Tauck Academy – MS Savor – 24-28 June 2014 – Wurzburg to
Regensburg (Vilshofen)
Tuesday 24th June - Wurzburg:
Our first experience with Tauck was being met by the
friendly greeter in Frankfurt Airport and being led to our waiting mini-van.
There were to be six of us in the transfer which would take about an hour to
get to the port of Wurzburg in the Franconian area of Germany, which boarders
with Bavaria.
The hour went very quickly with us all making our
introductions and getting to know each other (3 other guests from the UK, and
one lady from Seattle), and we were soon pulling up to the riverside at
Wurzburg, from where we could see our home for the next few days – Tauck’s
newest river vessel, the Inspiration class MS Savor (christened just the
weekend before we arrived).
We were welcomed onboard by the Cruise Director Steve, and
directed across the small lobby area to reception, where our passports were
taken and we were swiftly issued with the key to our Category 7 suite, situated
on Diamond Deck. Our luggage was taken by a crew member as he escorted us to
our suite.
We quickly familiarised ourselves with our suite facilities
– floor to ceiling French windows across one wall, a small lounge area with
sofa, chair and table – right next to the mini bar which was stocked with
complimentary soft drinks and a Nespresso coffee machine. We also have a large
walk in wardrobe with hairdryer and iron/ironing board, and a vast bathroom
with rainforest shower, a large vanity area and Molton Brown toiletries.
As we didn’t arrive until late afternoon, Tauck were
providing a light lunch in the Panorama Lounge rather than a full lunch in the
main restaurant, so we headed down there and helped ourselves to sandwiches,
salad and soup.The lounge, situated at the front of the ship, has plenty of
large windows to allow full viewing of the gorgeous scenery that you pass
through –this time it was the scenery of the Main-Danube Canal – and plenty of
comfortable seating, either at tables for 4, small booths or on long sofa
seating. There is a full bar in the lounge and the friendly waiters come around
to take your drinks orders. There is also access to the sun deck from the
lounge, and a small outside seating area. TV stations are at all of the windows
and used for lectures onboard, before being discretely stored away in the
window recesses.
This evening, we were being taken on a tour to Staatlicher
Hofkeller for wine tasting. The wine cellars of the Residenz Palace are
absolutely enormous (as is the former Prince Bishops’ palace situated above
ground). We walked past vast barrels of wine which could easily have
accommodated 30 people inside before our tour of 900 metres of the cellar tunnels
brought us to the Red Cellar, where we were seated before sampling some of the
local white wine, accompanied by our knowledgeable and funny guide Karl-Heinz.
After a taste of three local white wines and some Rye bread
to soak it up, it was them time to return to the ship for dinner. Waiting for
us in the lounge on our return were waiters armed with silver trays of
champagne flutes and circling with canapés. We were introduced to some of the
officers and crew onboard, before being welcomed to join them in the Compass
Rose restaurant for our Welcome Dinner.
Our welcome dinner was a set menu this evening, but usually
it is free dining in the main restaurant. The menu we had featured a smoked
salmon amuse bouche, beef consommé, marinated scallops and then a choice of veal
tenderloin, roulade of sole or vegetable ratatouille tagliatelle for main course.
The meal was accompanied by wines similar to those we had just tried in the
Residenz Palace and rounded off by a delicious peach mouse and coffee. The food
was all absolutely delicious, and the waiting staff were all very attentive and
friendly.
Cocktails & drinks were being served back in the lounge
after dinner, but after a 3am start this morning, we were ready to sink into
our sumptuous bed back in our suite
Day 2 - Rothenberg:
We started today with breakfast back in the Compass Rose,
which was buffet style, with a hot grill for freshly cooked eggs, omelettes,
pancakes and French toast. These could also be ordered & served at your
table. There was fresh fruit and yoghurts, cereals and pastries,
and also a continental selection of meats and cheeses.
Today we were cruising for the morning so had a chance to
explore the ship a bit more. The lower decks have the entry level cabins and
also the new Loft cabins, which are split level, having a raised seating area
next to the window with an electronically controlled window and window
dressings. These large floor to ceiling windows allow plenty of light to come
into the room, as well as the opportunity to enjoy the views from the comfort
of your room. Also down on deck one is the hair salon, fitness room, massage
room and sauna/steam room.
One deck two, are the next set of accommodations including
the mini suites, and also the Compass Rose restaurant.
Deck three houses the suites, the Panorama Lounge and also
the alternative restaurant Arthur’s – named for Arthur Tauck Jr, the son of the
original company founder. Arthur’s is a very small, intimate restaurant with
only 8 tables and in the evening operates as a steakhouse restaurant. We had
booked in here for this evenings dining. There is no charge to dine here, but
as it is so small, pre-booking is essential.
