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Scenic vs Tauck
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Scenic and Tauck.The Low Down
Scenic's 5 star luxury river cruises are well known and popular in Australia (not so much in NZ). Scenic were the first to introduce balconies on their Scenic Space-Ships, which many clients love, but this comes at a cost to interior cabin space. Like many of the other premium river cruise Operators, look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. All inclusive, with Freechoice activities that allow you to choose what you want to do in each port, Scenic also offer a range of luxury additions (like your own Butler) depending on the cabin type select. Launching in 2018 and with another ship in 2020, the Scenic Eclipse is Scenic's first foray into luxury all inclusive ocean cruising. From the Arctic to Antarctica and everywhere in between, these Discovery Yachts, are all inclusive with shore excursions involving Zodiacs, kayaks and e-bikes as well as the option (for an additional charge) to adventure out by helicopter and submarine!
New to the Australian market in 2017, Tauck began operations in the US over 90 years ago. Offering premium river cruises, land tours, small ship cruises, family adventures and small group journeys around the world. You won't find too many Aussies and Kiwis on their trips yet, as they have only recently opened an office Downunder, but Tauck are renowned for the quality and inclusiveness of their trips, whether they are on land or water. Stats
No. of Trips
684
No. of Departures
2,810
Avg. Trip Length
17 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$904
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
No. of Trips
184
No. of Departures
2,618
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$999
Accommodation
4.5 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Scenic is proudly an Australian founded company setting the global standard for all inclusive luxury travel. We have delighted guests for more than 36 years with memorable journeys to fascinating locations across the world, delivering unsurpassed excellence in service, product quality and exclusive experiences. The guest is at the heart of everything we do, as we strive to provide continual innovation to enhance the guest experience in luxury river cruising, land tours and our state of the art expedition ocean cruising with Scenic Eclipse.
The Scenic difference is the details, the unwavering commitment to anticipate our guests every need, from butler services, quality dining, wellness, Scenic Enrich and Scenic FreeChoice experiences. That is why so many of our past guests choose to travel with Scenic many times, to destinations around the globe with family and friends, trusting Scenic to create memories that will last a lifetime. We welcome you to enjoy the portfolio of Scenic luxury products and feel the difference of Scenic’s dedicated staff, who will look after you to the nth degree.
We believe that when you travel, you should never settle for ordinary. You deserve to travel in good company, with someone who cares. We believe that good value sells itself – you should get what you pay for, and then some, in one upfront price with virtually everything included. Leave your worries at home; we take on all the planning, all the logistics. To you, it’s peace of mind travel, to us, it’s 90+ years of integrity.
Wherever we travel, we’re all about taking you to explore the world’s treasures….discover people and cultures you may not have known existed…and experience extraordinary, life-changing moments. Since 1925, we’ve built our company on the personal referrals and recommendations of our guests. We can think of no higher testament to our journeys and commitment to customer satisfaction – and no better way to tell you what we do than through their words.
Recent Reviews
4.6
We recently returned from the Scenic Christmas Markets River cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. The cruise was excellent with visits to many Christmas markets along the route. The markets usually opened around 11.00am until later that evening. Due to the short daylight hours the markets were twinkling with Christmas lights and many stalls to buy your ...read more Christmas decorations. The excursions were also educational and entertaining. Scenic also provided entertainment locally sourced, these were themed on what we had seen or visited that day.
If you are willing to endure the cold temperatures, the highest temperature was a maximum of 7 degrees while the coldest day was maximum 1 degree, this is a cruise that is well worth while especially if you would like to experience how Christmas is celebrated in Europe.
We would like also to send many thanks to Hannah at Global Journeys for her detail to attention, help and support as this trip was booked pre-COVID and Hannah was able to keep us up to date and repeatedly rebooked for us when the cruise between 2019 to 2021 were cancelled. Thanks Hannah and your fellow colleagues. We will definitely book with Global again as we used them for our overseas trips before onset of COVID too.
If you are willing to endure the cold temperatures, the highest temperature was a maximum of 7 degrees while the coldest day was maximum 1 degree, this is a cruise that is well worth while especially if you would like to experience how Christmas is celebrated in Europe.
We would like also to send many thanks to Hannah at Global Journeys for her detail to attention, help and support as this trip was booked pre-COVID and Hannah was able to keep us up to date and repeatedly rebooked for us when the cruise between 2019 to 2021 were cancelled. Thanks Hannah and your fellow colleagues. We will definitely book with Global again as we used them for our overseas trips before onset of COVID too.
