arrival to give plenty of time to pass through security. Tauck Director and Driver Gratuities — Tauck suggests extending any gratuities on an individual basis, and not as a group. Tauck asks you to limit your checked luggage to one average- size suitcase per person, and not to exceed 5. They also instruct you to attach your Tauck luggage tag to your suitcase before leaving home. Attach them only to your checked suitcase. A brief recommended packing list is included. Airports and most hotels have exchange facilities. ATMs for withdrawing Euros are convenient and readily available. Some lunches and dinners are not included. Included meals might be full a la carte, limited a la carte, set menu, or buffet. Included meals includes coffee, tea, and soft drinks, but not alcohol (except selected meals and receptions). This tour may have more limited menus than is typical on other Tauck itineraries due to local culinary customs. Dinner in Spain is customarily taken after 1. Tauck has arranged earlier dinners where possible. Water/Ice — Water is safe to drink from the tap. Ice is served only upon request. Shopping — Tauck does not recommend any specific vendors. Customs and Tax Free Shopping — U. S. Spain levies a 1. Value Added Tax (VAT) on most goods and services. You will need an adapter, and possibly a converter. Cellular Phone Usage — Tauck asks guests to refrain from cell phone usage during motor coach travel, Tauck Director commentary, group functions, and sightseeing. Photos —A disclaimer that Tauck my use photos of you for promotional purposes. Reading Guide — A separate reading list is enclosed. Tauck on Facebook — www. Itinerary — Six pages of day- by- day itinerary, containing daily descriptions similar to the brochures and web site, but also containing specific hotel names and phone numbers for each night, and meals included on each day. Spain and Portugal — A two- page summary sheet, containing dates and hotel names, addresses, phone numbers, to leave at home with family and friends. DAY- BY- DAY — Our Itinerary at a Glance. Thursday May 2. 4 (Day 1. Lisbon. End our previous Tauck tour, . Visit Mosteiro du Jeronimos and get a close look at the 1. Baroque coaches showcased in the Coach Museum, see the Discoveries Monument where the caravels (1. Tower of Belem. Meet your traveling companions this evening at a welcome reception and dinner. Welcome Reception. After a very nice breakfast in the Ritz dining room we walked to the El Corte Ingl. We strolled through Jardim Am. We had a lovely leisurely lunch at our Ritz hotel, at their Varanda Restaurant. We gathered in the lobby about ten minutes before our instructed 1: 4. Our Tour Director Joe showed up promptly at 1: 4. As we boarded, he confirmed our names and told us where our seats were for today. The coach was the exact same one that we had been on for the previous two weeks, on our . Joe handed out yellow luggage tags to those who forgot to bring the ones mailed by Tauck, or who needed more. He said that this is a nice large coach, so more than one piece of luggage per person would be fine on this trip. He just asked that we inform him of any changes, and make sure we have the yellow tags on bags to be stowed, so he can keep an accurate count. Joe gave us some advice for enjoying this tour: Don't form cliques. He said that he has found that trying to interact with all your fellow travelers rather than forming small groups can greatly add to people's enjoyment of the tours. He mentioned that men will not ever need ties for any of the dinners on this tour; they were strictly optional. He discussed the Whispers listening devices. He gave us a nice big map of Spain and Portugal so we could track our route; if given to him later today he would highlight our route for us. And again he recommended that we all get to know each other. At 2: 1. 0 the coach pulled away from the hotel and Joe introduced the local guide who had joined us. She immediately started her city tour narration. We drove to different sections of Lisbon as an orientation, and then to the National Coach Museum (watch video). For some reason I had only mediocre expectations of this, but it was actually quite interesting, and definitely worth seeing. We then went to the Mosteiro dos Jer. Inside is the tomb of Vasco da Gama. While we were outside, Joe walked down the street to one of his old childhood hangouts and bought a . Yum.. a tasty treat that we would see at many places the next two weeks. Back on the bus Joe told us he was trying to arrange a special activity on his own for tomorrow night; a Fado night that would last about four hours, and would include dinner at a hole- in- the- wall restaurant run by a couple of guys he knows, with typical Portuguese cuisine including sardines, and Fado singing. Most of the group indicated they were interested, so Joe said he would make the arrangements. We returned to the hotel at 5: 1. Welcome Reception and Dinner. At 6: 3. 0 we arrived in the hotel lobby. Normally the cocktail reception is in the lobby bar area, but tonight we were directed right into the restaurant because there was a video production being filmed in the lobby bar. In the restaurant there was an open bar set up, and we were given a card printed with guests names and home towns. Guests mingled for about twenty minutes, then Joe asked for our attention. He went through the name list, and had each person or traveling couple raise their hand, then say one or two introductory sentences about themselves. That was a nice way to help us put a face to the names, and remember something about the person. Joe asked a few questions about past Tauck travel; probably 7. Tauck customers; one person was on her 1. Tauck tour. Next was dinner. We could sit anywhere at the five tables reserved for our group. Tables varied, seating four, six, eight, or ten people. We were given a menu specifically for Tauck, with a choice of fish (grouper) or poultry (chicken), and a fixed appetizer (risotto) and dessert (cr. Although we didn't mind, we were a little surprised that it was exactly the same menu as two nights ago at our . Dinner ended at about 9: 1. Europe. Most of the men wore a sport coat or jacket; one man with a tie, the rest without. Most women wore nice slacks; three wore dresses. Included meals: DHotel: Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon (4th of 5 nights) Saturday May 2. Day 2) Sintra; Cascais; Lisbon. Tauck Description: An excursion from Lisbon today takes you to Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a visit to the 1. Royal Palace of Sintra, a highlight of every Portugal tour. There was a new seating chart for today posted on the front door, but there was some confusion because a couple of people did not arrive in time yesterday for the orientation/city tour and didn't know where to sit today. Tour Director Joe handed back our road maps from yesterday, with our route highlighted. He passed around a sign- up sheet for tonight's Fado dinner that he is arranging. Yesterday Joe recommended we bring our light rain jackets, as it can rain more in Sintra than in Lisbon. It ended up being very pleasant temperatures in the low 7. At 9: 1. 5 we arrived at the Sintra Royal Palace (also called the Sintra National Palace, or Town Palace; not to be confused with Pena National Palace in Sintra). Our local guide walked us a few blocks through town from the coach to the palace, arriving right before the 9: 3.
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