My best friend and I decided to do this Xmas Market cruise shortly after her husband died. We were fortunate to be able to book a lovely suite, 308, just several months before the cruise. Someone must have cancelled - lucky us! This was my fourth trip with Tauck and my friend's first. I expected it to be special and for all to go well and was not disappointed. She was amazed by the ship, the service, the tour directors, the lovely meals and our suite. It was so well designed, clearly a lot of thought given from everything to bedside tables with charging outlets to the beautiful and spacious bathroom to the roomy walk-in closet with plenty of shelves and hangers. The public areas on the ship were decorated beautifully for the holiday season and the Dutch chef and her team had even made stunning displays from gingerbread (see photos). Early in the cruise, we were each given 10 Euros to buy an ornament at the Xmas Market in Achen. These were added to the tree in the lobby and then we took them home at the end of the cruise. As others have noted, the smaller number of guests that Tauck accommodates on the ship means there is a roomy feel in every space and especially in the dining room and the Panorama Lounge. There was never a time when every table was used. The food throughout our cruise was Michelin quality, beautifully presented and served professionally. The breakfast buffet and omelette station provided an excellent start to the day's activities. The service overall on the ship was exceptional - friendly, efficient, helpful at all times. Our tour directors were knowledgeable and even though we had local guides in each town, we had a very thorough overview from the tour directors before we arrived in each location. They were there to be sure everyone enjoyed themselves and we did! Read Less

We wanted a “get away from it all” break so chose a quiet river cruise. The ship cabin and staff were all excellent. The organisation by Tauck is first rate. Yes it is expensive but you are taken care of from the moment you land to the moment you depart. We chose the ship because it had a second dining venue. That’s available all the time except the one really formal evening. Basic choices but nice to have a choice of venue. The alcohol is all in. So if you want to drink champagne for the whole week you can. The beer liquor and wine choices were all good but not exceptional. Glenlivet 12 yo was the best scotch. The clientele was 99% older well travelled Americans. We did some of the daily tours but some days just did our own thing. The tours were all well organised. I would highly recommend but just warn that if you are under 50 and not American you will stand out. Read Less

We chose this Christmas Markets tour because it included cities we know and love: Aachen, Cologne, Rudisheim, Heidelberg, Baden Baden, Strassburg and Colmar. Although cruising the Rhine became problematic after a year of historic heat and low river levels, Tauck found a way to make it all work seamlessly, instituting a "ship swap" half way through. Yes, it is inconvenient to have to pack up and unpack again, but Tauck saw to it that it was a minor inconvenience. Our bags were left packed in our room, and when we got to our new ship and almost identical room, there were our bags. We give them a lot of credit for insuring we got to the places we wanted to see and minimized the inconvenience. The ship was beautifully decorated for Christmas; the crew was festive and jovial. The smaller ship made it easy to meet people and share information. Our tour directors were very knowledgeable and our city guides were very good, one, Markus, in Cologne, not only good but very funny. Tauck really has these trips down to a fine art. Transfers are on time, without making you feel rushed. The MS Grace had lovely spaces, a great dining room, a nice alternative casual dining spot, a huge lounge, and a great large walking deck up top with the hottest hot tub I have ever experienced. We felt like cherished guests our entire time on the ship. Read Less

We had such a good time on this cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. "Castles on the Rhine" by Tauck Bridges - our group had lots of grandparents, parents (like us), teens and even a few intrepid younger kids. It was so carefree. Tauck truly takes care of everything. That leads to a somewhat planned experience which individuals may or may not like. On this trip I surrendered to it, and it was wonderful. The cruise directors Michael, Anke, Felix and Teresa were delightful. Absolute professionals, they really went out of their way to ensure that everyone felt taken care of. They were also great with the kids' activities both on-board and off (soccer games in port, science museum, parties & games on board.) They also encouraged the kids to make friends. My favorite excursions were the bicycle ride in Koblenz and the dinner at Burg Satzvey Castle. My favorite city on the cruise was Basel, the embarkation point - so many lovely museums, easy walking, trams if your feet got tired. Even though it rained on our day in Lucerne & Mt Pilatus, we had a lot of fun there. Strasbourg was absolutely gorgeous. The food was great! High quality and many choices for all, including kids. Wine choices and bar service were also excellent. The only (minor) disappointment: a couple of the local tour guides were not outstanding - I liked the ones in Strasbourg and the bike guides in Koblenz, but the walking guides in Cologne and Amsterdam were just "eh." I ended up turning off my earpiece vox and just enjoying the sights and the Van Gogh museum. But this is a minor quibble. Tauck did an outstanding job. I would absolutely recommend this cruise. Read Less