Booking with Global Journeys was a very good experience, Georgie was always happy to help with queries and assist with changes to flights or itinerary due to events outside of her control. Scenic is a company we have done a lot trips with and the quality of hotel accommodation is always excellent. The coach driver we had in New Zealand was amazing, ...read more as well as being an excellent driver he knew the country backwards and gave us plenty of information. Due to COVID and staff shortages there were several changes to the itinerary. Our Tour Director was Australian, new to the job and not familiar with New Zealand, not the standard we have been used to from Scenic! We would travel with Scenic again.
We have cruised with Scenic twice before (pre COVID) and they were very good. The same cannot be said for Scenic post COVID. On the positive side, the cruise is very good, particularly the Moselle. The room was good and well serviced. The ship (Scenic Jewel) is in good condition but the lounge furniture is showing signs of wear and could do with an ...read more upgrade. The tour director was excellent and the staff were all very friendly and worked hard. Overall the cruise went off very well.
On the negative side, it is apparent that Scenic has cut the budget for food. Breakfast and lunch were OK but dinners are no longer gourmet and 5 star. Dinner is reduced to 3 courses and portion sizes are small. Bread rolls (strictly 1 per person) were the size and shape of my index finger and could barely be cut and buttered. The service was slow and confused on most nights and they appeared to be under staffed. The Chef must have got some feedback from the end of cruise reviews as he went table to table on the last night apologising for the food. A bit of a cringe moment.
As for Scenic's COVID protocols, other than having to prove that we were vaccinated when we boarded, the word COVID was never mentioned for the entire cruise. The staff do not wear masks and there is no requirement for passengers to wear masks but some did. The piano player has been sacked and replaced by an Enrichment Manager who is basically an assistant Tour Director and ran some quiz nights which were actually pretty good. Onboard evening entertainment was mostly not to our taste and we only stayed up for one. We enjoyed the cruise and the destinations we visited but many past Scenic customers were very disgruntled. Scenic has definitely lost its gloss.
On the negative side, it is apparent that Scenic has cut the budget for food. Breakfast and lunch were OK but dinners are no longer gourmet and 5 star. Dinner is reduced to 3 courses and portion sizes are small. Bread rolls (strictly 1 per person) were the size and shape of my index finger and could barely be cut and buttered. The service was slow and confused on most nights and they appeared to be under staffed. The Chef must have got some feedback from the end of cruise reviews as he went table to table on the last night apologising for the food. A bit of a cringe moment.
As for Scenic's COVID protocols, other than having to prove that we were vaccinated when we boarded, the word COVID was never mentioned for the entire cruise. The staff do not wear masks and there is no requirement for passengers to wear masks but some did. The piano player has been sacked and replaced by an Enrichment Manager who is basically an assistant Tour Director and ran some quiz nights which were actually pretty good. Onboard evening entertainment was mostly not to our taste and we only stayed up for one. We enjoyed the cruise and the destinations we visited but many past Scenic customers were very disgruntled. Scenic has definitely lost its gloss.
Wonderful Tour leader and coach drivers. A mix of ages from 38 plus. All Australian this time around. I am not really a wine drinker and maybe had one too many wineries for my liking. Kangaroo Island was amazing and favourite among most of us. Adelaide, wineries and Victoria Habour all beautiful Scenes and as we drove around. Accommodation was of a ...read more mixed rating, Remembering Kangaroo Island is still recovering from fires was of a lower standard but still quite good and the staff their were more than helpful, Walking distance to small amount of places to get a coffee or a place to eat. Advice if you go in August - layers, coats, beanies, raincoat. Really cold most days but still a wonderful holiday.
Definitely would travel with Scenic again had fun and stress free trip to Canada with an Alaska cruise . Highlight was a helicopter ride in Whistler and landing on a glacier (which was extra $ but well worth it) spectacular! Accommodation was good although it would have been nice to stay in rooms with a view as you are paying top dollar, only one hotel ...read more we had a view was Lake Louise which was amazing!
We had a wonderful tour guide Benjamin who really looked after us and made the trip enjoyable ! Alaska cruise with Holland America was excellent ,and we were lucky to have perfect weather August perfect time of the year to see both Rockies and Alaska. Thank you Georgie at Global Journeys for organizing a wonderful and stress free holiday.
We had a wonderful tour guide Benjamin who really looked after us and made the trip enjoyable ! Alaska cruise with Holland America was excellent ,and we were lucky to have perfect weather August perfect time of the year to see both Rockies and Alaska. Thank you Georgie at Global Journeys for organizing a wonderful and stress free holiday.