Above deck 3 is the sun deck. When possible, the sundeck is
set up with sun-loungers, chairs, tables and wind breaks along the middle and
aft of the ship. There is also a small putting green, and Jacuzzi. Towards the
front is the bridge - which can be lowered as the ship moves under low bridges
- and then in front of the Bridge is another seating area furnished with sofas,
chairs and tables. After our scout around, we went down to the Compass Rose for
lunch. As with breakfast it was a buffet set up, with cooked choices of carved
pork shoulder, spaghetti & meatballs and grilled fish. All this was
available with salad, meats and cheeses, soup, mini pizza and a choice of
breads, then a dessert of strawberry tiramisu. By the time lunch was over, we had arrived into Schweinfurt
which was our docking place for the medieval town of Rothenberg, our
destination for this afternoon. Our driver dropped us just outside of the city
walls as buses are not allowed into the old town area, and we had a short walk
to the main square where we met our local guides. On a Tauck river cruise, you
are escorted by 3 Tauck directors who look after you and escort you every day,
but you are also met in each town by local guides. Today, our guide was taking
us on an hours walking tour of Rothenberg including St Jakobs church and some
beautiful gardens which look over the whole valley – a stunning view on a sunny
day! We finished our tour in the main square again and had about an hour of
free time. We were invited along with our Tauck director Armen to the local
bakery where he treated us to the local delicacy – Snowballs – which are a ball
made of pastry lengths (a bit like a ball of wool) covered in an array of
chocolate, almond praline or sugar. Delicious when enjoyed on a sunny step in
the main square and a really nice thought of Armen to buy them for us.
Back at the ship we had cocktail hour before dinner, so
after freshening up, we went into the lounge to try the Cosmopolitans and
canapés – both delicious. Dinner tonight was in Arthur’s which offers an
alternative to the main dining room. There is a very small menu – salads and
soups to start, with a choice of rib eye steak, Filet mignon surf & turf, salmon
steak or a vegetarian option (which changes daily) and then a choice of berry
cheesecake, Belgian Ice-cream sundae or mixed cheese and biscuits to finish. The wine served with dinner is pre-selected each evening,
but a lady on our table (who’s family happens to own a vineyard) did ask for an
alternative and the waiter did not hesitate to ask her preferences and provide
her choice of wine. Our evening in Arthur’s was the first evening that the
restaurant had been operational , so as we were finishing the Hotel Manager
Mark came over to ask our opinion and to see if anything could be improved – we
could not think of anything and were full of praise, the restaurant was lovely
we really enjoyed our evening. After dinner we were invited back to the lounge to sample
some of the music that is offered on Tauck’s Musical Magic Danube Cruise. A
small selection of popular opera as well as more modern songs from a husband
and wife couple who started their career with Tauck as Music Maestro hosts on
the musical cruises, and now work on the operational side of Tauck. It was a
great introduction to what guests can expect on the full cruise
Day 3 – Traversing the Main River and Main-Danube Canal:
Due to a problem with low water, our intended call to
Bamberg today had to be cancelled in favour of a day on the river, meaning we
could get closer to our final destination and not be stranded the wrong side of
the canal! This was fine by us as it was nice to have a leisurely breakfast and
spend a bit of time on deck.
As the bridges on the Main River & Canal are all quite
low, none of the sun loungers were useable today, but the seating area in front
of the Bridge, which is slightly lower, was open, so we sat outside in the
sunshine and watched the world go by. Most of the bridges could be sailed under
ok if you were seated, however a few were so low, we all had to ‘hit the deck’
so to speak as the bridges passed over us – so close to the tops of the chairs
we were just seated on! With that and the few locks we went through it was a
really enjoyable afternoon – plus the scenery was gorgeous and the waiters
there to bring your favourite tipple up from the lounge below.
Lunch we enjoyed in Arthur’s today, which has a ‘special of
the day’ which changes every day. Today was hamburgers and they were delicious,
served with a helping of fries. There was also soup and salad that you could
help yourself too. Dinner was open tonight, so after our lazy afternoon and a
few drinks in the lounge, we went down to the Compass Rose to eat. Tonight we
had several choices again, our amuse bouche was a freshly made mini hamburger
(2nd of the day!), followed by salad and soup. For main course we
had roasted duck, New York steak, or asparagus and goats cheese gnocchi.
Dessert was a choice of fresh fruit, ice cream or an orange mousse Florentine –
all delicious again!
Day 4 – Nuremberg/Regensburg:
Today, as we had moved further down the river than
originally planned our day’s itinerary changed again. We were originally
offered a day tour to Nuremberg – either a walking tour of the old city, or a
WW2 themed excursion taking in the Nazi parade grounds, Zeppelin fields and the
new museum of the history of the Socialist party and Nuremberg trials that has
been made out of the Convention Centre (originally built by Hitler for the
Socialist Party rallies).
As we were further downstream, we were in turn further away
from Nuremberg, so Tauck gave us an alternative choice. Those of us who had
chosen the WW2 themed excursion could still go to Nuremburg, but our tour would
be cut slightly short – missing out the Zeppelin fields and Parade grounds – as
it would now take us about an hour and a half to get there. For those who had
chosen the city tour (or those who did not want to do the long drive to
Nuremburg), they were offering a trip to the medieval town of Regensburg.