I would highly recommend this Scenic Package. We travelled in August 2022 and had perfect weather the entire trip. Our tour director on the land package was Ben Frances and our driver was Nick - they were both the best tour Director and driver we have ever had any any of our previous 7 bus holidays. The 2-day stays in Victoria, Whistler, Jasper, ...read more Lake Louise and Banff and Vancouver were wonderful and the Fairmont hotels and location were perfect. The Gold Leaf Rocky Mountaineer between Banff and Vancouver was a once in a life time experience and the scenery, particularly the first day was magical. Our entire group remained COVID free so we could all enjoy the Holland America seven night Inside passage cruise. The cruise cabin selection on the Koningsdam that Scenic provided us was perfect - we couldn't fault anything during either the entire land and cruise packages.
We particularly, like the selection of included activities in Victoria, Whistler, Jasper and Banff. We chose the whale watching in Victoria; Zip Lining in Whistler; Rafting in Jasper and the helicopter ride in Banff. We also did the Peak-2-Peak Gondola ride in Whistler. We paid for this ourselves and had plenty of time to fully explore the peaks in the afternoon as we did the Zip lining in the morning. The zip lining is suitable for all ages it is very comfortable and easy to do.
The Holland America Cruise was fantastic - great entertainment at night time - particularly the One Step Dance company, the BB King All Stars Blues band, the two comedians and the BBC Planet Earth shows.
This was our second holiday we have booked through Global Journeys and once again it was hassle free and everything was so easy - despite COVID. I would highly recommend them. Our previous tour was an Albatross tour throughout Ireland which like the Scenic tour had a number of 2 and some 3 nights stays and lots of inclusions. We chose Scenic for this holiday only because Albatross don't offer any packages for Canada and Alaska. It was our first time with Scenic and we were very impressed with them. Overall Global Journeys, Scenic and Holland America all provided quality products and service that made it a superb holiday.
We particularly, like the selection of included activities in Victoria, Whistler, Jasper and Banff. We chose the whale watching in Victoria; Zip Lining in Whistler; Rafting in Jasper and the helicopter ride in Banff. We also did the Peak-2-Peak Gondola ride in Whistler. We paid for this ourselves and had plenty of time to fully explore the peaks in the afternoon as we did the Zip lining in the morning. The zip lining is suitable for all ages it is very comfortable and easy to do.
The Holland America Cruise was fantastic - great entertainment at night time - particularly the One Step Dance company, the BB King All Stars Blues band, the two comedians and the BBC Planet Earth shows.
This was our second holiday we have booked through Global Journeys and once again it was hassle free and everything was so easy - despite COVID. I would highly recommend them. Our previous tour was an Albatross tour throughout Ireland which like the Scenic tour had a number of 2 and some 3 nights stays and lots of inclusions. We chose Scenic for this holiday only because Albatross don't offer any packages for Canada and Alaska. It was our first time with Scenic and we were very impressed with them. Overall Global Journeys, Scenic and Holland America all provided quality products and service that made it a superb holiday.
4.7
Denali was spectacular and thoroughly enjoyed the plane ride up over Denali. The trip into the park was also great and we did see some bears and Dall sheep way off into the distance. The Lodges were all Princess Lodges and were very crowded. Quite a number of us caught COVID so didn't make the cruise which was very disappointing but enjoyed what we ...read more did see.
Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We had a great Tour Director and everything was well organised. She gave very informative information on the places we were visiting and had a great sense of humour. The accommodations were fabulous and there was a great group of people on the tour.
Overall, a wonderful experience. We must start with kudos to both Jemma and Hannah for all the support, help and advice you gave us throughout the booking process. Yes, we will book with you again and are now looking at Tauck tours to Australia, New Zealand and or Tasmania in 2023.
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were ...read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were ...read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
Fantastic company and nice staff on board. We never had to ask for anything... it was all offered on a plate. Very good service and Global Journeys handled the booking and delivered all the required paperwork.
Our experience was an intriguing and memorable holiday on our Portrait of India tour. From the moment we arrived until we boarded our plane to leave, we didn’t have to worry about a thing as everything was taken care of. The accommodation was superb and we visited some magnificent places and sites along with a couple of real surprises. The Taj Mahal ...read more and Varanasi were highlights along with lunch cooked cooked by a famous local in her home. Our tour guide was very interesting and informative throughout our journey and we would recommend this trip to our friends.
Jemma was highly professional booking our trip and keeping us informed with a Tauck hotel change. We were fortunate to explore towns that felt like you were on a movie set and experience the colours of autumn and how each of the states we went to had their own uniqueness. Denise, a local to the area, was our tour guide and she had years of experience ...read more as well as knowledge only residents would have. Staying overnight at Mount Washington Resort was a highlight as was the lobster dinner in Maine. Acadia Park was overrun with tourists and cruise ship passengers but I understand they are working on coming up with a solution. Tauck had great accommodation for the most part and meals were excellent. We were blessed with warm temperatures and only 1 day of rain and it certainly gave a great picture of New England overall.
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