We chose to continue with our plans for Nuremburg and
boarded the coach at 9am. Today we were accompanied by Tauck Director Charlie
who gave us a little talk on Germany and a brief introduction to the idea
behind Nuremburg and what Hitler was trying to achieve making this the ‘most
German of German cities’. He only talked for about half an hour and let us rest
for the remainder of the journey. We seemed to arrive in Nuremberg in no time,
and were met at the Documentation Centre museum by our guide Diana. As the
museum if self-guided, she just briefly gave us an overview of the 18 rooms,
and recommended the best parts for us to visit, the last room being focussed on
the Nuremburg trials with a 10 minute video as well as further commentary on
other artefacts from the time. It was so interesting; we could have spent all
day looking around. On our way out of the museum, we were able to go outside
onto a walkway that overlooked part of the convention centre which would have
been used for the Nazi rallies. The size of it was quite chilling.
Once we were back on the bus, we had a brief guided driving
tour through the city and past the Nuremburg Court House where we could see the
outside of the courtroom that held the war trials. We finished in the old town
for a bit of free time. Before we set off on our own, Charlie and the local
guide pointed out some places for lunch and Charlie also gave us €20 each for lunch – a nice touch
from Tauck, meaning we didn’t have to put our hands in our pockets. We were in
the main square already, so we decided to walk around the market and sample
some of the local cuisine, rather than spend our short time in Nuremburg in a
restaurant. So with our Bratwurst in hand, we had a half an hour walk around
the local fresh food and flower market, before trying the traditional Lebkuchen
gingerbread biscuits. Back on the coach, Charlie gave us a little bit more
information about Germany and it’s culture, before allowing us another brief
snooze…As we were nearing our destination, there was a bit of a change in plan;
Tauck thought it would be nice for us to have a brief stop in a local town
called Straubing, just for half an hour to stretch our legs. The town itself
was really nice, with quite a large main square with clock tower and some
decent shopping if you wanted to spend some Euro. As it was, we were all
extremely thirsty and decided to stop at the nearest beer garden. Here we met
up with some of the group who had chosen the trip to Regensburg so we all enjoyed
a cold (large) Bavarian beer together – which in the end was compliments of
Tauck again, as they picked up the tab for all of us.
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Back on our buses we were ready to get back onboard MS Savor,
however there was a slight hitch…as the ship had to keep moving down the river
to get to the starting point for their next trip on the Danube, it wasn’t moored
quite where the Tauck directors and bus drivers thought it was, so we had a
quite exciting treasure hunt through the surroundings of Straubing trying to
find it – every time we crossed the winding Danube we were all on the look-out
up and down the river!
Eventually we found her, moored up alongside a rather large
dyke, which we were all ready to climb across until we heard about the rather
large moat on the other side…luckily one of the crew members had been out on
one of the ships bikes and had found a dirt road that crossed the moat so the
buses could drive us across there. Unfortunately, they couldn’t then drive down
the second dyke to where the ship was moored as the dyke just wouldn’t hold the
weight of the buses, so we had to walk. It was only about half a mile, and it
really was quite an adventure, all of us laughing about it on the walk back.
And of course, as soon as we arrived back onboard, there were refreshing towels
for us as well as cool iced-tea (or champagne if you preferred).
Our hosted dinner was put back to a later time this evening
to allow us plenty of time to freshen up after our long day, and meant we had
some time to sit and talk about our tours with our fellow passengers over a
cocktail in the lounge, which was great. According to the group of passengers
who went, Regensburg is definitely somewhere for me to go back and visit!
Dinner this evening was our Farewell Dinner and as such was
a set menu again. This time we had a herbed crepe amuse bouche followed by lobster
bisque. Our starter was a bonbon of herbed salmon with caviar, followed by a
choice of surf & turf, pan-fried monk fish or an olive & sage polenta.
Dessert was a trio of mini desserts – crème brule, panna cotta and chocolate
chip ice-cream. Everything was rounded off with a drop of cognac and homemade
pralines – delicious.
The evening finished very quietly as most of us needed to
pack for our departure the next day, so after saying a quick good bye to our
new friends, we were back in our suite to finish packing.
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Day 4 – Vilshofen (disembarkation)
Overnight, the ship had continued sailing and made it to
their allotted point along the river – which was a relief for all onboard I’m
sure, and we were moored in Vilshofen. Disembarkation was seamless with our
cases taken from outside of our suites an hour before departure and out onto
the coaches for us. We had around a 2 hour transfer to Munich airport, so
plenty of time to read, sleep or watch to landscape of Germany pass by the bus
window.
Once we arrived at the airport, Juriee, our 3rd Tauck
Director gave us all the information we would need about which terminal we
needed, and came into the terminal which each group to make sure we knew where
to go for check in
Overall I loved this Tauck trip. We were so well looked
after from start to finish and made to feel so welcome by every member of crew
and Tauck staff. The ship itself was luxurious and comfortable, with excellent
facilities. Although the repositioning itinerary we took was not a usual Tauck
itinerary, the tours we took were similar to the regular tours and were so well
organised and interesting, and being given a choice of what you wanted to do
was great.
Finally the little Tauck touches were what really made it –
whether it be the offer to try a local delicacy, a glass of beer on a warm day
or the little cabin gifts waiting on our pillow each night, we were made to
feel special and valued; and I suppose that is all you really want out of a travel
experience.
